Events
Gamescape North has a very busy in-store event calendar that features a great array of different types of ongoing games. For those wanting a quick overview as to what’s currently in our rotation, you’ll find most of our regular events below, with a brief description of what each game is all about just for a teaser. As always, you can find an accurate and up-to-date schedule of our events – regular games, one-shot tournaments, continuing campaigns, or in-store seminars – on the Calendar page. We also offer a print version of the monthly calendar, which can always be found front-and-center on the counter. We hope to see you at our tables very soon!
An institution in our store and certainly in the industry, the Magic CCG is now twenty years old (!) and still gaining ground with new ideas, new mechanics, and a whole new generation of players in just about every country on our planet. We support MTG as much as possible, with regular Friday Night Magic events that provide a variety of different play formats, as well as back-to-back Pre-Release tournaments as new card sets come through the pipeline. We have a sharp, fantastic DCI-approved judge for all sanctioned events, and we can proudly state that we never raise the retail prices of any in-print items, be they booster packs or limited-edition releases.
When it’s played: Every Friday, 6-10pm (Casual games may start at 4pm)
Genre: Collectible Card Game (Fantasy)
Who’s organizing: Brian and Mike
Tuesday night is the regular home of the most popular miniatures game in the store: the mighty Warhammer 40,000. If you’re not yet familiar with it, 40K is a set of straightforward, squad-based, skirmish-level rules that’s great for beginners and veterans alike. Gamescape hosts an open and friendly community, plenty of table space, and a fabulous terrain selection all for free use. Free demo games featuring fully-painted armies are available for new or interested players to have a go.
When it’s played: Every Tuesday, 6-10pm
Genre: Sci-Fi Miniatures
Who’s organizing: Max and Jordan
One of the longest-running and most well-recognized miniature games still out there, the venerable Warhammer Fantasy Battles pits large army formations of rank and file fantasy soldiers against one another, augmented by powerful wizards and colossal war machines weaving wondrous magic and destruction. With a ton of factions to choose from — Elves, Orcs, Goblins, Humans, Dwarves, Lizardmen, Ogres and Vampires just for starters — Warhammer has something to interest almost any gamer. We’ve built up a wonderful painted terrain selection of Medieval-styled buildings, castle walls, forests, arcane ruins, and mysterious towers to march and fight over, so the battlefields are always rich and diverse.
When it’s played: Every other Sunday, 2-6pm
Genre: Fantasy Miniatures
Who’s organizing: Max and Jordan
Legend of the Five Rings is a collectible card game that sets each player in the house of one of the nine clans of Rokugan, all struggling to seize victory in one of four ways. Using an innovative two-deck format, players hire troops and claim land from their Dynasty decks while letting the will of Fate decide the cards in their hand. Every battle dictates the course of the Empire, letting players actually have an impact on the official canon of L5R based on the results of tournaments nation-wide. With nine clans and endless possible deck builds, will you seek the five rings and find enlightenment within yourself, follow the path of truth and honor, humiliate your opponent through slander, or simply raze their land to the ground? Don’t forget to sign up for the Imperial Assembly on the L5R website; in addition to registering player for promotional cards and newsletters, this allows players to defend their local game store as their personal Stronghold. For every member a Stronghold Store has, its eligibility increases for additional prize support like complementary booster packs and boxes of rare cards that are distributed to our community!
When it’s played: Every Friday, 6-10pm
Genre: Collectible Card Game (Mystic & Mythic Japan)
Who’s organizing: Mike and Jordan
Our Privateer Press community is strong and active, and we play both Warmachine and Hordes at just about every scheduled session. In addition to regular casual play, we host Steamroller tournaments, mini-leagues, and mega-battles a number of times per year, so you’ll never run out of chances to turn your opponents to slag. For new players, we’ve got a very able Press Ganger to supervise our events, and he can give quick demos to anyone interested in learning either game – or both. Warmachine & Hordes: engage in epic battles between fearsome soldier-sorcerers as ironclad, steam-powered robots; hulking monstrous beasts; crafty battle wizards; and hardened shock troops clash to decide who will truly reign supreme over the battle grounds of the Iron Kingdoms!
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 6-11pm
Genre: Fantasy Miniatures (Steamjack/Feral Magic)
Who’s organizing: Jordan, Paul, and Ed
SAGA is one of our new favorite historical skirmish games. Set in the Dark Ages and complete with Vikings, Normans, and proto-Native Americans (just to name a few), SAGA is quick, fun, and easy to get into. The driving force of the game is a unique, symbol-based dice mechanic. Each culture has a battle board with abilities that can be activated according to your dice rolls, so every combat is totally malleable based on how you allocate actions to your warband. Add in some fun scenarios, and it’s just like you’re back at the monastery, fending off the barbarians once again!
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 2-6pm
Genre: Historical Miniatures (Dark Ages)
Who’s organizing: Nick and Bill
What’s the buzz about Dropzone Commander? Hawk Wargames has put together a pretty little science-fiction battle game in 10mm — which sounds pretty small, but we’re dealing with aliens, here! It’s designed for small skirmishes or large-scale battles using an alternative action system, and the rules are focused on the concept of rapid deployment and rapid movement, which makes for a rapid fight. Hawk launched the game with a huge array of resin ships and vehicles separated into four factions, and each player chooses whether to take the side of the exiled Humans, who are now living on the edges of their former planetary system, or the conquesting Scourge, who scattered the seeds of humanity to the solar winds. DZC is an awesome game with an awesome story behind it.
When it’s played: Every other Sunday, 12-3pm
Genre: Sci-Fi Miniatures
Who’s organizing: Andre
Infinity is a fast, intricate, exciting, and unforgiving sci-fi skirmish-level miniatures game that’s been a long-time favorite of many of our employees and discerning customers. It’s set in our own universe around 400 years from now; humanity has struck out into the stars but hasn’t gotten very far yet. Somewhat uncomfortably, the human factions in the game are direct evolutions of the political forces in our world today. The fluff is great, but it’s the activation mechanic that sets Infinity apart from the others: each player uses an orders pool to dictate what his units can do, but with the risk that those actions might get canceled if his opponent’s successes are greater. This makes for some very tense, cinematic moments as units move through enemy fire trying to hold their own. And Infinity games are always played on ultra-packed tables full of dystopian-futuristic terrain, which makes it even better!
When it’s played: Every other Sunday, 3-6pm
Genre: Sci-Fi Miniatures
Who’s organizing: Andre
Imagine Victoriana and Steampunk mixed with Gothic Horror and a touch of the Wild West, and you’ve got a good idea of what Malifaux is like. Instead of using dice, each player builds and manipulates a deck of cards, called a Fate Deck, to determine the outcome of actions and events, which lends a surreal and fantastic cinematic storyline to each battle. As your crews fight for control of the rare and valuable Soulstones, dark magics are unleashed and aetheric powers swirl in the air, manipulating henchmen and minions alike. Malifaux is one of the coolest mish-mashed miniatures games we’ve seen in a long time, and all you need is a half-dozen figures to get started.
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 11am-2pm
Genre: Fantasy Miniatures (Steampunk/Wild West)
Who’s organizing: Andre and Brian
The Hobbit Strategy Battle Game is the film-inspired reboot of The Lord of the Rings, one of the best miniature skirmish game systems ever produced by Games Workshop. After a significant break in having it feature regularly at the store, we’re really excited to get this system up and running again with both new and old players alike. Grounded in the history and scope of Tolkien’s literary world, The Hobbit and LotR miniatures games allow you to field forces from any of the races and factions found in Middle Earth, fighting battles of Good versus Evil in simple-to-learn but highly-thematic scenarios and tactics. A combination of low model count and a unique game-turn system makes this a great option for getting started in miniatures wargaming, but it’s widely-played enough to offer event the hardened veteran numerous devious opponents. Our plans for the game this year include regular casual events to build the community back up again, with campaigns and tournaments soon after. With sword and shield, axe and spear, magic or simple brute force will the fate of Middle Earth be determined!
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 2pm-6pm
Genre: Fantasy Miniatures (Tolkein)
Who’s organizing: Nick
Co-written by Rick Priestly of Games Workshop royalty, Bolt Action is a gritty but very accessible 28mm World War II-themed skirmish game that’s quickly gaining popularity all over the world. With a HUGE range of miniatures and vehicles available from a wide array of countries, it’s quick to learn and beautiful to behold — jointly-published by Warlord Games and Osprey, the rulebook couldn’t have any better visuals. After the massive success of Flames of War (15mm), it’s great to finally have an exciting and engaging larger-scale WWII game that’s making the rounds. Drop by on Saturday afternoons and order a squad around with us to see what Bolt Action is like. We’ll supply the troops if you supply the leadership…
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 2-6pm
Genre: Historical Miniatures (WWII)
Who’s organizing: Andre
This is the big daddy of historical miniatures right now, and it’s easy to see why: Flames of War is impressive and pretty, with a huge community of players both in and out of the store. Its small scale means you can create massive fields of fire and wage epic battles across the flooded causeways of France, the desert sands of North Africa, or the endless Russian steppes with relative ease. Build just about any company you can imagine – historically-acurrate or just for fun – and try to outfight and outmaneuver your opponents using a fast and satisfying rules system. In addition to regular casual games, we often run special campaigns and mega-battles like Infantry Aces and a yearly Tanksgiving event. As well, Gamescape is a staunch sponsor of the rapidly-growing NorCal Flames of War group and is heavily involved in running numerous events around the Bay Area and beyond.
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 10am-2pm
Genre: Historical Miniatures (WWII)
Who’s organizing: Nick
Funky creatures. Technology from World War I. Simple rules at a skirmish level of play – what’s not to like? Created by Zombiesmith over in the East Bay, Songs of Our Ancestors is a fantastic tactical skirmish wargame with a variable turn-length structure and a unique order-dice mechanic for unit activation.The Quar are a race of cartoonish, round-bodied, long-nosed creatures that have been at total war for more than a hundred years. Their technology is early-20th century and their fashion is trench-chic. The miniatures, which are available in both 28mm and 15mm, are full of character and crisp of detail, lending themselves to beautiful paint jobs very well. Game play is fast and intuitive with lots of choices for a good tactical feel. Songs of Our Ancestors provides a loose, light, casual approach to miniature wargaming.
When it’s played: Every other Sunday, 11am-2pm
Genre: Fantasy Miniatures (Dystopian Trenchpunk, etc.)
Who’s organizing: Andre and Nick
With a focus on fleet-building and tactical movement, X-Wing seeks to mirror the experience of a standard miniatures game in a much more approachable and streamlined way than you might expect. Players assign hidden maneuvers to each pre-painted miniature ship they control using Movement Dials that are unique to each type of craft. After both sides have locked in their dials, players reveal their flight paths to their opponents and resolve them in the order of their pilots’ experience, which gives the experts the chance to act in response to the rookies. Then, in descending order, each ship will have the opportunity to fire upon their enemy using custom dice. Combat is quick and deadly, with each shot being a deciding moment for the outcome of the turn. Given the choice between the tyrannical Imperial Navy or the ragtag Rebel Alliance, it’s time to pick your side and join the fight!
When it’s played: Every other Saturday, 11am-2pm
Genre: Sci-Fi Miniatures (Star Wars)
Who’s organizing: Mike
In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, players build decks around their favorite Pokémon and then play against each other, sending their Pokémon into battle to prove who the best Pokémon Trainer is. Open to both new and experienced players, our Pokémon League is a great time for kids and adults to play the ever-popular monster-collecting card game together. Organized by an awesome host of parents and Pokémon enthusiasts, the league offers a casual and friendly environment for beginners to learn to play or for masters to hone their tournament skills. Come battle against other players, trade cards, and talk about deck strategy – all for free. Drop in for a few minutes or stay for the entire time…the fun is in the challenge Feel free to contact the organizers directly if you have any questions at all about joining the league.
When it’s played: On scheduled Sundays, 11am-2pm
Genre: Collectible Card Game (Fantasy/Young Players)
Who’s organizing: Cindy Harris, Jay Tustin, and Matthew & Christine Garward
Many of our regulars say this is the best night of the week – a time where people from all over the Bay Area get together and hang out for an evening of fun, conversation, and more games than you can shake a handful of meeples at. Anything goes on Board Game Night, and you’re sure to find a huge variety of different things being played, from Euro to abstract strategy to party game and beyond. People generally show up around 6pm and chat for a while, with the first round of games usually starting around 6:30pm. We have a huge library of things to try, and people always bring things they’re interested in sharing with others or perhaps giving a shot for the first time. It’s a great community that’s always welcoming to new players – and new gamers, in general. There’s even a forum board set up that players can use to organize sessions. And because we have so many outstandingly-talented local designers around these parts, we often get a chance to meet-n-greet with some great folks at BGN, and occasionally even try out a beta version of a forthcoming hit. We hope you’ll join our weekly gaming community!
When it’s happening: Every Thursday, 6-11pm
Genre: Board Games of all kinds
Who’s organizing: Andre and Mike
Gamescape’s Designers Guild hosts monthly meetings at the store where our brilliant cadre of local designers can playtest game prototypes, meet-n-greet each other, and discuss any or all aspects of board game design and manufacture. Everyone is welcome, whether you have your own game prototype, an idea for a game, or just want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the different processes of design and production. Each meeting begins with a round of scheduled playtests, where participants have a chance to try one of several pre-selected prototypes, followed by a free-form session for open playtesting and discussions around board game design, development, and publishing. To join in, just show up with a willingness to play, learn, teach, test, and help.
When it’s happening: Monthly on Sunday, 2-6pm
Genre: Gaming Design and Playtest
Who’s organizing: Greg and Brian Powers
Newly added to the 2013 calendar is our Wednesday evening Open Gaming Menagerie. This is for everyone that can’t seem to find a time to play their favorite game on a scheduled night, and it’s the best possible place to try something new you’ve been eyeing for a while. You’re welcome to bring in something to teach or dive into someone else’s game. Diverse, fun open gaming. That’s our Wednesday evenings from now on. Come help make it great – the more, the better!
When it’s happening: Every Wednesday, 6-10pm
Genre: Open Gaming
Who’s organizing: Andre and Mike
Possibly the longest-running event that we host at Gamescape, Pizza & Painting Night is renowned by many as the only time they actually get good modeling work done – and with good reason: it’s a great environment to jump-start your creativity and also your excitement about finally finishing that army! With tables full of like-minded painters and gamers, there’s always good conversation, endless inspiration, and the trading of great tips and techniques from a wide breadth of extremely talented miniatures mavens. Though it’s a casual atmosphere with no traditional “teaching” structure, questions (and answers) of all kinds are very much encouraged. We’ve also been know to have some very special folks drop by for an energetic painting or weathering demo and perhaps a few great how-to examples. And our selection of modeling supplies is on display for those looking to pick up some cool new pigment powders or replenish that quickly-hardening color. All this and we haven’t even mentioned the delicious food that gets ordered!
When it’s happening: Every other Saturday, 6-10pm
Genre: Open Hobby Gathering
Who’s organizing: Max
Gamescape Role-Players Anonymous (GRPA) is our long-standing RPG club, which hosts convention-style, one-shot games on Monday nights as they are submitted to us from the community. It’s a great way to test out new game systems and play old favorites, as well as the perfect place to meet other local players who are either looking to join in a campaign or run one of their own. We often feature playtest sessions with popular game designers, as well as special linked scenarios that can span more than one session. Potential gamemasters are encouraged to submit GRPA offerings to be played on any Monday of the month, provided they supply a minimum of two weeks of lead time to allow players an opportunity to plan and schedule them into their calendars. These games are then presented as GRPA Featured Games to our roleplaying community and beyond via email, social media, and our website & print calendar with open enrollment for all players who wish to participate on a first-come, first-served basis.
When it’s happening: Featured Mondays, 6-10pm
Genre: Role-Playing (Various)
Who’s organizing: Nick and Andre
Every Monday evening that we can muster is Open RPG Night. Whereas GRPA featured games provide one-shot, pre-designed scenarios for sign-up, ORPG provides an open-table format for your regular role-playing campaigns, either with room for walk-ins or closed just to your friends. We want it to be like your living room, only with lots of space, plenty of tables, and the perfect atmosphere to meet other gamers or to see what’s normally being played behind closed doors. If you think you’d like to move your monthly game to Mondays at Gamescape, shoot us an e-mail and we’ll get you a table. The more role-playing, the better, and now you can keep a pulse on what’s happening locally in the RPG scene!
When it’s happening: Every Monday, 6-10pm
Genre: Role-Playing (Various)
Who’s organizing: Nick
Spearheading Open RPG Nights is our local Pathfinder Society Group, which meets just about every week. Overseen by the masterfully-creative Joshua Archer, this is a fabulous group that is Diverse, experienced, and super-friendly. Drop-in players and inexperienced newcomers are eagerly welcomed and the group is ready to provide characters and instruction to get you started as a Pathfinder in the World of Golarion. The group contains a number of veteran gamemasters ready to run as many tables as is needed to accommodate the growing numbers of players that are continuing to join The Society. PFS is a really great adventure to behold!
When it’s played: Mondays at Open RPG Night, 6-10pm