A quick note to my search query folks

I love looking at the Google searches that people are using to get to my blog!

"does half price books have board games"

Qualified yes.  If the games are still in shrink, typically they'll be shelved in the game books section, between  Dungeons & Dragons and chess books.  Since the staff don't want to inventory open games, any game out of shrink will be marked at a couple of dollars and put in the Clearance section.  I've gotten two copies of Travel Blokus this way.

"Expedit board games"

I love our Expedit shelves for board game storage, and it's nearly perfect.  Two minor points: if you push the shelves all the way to the wall, you won't lose Travel Blokus pieces down behind the shelving, but if you do that, some games will stick out farther than others.  My thrifted copies of Mouse Trap stick out about 4" from the Expedit shelf itself.

"board games like High Frontier"

It depends on which axis you want to progress along.  If you like "pick up and deliver," then Lunar Rails or Merchant of Venus might be next logical steps.  If you like complex simulations, the other Sierra Madre games like American Megafauna or Origins: How We Became Human are hugely-complex affairs.  You should also check out Dominant Species (mix of mechanisms, similar competition for sites), and Here I Stand (all-day game, depth of study in the subject area).

"mike doyle game art"

Yes, Mike Doyle's game art is fantastic.

In other news, I need to do a wrap-up post on OwlCon.  Spoiler: it was fun!

The Houston Gamers have lost a friend

One of our friends, Doug Curry, passed away Thursday morning.

He is survived by his wife and adult children.  Doug was a gamer, but more importantly, he was a great human being who was an all-around good guy.  My memories of Doug are all happy ones.

Please, tell your friends and family you love them, because you never know how much time any one of us has.

As I head off to Owlcon today, there's a lump in my throat because I never told Doug how much his presence at the game table was appreciated.  Seeing the folks I see rarely will be bittersweet with the knowledge of Doug's passing, and I'm going to do my best to thank those people for the joy they bring to the world.

Everyone who's participated in my gaming experiences, I appreciate you!  Take good care of yourselves.