MEET THE TEAM!

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? I started running board game events and helping with merchandising back in 2009, I took over as General Manager in 2010, and in spring of 2017 I assumed ownership!

Pronouns: he/him

What did you do before G&S?  Spent most of my adult life managing specialty retail stores, starting with record stores and then a long stint at Hot Topic during their late 90s and early 2000s heyday. But I’ve also put time in at sandwich shops, the US Census Bureau and some other wacky stuff.

Favorite Board game: War of the Ring

Favorite Card game: KeyForge or Seasons

Favorite Role-Playing Game: The One Ring

Favorite Miniatures Game: Blood Bowl

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game? I’ll talk your ear off about RPG game-mastering skills, or board gaming in general.

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? Hrm. Finished first many times at Gen Con/Origins Shadowrun tourneys over the years. I also finished 11th in the SEASONS World Series event in 2014 (the highest ranked player in the Western hemisphere!)

Favorite Novel: Watership Down or Lord of the Rings 

Favorite IP or fictional setting: Lord of the Rings is the obvious answer, but you could make an argument for Elfquest, Dark Crystal, or Blade Runner.

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? My place is covered in movie posters, Dark Crystal statues, and a veritable literary shrine to Tolkien. 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: My Brom original painting? My Collector’s Edition War of the Ring? My original Big Bird feather?

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: I don’t know, there’s probably a pretty long list. But yelling “I love you Starbuck!” at Katee Sackhoff during a taping of a TV Awards show ranks pretty highly. 

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? I’ve told this story countless times now, but as a child of around 5 years old in the late 70s, I was sitting on my older brother’s lap reading the AD&D Monster Manual, when I promptly threw up on the blink dog.

Anything you'd like to add? I'm also a co-owner of Free RPG Day, I've done a little bit of RPG writing, still do some peer-to-peer retailer education, and I'm a general consultant in the broader tabletop game industry!

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff?: 11 years

Pronouns: he/him

What did you do before G&S? I have been in the game industry for 25+ years in some capacity or another. I have worked for Games Workshop, been a freelance RPG writer, an English Teacher, and much more!

Favorite Board game: Lords of Waterdeep

Favorite Card game: Magic

Favorite Role-Playing game: Dungeons and Dragons

Favorite Miniatures game: Warhammer in all forms!

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game? I specialize in doing very elaborate terrain builds for all my games but especially my RPG games. I even wrote a book about it (The Tremendous Tome of Epic Dungeons). I am a huge RPG fan!

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? I have won various Warhammer tournaments over the years and many awards for miniature painting.

Favorite Novel: Morigu: The Desecration

Favorite IP or fictional setting: Star Wars/Forgotten Realms (I love both!)

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): Massive Star Wars nerd and know way too much miniscule lore!

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? When  you walk into the basement you would see tons of RPGs, Miniatures, Terrain and more!

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: My amazing collection of terrain.

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: Played in an RPG Game with Matt Mercer from Critical Role!

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory?  Playing my first D&D game in my friend’s basement and instantly becoming obsessed with it at the age of 12!

Anything else you’d like to add? I love to talk minis and RPGs so if you ever need help with something when you are in the shop, just ask!

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? 7 years

Pronouns: he/him

What did you do before G&S? Trade Account Manager for Games Workshop, Realtor,  Bartender, and General Ne’er- do- well. 

Favorite Board game: Wingspan

Favorite Card game: Poker

Favorite Role-Playing game: Chill

Favorite Miniatures game: Warcry

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game? Miniatures, Boardgames, Painting and Modeling

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? No but I have won painting awards at events. Not as interested in tournaments as much as immersion in the game.

Favorite Novel: Way too many to list; I read on average 4 books a month.

Favorite IP or fictional setting: Warhammer Fantasy (the Old World)

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): Foodie

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? Waaay too many figures. My collection of Gargoyles. Marvel movies/comics especially Spider-man. Horror movies/novels.

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: Whatever I am currently working on otherwise I wouldn’t be working on it.

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: Dressed in character for a weekend of D&D

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? Around when I was 11 a childhood friend had the first edition D&D box. We had no idea what we were doing. I said "I’m pretty sure you need some of those lead figures to play this.” The rest is history.

 

Alias/Nickname: Dice Goddess

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? 10 years

Pronouns: she/her

What did you do before G&S? Stay-at-home Mom and student

Favorite Board game: Splendor

Favorite Card game: Bohnanza

Favorite Role-Playing game: Monster of the Week

Favorite Miniatures game: Warcry

Favorite Novel: World War Z

Favorite IP or fictional setting: The Magnus Archives, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dragon Age

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I make chainmail and have a BA in Jewish History

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? Board games & RPGs adorn every shelf. Along with dead things & bones. 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: My huge portrait of Ian Malcolm

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory?  Playing Othello, Shuttles, & Pente with my sister

 

Alias/Nickname: Char, “The Warehouse Cryptid”

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? 10 yrs give or take a few! Pretty sure they used a summoning circle for one thing but got me instead. 

Pronouns: she/they

What did you do before G&S? I worked as a hotel front desk agent, the horror stories I could tell you…

Favorite Board game: Splendor will always be a favorite, but Cubed is certainly rising to the top of the list. I’ll also never turn down a chance to play Smallworld.

Favorite Card game: Pokemon for TCG and Vampire Rivals for ECGs

Favorite Role-Playing game: Vampire the Masquerade and Torg Eternity. They both scratch my multi-genre interests in different ways.

Favorite Miniatures game: I really just love painting minis, one day I’ll get my nurgles on a table, though.

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game?  I have many games I enjoy but wouldn't say I'm a specific specialist of any save for Pokemon.

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? One Night Ultimate Werewolf sneakiest wolf at a local convention. I was the absolute worst and misdirected the entire game one night. It was hilarious and the group dubbed me the sneakiest wolf of the session.  

Favorite Novel: I can’t really say because I have so many different genres I enjoy… (But this one emotionally ruined me: Manacled iykyk)

Favorite IP or fictional setting: I have to pick just one? That’s like picking a favorite child! Ones I always keep dipping into the most would have to be The Last Unicorn, Avatar the Last Airbender, Wizard of Oz and all things related to it.

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I love cosplaying! I have been in themed fashion shows, panels, and etc. whilst in costume. 

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? Framed artwork/movie posters, collectable figures, books, not to mention so many shelves filled with board games and RPGs. As well as my assortment of oddities ranging from esoteric to collecting preserved animals or bugs. 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: The Ghost Extended Impera vinyl box set. I adore this band completely, and it sits proudly on my Ghost Memorabilia shelf as the centerpiece.

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: I was in a cosplay dance troupe for two years, we'd perform at conventions and do fun skits for panels/shows hosted by the con. 

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? Probably learning card games with my grandfather after we'd come back from fishing. 

Anything else you’d like to add? "Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, byyyyye!"

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? "Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars..."

Pronouns: he/him

What did you do before G&S? A lot of sitting on the floor.

Favorite Board game: Rattus

Favorite Card game: Euchre

Favorite Role-Playing game: Greg Stafford's RUNEQUEST, QuestWorlds, 13G - or any other system with which one can animate the Glorantha setting. Pendragon is a close second. Most people will not know this about me because it always appears as if any RPG I am reading is my favorite at the time. 

Favorite Miniatures game: For rules? A Song of Ice & Fire. For IP? Warhammer Old World/Age of Sigmar

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game? I spend a lot of time with RPGs. I am actually hoping this whole thing has just been an RPG this entire time.  

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? Not that I can remember. I win a LOT of random drawings, though.

Favorite Novel: Wolfram Von Eschenbach’s Parzival

Favorite IP or fictional setting: Greg Stafford’s Glorantha

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? Rows of books where walls should be.

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: I have a cat that attentively watches wuxia movies and nature videos with me.

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: Ran out of the theater and cried my eyes out when they killed Pinhead at the end of Hellraiser 2: Hellbound.  

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? The cover of dungeon module D1-D2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth/Shrine of the Kuo-Toa. 

Anything else you'd like to add? We should all work to make Iceberg lettuce a thing of the past. It’s time. 

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? About 2 years

Pronouns: she/her

What did you do before G&S? Ran my own business, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Another Universe (comic shop), Record and Tape Traders, Pier 1, Old Navy, Lucky Brand, Hot Topic, Pac Sun, Aerie; you name a retail company and I probably worked there!  

Favorite Card game: I kill at Spades and Hearts

Favorite Role-Playing game: Don’t have one, but waaaaay back in the day I used to play Shadowrun

Favorite Novel: Top 5 Fave Novels: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding by Holly Ringland 

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I’ve been attending Sci-Fi Cons since I was 7 years old

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? I don’t really have a lot of “geekery”. I do have a large collection of Folk Art from Central and South America, as well as an international collection of masks. I also collect dead things (bones, shells, feathers, insect specimens, and fossils). 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: I have two antique scythes 

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? Playing D&D with my Dad, Uncle and Sister in the mid 1980s

Anything else to add? I ran my own jewelry and pottery making business for several years where I sold online and toured the country selling my creations at oddities markets, expos, craft shows, and various events. I even created a small collection of mugs for Games and Stuff during Covid.

Alias/Nickname: The Quartermaster

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? Since May 2023

Pronouns: she/they

What did you do before G&S? Worked for a certain unnamed chain video game retailer for 5 years

Favorite Board game: Wingspan

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: Signed base game Wingspan box

Anything else you’d like to add? I love to crochet, craft, and play board games! My favorite hobby is collecting new hobbies. 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? 1.5 years

Pronouns: she/her

What did you do before G&S? Veterinary Technician

Favorite Board game: Canvas 

Favorite Role-Playing game: D&D

Favorite Novel: The Last Unicorn

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I really enjoy video games and creating geeky items such as jewelry and art. 

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent?  I am in love with Studio Ghibli.

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: My signed DVD from the author of The Last Unicorn

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: Cosplay as some fun anime characters

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? I’ve been working here for a year, but have been intertwined with the store for 2 decades.

Pronouns: he/him

What did you do before G&S? I've worked as a visual media specialist for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. I've worked as a product specialist and business analyst for a small events technology company. I've acted in local low-budget horror movies. I've run a movie review website. I've drawn a webcomic. I've designed the mechanics and graphics for several unpublished board games. I also sat on the board of Unpub, the Unpublished Games Network, where we brought play testers together with game designers at conventions. You know, just the normal stuff. 

Favorite Board game: Carcassonne 

Favorite Card game: Ascension

Favorite Role-Playing game: D&D

Favorite Miniatures game: I'm not a big wargamer, so my favorite game-with-minis is probably Marvel United.

Do you have any gaming specialties? Are you an expert in a particular sort of game? I love board games. I love them so much that I try to design new ones, but I don't have any published yet. YET.

Have you won any tournaments? Do you hold any gaming titles? I have won a couple of informal Carcassonne tournaments at local conventions. I also ALMOST beat our very own Nathan at a Games & Stuff Ascension tournament WAY back in the day, No big whoop.

Favorite Novel: This is tough, but right now it's probably Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I do a lot of comic book-style illustration. I'm also a HUGE movie and TV nerd... some would say "snob." I have over 1500 hours in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent?  Movie posters in our living room, Legend of Zelda figurines, and a huge wall of board games.

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: I have a screen-accurate replica of a Storm Trooper blaster from Star Wars, and a light up replica of Sting from Lord of the Rings (goblins not included).

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: See everything above.

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory? My mom got me a copy of Ravensburger's Master Labyrinth (a version of Labyrinth they don't make anymore) when I was a teenager and it completely changed what I thought board games could be. It started me down a very long path of tabletop game fandom.

Anything else to add? Ask me what my top 10 movies of all time are and I can tell you without hesitation. In order. 

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? 1.5 years

Pronouns: he/him

Favorite board game: Kinfire Delves

Favorite Card game: Magic the Gathering

Favorite Role-Playing game: DnD 5e (but I love adding 3rd party books!)

Favorite IP or fictional setting: Warcraft & High Fantasy/Modern Fantasy

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? Lots of Pokemon plushies all over the living room (especially the ghost types). 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: A 160$ Cynthia card from Pokemon that was gifted to me by one of my best friends years ago. It’s got a shiny Lucario!

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory: I grew up playing a lot of video games with my brother, James. He was my introduction into hobby gaming, and the reason I still love gaming today. He also gave me my first Magic cards years ago, love you bro!

 

Alias/Nickname: Jenna-rater (like generator)

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? Since the very beginning of September 2024

Pronouns: I prefer they/them, but she/her is okay, too

What did you do before G&S? When I turned 18, I started working at Marley Station Hot Topic! Between then and now I’ve mostly had desk jobs.

Favorite Board game: All time fave: The Game of Life // Current fave: I <3 Manatees

Favorite Card game: All time fave: Egyptian Ratscrew // Current fave: Piggy Piggy

Do you have any gaming specialties? I wouldn’t say I have a specialty, per se, but since I’m an only child, I played a lot of 2+ player board games alone growing up. So I’d love to become an expert on solo board games as well as games with a solo mode!

Favorite Novel: Diary by Chuck Palahniuk

Earliest Hobby Gaming memory: In 1999, all the boys started showing off their Pokémon cards at recess.  I really wanted to get my own but my birthday wasn’t until Summer. Walking home from school one day, I found an Exeggcute card that had obviously been run over by a few cars. My very first Pokemon card! I still have it to this day.

Anything else you’d like to add? I love that I’ve been able to become part of the wonderful community that Games and Stuff brings together! My co-workers, as well as our clientele, have made me feel so warm and accepted!

 

How long have you been at Games and Stuff? In May 2023 I started working with the store to design the new retail space, then about a year ago officially became part of the team.

Pronouns: she/her

What did you do before G&S?  Licensed Optician, Stay-at-home Mom, Designer/Fiber Artist, Vice President of Operations for Awesome Con, Event Producer (art markets, concert series, comic cons), Social Media Director for various businesses (game company, restaurant group, realtor)

Favorite Card game: I take Uno way too seriously

Favorite Novel: Too hard!

Favorite IP or fictional setting: I am drawn to period pieces or distant future settings. Anything that lets me escape the present. 

Other Geek credentials (non-gaming): I love Star Trek AND Star Wars,  but maybe Star Trek just a little bit more. FIGHT ME. 

If I were to come to your home, what sort of geekery would be immediately apparent? When I’ve got a home I like to decorate with Legos and cool pop culture-y artwork I’ve picked up at cons. 

Coolest thing in your personal Nerd Hoard: Lots of photos of me with actors/voice actors I’ve worked with that we all know and love from across all the Nerd Universes.

Geekiest thing you’ve ever done: Organized a Guinness World Record attempt on the National Mall for largest gathering of people dressed as comic book characters in a single place. We didn’t even come close to beating the record set in China, but it made the news and was one heck of a PR stunt!

Anything else you’d like to add? My favorite part of this job is showing off our awesome team and incredible community, so don’t be surprised if I ask to take your photo if I see you in the store!