So after buying the Capes book (and pdf), I read through it exhaustively and then posted to the Jackson-Area Gamers mailing list saying that I’d like to hook up with some folks and play some Capes on Saturday afternoon at a Friendly Local Game Store. Three folks replied with interest and gaming ensued.

Dragon’s Lair is primarily a cards and collectibles shop, with tons of the usual knickknacks: pewter and crystal dragons, t-shirts, gag gifts, stuff like that. There was a very small selection of AD&D and D&D 3e books, some Xbox games, some used game consoles and games, and a wide variety of collectible card games. Snacks and cold sodas were also available, and it’s only block away from a Little Caesar’s Pizza.

In the back were about half a dozen tables for gaming, with two televisions and Xboxes set up for head-to-head play. While we were gettting started, a four-man Halo deathmatch was going pretty furiously and the whole time we played Capes there were a ton of folks playing Pokemon, Magic, and stuff like that. Aside from our Capes stuff, another JAG member involved in a miniatures strategy game, and the Xbox guys, I think all the other gaming going on was CCG. I’m not completely sure, though, because I was focused pretty strongly on our game. Anyway, it was a very welcoming atmosphere for gaming. The owner, Brian Brock, was really nice to us and seemed genuinely glad we came in to hang out and game.

Everybody seemed to really dig Capes. My only regret is that I didn’t get to show off the game to some of the *many* other people who expressed interest in what we were playing. At least half a dozen people came over to the table now and then to see what was going on. Half of those even asked if they could play in the next round. Unfortunately, we spent longer than I’d anticipated on the first scene and I had to leave rather than play another.

I talked with Mr. Brock about coming in again on a Saturday to demo the game for more folks. This time I’d be doing ten-minute “this is what the absolute core of the game feels like” demos rather than the much longer “learn to play by generating characters and playing a whole scene using the Capes Lite ruleset” that I did last time. He’s looking into getting some Capes books to sell to anybody who’s interested, and seems really excited about expanding his store into the rpg side of gaming, as well as trying out Capes himself. Right now I’m thinking at February 18th, starting around 2pm.