This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk about Wargames West, a games mail order catalog from the late ’80s and early ’90s. Extremely hard to find, but a precious snapshot of the past. We also talk about collecting, and not collecting, and more!
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Edited by the one and only R. Alex Murray.
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Tune in next week for the next episode. Until then, may the dice always roll in your favor!
Hey Stu and Hambone! Long time listener, first-time commenter. Have not listened to the episode yet, but based on the name… I worked at the brick and mortar Wargames West in Albuquerque, NM in 1987-1989. It was truly a “Mom and Pop organization” with owners Wayne and Shirley I worked the retail area, while mail order was handled in the back office. I was working when the WEG Star Wars RPG came out (I got to run the first demo game, even created a custom template: “Renegade Stormtrooper.” The tail end of my time with the store was the arrival of Magic: The Gathering. We were all very excited by it’s new concepts and Wayne was pushing hard to get it into everyone’s hands and make some money. Thank you for featuring this and bringing back some fun memories!
This is amazing! I never really considered the existence of a storefront since it is so fixed in my mind as a catalog. So glad this podcast episode has inspired both customers and employees to hit me up — glad you enjoyed it!
I just happened to find this stub while trying to find if anyone had ever posted a history of Wargames West or Active Imagination. By the time I started playing D&D and Magic the shop had already changed its name to Active Imagination (but regulars just called it AI). I spent every Friday night I could there, either for RPGA or FNM. Wayne, Shirley, and their staff, the store itself was a huge part of my childhood. My Father frequented the store when he was in his teens and 20s when it was called Wargames West. It was an Albuquerque staple for decades, and its final closure was sad for a lot of people. Hope Shirley is doing well, RIP Wayne. Thank you both for everything you did to support Magic and make ABQ the unexpected hub it was for collectors and players alike.
Thanks for commenting! It’s been cool having locals find this and weigh in. It’s cool that it was just as important locally as it was to me as a mail order shop.
Woh! About a month late, but just saw these comments. I grew up in Albuquerque in the 80’s, obsessed with rpgs and Star Wars. I remember dropping in to Wargames West on what was probably a Saturday afternoon in 1987 and hearing that, not only was there a new Star Wars rpg, but they were running a demo game in the back of the store. I convinced my parents to leave me there for a few hours (I was 14) so I could play. I played the Brash Pilot template (my second choice since someone else got to the bounty hunter before me) and didn’t really know what to do with myself since I didn’t have a ship for most of the adventure. Still, I loved it and bought the game that afternoon. Wonder if Mr. Lynch was GMing that game. Small world!