Awesome Washington D.C. Game Store – Labyrinth

Last week, I was away on a business trip on my birthday.

Since I love spending time with family and friends on special occasions, being on the road for my birthday didn’t sound too enticing.

But I wouldn’t let that slow me down. Instead, I’d just find a different way to celebrate and have fun on my birthday.

The good news is that I’d be in Washington, D.C. – where there’s plenty to see and do. And I sure packed it in.

After setting up for our trade show and getting on a few conference calls, I set out on foot to visit plenty of sites. I first visited Ford’s Theater and the Petersen House where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Then I visited the National Museum of Natural History and watched the IMAX 3D movie on The National Parks. After that I walked all over visiting the Washington Monument, the WWII, Vietnam War, Korean War, Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, FDR and Jefferson memorials.

I really enjoyed paying visits to each of those historical sites. However, all of those were very solitary activities. Sure there were plenty of people around, but I was venturing on my own.

I figured the proper way to spend a birthday is with others.

So I made my way to the Labyrinth game shop!

Before my trip, I hadn’t know anything about the Labyrinth Game Shop. But the night before my birthday I did a search for game stores in the area and found a lot posted about Labyrinth. So I tweeted out to them that I was planning to stop by the next night.

They were quick to respond and were more than happy to have me come by for some games. The owner, Kathleen, also let me know that The Washington Post was going to swing by with a crew to film them playing Trump: The Game starting at 6pm.

It was a tempting offer, but with all my other stops along the way I didn’t make it to the Labyrinth Game Shop until closer to 7pm.

On my last business trip I stopped by a couple game stores, but only for a short period of time to check it out. This trip was different. This time I wanted to play!

If I couldn’t be with my family and friends on my birthday, I’d just have to make some new friends. And the Labyrinth Game Shop was the perfect place to do so!

 

Labyrinth Game Shop

When I walked into the Labyrinth Game Shop I was welcomed by Tommy who was behind the register ringing up a customer. Kathleen and a couple other players were at a game table next to the counter playing Trump: The Game with The Washington Post reporter and videographer taking it all in.

Since I didn’t want to interrupt their game and filming, I just said a quick “hello” to Kathleen and wandered around the shop.

I was very impressed with how much they fit in such a little space.

The game shop itself is very narrow but also extends back quite a way. And it’s packed with games and puzzles from front to back.

The first thing I noticed when entering was the center display with a wide assortment of board games, card games, word games, and party games. For someone new board games, you could simply stop at that display and find a game for almost any gaming situation you’d find yourself in.

The next couple areas I perused were their racks of puzzles and brain teasers. They had quite the assortment and there were many items that caught my eye.

I then headed toward the back of the store, looking over the packed game shelves along the way. One of the things I thought was terrific was that they carry multiple copies of most of the games in the store.

A number of game stores I’ve been in have great games for sale, but most are just single copies of those games display nicely on their shelves. But Labyrinth was more like a bookstore with every shelf being full of multiple copies of the items.

When I made it to the tables, I was impressed that every table was full of people playing games!

Of course, I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t find a spot to sit to start or join in on the games. There were a few other folks who were also there to play and couldn’t find a spot.

It actually made for a great opportunity to meet and talk to the others who were also there to play.

After talking about different games, we decided to play a game of Between Two Cities. Only one of them had played before and the others were interested in learning the game. And I was happy to teach it since I really like the game.

However, since all the tables were full, all 6 of us (Amy, Til, Shane, Claire, Kelly, and I) sat around a low display table to play. It actually worked out quite well and it was a super close game.

One thing I really like about Between Two Cities is the discussion between the players. Not only do you have to work things out with the player on each side of you, but the light nature of the game also allows for a lot of conversation during the game. So it was great to get to know the other players a bit along the way as well.

After finishing that game, Kathleen was ready to teach me a brand new game from Days of Wonder — Quadropolis.

I’d seen a bit about Quadropolis leading up to it’s release this month and was looking forward to trying it some day. So when I heard they had just gotten it in and were anxious to play it again, I was more than willing to play it with them.

Kathleen, Tommy, Shane, and I dove into Quadropolis at the same table where they had played Trump: The Game earlier.

We played the advanced version of the game. And even though I came in dead last, I really enjoyed playing. There’s plenty of things to consider on each turn but not too much to be overwhelmed. One of the things I really like is the variable set up of the tiles every round. Every game will play out differently based on the set up and the choices of the other players.

Very cool.

We wrapped up our game just after 10:00 pm and I headed back to my hotel with a smile on my face.

Not only had I visited many great historical sites in Washington D.C., I had also found a great game shop and met some fantastic people.

If you’re visiting Washington D.C. (or live in the area), definitely stop by Labyrinth. You’ll also walk away with a smile on your face.

It was a happy birthday indeed.