huh??? michigan gamers

[MurderCityDisciple]

Yeah I live 10 minutes from Palladium Central and there is only one store that carries new Palladium stuff (and not much of a selection at that).

Back in the day, Palladium was at every comic book and game store around. What happened?

[Boethermsbrukan]

Man, to be able to go to the Palladium Open House via a short drive. o_o This cub is in Toronto, Ontario; other side of the Great Lakes and the U.S./Canadian border. The troubles for gaming are here as well; I can only remember one dedicated gaming-only store (which in its fifteen years of existence prior to shutting down was always in the same, moderately-cramped 'bachelor's apartment' space) here in Toronto, and it's been gone for a while now. The Silver Snail still has its one flagship store here, although it moved a half-dozen years back and it carries very little gaming product; it had a second store that had both excellent game selection and a big supply of new and old Palladium stock (bought my TMNT & Other Strangeness and original Robotech books there) but it's been gone even longer than the Worldhouse (the gaming-only store I mentioned). The two FLGS....or at least FLCS ('Friendly Local Gaming Store' and 'Friendly Local Comic Store') I frequented a few years back got rid of most of their gaming supplies. There are three locations for a particular Toronto chain (started out with one store downtown on Yonge) that I have been told carry a considerable bit of gaming goodness in each of their stores, but I've never been to any of them.

The good news for me is that in the last couple of years (found out about this place a month or so ago) a game-focussed store opened up right on the east-west subway line two stops of which I live within walking distance of, less than twenty minutes eastbound. I haven't visited it yet (the focus seems to include a lot of CCGs, which isn't unusual nowadays here) but I'm planning on it sometime soon. They have an open RPG night every Sunday (they've in-store playing space, which is a big plus) and I'm thinking I might attend one in the New Year. Wish me luck in finding some swell Palladium books!

-Boe.

[Rallan]

Back in the day, Palladium was at every comic book and game store around. What happened?

The tabletop RPG market as a whole shrank, and so did Palladium's share in what's left. That's what happened.

[Sureshot]

The tabletop RPG market as a whole shrank, and so did Palladium's share in what's left. That's what happened.

Seconded. As well no really major fixes to any of the rules. Beyond telling players to houserule. While helpful does nto really address the issue. The fans just went to other rpg publishers that address or release fixes to the rules. The near constant missing of release dates. Stores want rpg publishers that deliver on time or as close as possible often. As well the PB products don't sell as much as they used. Stores want to carry product that both sells and moves off the shelves. With Amazon selling the same product cheaper they can't afford to carry stuff that very few fans buy. Promising to release too many products while on delivering a fraction. No Rifters don't count imo. So I'm not surprised that their share of the rpg market shrank. While the rpg market has shrunk it's not the only cause. Much of it is PB responsability.

[kaid]

Back in the day, Palladium was at every comic book and game store around. What happened?

The tabletop RPG market as a whole shrank, and so did Palladium's share in what's left. That's what happened.

It was also a matter of the pipe line slowed down a lot right at the time the RPG market itself contracted and the economy tanked. The best avenue for them getting back to where they were is crank out new stuff and get the buzz going again. I know some folks who had not realized palladium was still up and going. Visibility at things like gen con helps with this a lot and the RPG tactics.

[Rallan]

Back in the day, Palladium was at every comic book and game store around. What happened?

The tabletop RPG market as a whole shrank, and so did Palladium's share in what's left. That's what happened.

It was also a matter of the pipe line slowed down a lot right at the time the RPG market itself contracted and the economy tanked. The best avenue for them getting back to where they were is crank out new stuff and get the buzz going again. I know some folks who had not realized palladium was still up and going. Visibility at things like gen con helps with this a lot and the RPG tactics.

It was more a matter of them never having another hit after Rifts. It's almost 25 years since the last time a Palladium game was the hot new thing that everyone in the hobby wanted a look at.

[Razzinold]

Man, to be able to go to the Palladium Open House via a short drive. o_o This cub is in Toronto, Ontario; other side of the Great Lakes and the U.S./Canadian border. The troubles for gaming are here as well; I can only remember one dedicated gaming-only store (which in its fifteen years of existence prior to shutting down was always in the same, moderately-cramped 'bachelor's apartment' space) here in Toronto, and it's been gone for a while now. The Silver Snail still has its one flagship store here, although it moved a half-dozen years back and it carries very little gaming product; it had a second store that had both excellent game selection and a big supply of new and old Palladium stock (bought my TMNT & Other Strangeness and original Robotech books there) but it's been gone even longer than the Worldhouse (the gaming-only store I mentioned). The two FLGS....or at least FLCS ('Friendly Local Gaming Store' and 'Friendly Local Comic Store') I frequented a few years back got rid of most of their gaming supplies. There are three locations for a particular Toronto chain (started out with one store downtown on Yonge) that I have been told carry a considerable bit of gaming goodness in each of their stores, but I've never been to any of them.

The good news for me is that in the last couple of years (found out about this place a month or so ago) a game-focussed store opened up right on the east-west subway line two stops of which I live within walking distance of, less than twenty minutes eastbound. I haven't visited it yet (the focus seems to include a lot of CCGs, which isn't unusual nowadays here) but I'm planning on it sometime soon. They have an open RPG night every Sunday (they've in-store playing space, which is a big plus) and I'm thinking I might attend one in the New Year. Wish me luck in finding some swell Palladium books!

-Boe.

Is one of the locations you are talking about Harry Tarantula ? I went to Harry T North and unless I missed it I didn't find any new Palladium stuff. I honestly can't even remember if there was old stuff. All I know is I walked away disappointed, I was looking forward to picking up Triax 2 (the newest book at the time I went).

What is the new to you place you found within the last month ? I live just east of Lazlo so it might be worth the drive.

[Sureshot]

Their are fans just not as many as before imo. I had been lucky and meet a group awhile back. now I'm in the same boat. As they group moved on to other rpgs. Moved away. Or as gamers and individuals personality wise we just don't get along anymore.

Yet most of why it has come to this is PB responabilty and theirs alone. The attitude has alwys been "these are the rules take them or leave them". With the a decent enough amount of the fanbase leaving for what ever reason. If rules issues as well as other type of problems are not going to fixed or addressed. With fans have a huge selection of rpgs to choose from well why would the number of fans increase. Which is why I learned the hard way not to stay with only one system. It seems at least in my neck of the woods that D&D is the top rpg to be played. With some other rpgs thrown in. In terms of numbers D&D wins by a landslide.

[Razzinold]

Their are fans just not as many as before imo. I had been lucky and meet a group awhile back. now I'm in the same boat. As they group moved on to other rpgs. Moved away. Or as gamers and individuals personality wise we just don't get along anymore.

Yet most of why it has come to this is PB responabilty and theirs alone. The attitude has alwys been "these are the rules take them or leave them". With the a decent enough amount of the fanbase leaving for what ever reason. If rules issues as well as other type of problems are not going to fixed or addressed. With fans have a huge selection of rpgs to choose from well why would the number of fans increase. Which is why I learned the hard way not to stay with only one system. It seems at least in my neck of the woods that D&D is the top rpg to be played. With some other rpgs thrown in. In terms of numbers D&D wins by a landslide.

This has been my experience as well, except instead of moving on to other RPGs they moved on to PS4. I'm not hating on video games or anything like that, I'm a gamer myself, but playing video games is a very different experience/kind of fun (IMO).

Gaming entertains you but isn't as interactive and doesn't challenge your imagination, even in an 'open world game' you are still limited in what you can do. With RPGs you are only limited by your imagination, and I guess the GM too , both are fun just different kinds of fun.

[Sureshot]

What I meant was that personality wise some of the players I used to game with I simply can't anymore. One used to behave badly and then blame it in his manic depression. Once or twice even three times I and others ignored it. It just became intolerable after awhile. Coupled with the fact that he was warned a few years ago to cut back on sweets or lose his sight. He ignored that as well. Now he is losing his sight. That type of BS I can't deal with anymore. Another two players both brothers had a few bad things happen to them. Instead of facing their problems head on retreated into the world of MMOS which they can control at all times. When it's the only activity besides eating and going to work not so much. They refuse to change and myself and some members of my gaming group have moved on. We want to game with more personable and social players. Both in and out of rpgs.

[Sureshot]

If you don't get along with a DM or player then it maybe better to not join at all. If one is going to be miserable at the table then better no gaming then bad gaming imo.

[Spinachcat]

It's odd to hear that PB fans can't find other fans.

There needs to be an online player database. There are some online and there are "gaming gatherings" sub-forums on various sites. I highly suggest posting on those around the web and seeing what local interest you can drum up.

It is my opinion that there are MANY THOUSANDS of people looking to play PB games, but just don't know how to hook up with each other.

[Sureshot]

I know some either don't want to hear this or even accept it.. Yet the system is just not as popular as it once was. I'm a fan of Earthdawn and Hero System. I might find someone in my area to play Earthdawn. I need a blue moon to find players for Hero System in my neck of the woods.

My other piece of advice to try a lgs site. Some have forums looking for players. Some even have a old fashioned board where gamers post ads. Try other rpg sites as well. Rpg.net and Paizo have a section for gamers looking to advertise in running and playing rpgs.

[Boethermsbrukan]

Is one of the locations you are talking about Harry Tarantula ? I went to Harry T North and unless I missed it I didn't find any new Palladium stuff. I honestly can't even remember if there was old stuff. All I know is I walked away disappointed, I was looking forward to picking up Triax 2 (the newest book at the time I went).

Razzinoid, good evening!

The HT location I've heard the most about is the original Yonge/Dundas-ish location near the Eaton Centre; that'd be the one that I've been told carries a fair bit of RPG product (and at the time I had it last mentioned, a reasonable amount of Palladium Books). Hairy Tarantula North, the one you're referring to, I gather specializes more in CCGs but other than that I'm not familiar with the general state of their RPG stock. Still, it's the one we both referred to, and I'm glad we're on the same page! ^_^

I suspect the last Palladium Book I bought would've been at Silver Snail in the mid-2000s (at its original location between Peter & John on Queen Street). Was kind of neat to see an extended length UTDC 501 Route streetcar in one of Ramon Perez' pictures in World Book 20! (Silver Snail cameo picture, too.) I don't think I've been to the Snail's post-move store as of yet, but what I've had trickle back to me is that they'd been chopping down their game stock in general a lot prior to the move. Other than the possibility of HT's flagship actually having a fair game selection, I can't think of any store I know or knew of that carries much gaming biz now.

What is the new to you place you found within the last month ? I live just east of Lazlo so it might be worth the drive.

Sure, if you'd like: Face to Face Games & Comics, and it's right near Woodbine Station on the TTC, Bloor-Danforth route a half-dozen stops west of Kennedy. I understand from their website that their original location is in Montreal, and the location at Woodbine opened a year or two ago. I haven't been to it yet, but in response to an email I sent them regarding the Sunday open game night, they posted back that a) they carry a fair bit of book-and-paper games, along with board games and some wargames, along with CCGs (which they specialize in), and b) they have a considerable 'library' of free-to-play boardgames and book-and-paper games in-store. Don't know how much of the new or library stock is Palladium, tho'.

Good to hear back from you, chummer!

-Boe.

[AlexM]

Our fan base has aged. Fewer people, in some cases, don't have the time to play like they used to. 2008 and the global financial crisis did not help. Money is still tight for most people. But we still get distributor orders, Robotech RPG Tactics was a huge project, and yes, we have produced fewer books, not counting the Rifter. Bizantium and the Northern Islands is coming for the Palladium Fantasy RPG. https://palladium-store.com/1001/produc ... lands.html

I sometimes find it hard to believe that we've been doing this for 33 years. Our yearly Christmas Surprise Package offer always draws fan comments that encourage us.

https://palladium-store.com/1001/produc ... ckage.html

And we do have other projects planned, like a new book about the Coalition States. And, even though it doesn't "count," Rifter 68 is scheduled to ship next Friday.

https://palladium-store.com/1001/produc ... er-68.html

With issue 69 being put together now for a January release. We will be working hard to get more books out in 2015.



Best,
Alex Marciniszyn

[Boethermsbrukan]

Our fan base has aged. Fewer people, in some cases, don't have the time to play like they used to. 2008 and the global financial crisis did not help. Money is still tight for most people. But we still get distributor orders, Robotech RPG Tactics was a huge project, and yes, we have produced fewer books, not counting the Rifter.

Alex, good afternoon!

I remember the first handful of times I read your name under the masthead in the books I bought in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, and it's great to have a place like the Megaverse Forums where there's that actual bit of contact. (Met Mike Dubisch on DeviantArt, too! ^_^ Hail Wolvenar!)

To quote one of my favourite lines from THACO: The Movie, with a small edit: "36-year-old (instead of 35) feeling nostalgia...wow." (This was in reference to Villains & Vigilantes, which I'm familiar with! ^_^) I've been in Camp Palladium (or at least following the front) since 1988, which really doesn't seem even in retrospect like 26 years, but there it is.

Wolfen Empire is a book I have that gets taken off the shelf for browsing on a regular basis; I know a big part of it was Palladium Fantasy Books Four and Five in regards to the writing content, but seeing the new art by the scribblin' crew of a handful of years ago was _really_ inspiring. That one book was enough to inspire me with enough of a psychic push to get me writing and drawing again, the latter to put up my artwork on a few different hosting sites.

With respect: thanks to Kevin, yourself and the Core Crew for keeping things going through everything that's happened over the last couple of decades. You people got me started with this whole gaming thing, and I'm still loving it!

-Boe.

[AlexM]

Thanks, Boe.

Me and Kevin just sort of fell into role-playing in 1979. Gosh... that must mean we're, we're.... I can't say it. We've been around for a while. I am happy to hear our work has inspired you. Me and Kevin were big comic book collectors, and I picked up a lot of books and magazines about UFOs, the strange and bizarre. Kevin began doing freelance work for another company and since he has a dramatic streak, began running games at the Detroit Gaming Center right off the Wayne State campus. It was magic. Then he started Palladium Books. But, stores closed, including comic book and game/hobby stores as the years passed. I'll tell you, according to the now defunct trade magazine, Comics & Games Retailer, 2005 was the worst year in the history of RPGs. There were a lot of reasons for that, but thanks to you and people like you, we just kept going and going.



Best,
Alex Marciniszyn

[Boethermsbrukan]

Thanks, Boe.

Cheers, Alex, and good evening to you!

Me and Kevin just sort of fell into role-playing in 1979. Gosh... that must mean we're, we're.... I can't say it. We've been around for a while. I am happy to hear our work has inspired you. Me and Kevin were big comic book collectors, and I picked up a lot of books and magazines about UFOs, the strange and bizarre. Kevin began doing freelance work for another company and since he has a dramatic streak, began running games at the Detroit Gaming Center right off the Wayne State campus. It was magic. Then he started Palladium Books. But, stores closed, including comic book and game/hobby stores as the years passed. I'll tell you, according to the now defunct trade magazine, Comics & Games Retailer, 2005 was the worst year in the history of RPGs. There were a lot of reasons for that, but thanks to you and people like you, we just kept going and going.

I think of any gaming company's game book forewords, Palladium's has always read like fans talking to fans. I remember how much the foreword to Heroes Unlimited 2nd Ed. in 1996 touched me; Kevin talking about his massive comic book collection and purchasing habits and a bit of history on HU, and Wayne Breaux remembering playing HU 1st Ed. in high school...the feel of Palladium's work always made me feel like I was being invited to be part of something, that when I played Palladium Fantasy or Rifts on the occasions I did, part of me was sharing the table with you and Kevin, and god bless Erick and his memory; Thomas Bartold, Randy McCall and later on both Waynes Breaux and Smith. I'm probably leaving a couple of folks out who wrote the books on my shelf, but I don't think I ever felt less left out of being part of Palladium than any company I've supported in my own way.

One day I'll make it to the Open House. Got some art to show you chummers! ^_^ Look for the Wolfen Titan Juicer, more or less. o_o

Cheers, Alex, and hope you and yours are happy and healthy!

-Boe.

[Razzinold]

@AlexM - you start gaming the year I was born and were already a 15 year veteran before I found the awesomeness that is P.B.

@Boe - at HT North, which is the location I was talking about, they have tons of comics and cards and a fair bit of RPG books as well. Unfortunately they are playing everyone's favourite hit single "Just not much/no Palladium Product" brought to you by Broken Records.

As for Perez it was cool to see the sign for Oshawa on the front of that alien dude's trading post. Probably a nod to his time spent there way back in the day when he worked at Unicorn Comics in the Oshawa Shopping Centre. I met him when I was younger, I used to go in there all the time. I remember that Vampire: The Masquerade was all the rage at the time, he explained it to me but I never ended up buying the book or playing. I just bought comics instead, lol

Thanks for the directions to that other place you found, I may have to head up there one Sunday.

[Sureshot]

A aging gaming population while a factor is not the major reason for PB decline. It is one of them not the only one. The systems lack of popularity is a major one. A long as the rules never changes or get updated it will remain that way. While it's great for fans like myself who bought books and are comfortable with the system. The mechanics are and still a big factor that keep fans away. As long as they remain the same PB will never become as popular as it once was. Even Chaosium with their Call of Cthulhu 7E. Did more than what they usually do and added in new rules and changes. Not a complete rewrite. It's still more than usually did which was a rehash with new art and perhaps better organization. While PB has been in business for 33 years I see them not as thriving but surviving in the market. Which in this day and age is still a accomplishment.

[Boethermsbrukan]

@Boe - at HT North, which is the location I was talking about, they have tons of comics and cards and a fair bit of RPG books as well. Unfortunately they are playing everyone's favourite hit single "Just not much/no Palladium Product" brought to you by Broken Records.

Razzinoid, good evening/morning!

It really does come down to what a store initially sells a lot of, and it judges what to restock and get new stock of by what moves on and off the shelves. I don't know if the stores I frequented made any concerted effort to knock down their Palladium Books stock as much as they were all knocking down pretty much all of their book-and-paper gaming stock in general. But that detail is a bit out of date, given how long it's been since I've been in one of my local FGC&Ses.

As for Perez it was cool to see the sign for Oshawa on the front of that alien dude's trading post. Probably a nod to his time spent there way back in the day when he worked at Unicorn Comics in the Oshawa Shopping Centre. I met him when I was younger, I used to go in there all the time. I remember that Vampire: The Masquerade was all the rage at the time, he explained it to me but I never ended up buying the book or playing. I just bought comics instead, lol

No kidding! o_o Unicorn was a bit further out than I would've gone for a gaming/comic shoppe, but I had no idea Ramon P. worked there either way. He certainly put a lot of Canada Love in the drawings he did for World Book 20! ^_^ The Tundra Rangers on the cover- by John Zeleznik, I believe- were great to see; going back three or four generations, an ancestor of mine was part of the Northwest Mounted Police, who as I understand evolved into the RCMP, and were in Rifts succeeded by the Rangers by the P.A. era. Palladium treated their coverage of Canada in Rifts with a whole lot of love and respect to their present-day fans on the northern side of the border, and that book is one of my treasured shelvers.

Thanks for the directions to that other place you found, I may have to head up there one Sunday.

Not a problem! I don't know how soon you'll be doing it, but I thought it worth mentioning that if you're getting to Woodbine via the subway, for the last couple of months the TTC's been shutting down chunks of the Bloor-Danforth subway line east of Broadview over to Kennedy on weekends, and you may need to pack onto the shuttle buses they'll be running along Danforth on a Sunday. I will add that judging by the service I've seen the buses doing near my home (I'm just a little south of the Danforth) I don't think it'll be unpleasantly crowded. ^_^ Hoping we pick the same day, then!

Cheers, my friend!

-Boe.

[MurderCityDisciple]

A aging gaming population while a factor is not the major reason for PB decline. It is one of them not the only one. The systems lack of popularity is a major one. A long as the rules never changes or get updated it will remain that way. While it's great for fans like myself who bought books and are comfortable with the system. The mechanics are and still a big factor that keep fans away. As long as they remain the same PB will never become as popular as it once was. Even Chaosium with their Call of Cthulhu 7E. Did more than what they usually do and added in new rules and changes. Not a complete rewrite. It's still more than usually did which was a rehash with new art and perhaps better organization. While PB has been in business for 33 years I see them not as thriving but surviving in the market. Which in this day and age is still a accomplishment.

I did some playtesting on the new Call of Cthulhu rules. They are basically the same with some very minor tweaks that make the game much easier to run...and even more deadly.

BRP (call of cthulhu-system) has always been my favorite system and that was before the update.

Palladium I see as a niche, fans only game company...the way they do things is unique. Nobody does or if you want to put it this way...gets away with...doing things the way they do.

I don't want to see them change...too much.

[Sureshot]

I did say CoC 7E is still similar to previous editions. It's still more than just as rehash with new art and interior organization that 2E-6E were. Their a poitn where a company can't simply offer the same material repackaged and expect the same amount of sales. I have played and enjoyed CoC a few times. I was interested in getting 7E. I and my gaming group was sure as hell not going to reinvest in the same material a second time. At least the finally included a game mechanic where a player can find the clue easily. I had a few sessions that ground to a halt where the gm was scrambling to include a important clue in another part of the night session. Chaosium also faced competition from Trails of Cthulhu and Realms of Cthulhu.

Even 5E D&D while familiar is still different. It offers enough new material to buy the core books again. I hear fans saying it should have been like 3.5. Again a mistake with two version that exist that are very similar with almost no changes. Pathfinder and 3.5. it would have been a mistake to offer a third rehash with new art. I get that people don't wan existing material to become obsolete. Yet a rpg company has to offer more than just the same.

PB could use either a new edition or a streamlining. Or both. The system as is just does not appeal to the existing or even most of the new fans to the hobby. The company faces competion from many other rpgs. The trend seems to be rules light and rules for everything. With a little copy and paste errors as possible and with as much information as possible. I like a variety of rpgs. I'm a fan of the Hero System yet even that company is while not dead very much on life support as a decent amount of gamers don't want to deal with complexity anymore. I don't blame them either. Why should they when easier rules light rpgs on the market. I'm sure someone will say that PB can be houseruled. That is was and never will be a selling feature of any rpg. Most houserule anyway. Most in the hobby want to use the RAW.

All I'm saying is if no one wants the rules to change in any significant way. While I respect that. One loses the right to complain about a lack of both gamers and interest in PB rpgs. That's not how people act. If they don't like something and it remains unchanged most people keep on disliking it. It's a rare few that overcome their dislike. You can't have it both ways.

[Razzinold]

@Boe - at HT North, which is the location I was talking about, they have tons of comics and cards and a fair bit of RPG books as well. Unfortunately they are playing everyone's favourite hit single "Just not much/no Palladium Product" brought to you by Broken Records.

Razzinoid, good evening/morning!

It really does come down to what a store initially sells a lot of, and it judges what to restock and get new stock of by what moves on and off the shelves. I don't know if the stores I frequented made any concerted effort to knock down their Palladium Books stock as much as they were all knocking down pretty much all of their book-and-paper gaming stock in general. But that detail is a bit out of date, given how long it's been since I've been in one of my local FGC&Ses.

As for Perez it was cool to see the sign for Oshawa on the front of that alien dude's trading post. Probably a nod to his time spent there way back in the day when he worked at Unicorn Comics in the Oshawa Shopping Centre. I met him when I was younger, I used to go in there all the time. I remember that Vampire: The Masquerade was all the rage at the time, he explained it to me but I never ended up buying the book or playing. I just bought comics instead, lol

No kidding! o_o Unicorn was a bit further out than I would've gone for a gaming/comic shoppe, but I had no idea Ramon P. worked there either way. He certainly put a lot of Canada Love in the drawings he did for World Book 20! ^_^ The Tundra Rangers on the cover- by John Zeleznik, I believe- were great to see; going back three or four generations, an ancestor of mine was part of the Northwest Mounted Police, who as I understand evolved into the RCMP, and were in Rifts succeeded by the Rangers by the P.A. era. Palladium treated their coverage of Canada in Rifts with a whole lot of love and respect to their present-day fans on the northern side of the border, and that book is one of my treasured shelvers.

Thanks for the directions to that other place you found, I may have to head up there one Sunday.

Not a problem! I don't know how soon you'll be doing it, but I thought it worth mentioning that if you're getting to Woodbine via the subway, for the last couple of months the TTC's been shutting down chunks of the Bloor-Danforth subway line east of Broadview over to Kennedy on weekends, and you may need to pack onto the shuttle buses they'll be running along Danforth on a Sunday. I will add that judging by the service I've seen the buses doing near my home (I'm just a little south of the Danforth) I don't think it'll be unpleasantly crowded. ^_^ Hoping we pick the same day, then!

Cheers, my friend!

-Boe.

I lived in Oshawa at the time so Unicorn would be considered my local shop and I would be driving out to the location, is there decent parking nearby ?

Pretty cool about the family history to the RCMP, a friend I made in college (he was in law and security) joined the RCMP after graduating and works out in Alberta.

[Boethermsbrukan]

I lived in Oshawa at the time so Unicorn would be considered my local shop and I would be driving out to the location, is there decent parking nearby ?

Oh, gosh, I wouldn't be more than guessing; I don't know the bulk of that part of town very well. I mean, I've taken the Woodbine bus both north and south quite a few times, but I've never really done any exploring. (Come to think of it, the parents of a good friend of mine moved near Woodbine & Danforth a few years back; they wouldn't at all be far from Face 2 Face if I'm remembering where it is along the main east-west strip of Danforth. I know my friend came back to Toronto but I don't know where he's staying; he was doing post-doctorate for a few years in Waterloo before that.) I know to the north and to the south of Danforth, like along the part of it where I live around Broadview, is a whole lot of residential homes and probably some decent street parking if you're careful to check the posted signs.

Pretty cool about the family history to the RCMP, a friend I made in college (he was in law and security) joined the RCMP after graduating and works out in Alberta.

Danke for saying so; and it's great that your chummer has set himself to continuing such a long tradition here in Canada. Am hoping his Christmas will be swell, if perhaps in Alberta a bit cold! ^_^

-Boe.