Our store mission is to connect the community in Oakland through play and events. This includes showcasing local game designers in our store! Find their games on our shelves, learn more about them on this page and meet them in person at our Thursday evening game nights.
Unified Pieces was founded by Gamaliel MEEZY James, a puzzle enthusiast who wanted to provide more diverse and interesting images for puzzle lovers. The collection features beautiful artwork by global artists, including up-and-coming talents and well-known street artists like Illumineieres. Each piece is handcrafted by skilled artisans for an amazing look and feel. The goal is to let your mind wander as your fingers work through the puzzle, with a focus on the image. If you want a unique and meditative experience, check out Unified Pieces Puzzles - but hurry, the limited edition pieces sell out fast!.
Taelmoor
Games of Taelmoor begin with players selecting an archetypal class (i.e wizard or rogue), and forming a party by joining the host's game with their smartphone or mobile device. Players then take turns exploring and interacting with the game world. New rooms are laid out tile by tile as they are explored, and each may include unique elements like NPCs to talk to, puzzles to solve, or combat. The story is relayed simultaneously to all players via the app, though players are encouraged to read new passages aloud as they are discovered.
Combat features simplified deck construction elements. Each class has unique strengths and weaknesses, and can build a custom combat deck as they level up throughout a scenario. Strategy between players is emphasized as many attacks become more powerful when combined with others. Attacks are played by scanning the physical card and then discarding.
Oakland
Puzzle Company
Oakland Puzzle Company is a mission-driven jigsaw puzzle manufacturer, retail, and wholesale partnership created by sibling team DeAnna and Dave Tibbs. We produce high-quality, locally-made puzzles that have themes connected to organizations, community, and social justice.
Shibuyan Knights
by Moe Poplar
“We’re not just going to get out of here. We’re going to look good doing it!”
Shibuyan Knights is a role-playing game where you play Shonen style anime adventures in a steam-punk modern version of Tokyo, Japan. Based on the Forged in the Dark system, players choose their guilds or classes from Tinks, Arcane, Warriors, Brewers, Tsukijan Pirates, Monks or Roppongans. And for the record, it’s rude to assume all Roppongans are thieves because most are nice people. Do favors, build your reputation, and save the city of Shibuya.
Shibuyan Knights ships with evocative maps, NPC’s, spells, vehicles, mecha, magic items and weapons, and guidelines on how to build your own for the game. It scales easily from Rated G to PG-13 depending on the game you’re trying to play.
In First Empires, each player takes control of the fate of an ancient nation through a player board, meeples, and cards. The game lasts a number of rounds depending on the player count, and on a turn you roll dice based on how you've developed your empire board. The six sides of the dice correspond to the five abilities on your board. To expand to new territories or invade opponents, you need to unlock movement ability; to annex a territory, you have to outnumber the current occupant or have a "sword" result on the dice, with the inhabitants then fleeing elsewhere. The dice also allow you develop your player board by using the die face that corresponds to the improvement and controlling an associated territory. You can gain more dice and additional re-rolls, while also unlocking achievement cards.
Eric B Vogel is the local designer of a large array of hobby games. He is also a clinical psychologist and psychology professor, and has created unique psychotherapeutic games for children.
Flip Words
By Evan’s Fun Games
Flip Words is a two-player game that is played on a crossword grid, much like Scrabble. One player uses the yellow side of the tiles; the other player uses the white side. Players take turns adding words to the board in Scrabble fashion. Whenever the active player adds to an opponent's word, the active player flips the tiles in that word to his color. When all the tiles have been played, the player with the most tiles on the board in his color wins. Rated 7.0 on board game geek.
Crafted by local game designer Evan Koch, an avid fan of scrabble and other word games.
Corporate America
By Nothing Sacred Games
Corporate America, a political satire game about corporate influence of government, players take the role of corporations that manipulate the population, government, and each other to maximize profits. Players keep their money secret until the end of the game, when the player with the most money wins.
Teale Fristoe runs Nothing Sacred Games, a small studio in Oakland, California. He is primarily a designer, though he dabbles in art a little here and there.
Crazier Eights
By James Wallace Gray
Crazier Eights is fantasy card game with excellent artwork, fun characters, and interesting card effects. Like Crazy Eights, the main idea is to get rid of all the cards in your hand by taking turns discarding a card of the same suit or rank as the top card of the discard pile. However, in Crazier Eights, players take turns drawing one card, discarding up to one card, and playing up to one card for an effect. Crazier Eights offers a unique deck with two types of cards that do interesting things for the game — assets and events. Events do whatever is stated on them right away and assets do whatever is stated on them as long as they are in play on the table.
James Wallace Gray is a local game designer, dedicated to continue building the Crazier Eights decks and playing options.
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Oddassity
By Social Lubricant Games
Oddassity is an experience of hilarious dares and improv situations that brings the entire party to its knees with laughter. As the host, you can customize your unforgettable party with three mixable Oddassity decks of increasingly absurd challenges. The Play Cards will deal out Oddassities like Russian Roulette, revealing hidden talents, deepening friendships, and creating lasting memories.
Social Lubricant Games are a group of local game designers who encourage the creativity, make belief and people’s expansion of their comfort zone.
The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game
By Evil Hat Productions
In The Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game, play Harry Dresden and his friends as they take on the cases from the bestselling Dresden Files novels in the ultimate what-if scenario—what if Harry was on the scene with allies who weren’t there in the original story? The core game includes Harry, Murphy, Susan, Michael, and the Alphas and plays through the first five novels as well as Side Jobs, a random scenario generator based on the short story collection of the same name. Designs are already well underway for expansions featuring more series characters and more novels.
Eric B Vogel is the local designer of a large array of hobby games. He is also a clinical psychologist and psychology professor, and has created unique psychotherapeutic games for children.
Hungry Hungry Hipsters
By Doomed Evil Games
Hungry Hungry Hipsters! The game of eating the most pretentious food! Be careful though, the other hipsters will accuse you of being a poser and eating food that is too mainstream. Show them up proper by eating that mainstream food ironically, that will put a fedora in their yapper!
The Doomed Legion is a long persisting, long evolving group of table-top, board, and miniature war gamers hailing from Northern California. Over the years the Doomed Legion has, as a byproduct of constant gaming, produced a number of original game designs. The accumulation of inventions continued over time until one day, quite by chance and accident, the magical entrepreneurial seed was planted into the spirit of the organization. Now, behold! Doomed Legion Games is here!
Moriarty’s Machinations
By Redbeard Duadikos
In Moriarty’s Machinations the year is 1891, and the city is London. The Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty, has planned out a series of fantastic heists that will grant him untold fortune and power. However, he knows that the brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, has caught on to his plans and is trying to sabotage them! Prepared for this possibility, he has hired all his henchmen through intermediaries and hidden himself among them. Who will be discovered first: Sherlock or Moriarty?
Redbeard Duadikos is a North Oakland Temescal local who saves on shipping by walking the games over to the store! He often demos in store on game night.
Conviction
By Dan Peterson and Neil Patel
Conviction is the first card game where you and your friends deliver sweet judicial justice to Trump and his cronies by putting them on trial in front of Lady Justice herself. From Ivanka and Jared to Betsy DeVos and Paul Ryan, the gang’s all included and ready to be convicted.
Dan lives in San Francisco advising technology start-ups, was previously a product manager at Google, and led product design at Leap Motion. Neil is passionate about innovation within the healthcare space. He currently leads a Chicago-based consulting and investing firm. We created the game to channel our energy into something positive, while doing so we found ourselves reading even more current events, policy briefs, tweets, and blogs. Conviction is a lot of fun, and it’s also been quite educational for many. We also realized that we didn’t want to profit from the mess in D.C., so we decided to donate the proceeds where they’re needed. And thus, El Pen was born, the company we formed to fund causes that are under attack by Trump.
OmenQuest
By Relephor
OmenQuest is an emotionally compelling storytelling inner adventure. Hold the world in your hand, there is no way to lose. Discover how rich friendship can be by sharing in simple games like nothing else.
Relephor is the moniker of artist Corey R Grant, also a brand he uses for anything and all things creative, interactive and entertaining. Corey is a commercial artist with a decade of experience in console gaming, mobile gaming which all involved character animation, 3D art, game design, UI, concept art, painting and even photography. Translating his talent and experience working in the industry into creating products and projects that involve people to interact with or view. Relephor is an Oakland, California based artist.
Flash Point: Fire Rescue
By Indie Boards & Cards
The call comes in… “911, what is your emergency?” On the other end is a panicked response of “FIRE!” Moments later you don the protective suits that will keep you alive, gather your equipment and rush to the scene of a blazing inferno. The team has only seconds to assess the situation and devise a plan of attack – then you spring into action like the trained professionals you are. You must face your fears, never give up, and above all else work as a team because the fire is raging, the building is threatening to collapse, and lives are in danger.
Kevin Lanzing is a game designer co-operating with Indie Boards & Cards, a local game publishing company.
Crossed Words
By Indie Boards & Cards
This is Crossed Words, the brain-bending party game of crazy categories and wackier words! At the start of the game, the board is populated with three column categories and three-row categories. This forms a 3 x 3 grid. Players will try to come up with answers that fit both of the categories that form one of the nine intersections on the board. Players have nine discs to write answers on. Players fill out answers as quickly as they can and place those discs facedown on the board. Players score points for each intersection where they have placed an answer no one else placed.
Nick Little and Evan Davis are game designers co-operating with Indie Boards & Cards, a local game publishing company.
Alarm 22 Escape from Alcatraz
By Jimmy Treehorn
It’s 1938 and you’ve been sentenced to serve time in the notorious Alcatraz prison. The island is filled with the most dangerous criminals. Some are sentenced to life, but you don’t plan on staying that long. Get ready to escape Alcatraz with nine routes based on real life attempts. Don’t get caught on land. Don’t get killed in the water.
Created by local game designer Jimmy Treehorn and his crew, Henry Ledyard, Alex Michels and Bridget, who put months of research into making the gameplay and map as close to the original Alcatraz prison as possible.
Aeon’s End
By Indie Boards & Cards
Aeon’s End follows the survivors of a long-ago invasion have taken refuge in the forgotten underground city of Gravehold. There, the desperate remnants of society have learned that the energy of the very breaches the beings use to attack them can be repurposed through various gems, transforming the malign energies within into beneficial spells and weapons to aid their last line of defense: the breach mages.
Kevin Riley is a game designer co-operating with Indie Boards & Cards, a local game publishing company.
Kodama 3D
By Indie Boards & Cards
In Kodama 3D, players will grow trees in three-dimensional space. Players move Kodama pieces around a grid of branch tiles to pick the branches they want to add to their tree. When players have placed 12 tree branches, score all goal cards. The player with the most victory point wins.
Daryl Andrews and Erica Hayes-Bouyouris are game designers co-operating with Indie Boards & Cards, a local game publishing company.