(Review) The Velvet Raven, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

In my trip to Downtown Bethlehem, I was never quite sure of where my primary destination, Sorcery & Scripts, actually was.  Imagine my surprise as the results for "game store, downtown Bethlehem" produced not one, but two... and two block apart from each other.   

If Sorcery & Scripts is downtown Bethlehem real estate, The Velvet Raven is prime real estate.  Located on THE stretch of Main St, it's a stone's throw from the Moravian Book Shop and the Hotel Bethlehem, and I heartily enjoyed my walk.  

Greeting:  I got my insta-greeting upon walking through the door.  Bonus points! 

Cleanliness:  Immaculate. I love the varied bookcase/cupboard/bureau look along the walls, and the round tables in the center of the stores.  Not the most square footage, but it only felt cramp after two large families started roaming around.

CCGs:  Magic behind the counter. Magic booster draft on the schedule. 

Board Games:  Due the tourist draw and increased foot traffic, I must commend them on the more varied board and card game selection.  This is the one shop where I nodded to the inclusion of classic board games (usually in the souped up packaging), plus a wide variety of classic "fringe" games that an FLGS would normally stock.  Also a nice selection of playing cards.

RPGs: Of course D&D, but a nice assortment of other games, even if much of it was D&D- "Cat adjacent" 

Miniatures:  They do stock Games Workshop (40k/Sigmar), and definitely stock some of the dungeon terrain for 

Other:  Lego, puzzles, plushies, and other projects line the wall.

The space dedicated to dice might prove all my personal biases wrong.  Two professional well-lit cases to display higher end dice is brilliant and looks great.  I also appreciate the chess sets and the polyhedral-themed jewelry.

Amenities/Events:  There has to be a side room of some sort for gaming, because they do have booster drafts and a Warhammer Learn-to-Paint night on their events calendar, but it is restricted to eight participants.  

Maybe it was the long drive.  Maybe it was the quick walk from the first game store.  Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic that the game store I managed in the 90's (Dreamscape Comics)  it just three blocks to the west.   I love what The Velvet Raven is doing and hope them continued success.  It's not perfect, but if you got money out of my hands during my visit (Magical Kitties Save the Day Boxed Set), you're doing something right.   Pretty good, considering they "officially" opened up... in July! 

Gaming with the Gnomies gives The Velvet Raven four out of five gnomes.

The Velvet Raven is located at 523 Main Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Not-So Weary Tale of a Road Warrior

 We are nearing zero hour for Fall-In! 2026  this weekend, everything that needs to be painted is painted (or flocked), reference sheets are getting the finishing touches.  

... and then this shows in the mail this week: 

Last week Jaye Wiley of Wiley Games reached out to me since I was running Fistful of Led at the convention, and was kind enough to send me their Road Warrior kit as an official emissary of the greatest game in the world (that doesn't naturally have gnomes in it.)

Two dice tray, eight tape measure, ten coasts, and a host of discount cards (If you've played in my games before use, EJACOBSON26  at checkout at Wiley Games for 20% off!

It is an awesome thing to have on the table (especially an eight-player games), and the box is HEAVY.  

(Gamma World) Not a Test #136 - Twelve Years Without Incident

 Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father, Harkonn. After side-quests, distractions, blue surges of strange auras, and beings definitely  not from around Riverbend, they've finally arrived at an odd softrock (concreate) planform with the water of the the Black Reeds... and by accident and incompetence, Squiggles, Poppy, Lathar have been rescued from the strange apparatus inside... and now the group is getting surrounded by mutant otters with uzis... and a strange man on the shoreline, eyeing up No-Name.

============================================================== 

Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.   Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   He had recently received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and stealth take center stage in their mission, although he is apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  and finding it often.   He  has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.  Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group, looking for revenge.  Also pregnant for the third time, heavily wounded by the underwater apparatus, and due to deliver badly out of season

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest.   And we have learned the Poppy... can't swim.

===============================================================

Lathar stood on the far side of the softrock platform, staring at the man far off on the shore.  It had been well over a decade since he had seen his absentee father... It could be him, but he wasn't quite sure what to do.

One of the otters shouted up from the water, "We want you to leave!"

Sonny: We're not opposed to that either! 

Pete had been so preoccupied with transporting the supplies across the water, and ridding himself of the small metal debris forming in the water, that the sound of other voices shocked him. He ran over, past the motionless, staring Lathar to the otter side...

Pete: "Hello friends!"

The otters ignored him, arguing with each other...

"Do we board our own facility, is that a thing?"

"No that's for boats, you ninny!  Start climbing the ladder!  If they get dangerous, shoot them!"

Pete threw out his hands in peace, "We mean no harm?"

There was considerable questions regarding the logistics of arriving on the platform, what happened to the chewed up Squigles.  They were unimpressed with the weasel's similarity.... 

The otters all finally reached the platform, one of them dispatching the others to the four corners for a security check.

Pete: "What is this place?"

Otter #1: "It's a research facility?"

Pete: "What's it research?"

Otter #2: "If you haven't figured it out, you aren't smart enough for it!"

Otter #4, looking down at the flooded great:  "Otis, this does not look good at all."

Sonny, his massive height allowing him peering down at the damage control, "That's how we found it."

Meanwhile, Lathar could only manage to raise a hand to the stranger.  There was no reaction from the man.  

The otters scrambled around, and the De Facto Explorers inquired and argued with them, Lathar discarded his shield and sword, suddenly took a running start, and dove into the water, towards the shoreline.

As he neared the shoreline,  the man looked at him incredulously, and No-Name the staggon looked at the Pure-Strain humans non-plussed.

Lathar emerged from the water, wiping off a small amount of metal particles off of his skin. 

"Alright.  Congrats. You can fucking swim, I figured that's how you nitwits got over there. What do you want? 

Lathar: "Are you Bracken?"

It's at that moment, that the man pushed aside some of his tattered clothing to reveal a black, angular pistol of the Ancients, "It depends on who's asking..."

Lathar: "How about his son?"

The man smirks, "Really?  Where is he?"

Lathar turns to the supplies on shore, rummaging through a moment to pick out his own black, angular gun.

"Right here, Dad.  I have one of those two!"

Harkonn Bracken, in the flesh...

Harkonn: "What the fuck did you guys do out there? I've had alerts going on my communicator for forty five minutes. What the fuck?"

Lathar: "I got your letter... black reeds, gathered some friends, and we're here!"

Harkonn: "This facility has been running incident-free for over TWELVE YEARS! What the hell did you throw in there?"

Lathar: "Our friends???"

Harkonn: " For Crispin's sake... you have any food?  I've been eating swamp vermin and bland stale crackers for twelve years.. anything with flavor.  

Lathar and his father did not embrace, but grabbed rations and some of Pete's yellow curry powder for a meal and a talk.

Harkonn oversaw security and maintenance for this facility, a water purifying system for the Big River.  KIA had over two dozen of these up and down the river, removing debris, poisons, and the glow.  Eighteen sets of filters inside the complex clean the water, and that was after the water is drawn through the reeds.  This was the furthest plant downriver.  To the best of his knowledge, it was allowing for development of warring factions, including an army of mental psychics, and a cadre of angry Pure Strain Knights of Genetic Purity. 

The reeds were part of one single eco-system... best yet, it was entirely trainable. 

"You come down on a raft?"

"Yes?"

"Not anymore..."

Harkonn questioned the type of friends that accompanied Lathar on his quest, "You were supposed to stay with your own kind.  I told Justinian to keep you safe. You were supposed to be an indoor servant, keep you safe....  Don't tell me you're a freaking adventurer!"

Lathar: "You're the one living among the reeds with a bunch of weird otters... What do you want?"

A ruckus occurred on the platform.

"It's the eight-inch pipe... it's gone?"

Harkonn: "Where am I going to find an eight-inch pipe that hasn't been made in hundreds of years!"

The others finally emerged from the reeds.  

Varka, "The Ledger", a KIA refugee like Harkonn

"Nerd!"

"Chitter" a six-foot tall mutant weasel who did not speak...

"He'll rip apart a herd of deer, just to bring one carcass back to us to cook..."

Sister Halcyra, from the human lands downriver.

Grindle, "The Anchor" a survivor from the Wildlands 

All cast-offs from KIA and other civilizations.  All of them protecting the secrets cleaning the water..

Until today. 

Harkonn: "The otters are all from Parr.  Never asked for much, I've followed a few back over the years. 

As the others tried to get back across to the shore, Lathar asked his father about the numerous references they found in records and files, across multiple sites. 

"You've met the Pharoah.  They're still looking for me?  That's nice.  They won't like me for the next five weeks. "

The Explorers finally made it across, meeting with Lathar's dad.  Harkonn was very confused as to what Squiggles and his obvious spawn were..  Squiggles was indignant, given his luck with the machines. 

Harkonn: "There's no way my son is part of this outfit.  Who's in charge?"

Squiggles "It's a collaborative effort."

Harkonn: "Buncha god-damned hippies."

Sonny: "We each have our strengths, some more than others."

Harkonn: "Diplomatic... so you're in charge?"

Sonny: "Usually..."

Harkonn admitted that he took the job from KIA for the money, and stayed even after the money... then the rations... dried up. Knowing what happened to the water if the pumps stopped. 

Despite the helpful otters, there was a steady neutral truce with Parr.  So long as he didn't interact with the Zoopremacist faction, they were fine.  

Harkonn seemed to communicate with Sonny the sunflower the most.  

Sonny: "Harkonn, what's the deal with KIA? Why did they sour on you?"

Harkonn: "You can't deal with some alleged techno-utopian society and not bloody somebody's nose.  This, and the other two dozen were supposed to be charity for all living things. KIA is charity, with way too many dark sides."

Before it got dark, an audible machine-like sound emitted out of the platform, much louder than any sound it made before.

The otters cheered.

Harkonn:  "The figured out a buck-up...we're good for now.  Pack up all of your stuff, we're heading back to the bunker. "

Next: #137 - 

Final Sale at Battle Valor Games Before a Long Hiatus

 Almost missed the announcement of the holiday sale over at Battle Valor Games.  I wish I had missed the reasons for it.  

Battle Valor, the manufacturer a large range of 25 and 15 mm figures, has a massive 40% everything  sale going on right now.  I love Battle Valor to death, as they been a major supplier to my Gnomish Space Marines, as well as a host of other figures.

And know, the reason for the sale, directly off the web site:

40% OFF EVERYTHING UNTIL MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 13TH.

ALL ORDERS WILL GET A FREE 28MM SANTA FIGURE!

Spend $150 or more and get 2 packs of figures for FREE worth up to $15 each.

Spend $225 or more and get 4 packs of figures for FREE worth up to $15 each.

Spend $350 or more and get 7 packs of figures worth up to $15 each.

OFFERS DO NOT STACK!
USA orders of $75 or more will ship for FREE!
International Orders will ship for a FLAT RATE of $32

Without getting into a very long explanation, my current work and family time constraints and commitments are making it impossible for me to run the business on a day to day basis and create the new product I want to.
Being a one man show is not easy!

I have taken the decision to shut down for a couple of years to give myself some time to rewrite some rules and sculpt some new armies and figures.

I might even get to do some hobbying for a change.

When the Holiday Events ends on December 13th I will shut down, so this is your last chance to buy the Battle Valor 15mm and 28mm ranges.

I will do my best to ship all orders before Christmas.
The earlier you get them in the better!

Kickstarters
I will spend January, February and March shipping out the remaining KS stuff to those few owed stuff.

Thanks for all your support, will be back in 2029 all being well, and if the World is still standing

Have a great Holiday Season!

It has been a rough year for the those miniature makers I label a step above "Garage Hobbyists"  metal costs, shipping, internet morons, and the fact that either real employment is still required, or their age is catching up to them, I've seen too many companies shuttering, or planning on shuttering their doors in 2027.  Don't know if I can put together a final order before shutdown, but by golly, I'll try.

Another Month of Meeples (November 2026)

Check out the latest issue of Meeple Monthly for more fun stuff, plus a host of random things I'm not listing under my imaginary store.  

 ViscountEric's Want List

Nothing

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Object Want List
Nothing

The Imaginary Store List (Infinite Shelf Space Games & Hobbies)

Archon Studio

StarCraft Miniatures Games Rulebook .................. $ 9.99

Trench Crusade Rulebook ...................................... $59.99
Has there been an recent influx of new miniatures games for licensed properties?  I don't know if the imaginary store can dedicate a decent footprint for StarCraft.  I might need the imaginary staff to convince me and commit to promotion, because as a casual, none of the figures pique my interest. 

Also, I question the price difference between StarCraft and the Trench Crusade rulebooks...

Asmodee

Kano ...................................................................... $42.99

Schadenfreude ....................................................... $19.99

The Happiest Cat in the World .............................. $29.99

Atlas Games

Magical Kitties: Mice's Gambit ............................ $17.95

Magical Kitties: Trouble in River City ................. $19.95

Magical Kitties: Meowtropolis ............................. $14.95

Atomic Mass Games

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Captain America & The Avengers ................ $64.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Mirage, Havok, Jubilee, and Multiple Man... $69.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Criminal Underworld ...................................  $64.99

Marvel Crisis Protocol: Avengers - Brains and Brawn ....................... $69.99

Star Wars Legion: Jedi General on BARC Speeder ............................ $69.99

Star Wars Legion: Han & Chewie ....................................................... $34.99

Star Wars Legion: Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldiers ............................... $45.00

Star Wars Legion: NR-N99 Persuader Droid ..................................... $79.99

Bicycle

Mickey and Friends Holiday Playing Cards................ $8.99

Disney Princess Playing Cards ................................... $8.99

Peanuts Holiday Playing Cards .................................. $8.99

Big Potato Games

Herd Mentality Tin .................................................... $11.99

Board&Dice

Windmill Valley: Duel .............................................. $40.00

Boardova Games

1984 unperson ......................................................... $24.99

Calliope Games

12 Knights ............................................................... $20.00

Day of the Brambles ............................................... $20.00

Capstone Games

Minikin City .......................................................... $24.99

Seven Prophecies .................................................. $16.99

Catalyst Game Studio

BattleTech: Lance Force Pack: Illician Lancers Command ......... $34.99

Chaosium 

Call of Cthulhu: Cthulhu by Gaslight  Keeper Screen ................ $39.99

Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Companion ........................................... $54.99

Pendragon Adventure: The Boy King .......................................... $59.99

RuneQuest: Lands of RuneQuest: Satar ...................................... $59.99

RuneQuest: Adventure: Apple Lane Campaign .......................... $39.99
Encyclopedia Cthulhuiana .......................................................... $59.99

Don't Panic Games

Don't Wake Up Cthulhu .......................................... $20.00

Luminis ................................................................... $25.00

Maiko ...................................................................... $25.00

Monster Freeze ....................................................... $15.00

Styx ........................................................................ $40.00

Yozu ........................................................................ $20.00

Evil Hat Productions

Deathmatch Island SC ............................................. $25.00

Fanroll by MDG

Advent Calendar: Birthday Mimic .......................... $49.99

D&D: Mega d20 Decision Die................................. $24.99

Heroquest: D6 Resin Wizards of Morcar Dice  Set.. $19.99

Heroquest: D6 Resin Wizards of Morcar Dice Tray. $19.99

LairWear: d20 Dice Earrings ................................... $14.99 

LairWear: d20 Caged Dice Necklace ...................... $19.99

Funko

Charlie Brown Trim the Tree Game

Game Plus Products

Giant d20: 58mm Bouncy Silicone Dice ................ $11.99

Blue and Green, They also have 10mm mini-polyhedral sets for $2.99, which I must question that pricing too.

GMT

Twilight Struggle: Turn Zero Expansion ................ $22.24

Twilight Struggle: 20th Anniversary Hall of Fame Edition ............ $95.13

Goodman Games

Goodman Games Yearbook #13 ............................. $29.99

Kobold Press

Tales of the Valiant: Trade Secrets .......................... $39.99

Tales of the Valiant: Campaign Builder: Pirates and Plunder ..... $49.99

Tales of the Valiant: Complete Guide of Worldbuilding ............. $29.99

Tales of the Valiant: Complete Guide to Magic & Monsters ...... $29.99

Tales of the Valiant: Pirates and Plunder Map Folio ................... $49.99

Konami Digital Entertainment

Yu-Gi-Oh!  Glorious Victors Boosters 

Level 99 Games

Anito: Wish Granters ............................................ $15.00

Bear Market .......................................................... $15.00

Deathstrikers ......................................................... $15.00

High Noon at Showdown Saloon ......................... $15.00

Muffin's Kitchen .................................................. $15.00

Pixel Tactics ......................................................... $15.00

Loke Battlemats

Big Book of Battle Mats: Arkham Horror ............ $29.99

Mongoose Publishing

Traveller: Singularity Slipcase ................................ $139.99

Traveller: Singularity Companion .......................... $ 49.99

Traveller: The Aslan Hierate ................................... $59.99

Monte Cook Games

The Magnus Archives: Face Your Fears .................. $44.99

Cypher: Bestiary ...................................................... $49.99

Osprey Publishing

B-47 Stratojet Units of the Cold War ....................... $25.00

Battle of the Atlantic Volume 3 ................................ $25.00

Brandenburgers in the Blitzkrieg 1940 .................... $23.00

NATO SAMs at the Iron Curtain 1959-91 ............... $20.00

Ptolemaic Armies 305-30 BC .................................. $20.00

Paizo 

Pathfinder: Flip-Mat: Workshops Multi-Pack ............................... $29.99

Starfinder: Absalom Station: Center of the Galaxy ....................... $29.99

Sirius Dice 

D&D Adventure Dice (7) Legends of Szass Tam 

D&D Sirius Metal: 1983 Red Box Basic 

Bells Hells: Adventure Dice (7) Ashton Greymoore

Space Penguin Ink

Unregulated Salvage ............................................. $15.00

Steve Jackson Games

Munchkin: Duck of Many Things ........................ $19.95

Warlord Games

Bolt Action: Armies of France 

WizKids

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Booster Bricks

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Chase Booster

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Human Torch 

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Map & Terrain Kit

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Phoenix

Heroclix: Marvel 25th Anniversary Starter Set

Heroclix: Marvel 400: X-Factor

(Painting) D&D Yeti Tykes by WizKids

Looking back at last years purchases, I really didn't buy that many minis, the only true practical ones were the Outrigger Canoes from Diabolical Terrain, with the variety of Reaper Bones and 3-D prints reaching  the 'Someday, maybe" category. The one true purchase that in the "complete whimsy" were the blister of D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Yeti Tykes I grabbed from Cloud City Games in the Palmer Mall.

... and now they're going to be the bulk of a faction on the Fistful of Christmas game I'm running at Fall-In! 2026 next Saturday.  

I'm a curmudgeonly old Grognard, so I don't have a high opinion of most WizKids minis.  The level of detail in the digital rendering was non-existent after the casting process, plus a single base coat.  Perhaps they're perfect for some splash and dash contrast paints,  but even if they're not,  they are fun little minis, perfect for a family friendly winter game.

Next: The buildings might get done for the con, I do realize I've acquired a number trees that need a decent flocking, and then we'll see if the whims of the November convention season guide me in a different direction.  Just that single Mousling game we played has got me looking through the bag-o-mice... 

Project 350:  Finally, the decline I needed to claim!  I'm hacking away at the draft posts, dropping the backlog/library to 469 (308 drafts /161 scheduled), from  473 (312/161) .  For each item I've scheduled that's posting, I'm adding another, slowing working on some of the #CharacterCreationChallenge for January 2027.  Usually I don't have concepts for the entire month even in placeholder mold, much less flesh out characters ready to go, but I made some headway last weekend.  Whether it's new concepts for Nations and Cannons, post-funnel character for Mutant Crawl Classics, or a fun little concept of characters for the "Hallmark Channel RPG Setting, I may be enjoying myself early.

(Review) Sorcery and Scripts, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Another extended weekend to watch high school volleyball, turned into an even longer drive, as I came home early Sunday morning to go cut my mother's grass.  The rain was not cooperative, and I needed a few hours for everything to dry out a bit, so I extended a long trip from Saratoga, New York to Easton, by venturing further west into Bethlehem. 

My hour diversion was far better than I could possibly plan, wandering into not one, but two game stores within walking distance from each other.  

I was wildly pleased. 

My first stop was Sorcery and Scripts near the corner of Main St and Broad, a combination book store/game store/game cafe.  

Greeting:  The lone person behind the counter was in an in-depth conversation with a customer during a sale.  Once that was completed, I got the simple acknowledgement that so many stores seem to be deficient.  

Cleanliness: Immaculate, neat shelves, some comfy yet very classic furniture adding to the feel of the place. 

Books:  It really is the first thing you see, after the nice furniture and fake fireplace.   Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and that Romantasy that's all the go nowadays.  It's not Barnes & Nobles, it focuses on its niche keeping a moderate amount of inventory, and book club events and other similar thing.  

CCGs:    I saw Magic behind the counter.  There's Riftbound on the events calendar, including a pre-release mentions. 

Board Games:   A healthy and varied supply of board and card games.  

RPGs:   D&D, D&D, and just D&D

Miniatures:  Nothing, unless some book or theme-related item could be transformed into somehting. 

Other:  Just enough dice, supplies, and other miscellany to keep me happy, as well as all the book-related peripherals (I ended up buying a bookmark and a bumper sticker during my visit). 

Amenities/Events:  The area dedicated to gaming is rather spacious and comfy.  In fact, while perusing the website, they actually hosted a rather intimate wedding reception (shower?).    Plenty of space for multiple events or a CCG pre-release. 

The event board is a mixture of CCGs, board games nights, mixed in with book clubs and writers' groups   The 

There's also a very nice demo corner for games free to play anytime the shop is open. 

I'll be honest, if the current business model is working enough to afford a lease in Downtown Bethlehem, I'll be the first that's over the moon.  I do want more stuff (but not clutter), but the atmosphere is hopefully exactly what they've been wanting to cultivate.

I'm might be a little generous, but after a year in business I get exactly what they're trying to do and hope it continues to grow.  Gaming with the Gnomies gives Sorcery & Scripts four out of  five gnomes.

Location:  74 W Broad St Suite 110 Bethlehem, Pa 18018 - Right on the intersection with Main and Broad, it's hidden away off the main sidewalk in a lower storefront.

From their website