Craft Store Lament

 “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”

— Carl Jung

The times constantly change, more so, it seems, in a volatile capitalist society with a general government administrative “policy” of instability, uncertainty, and chaos. We fear change. Even at the craft store. Over the years, and certainly more recently, I’ve noticed my usually reliable stable of craft stores gradually shift away from providing plentiful resources for various adventure gaming hobby endeavors. One expects prices to increase over time, though not quite the jump we’ve seen recently. But the stock seems to ebb and flow depending on fads in the crafting hobby, predicted on customers’ purchasing habits and what influencers deem is fashionable at the moment. Which inevitably means gamers are paying more and finding fewer game resources at craft stores. I suppose I will grudgingly get used to it, venting, as I sometimes do, here at Hobby Games Recce.

The infamous Mos Eisley starport diorama.

It didn’t always seem like this. In my earlier days immersing myself in various aspects of the adventure gaming hobby — back in the waning years of the now-distant 20th century — craft stores provided the materials for my roleplaying game projects; mostly creating visually appealing wargaming terrain for use with painted miniatures to bring roleplaying game sessions beyond a group of people sitting around a table with pencils, dice, rulebooks, character sheets, drinks, and snacks. Among my earliest endeavors was crafting a portable diorama of Mos Eisley starport. I found my materials at the Ben Franklin Crafts store an hour’s drive away: polystyrene foam, white glue, plaster, masking tape, paint, as well as various tools.

Over the years I’ve frequently visited various nearby craft stores to support different projects, more so in my later years exploring the miniature wargame hobby: Ben Franklin Crafts, AC Moore, JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels. For a short while I visited Hobby Lobby, but have since stopped. During the covid-19 pandemic we relied on games and hobby activities to keep us busy and our minds engaged to stave off anxiety. Our craft store visits stopped, but online venues like Amazon helped fill various gaming needs: bits for prototype games, supplies for mounting miniatures and making terrain, small plastic boxes to store card decks and game pieces. No doubt Amazon did extremely well during the pandemic, but we have since re-evaluated its corporate model and the owner’s views in other areas and try avoiding it these days. So it’s back to visiting craft stores in person, which, I’ll admit, is more fulfilling as we can more effectively browse for new ideas. Still we’ve lost a few favorites over the years. AC Moore always had good coupons, so we stopped in frequently if one was near other errands. JoAnn Fabrics didn’t always have tons of crafting materials, but our local store was friendly and clean and reliable in a pinch.

The Battle of Great Bridge board
under construction

The years have also culled some reliable products from the shelves. I used to love the packaged three-foot-squares, the perfect size for small wargame cover in green/forest, tan/desert, blue/ocean, and even black (which I used both for a starfield and a post-apocalyptic battlefield with some paint embellishments). Smaller squares of adhesive-backed felt helped me line numerous boxes into dice trays. Wooden bits for pawns, disks, squares, even checkers, formed a reserve of pieces waiting for boardgame prototypes, miniature bases, or other props. Most have since gone (okay, the pawns are still around). Numerous reasons abound. The current retailer trend to scale back inventory and product lines to those that move and make more money. The higher cost to import cheap craft goods thanks to tariffs and other economic nonsense. The constant transition to capitalize on the latest crafting fad (driven by that corporate need to maximize profit).

Still, craft stores can offer inspiration and resources for adventure gaming hobbyists. I continue popping by for all kinds of basic and specialized crafting supplies for my numerous projects. At times I stroll the aisles, looking for specific products and seeing what else I find, and wonder why craft stores don’t cater more to the adventure gaming hobbyist. That foam core or poster board could work for a prototype board game. These wooden bits would be great board game pieces, or parts for an ancient galley, or the basis for some wargaming terrain. I recall visiting a JoAnn Fabrics in Ohio last year and finding half an aisle dedicated to wargaming supplies, announced by a large sign above the shelves, with model trees and other useful terrain bits (little was left, as I stopped by in the weeks before they all closed).

54mm Afghan hill fort
crafted from various bits.

Craft stores might do well to cater more to gamers...and let them know they do. I’d love to have a small wargaming section like that JoAnn Fabrics in Ohio. Our local Michaels stocks a few shelves of basic board and card games (much like those found at places like Target). Why not include products gamers might use: dice, meeples, colored wooden blocks, game-specific plastic storage solutions, blank boards and cards? Perhaps craft stores explore not only stocking more game-related supplies but marketing toward that demographic. Include a website page or articles on crafting for wargames. Put some small sticker signage near useful items in stores. Offer workshop activities for the younger set with the capacity to enjoy games and craft their own or make components for a pre-designed one.

Alas, this is all wishful thinking. No craft store franchise would bother making the effort to cater to what is, sadly, a small demographic of their consumer base. As it stands we can find all those useful gaming bits — meeples and colored blocks, dice, card and token storage containers, blank boards and cards, wooden pieces, etm. — at various other venues, from brick-and-mortar specialty stores and hobby/game shops to online retailers. It’s nice to find much of what we need in one place, but for those of us in a niche hobby, we find fulfillment from niche retailers.

Addendum: My Favorite Things

So what do I love to find among the remaining stock at the surviving craft store chains?

Magnetic Tape: The one-inch wide tape has proved the right size to reinforce bases of Peter Dennis Peter’s Paperboys soldiers, so I can store them in scrapbook cases (see below) on metal strapping glued to the bottom of each box.

Scrapbook Cases: These one-foot-square plastic cases prove ideal for storing magnetically based figures (see above) using metal strapping glued to the bottom. I even found a rolling storage cart from one manufacturer that hold up to six cases for easier storage and access.

Other Storage: Larger craft project cases hold themed collections of my terrain. The jewelry section often has small tackle-style boxes, not as variable in their inner configuration, but cheap and useful. Cardboard photo boxes house many of my unpainted Armies in Plastic 54mm figures, organized by period and faction.

Wooden Bases: The diminished wooden bits sections offer some larger-sized wood ideal for basing small terrain vignettes or larger troop formations. Some of the thicker, beveled deocrative wood, in squares, circles, and ovals, get a coat of paint and a topping of felt to serve as small hills, especially when using Bob Cordery’s Portable Wargame rules and a gridded play surface.

Craft Paint: I use craft paint for scenery as well as miniatures (sacrilege for some), but it’s affordable and, especially on terrain, comes in larger containers. Even with fewer manufacturers represented in stores, I still find a solid range of colors.

Glue: Different glues work better on certain materials, so I often stock up on my favorites when I swing through a craft store. Loktite super glue gel has control for assembling plastic figures. Uhu is a great contact cement, and the E6000 series does occasional heavy lifting. I like to buy white glue in bulk for larger terrain projects.

Brushes: I find my specialty brushes at hobby stores, usually ones labeled “insane detail” or “drybrushing.” But I sometimes find craft stores have cheap brush assortments I can use for general blocking, drybrushing, or spreading paint on larger terrain pieces.

These materials are staples of my game crafting. I’ve certainly found occasional other useful bits at craft stores, but these continue to bolster my supplies so I have the materials I most need on hand.

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

— Pablo Picasso