Little Card Shop of Horrors--Mostly Horrible Employees

Since my disappointment at my own lack of reading and/or comprehending skills earlier this week (I thought that the "Songs of the Past" DLC for The Witcher 3 came out at the same time as the remaster), I've been spending my time running my Pokemon-akin card shop in TCG Card Shop Simulator.  Cardapalooza is truckin' right along thanks to my amazing management skills (ha.).

My star employee, Zack.

My little card shop has grown into a slightly larger store with hopefully fewer stinky customers (I invested in a device that sprays deodorant at the stinkers).  I've expanded my stock and even managed to hire an employee to help out.  I've named him Zack (I don't remember what his real name is) and he works at the pace of a glacial sloth.  To keep myself from firing Zack, I made up a story that he's either the teenage child of a friend or someone I'm trying to help out.  He cannot run the checkout because he is so slow that I would only make a handful of sales a day, so he does what he's marginally okay at--stocking shelves.  Does Zack stock empty shelves first?  No.  Does Zack take a stunning number of breaks?  Yes.  The best part about Zack is that he only cost me $50 a day.  And I just can't fire him because his imaginary parent would be upset.  (To tell you the truth...Zack's days are numbered.  As soon as I start making a bit more money, I think he's going to have to go)

I've also noticed that the customers in my shop buy some odd things.  Why do you need 5 deck boxes?  Or 6 playmats?  Or 6 different copies of the same comic book?  It's not my place to pry, and in the end, I'm making money, so keep on buying your weird quantities of stuff.

Card-wise, I've managed to purchase and find a few valuable cards.  Then, the real question is, what do I do with those cards?  I've been sending the most valuable cards off to be graded (because if they are of a high quality it can quadruple the value).  But should I hang on to them and keep them as part of my own personal collection?  Or should I be cashing in for the good of my shop (and maybe even poor Zack)?  I have been hoping to get some duplicates and then sell those off, but man, it's tough to get the more valuable cards in duplicate (which totally makes sense).

The play area in my shop has expanded to three tables and I conveniently located them close to the windows for the light.  I make a small amount from folks playing in my shop.  Only occasionally do I have to douse an entire table down with deodorant spray.

Being a fake card shop owner is hard.  Prayers for Zack and his slowness.  Have a great weekend!

What to Play While You're Waiting

While I'm waiting for the "Songs of the Past" DLC for The Witcher 3 (supposed release date September 29th), I'm spending what little gaming time I have with some relaxing titles.  Fall weather has slowly been settling in and there's something nice about grabbing a blanket, popping on some relaxing tunes, and playing something decidedly non-stressful.  If you're also feeling those vibes, here are a couple of suggestions for cozy, gaming time.

A stunning bouncy mess to clean up.

PowerWash Simulator 2 just released the last of its free Caldera Chronicles updates.  The newest level to spray down features an absolutely amazing bouncy castle.  This object could not exist in real life (it's huge!) but there is something very satisfying about levels that feature very bright, primary type colors.  Cleaning off all the muck and revealing the colorful playground underneath brings a very odd sense of joy and accomplishment.

There's also some additional good PowerWashing news--there's new DLC coming out later this year (official release date is "late 2026," so I'm thinking maybe Black Friday/holiday time).  It's possible that not everyone will be jazzed about the content, but seriously, the goal of the game is to powerwash things, so does it really matter what you're spraying?  If you've got some 80's & 90's nostalgia or are a big Barbie stan, the next DLC is perfect for you.  The Barbie DLC offers up the ability to powerwash some of the most iconic Barbie items out there--we're talking the Dream House and the camper.  And, of course, there are some new Barbie themed cosmetics so that you can do your powerwashing in pink style.  Personally, I am not someone who is a big Barbie fan, but I enjoy fake powerwashing and nostalgia, so I will be grabbing this DLC in all its pink glory.

If powerwashing isn't your jam, maybe running a fictional card game shop is more in your lane.  I decided to grab the newly out of early access TCG Card Shop Simulator and take a stab at running my own fake business.  Your goal is to open a shop that sells a Pokemon-like (but definitely not Pokemon because copyright) card game and other tabletop gaming items.  You have to manage sales, stocking/pricing items, and making sure to pay your rent and electric bills.  As you earn more profits you are able to expand your shop and buy a wider selection of items--plushies, accessories like card sleeves and collectors albums, special decks, and a ton more!  You can add tables so that customers can play (you make money from people playing in your store).

My card shop is fairly basic.

One of the surprisingly fun aspects of TCG Shop Simulator is collecting and managing the Tetramon (the fake Pokemon game) cards.  You can open card packs that you purchase and keep your own collection.  With the cards you gather you can sell them or send them off to be graded.  Grading cards takes time and costs a small fee, but can triple or even quadruple the value if the card turns out to be in a certain condition.  I have never played Pokemon but I can definitely understand the thrill of opening a pack of cards and finding a particularly valuable one.

As your shop levels up (you earn experience from your daily sales) you can purchase licenses to unlock additional items (they get more and more expensive) and can even sponsor tournaments in your store.  You can also decorate your shop with a variety of fun posters, statues, and other items to make it look nice.  Unfortunately a lot of the big upgrades are fairly expensive, so you have to wait quite awhile to unlock new floor and wall designs.

Probably the best aspect of TCG Shop Simulator is the ability to spray down stinky customers.  I'm pretty sure that they added this in as a bit of a joke/commentary on the personal hygiene (aka non-belief in deodorant) struggles that can impact the average con.  As a person who works with teenagers everyday I would love to be able to douse the stinky ones with some deodorant spray.  At least I can live out this fantasy in a video game.

EDIT 9/29/26:  It's future me here to reply to my own dumbness.  I excitedly logged into Steam this morning thinking that "Songs of the Past" released today when, in fact, it does not release until 2027.  The free "remastered" upgrade to The Witcher 3 did come out today.  My reading and/or listening skills really failed me and I think I just was so excited about new content that I completely ignored the fact that the DLC was not a part of the remaster.  Carry on with your life now (hopefully filled with tons of The Witcher 3: Remastered).