Hey Jael, did you ever go meet with a board game group in Pasadena? I joined one that someone from the Something Awful forums suggested to me, and I saw you're a member of the group too! You made a comment about meeting the people at one of the LA Cons. How's that group? I might go on Sat to one of their gaming sessions/BBQ but I'm working all weekend, so it would only be for a few hours if I can muster the strength.
I also joined a D&D group that meets at Games Empire in Pasadena which looks like a massive store with tons of tables. They've got like 10 D&D games going on Sat also, but dunno if I'm ready to take the plunge into 4E D&D. Where's the Chill/Buck Rogers RPG meetup groups!?
RE: Space Empires:4x, the rules are available to look at online and it looks pretty fun! GMT Page