Well friends, this month has been a rather slow month for the gaming populace. The primary concern of most of the game store owners that I know has been "WHERE CAN I FIND MORE POKEMON?!?!?!?"
Truly, this is almost a phenomenon rivaling the popularity of Magic, but targeting a younger age group. For the uninitiated, Pokemon is a simple card game, whose play value increases as ones alcohol consumption does as well, but can also be enjoyed in other arenas. Quite simply, it is a nice break from the major card games. I recommend it.
Next bit of important news, Babylon 5 Wars 2nd edition is finally out, and boy howdy, has it been worth the wait! As far as the physical, the rulebook is fully colored, with really cool screenshots. The ship sheets are graphically pleasing, and the box comes with six Narn Frazi and six Centauri Sentry fighters. These are perfect to begin a brawl.
As far as utility, this game rocks!! No longer are fighters more devastating than a good laser volley. The turning costs are actually on the sheets, and as far as I can tell, all of the old errors of point values and movement and targeting ambiguities are completely gone! I rank this as a good game, and B5 fans should really get a kick out the changes.
As an aside, for those who own the old edition, if you send in the box label and $6 with the certificate in the box, you get a Drazi Sunhawk!
Rio Grande Games is back in action with the release of RA, a game of Egyptian bidding. Essentially, the goal is to collect as many pharaohs, civilization tiles, flood and Nile parts, and monuments as possible in three rounds of bidding. The rules are somewhat vague in the overview, but after the first few rounds, they become quite clear. Naturally, the game was originally designed by Reiner Knizia, perhaps one of the best damn board game designers alive. If you like RA, also check out his Samurai and Durch die Wuste.
The people from Target keep doing the games right, and the new minis from Chronopia and Warzone make me glad that I carry the systems. The minis are still outstanding, and the new Elven Dragonbane is quite a model on the table, much less a small flight of them. The Soulflayer is also accurately named, and the box hides a deceptively large model. But the true winner is the newly revamped Nepharites for Warzone. I picked up the Illian Nepharite, and it is truly a far cry from the casts a few years ago, and those rocked! Nice minis, a great game, and good prices. And the problem is?
Legend of the Five Rings is gearing up for another run as the second part of the Homeward Bound series heats up. The expansion will feature a new sensei card, and of course will be fully compatible with the older cards. Also, the Peral edition will be arriving soon, and as usual, Games Nation will be sponsoring one of the pre-release tourneys for it. Look for special foil (groan!) cards retelling the story of the Clan War.
Speaking of Clan War, the Dragon have finally made their appearance into the minis, and again, the figures are phenomenal. I am beginning to suspect that in this day and age, you really cant release a mini unless it is accurate in every detail, and AEG is delivering on that quite well. Check out their Togashi Yokuni, champion of the Dragon Clan. Good stuff.
In other news, the Chaos Rhinos should be hitting the store soon, as should some new Battlefleet Gothic minis. Check out our display in the store for an example of every ship theyve released in a painted format. Also, finally the Lizardman players for WHFB can be happy, as their characters were released this week in a flurry of unabated coolness. The cold one riders are worth the price of admission alone.
As an aside, weve recently heard rumors of Deadalus Games being resurrected from the ashes, as it were. If you have any info. on this, please call the store and let us know, or at least give us their web address.
