Welcome to the July issue of the Update, and judging by the weather and the sheer volume of people in my store, people want a cool place to stay in and play games. June was an amazing month for L5R, with 3 tournaments, and widely scattered results. And the demand for Pokemon grows steadily. So, without further ado, Wizards of the Coast. The game giant just keeps on going. The first expansion for Pokemon, the Jungle set, is officially due out this week, and we should have tons in stock. Ive been amazed by the number of moms and dads coming into the store complaining about almost every other store in the area carrying the boosters for Jungle at $4.50 to $6.00 a booster, while or prices remain steady at $2.91 after tax and discount. Dont be fooled, folks. The stuff isnt that expensive, and if you want to know if youre getting ripped off, ask what the MSRP is. WOTC has, naturally been limiting supply on the product, but we think this is due to their recent acquisition of the Game Keeper chain (53 stores, 100 planned). I think theyve been playing Monopoly too much.
The new expansion for Magic, Urzas Destiny, has been well received, but many of my customers think it will spell the doom of magic. Most of the rares are quite good, and in fact, most of the set is good. Better in many respects than some of the older, banned and restricted cards. Try it. Youll like it.
The Five Rings section of WOTC has also produced the next set, Honor Bound, but due to a massive screwup at the printers, 25% of the set is not tournament legal for oversize cards. A pity, really, because the set is amazing. No new release date has been set.
TSR is producing less gamer-oriented merchandise, and seems to be focusing on modules and eccentric sourcebooks. But, the Cleric spellbook sold off the shelf 6 times over, and the GMs in the area like the modules, so I guess all is well. The rumors of the 3rd edition, though, for AD&D, do not sound promising. When I know more, Ill let you know.
AEG has released 7th Sea, a swashbuckling 17th century adventure game. While the demand for this genre has always been light, to say the least, this product is worth taking a second look at. Aside from the slick production quality, the history is very deep, and there are many hidden undercurrents in the game fluff. Pick up a copy, and see for yourself.
Rio Grande Games has let us in on another good batch of games, and these are all stars. My personal favorite of these is Big City, a game about building your dream city. Trouble is, so are your opponents, and all in the same, confined space. Another Reiner Knizia offering is in the mix, too, Lost Cities. A simple game for two about exploration, it just rocks. Other releases include Cape Horn and Ta Yu. If were lucky, they may bring Big A Little A over, a wonderful game that Marvin Knighton, a rep for almost all small game companies, found overseas.
Games Workshop released the new Vampire Counts book, and it has been met with some excitement, some dismay. Zombies and ghouls are well worth the points now, but mummies are quite pricey. But, as always, the minis are great. Battlefleet Gothic continues to lead sales for new stuff at the store, and now that the Ork fleet is almost completely here, we turn to what they plan on doing next. Tyrannids, hopefully. In 40k news, we are all waiting for the new Ork minis and Codex to arrive. Personally, though, Ill look forward to the Sisters of Battle book. Both due out soon.
Palladium has been quiet. So has R.Talsorian.
White Wolf has released one interesting book recently, the Time of Thin Blood. A guide for playing 15th and 16th gen vampires. Provides interesting role-playing opportunities, but little for power gamers.
Blatant Plug:
Games Nation is, and has been, offering the sale of the day. Every day, we pick a random line of product, and knock 20 to 25 percent off it for 1 to 4 days. So, if youre looking to dive headfirst into a game system, want new cards for less, or crave more painting material, come on by, and see whats on sale.
See you at the game table
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