The Gamer's Update

Sponsored by

Games Nation

Welcome folks to the winter installment of the Gamer's Update. As many of you know, WOTC has effectively cut all supply of Pokémon for the holidays, so I'll just not bother to talk about it in this article.

As many of you have probably heard, Hasbro bought WOTC just a few months ago, and we are beginning to feel the pressure. Ambition's Debt, the new expansion for L5R, we released this past month, but good luck getting any of it. Apparently, WOTC has decided to limit the amount of Magic, L5R, Pokémon, and other such sundries unless you let them tell you what to order. Fortunately for us, though, we use many different distributors, so we really aren't hurting for any of the above_but if you out-of-state chaps can't find and Mercadian Masques, you know who to call.

Aside from the forgotten Realms CD-ROM, TSR didn't really have any releases this past month that just sang to people. In fact, the entire month of November seems to have been an interesting footnote in the history of gaming. While many different items were released, we were constantly plagued with calls and requests for many out of print or discontinued games.

Therefore, rather than go into detail into the hot sellers of November and the lackluster December that is approaching, let me assemble a list of the top items that gamers are asking for, but that are nearly impossible to find.

    #10. Advanced Squad Leader modules. Lets face it, after Avalon Hill was absorbed by Hasbro, the availability of this merchandise disappeared. Minuteman Publishing currently has the rights to make the stuff, and when its available, its quite good. Check out their web site for more info.

    #9. Slaves to Darkness and Lost and the Damned. Old books by Games Workshop written during the glory years of gaming. The definitive sources on Chaos for the Warhammer worlds, and a must have for virtually any GW fan. Problem is, they've been out of print for almost a decade. Crazy Egor might be able to help on this one.

    #8. The Complete Necromancer's Handbook. This little beauty sells for $50 plus on ebay, and any AD&D player worth his salt would like a copy. As TSR seems to be in the reprinting business now, perhaps some suggestions in their direction_

    #7. Drow of the Underdark. Don't worry folks, it's coming back out, so just wait a few more months. See #8.

    #6. Epic Space Marine. Another entry from GW, not a week goes by when people don't reminisce about the fun of the 2nd edition rules for Epic. Granted, the new, and now out-of-print minis from GW were the best ever, but the new rules nicely killed the demand for them. Check out NetEpic for a new variant that's quite playable.

    #5. 4 player chess. This one caught me off guard. I've had no less than four people ask me in the last month if this is still available, and different distributors have informed me that yes it is, and no it isn't. In short, check Crazy Egor again.

    #4. Dragonmaster. The old Lowe game, not by GW. This game combined spades and hearts with great uncredited artwork. This little baby has been OOP for almost 20 years, but is still a great game. How about it, Milton Bradley, wanna re-release this one?

    #3. While we're on the subject, how about Dark Tower. If you don't know about Dark Tower, then you probably shouldn't be reading this column.

    #2. Empire Chronopia. Target Games recently filed for receivership (bankruptcy) overseas, but assures us that the US lines will not be affected. Therefore, where is it? The minis looked cool, the rules were cool, people want it. So release it already.

    #1. And the winner is_.Pokémon, dammit. Yes, virtually every other call is for Pokémon, and though I swore not to discuss it in this column, it is fast becoming a requirement for stores to carry. Not just game stores, but all stores. I mean, even Walgreens carries Pokémon. So, come on, WOTC/Hasbro, whoever. Get on the ball. Subcontract.

Happy Holidays.

[More Updates] [Back to Collector Times]
[Prev.] [Return to Gaming] [Disclaimer] [Next]

Copyright © 1999 Craig Gaddis

lum@texas.net

About the Author