Sales Taxes

This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at the effect an upcoming Supreme Court decision could have on whether online retailers can continue to not collect sales taxes from customers and its possible consequences.

Magic: Why Rile Should Be In Your Deck

A one red mana common Sorcery card from Ixalan that reads: "Rile deals 1 damage to target creature you control. That creature gains trample until end of turn. Draw a card." If any of your creatures have enrage as an ability then you need Rile in your deck. It pairs incredibly well with Polyraptor from Rivals of Ixalan. One damage likely won't be enough to hurt your enraged dino, and chances are your opponent doesn't want to trigger the enrage ability. So don't rely on them, when you can easily do it yourself. Besides, dinosaurs are cool.

Happy Magic

-Jay

Barnes & Noble Cuts

This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at the effect of the recently announced Barnes and Noble staff cuts of some 1600 full time positions.

Counterfeit Codenames

Czech Games Editions is the latest game company to call attention to the number of counterfeit editions of its best selling game Codenames. Ways to tell if you have a counterfeit copy of the game include misspellings on game cards, flimsier card stock and a Chinese point of origin. Since Czeck Games Editions prints Codenames in the Czech Republic, online sellers shipping from China are likely selling counterfeited copies. If you look at this one, which originates in China, you can see from the provided photos that the components differ significantly from those included in a real copy of the game

Why does it matter?  Because the money spent on counterfeits never gets to the publisher of the game and, without the revenues from sales of their game, the publisher is unable to produce more copies of the game, develop new games or pay their bills.

Pokemon: Why Pokemon Fan Club Should Be In Your Deck

Pokemon Fan Club is a very useful Supporter card that can help players out in a number of situations. Pokemon Fan Club allows you to search your deck for up to 2 Basic Pokemon from your deck and put them into your hand. Personally, this works great in several situations:

1. If you are at the beginning of the game and do not have that many Basic Pokemon out on the field, this card can be used to find some Basic Pokemon and allow you to fill up your bench with Pokemon.

2. Because this card allows you to search your deck for up to two of ANY Basic Pokemon, this includes all Pokemon cards labeled Basic at the top left of the card, including EX and GX Pokemon.

3. If you draw a Stage 1 Evolution Pokemon and have yet to draw the basic Pokemon that it evolves from, Pokemon Fan Club can allow you to find the card you are looking for so that you can start strengthening your team on the field.

Happy battling fellow trainers,
Mason

So Long Mayfair

This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at how the closure of Mayfair Games affects you. Short answer, it probably doesn't 

Magic: Why Blazing Hope Should Be In Your Deck

"Exile target creature with power greater than or equal to your life total." It's an instant spell that costs one white mana to cast. Even indestructible creatures can be exiled! A 12/12 dinosaur can be pretty hard to beat, but it only takes one mana to change the game in your favor. If they are close to losing the game most people just give up, but there really is no reason to do so. Never give up! With Blazing Hope you can turn things around to your favor, and win in an incredibly heroic way.

Happy Magic!
-Jay

Mayfair Games Sells to Asmodee NA

Just got the following press release from Mayfair Games. What does it mean to customers? Nothing really. The games will still be available, just with the Asmodee brand on them. I have expected something like this ever since Catan separated from Mayfair a year or so ago, although from what I understand, Mayfair is still doing well financially:

As of today, the management team at Mayfair Games, Inc. announces we will wind down game publishing. After 36 years, this was not an easy decision or one we took lightly, but it was necessary. Once we had come to this conclusion, we knew we had to find a good home for our games which is when we reached out to Asmodee.

We are pleased to announce that we have sold our games to Asmodee North America, who have acquired all the assets of Mayfair Games, Inc. This acquisition includes the product line for both Mayfair Games, Inc and Lookout Games, GmbH.

Moving forward, Mayfair product will continue to be available through previously established distribution channels including Alliance Game Distributors for all sales in the USA to the hobby market and with Esdevium Games now Asmodee UK for the UK market.

RPG of the Week Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

This week, WOTC announced the release of the next book in the D&D cannon, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Like the previous releases in the series, Volo's Book of Monsters and Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes will ship with two different covers, the standard cover which you will find at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other fine mass retailers, and the direct cover, only available from WPN approved retailers. Both covers will have a MSRP of $49.99 on release.

The direct cover only gets 1-2 print runs before going out of print. Currently, direct cover versions of Xanathar's Guide to Everything sell for $80 to $100. WPN stores, like us, will have both covers for sale on May 18th and you will likely find both on sale from third parties on Amazon and eBay. The mass version will go on sale widely May 29. We are taking deposits on either or both covers now through early May so let us know if you want a copy.

Boardgame of the Week Grimm Forest

Grimm Forest, from Druid City Games, arrived today. We got a look at it at the GAMA Trade Show last spring and thought enough of the game to back the Kickstarter campaign for it. Game play is pretty cool. It is a resource management and bluffing game. Undead Viking reviews it here

Channel Restriction Notice

This is interesting.

North Star Games, publisher of Evolution and Wits and Wagers, announced yesterday that the company will restrict selling their games on Amazon to only two resellers. That means that anyone else selling North Star Games on Amazon will have to remove their listings from Amazon after March 9th or lose the privilege of selling North Star Games at all.

Lost Art and Mordenkainen

This week's Rolling for Initiative column looks at Konami's recent Lost Art Promotion and the recently announced Mordenkainen's Tomb of Foes