Renegade Game Studios just announced that they have acquired licenses from Hasbro for GI Joe, My Little Pony and Transformers games. Rather weird since Hasbro already publishes games.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Monday, September 28, 2020
Banned Magic Card
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath banned today. have not seen the price drop much yet. Still around $60. Good card in Commander and Modern so probably will still see play
New GW Releases
New GW releases for Oct 3
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Sunday, September 27, 2020
Used Board Games
Added a few new games to the used Games list on the store website. These games are not available in our eBay store, only through contacting the store either by phone, email, or messaging.
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Commander Legends Spoilers
WOTC has released 15 cards from the new Commander Legends set, which is currently scheduled for a release of Nov. 6. Our preorder price currently is $149.99 per draft booster box
Friday, September 25, 2020
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness
Remember the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from your youth? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness RPG released in 1985, two years before the cartoon and toys swept the nation. Palladium Books was the first company to recognize the potential impact of the Turtles and was the first company to ever license the rights to them
Thursday, September 24, 2020
SuperHero Movies Rescheduled
A number of superhero based movies, both Marvel and DC have been rescheduled, some until December of 2021
- Black Widow from November 6, 2020 to May 7, 2021
- Eternals from February 12, 2021 to November 5
- Shang-Chi from May 7 to July 9, 2021
- The King’s Man from February 26, 2021 to February 12
- Death on the Nile from October 23 to December 18
- Empty Man from December 4 to October 23
- West Side Story from December 18, 2020 to December 10, 2021
- Wonder Woman 84 from December 18, 2020 to December 10, 2021
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Buy 2 Get 1 Free
Now through Oct 18, buy two of these Asmodee games and get a third from the list of equal or lesser value free
Catan
Splendor
Carcassonne
Dixit
Mysterium
Small World
Ticket to Ride
Mille Bornes
Arkham Horror 3rd Edition
Rory's Story Cubes (Box)
Pandemic
7 Wonders New Edition
Spot It! Classic (Box)
Dead of Winter
Cosmic Encounter
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
A Short History of Marketing
I figure now is a good time for a refresher look at
the history of
marketing, which is, if you make, distribute or sell a game, an activity in
which you engage. Marketing itself, when you look at it as the process by which
a good or service moves from the producer to the consumer, dates back to
ancient times with much exploration due to seeking new trade routes or access
to products. Columbus’ voyages, for example, were undertaken to find a shorter,
and therefore less costly route, from Europe to southeast Asia. Printed and
clay seals used to consistently identify
the producer of such products as wine and olive oil were used in
Mesopotamia as early as the 4th
century BCE while archaeologists have found marks in Pompeii indicating Umbricius
Scauras branded his own fish sauce as early as 35 CE However the term
“marketing” first applied to buying and
selling products during the 16th century CE while the use of the
term in its modern sense first appeared in Harper’s Magazine in 1884.
Marketing can be divided into three
general areas or eras: production,
selling and consumer and, much like the development of study of marketing, all
took place within the past century
During the production era which ran
from time immemorial until about the 1930s, the focus was on production.
Consumers did not have much choice, nor for that matter did producers. If you
wanted to make a product, you were pretty much limited to what you had on hand.
Similarly, if a customer wanted to buy something, they were generally limited
to a very small or no selection. The
production era can be summed up in Henry Ford’s famous phrase “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black,” which Ford famously said in 1909. The customer had very
little choice or say in what they wanted and had to take what was available
Over time the next few decades,
more producers entered the market (rather like the gaming industry over the
past decade) and the focus shifted from customers having to select and purchase
from the products that producers have available to a more active “selling era”
in which producers, instead of merely making products available to consumers,
actively started selling their products to them. Although advertising and other
forms of promotion existed before this period, their use quadrupled with the
advent of the selling era, as producers competed with each other to get their
products with no consideration as to how well the product met the consumers’
needs. The focus was on mass marketing and selling as much product as possible
to as wide a group of consumers as possible.
Currently we are in the marketing
or consumer era where the focus has shifted to the consumer. Marketing firms
segment and target the consumer, analyzing their wants and needs in order to
make products to satisfy said wants and needs. Markets are generally much
smaller than in the selling era so less of a given product will sell but the
producer has a much more satisfied consumer who will likely return to purchase
from them again. TCGs are a great
example of products produced with a marketing focus as each TCG alters its
positioning slightly, so that there is not a huge cross over between Magic and
Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh and Force of Will players Yes, there are some players who
will play several different types of TCGs but the overwhelming number stick
with their preferred game and are happy with it. That’s the power of good
marketing.
Monday, September 21, 2020
Magic Cards
Just bought about $2000 worth of Magic cards. Staple cards for Standard and Modern formats. Almost all of them are in the binders now so check them out the next time you are in.
Sunday, September 20, 2020
Good Cheap Gift Games
. For these, you want a game that provides a lot of fun
without melting down your pocketbook. Here are some suggestions:
1.
Love Letter from AEG. This is Castle Perilous
Games & Books Selected Stocking Stuffer of the Season for several
reasons. First, Love Letter is a lot of
fun, plays quickly and offers quite a bit of replay value, especially with the
number of variants that AEG has released.
In addition, it boasts a great price point at $9.99 for the basic game
and only $10.99 for the Batman, Hobbit and Adventure Time variants. There’s
even a Letters to Santa version if you want to get really thematic. Add in that
the game is attractively packaged in both boxed and clamshell versions and you
have a great stocking stuffer.
2.
Timeline from Asmodee. Gnome Games picked this
one as its Stocking Stuffer of 2015 for the same reasons Castle Perilous Games
& Books chose Love Letter (In fact, Gnome Games selected Love Letter as its
Stocking Stuffer for 2013). Timeline
comes packaged in an attractive tin that fits neatly into a stocking, has an
equally attractive $14.99 price point and offers plenty of replayability. Add
in the fact that it actually teaches a bit of history and you have an
all-around great choice.
3.
Fluxx from Looney Labs. At $16 to $20, Fluxx is a bit more expensive
than the first two options but still comparatively cheap and comes in a wide
variety of variations. You can buy Nature Fluxx, Stoner Fluxx, Star Fluxx,
Cthulhu Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Batman Fluxx or even, should your tastes run that
way, just plain Fluxx. The number of Fluxx games make it relatively easy to
find a version that would appeal to anyone on your Secret Santa or gift
exchange list. In addition, since the rules change with every game, even with
every hand, Fluxx, whatever version you buy, offers immense replayability.
4.
Happy Birthday from North Star Games. Though Happy Birthday doesn’t have the name
recognition of North Star Games’ other games such as Evolution and Wits and
Wagers, or even the other games on this
list, it is an enjoyable game in its own right, which is one of the reasons it
makes the list. Also, surprisingly given the size of North Star Games’ other
products, Happy Birthday comes in a compact 3’ x3’ box with a nice heft to it,
perfect for tucking into a stocking. Add in the extremely reasonable $12.99
price point and that fact that Happy Birthday is a game that younger children
especially like to play, the age range is 6 and up and the game can handle up
to 8 players, making it good for family get togethers and you have one more
great stocking stuffer.
Miniatures Painting
Since a number of people have picked up painting miniatures during the epidemic, we will start offering painting workshops on the last Saturday of the month. This month's workshop will be led by Syd and will run from 3 p.m to 4 p.m. this Saturday, after Teen D&D
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Zendikar Rising
Zendikar Rising has risen, well at least partially. We have draft booster boxes for sale at $129.99. With each box, you get a Reliquary Tower; Orah, Skyclave Hirophant; and a Zendkiar Rising promo pack. Sorry, no single boosters available until the 25th. We also have some Pre-release kits remaining. While they last, get one draft booster and one Set booster with each kit. After the Set boosters run out, you receive 2 draft boosters. Cost is $30 for 1-3 and $25 each for 4 or more.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Eilodon City In the Sky
In the 1990s, buoyed by the success of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, every publisher that designed a fantasy RPG decided it also needed a setting for the players to adventure in. Ergo, ICE decided to release Shadow World as a campaign setting for its Rolemaster (or as it was known back 25 years ago, Rulesmaster or Chartmaster) RPG. Eilodon City in the Sky was a city setting for Shadow World. Moderately well received and reviewed, Shadow World never gained much traction , even among Rolemaster players, who prefered to use the rules in their own games. Rather surprised to see this second edition of Eilodon come in with books in an RPG collection we purchased as we had never heard of it and it seemed to slip under the radar.
Little Wars
Little Wars was a publication from Tactical Studies Rules which morphed into TSR. Tactical Studies Rules started out as a publisher of wargames and wargaming supplements, especially for the Avalon Hill line of games. With the success of Dungeons and Dragons, Little Wars started including more material for that game, shift its emphasis from wargaming and ceasing publication after the sixth issue, relaunching as The Dragon #1 with the next issue.
Sunday, September 13, 2020
New GW This Week
Scheduled for On Sale Sept 19th
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Saturday, September 12, 2020
Tenra Bansho Zero
Lest you forget, there are a number of RPGs beyond D&D and many of the most popular are not published in English. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay dominated the RPG scene in Great Britain for a number of years and The Dark Eye, from what I understand, is still the most played RPG in Europe.
In Japan, the breakout RPG was Tenra Bansho Zero. Based on an original world of technology and magic, the game includes concepts drawn from Kabuki theater and manga. You can read more about it here.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Rorschach Comic
Arguably the most popular character to come out of Alan Moore's Watchmen, Rorschach gets his own series stating in about a month. Set in 2020, it is neither a followup to the original series nor a sequel to last year's DoomsDay Clock. If you are interested in getting a copy or a subscription to the 12 issue series, let us know.
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Super Villains
Even back in 1982, the idea of playing a super villain intrigued people. So Task Force Games came out with the Super Villains board game in which players could take on the role of a super villain and fight for control of the city. Unique for the time, the game came with rules for both playing as a strategic/tactical boardgame and as an RPG
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Hercules and Xena RPG
Back in the 1990s, West End Games came out with a line of games based on various media properties including Necroscope, Indiana Jones (once they got the license from TSR) and Xena and Hercules. Surprisingly, the company did not use the d6 system it had developed for use with the Star Wars RPG (another license) but developed another system based on custom dice included with the game.
Unfortunately, as with most licensed properties, once the series lost steam, so did the rpg.
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Where to Find Cards in Zendikar Rising
Zendikar Rising has a slew of different types of card styles. Here is where to find them:
Monday, September 7, 2020
Pathfinder Society
We do not have any sessions of Pathfinder Society running at the store and do not know if there are any running in the area, but if you send an email to the regional coordinator at Semopfs@gmail.com, he can point you in the correct direction. There are two sessions a month running in Cape Girardeau and some running online in Southern Illinois on Rolld20
Sunday, September 6, 2020
RPG and Magic Collection
Picked up a good sized RPG collection over the weekend with several 3.5 D&D books, a number of Call of Cthulhu books, quite a few Rifts sourcebooks, a number of small press RPGS and a stack of Dungeon, Dragon, White Dwarf and Heavy Metal magazines.
We also bought a decent Magic collection with quite a few rares and Mythic Rares in it. Devon spent much of Sunday processing them into the display case and binders. We should get the rest of them in the binders and case tomorrow.
Saturday, September 5, 2020
GW Releases for Sept 12
Lots of stuff for the Lumineth Realm-Lords
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Friday, September 4, 2020
Flooring and Reshoring
Reshoring and flooring. Reshoring
is simply the concept of moving production that a company offshored due to
cheaper production costs, back home. The trade off between offshoring and
producing products overseas and in the publisher’s home country is that of
lower production costs versus the loss of sales due to the extended supply
chain. Overseas production runs save costs in terms of lower materials costs,
lower labor costs and greater flexibility but add costs in terms of additional
shipping costs, wait time and managerial and oversight costs. A
survey of manufacturers in 2015 found that 17% had already reshored production
to the US while another 37% had plans in the works to do so. A number of US
game publishers, including Kobold Press, Troll Lord Games, Looney Labs and
Catan Studios, have never off shored production, finding that the speed with
which they can print and restock product outweighs the cost savings of
offshoring.
Flooring is the
concept of a publisher or manufacturer which uses a distributor storing
additional product on site at the distributor but retaining ownership of the
product. When the distributor gets low on product, it simply moves product from
the publisher’s stock to the distributor’s , taking ownership and paying the
publisher. This allows the publisher to make more product than it could easily
warehouse and drastically reduces out of stocks. Steve Jackson Games had a
successful flooring arrangement with Alliance for several years and, when
Chessex Manufacturing was located in the same building with Alliance Fort Wayne,
a out of stock on dice could be rectified with a walk next door.
Thursday, September 3, 2020
CARES Act
. The $349
billion appropriated for the CARES act and the Paycheck Protection Plan,
which was a major component of the Act, ran out after about 2 week. Of course,
it did not help that several
chains, such as Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Potbelly Sandwich Shop applied
for loans/grants under the program and received $10 million each ($20 million
in the case of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, since the corporation had two different
subsidiaries apply), the maximum allowable under the PPP. Under the plan, the government considered any
business employing fewer than 500 people a small business. I would wager that
is 450 more than 95% of the companies in the game industry employ. With the
average loan, according to the SBA, running just under $240,000 and over 1.3
million loans, at least, approved, it is no wonder the program ran out of funds
so quickly. I do find it interesting that, since the CARES Act does not require
the SBA to release loan/grant amounts, it has declined to do so. The only
reason we know about the $10 million loans some corporations received is
because they are publicly traded corporations and required by law and their
charters to make that sort of information publicly available. Privately held
companies and corporations are under no such requirement and have no legal
obligation to do so. Several members of Congress are pushing the SBA to release
the names of organizations that received CARES loans. We will see if their
badgering of the SBA, which gave
out more money in the past fourteen days than it had loaned out in the past
14 years, pushes the SBA to make public the names of other companies that
received loans.
Meanwhile Congress is looking at putting more money into the
PPP but the plan
has run into an impasse with some
members of Congress wanting to just appropriate more money for the PPP as it
stands, while others want to add wording to a second funding proposal that
targets more new funds towards more specific parts of the economy, including
hospitals , state and local governments and food assistance. Until some agreement is reached, which will
probably include adding the extra funds for hospitals and state and local
governments, we should not expect to see
any more money coming immediately from the Federal Government, unless you are
someone who gets your tax refund in the form of a check, in which case you can
expect to see those
funds show up anywhere from early May through mid-September.
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Yu gi Oh Maximum Gold
Just received an email from Konami that, due to shipping problems, the release of the Maximum Gold set has moved from October 9th to November 13th.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Zenkikar Rising
Since we have gotten some inquiries, we will be selling boxes of draft boosters for $109.99 and boxes of the new Set Boosters for $149.99 through Sept 13. We expect to see the Set Boosters allocated so, although we have two cases ordered, we have no idea how many we actually will get.
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