Wizards of the Coast is just starting its premier Magic tournament in Hollywood, CA at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

More than 400 players will be competing to take home $230,795 worth of prizes. Non cash prizes include Apple TVs, iPods, invitations and trips to PT Berlin, old and new cards and original Magic artwork.

(more information)

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Pop singer Ashlee Simpson and Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz are honeymooning in an undisclosed basement apartment, eating pizza, tanning, and playing Monopoly.

We played Monopoly last night for real. I got Boardwalk and Park Place, but I had to mortgage all my real estate to get [them]. I’m one of those guys who plays Monopoly and those are the only two [properties] I care about, you know?”

He went on to note that during the Monopoly game he was the car, Ashlee the dog.

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American Muscle Challenge is a game for 4-6 players simulating the hobby of restoring and racing a “muscle car”.

The game pleasantly borrows rules from Monopoly to Milles Bornes. You can go to jail for up to three turns if your fan belt breaks, challenge another player to a dice rolling drag race, play hazards on other players’ car parts or buy insurance to protect you from the same, and trade parts with other players. If you try to charge too much for a part, another player can force you to reveal the parts price listing in the guide book and force you to pay him the difference with a penalty.

The web site includes a meme challenge to find out what type of muscle car you are.

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I’d like to celebrate Scrabble’s 60th birthday with this handsome Scrabble beach towel. It supposedly comes with all necessary oversized pieces to play the game, although from the page it looks like it may not yet be available.

Various other beach towel games that are variously available include Chutes and Ladders, Blackjack, Checkers, Candyland, Monopoly (doesn’t come with the pieces), Operation (doesn’t come with the pieces, and hopefully won’t electrocute you when you lie down on it), Hop Scotch, and Twister.

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Montclair, NJ: 26 year old mother arrested after assaulting her 8 year old boy, including hitting him in the head with a Monopoly board. Remember, parents: keep Monopoly, and other dangerous games, away from children. (source)

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A quick update on Paizo Publishing’s Pathfinder RPG project… The company just released the latest playtest version, “Alpha 3.” And according to Paizo’s press release, 17,000 people have downloaded the game so far.

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Karmic Races: Dwarves, the new roleplaying product from Bards and Sages Publishing, provides background information on the classic fantasy race. In addition to the typical stuff, like new subraces and stories about the Dwarves origins, this book also explores unique Dwarven medical conditions. And as with the previous publication in this series, Karmic Races: Elves, the Dwarves book is designed for Bards and Sages’s upcoming Karma Roleplaying System—though the company claims it contains plenty of system-neutral material.

By the way, an interesting concept to release the supplements before the core rules.

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Forgive me if I skip the typical product picture. ZUZZY Miniatures is now selling The Moorlands, which is the first in its Verdant Fields line of Terra-Flex (latex) gaming mats. I expect that it’s a great terrain enhancement for your miniatures, but there’s not much to see in the photograph. The product is available in six sizes, ranging from 2 ft. x 2 ft. to 4 ft. x 4 ft., and, as the name suggests, is designed to model a green field. While you’re at the company’s site, though, take a look around. They have some pretty amazing models of rock outcroppings and tree stumps.

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To celebrate the release of the new Indiana Jones movie Thursday, RPGNow is hosting a sale on pulp-themed roleplaying game titles. The sale runs May 21-27 with most products 30 percent off. Louis Porter, Jr. Design titles are 50 percent off. Adamant Entertainment is offering every item in the Thrilling Tales line for $1 each. And over at Your Games Now, the highly acclaimed Spirit of the Century from Evil Hat Productions is on sale for $10.

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