Goodman Games wants your help:

Goodman Games is looking for writers! This is an open call for 4E game designers who want to contribute to Book of Rituals, a hardback compilation that will see print in the fall. This is paid work-for-hire. All accepted submissions become the property of Goodman Games, and contributors receive 3 cents per word, printed credit, and a copy of the published book.

For more information, email bookofrituals@goodman-games.com or visit their forums.

They also have four new releases scheduled for February and March:

• CITADEL OF THE CORRUPTOR
• SHRINE OF THE FALLEN LAMA
• A FISTFUL OF ZINJAS
• ELADRIN

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In the wake of 2007’s lead toy scares, congress recently passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which is meant to ensure that all products aimed at kids, especially those that could end up in someone’s mouth, are tested to be lead-free [1][2].

The act [3] applies to any items, not only toys or games or “baby items”, manufactured after the date of the ban, which comes into effect on February 10, now only a month away.

Many second-hand store owners and charities are concerned that they can’t possibly verify that every part of every item coming into their store (zippers, sweatshirts, buttons, and so on) meet the act’s requirements. (source)

Update: The CPSC issued a clarification on Thursday indicating that sellers of second-hand goods are exempt from having to check their goods. (source)

Some companies are broadcasting their readiness. I received one such press release from Delano game printing services, for instance.

[1] Actually, lead levels under a certain ppm.

[2] They also have to be phthalate-free.

[3] Official site of the act.

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Over at the Sylvester primary school in Huyton, their sex education program includes DVDs, computer programs, and “a board game with counters representing reproductive organs to show “the game of chance” people play regarding conception.”

No further info.

Source claims that the education program is mentioned in the National Healthy Schools Programme’s Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Guidance pamphlet, but I don’t see it.

(source)

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The 2009 Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour kicks off in Kyoto, Japan February 27 to March 1. This is the first of four events during the year, the final one being the World Championships which is currently scheduled to be held in Rome. Top pro-players for the last four years have all been Japanese, and pro-tours are invitation only. Over $230,000 in prizes will be handed out at each event. (source)

Meanwhile, the 2009 Magic Grand Prix (one way to get invited to the next pro-tour) will kick off January 17 to 18 in Los Angeles. Full schedule.

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Instructables is a nifty website for people who like to make their own stuff and then tell others how they did it, so that they can do it to.

This week “Antibromide” posted an instructable for creating a Steampunk Monopoly set, which includes lights, train set, ray gun, and chest that operate when pieces land on the appropriate spaces.

Links at the bottom of his page lead to some other nifty instructable game creations, including a Steampunk Chess set from “Sparkyrust”, including instructional video.

Also:

• a dice tower made out of dice
• portable shogi board
• folding game board
• and so on

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Rolco, Inc., supplier of parts to the board game industry, has opened their catalog to retail. Purchases of poker chips, spinners, houses & hotels, dice, and other tokens can now be made in smaller quantities through a newly improved web site. Our favorite, of course—the purple pawns!

Rolco also manufactures many of their pieces from a composite material of plastic and 40 percent recycled wood fibers.

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