Hasbro’s net earnings (income minus outflow) for the 4th quarter of 2008 were significantly down at $93.6 million, but only slightly down over the course of the entire year. A lot of the loss was simply due to foreign currency conversion. Revenues (income only) were actually up for the year, including trading cards and board games (Scrabble, Guess Who, Twister, Pictureka). (source)

Mattel’s 4th quarter net earnings of $176.4 million is down significantly more (46%), despite getting hit with toy recalls in the previous year. Barbie hasn’t been performing as well as expected: Mattel won a lawsuit against the makers of Bratz, which only led to the Bratz dolls being dumped on the market at low prices and undercutting Barbie sales. (source)

Two major competitors Jakks Pacific (Disney, Hannah Montana, Care Bears, Pokemon (dolls), NASCAR, etc) and Leapfrog Enterprises are expected to report no better later this month. And Jakks is in the middle of its own half a million toy recall. (source)

• 1 Comment

Rev Rods created this Chess set made from auto parts. They plan to make additional ones featuring parts of other cars.

I don’t think it’s for sale, but if it is, it’s probably a little less expensive than this one from Renault.

• 0 Comments

The first “World Peace Game” is from John Hunter, a teacher in Charlottesville, Va.

For the last thirty years, John has been using a detailed four level game map to engage kids in problem-solving. It plays like a war-game, but the object is for the four competing nations to create world peace, despite stock market crashes, earthquakes, unbalanced resources, and the threat of nuclear war.

John starts each session by quoting from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. (source)

To some the name “World Peace Game” will bring to mind Buckminster Fuller’s creation, a more detailed, more realistic simulation with about the same goals proposed 45 years ago (source).

Live versions of the game are implemented by o.s. Earth. Twenty teams play on a large scale board, representing governments, corporations, NGOs, the media, and a world development foundation.

• 2 Comments

Kill Puppies for Satan is an RPG shock piece by Vincent Baker of Lumpley Games in which the characters do about what you would expect them to do from the title.

Your character gains evil by doing various twisted acts on helpless animals, and the GM describes these acts in nauseating detail. Through this, your character gains evil points to spend in various ways.

mr_orgue recently wrote about running a game, an experience he described as intense, and not one he would repeat:

I think this was the highlight of the con for me. It was a moment both disturbing and real, an intense emotional punch that I can still feel weeks afterward. It wasn’t fun, not in any sense of the word ‘fun’ that I can bring myself to use. But I’ll say it was good. It was a good moment to experience. Still, I don’t know that I’ll ever play Kill Puppies again. I think that my reaction after the phone call scene was accurate – I’ve got what I was looking for, and it’s not the kind of thing I particularly want a second time.

Vincent’s take on role-playing is serious and insightful. He writes about RPG rules and systems, including these two articles which make excellent reading.

In another one of his works, Dogs in the Vineyard, you play missionary Mormons in a fictionalized version of the Country of Deseret (aka Utah). Travel from town to isolated town, carrying mail, news, and doctrine, healing the sick, supporting the weary, and pronouncing judgment upon the wicked. The game was awarded or nominated for a number of independent RPG awards. (source)

• 1 Comment