Fantasy Flight Games dropped a bomb on fans of their cooperative game, Battlestar Galactica (which is naturally based on the Sci-Fi channel hit series of the same name), by announcing a new expansion: Pegasus. The new expansion adds a brand new ship (the Pegasus) a planet (New Caprica – which I assume will serve the same purpose as a ship), some plastic minis, a new set of characters, cylon leaders and a metric ton of other stuff. The expansion can be played as a standalone game or along with the original game and will release this fall (no word on the price, though we assume it’ll be comparable to the original game – $50). One thing of note – the announcement I received refers to this as the “first expansion” – indicating that FFG may be looking at BSG as their next Arkham Horror-style franchise.

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Monsterpocalypse is the game that seems to be going out of its way to defy the critics and succeed where others have flopped. In the event that you missed it, Privateer Press launched the kaiju-inspired, collectible miniature game (and the rules are way more like a traditional miniature wargame than something like Heroclix) to great fanfare with the follow-up expansion, I Chomp NY, not quite receiving the fanfare and excited expectation that PP may have expected (that said, the game seems to be selling very briskly and interest on the game seems generally to be on the rise). Never ones to let go without a fight, PP launched a full out media blitz today for their next expansion, All Your Base (PP take note: this is a much better name than the previous expansion). The first tidbit is a six figure preview over at ICv2 and details about the new expansion which will be changing up the format a bit. There will still be dedicated unit booster boxes with 4 units and a building, but the monster boxes for this set will include 4 new units – morphers – and the super form they can combine to create (no doubt the same mechanic that will be used in the upcoming Voltron expansion). The new figures in the preview look outstanding and really raise the bar for prepainted miniatures.

But wait – there’s more! PP also announced a new contest – Monsterpocapalooza! In order to get out the word for the new expansion, PP is challenging gamers and their FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store) to put together the biggest possible release event and document the process. PP fans will vote on the top 10 videos, with PP having final selection. The winner will get a blow-out release party for the third expansion – Monsterpocalypse Now! (see…also a much better name than I Chomp NY) – paid for and held by Privateer Press. Further, stores submitting video of their All Your Base release parties will be entered in a drawing where the store and every participant in the event win a free, all metal version of the Cyber Khan miniature (and it does look gorgeous…). Credit where credit is due – PP is definitely rolling out the quality support for this title.

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The National World War II museum in New Orleans runs occasional war game events as educational programs. On August 21-23, the museum will hold the third annual Heat of Battle war game convention among the exhibits in the galleries. The games to be played include miniatures, hex-and-counter games, and other board games, such as Flames of War, Memoir ‘44, and Battle of the Bulge. Attendees will also be able to take advantage of several other special museum benefits. Registration for the convention includes admission to the “June 1944″ special exhibit and the “Behind the Lines” tour of the museum’s vault. The tour allows participants to actually handle non-public artifacts and explore a Sherman tank.

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Davao City, Philippines: One man hacks another in the head with an axe during a game of Tong-its. (source)

Cincinnati, OH: One man shot after an argument at a dice game. (source)

NY, NY: Man pleads guilty to molesting two boys after inviting them to play “board games” in 2007. (source)

Atlanta, GA: Three police officers fired for playing Spades on the job (not for money). (source)

Baltimore, MD: One man cuts another with a broken bottle at a dice game. (source)

Waialua, HI: Man sentenced to 20 months for involvement in a cockfighting and card game gambling ring. (source)

Wadena, MN: Man gets punched in the face at a card game. (source)

Orkney, Scotland: Missing man was last seen playing Chess at a pub. (source)

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Jack Saltzman from Chicago Game and Card wrote to tell me that his board and card game publishing business can produce quality print runs of games starting at a single game.

I don’t have any examples in front of me, so I don’t know what he means by “quality”, but it’s worth checking out, at least if you’re in need of a decent prototype.

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AllPosters.com has a large selection of board game related posters, nearly all of which are Chess related, natch. But you can find some other games sprinkled within.

A couple just bought Bobby Fischer’s old Chess library for $61,000. Includes notes he took in preparation for his fanous Spassky match.

Azerbaijan is moving ahead with revamping it’s country’s Chess program by building a “Chess Palace“.

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Come Out and Play 2009 NYC starts today and continues into the weekend.

Play mass games of Capture the Flag in the park, Mafia on subway trains, and dozens of other games with fellow game lovers around the city.

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