Maybe the title is a bit harsh, but Games Workshop can be the darndest company to like sometimes. Take for example their stance on their IP on the Internet. There have been numerous instances of GW striking out at fan sites on the web (perhaps the most famous of these being the curious incident with the Golden Throne comic strip), but the latest cease & desist letter seems a bit late: Vassal 40K (the site that plays host to the 40K, Fantasy, Epic and Blood Bowl modules for the popular online tabletop, VASSAL, which has been active for several years now) has received a second C&D from GW. The proprietor of the site has decided to not fight the decision (in fact, he seems to have been expecting it) and has asked people to hold their rancor in check (a nice, but nearly futile request – I don’t know of any game company that generates so much hate). I’ll be honest, I never thought 40K Vassal was particularly ready for primetime, but I liked knowing there was an option for testing armies and playing with friends who were out of state (especially given the constantly increasing price of GW miniatures). Thanks to the Vassal 40K team for their years of work!

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The Salt Lake-based Board Game Designers Guild of Utah (of which I am a member) recently finished a video about… well, what we are about.  Other members include Bridge Troll designer Alf Seegert and soon-to-be published Heavens of Olympus designer Mike Compton.  Check us out:

The table is yours,

Phil

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Recently, I had a chance at closer inspection of Geek Chic’s latest offerings of gamer furniture, the Spartan and Emissary tables. Whereas the original Sultan is no-holds-barred luxury gamer fantasy, these two are a bit more practical, though no less beautiful. The Spartan is a stand-around table, with significant storage, and made primarily as a miniatures platform. The Emissary will do double-duty as a very nice dining-room table with hidden gaming features. Customizable drawers can be used to store books or converted in to desks, and the recessed playing surface can be covered with leaves for protecting a game in progress or actually eating a meal. But here, let me show you what I’m talking about:

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Reaper Miniatures is spinning off prepainted figures to a new subsidiary, Asylum Miniatures (web site not yet active). The company will take over the Legendary Encounters line (maintaining its open format) and plans to add other prepainted miniatures, games, and related products.

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Battle Strikers is this year’s mega toy/game from Mega Bloks.

You control one or more techno-arrayed tops that you launch with a spinner designer to look like a gun handle, and then, as the top spins around in the arena, you control it with a magnetic wand strapped to your finger.

Object: I couldn’t figure it out, but something like knock or stop the other guy’s top before he stops yours. I assume you can’t just stick your magnet over the opponent’s top to achieve this.

You can pick up a starter set – two tops and an arena – with the Battle Strikers Tournament Set. Hamleys is bullish on it for Christmas.

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The Ashbury Park Press pimps board games in the high school classroom summer enrichment course, including Battle of Thermopylae, (an unnamed fantasy-themed version, but I assume Lord of the Rings) Stratego, Risk, Age of Empires (III, I think). (source)

Arizona’s ABC 15 pimps family game night, including Yamslam, Double Shutter, Diggity Dog, Qwirkle, and Bing-Oh! (suggested by a local retail store). (source)

Houma Today pimps family game night, including Monopoly, Catch Phrase!, and Out of the Box Publishing, and suggests avoiding zero-sum games such as Risk, where one person can’t win without crushing the others. (source)

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Richard Garfield, famed designer of Magic and other games, and Skaff Elias, former senior VP of WotC (now both working together under the name Three Donkeys) are collaborating with Mind Control on a new expandable two-player battle game called Mind Twist.

According to Gamasutra, you start with virtual armies that you can play with over IPhone, Facebook, etc, and you can expand your armies by buying more. However, stresses Garfield, players won’t be sucked into spending endless money on the latest and greatest units, because armies come constructed (like pre-built Magic decks) with only some customization. You can’t buy units on the individual scale.

Count down to the CCG (or CMG) adaptation begins in 5, 4, 3, …

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