Successful games get expansions; very successful games get lots of expansions. Kingsburg, I guess, has done well enough to warrant publication of To Forge a Realm, a box of five mix-and-match expansion modules. These modules add new buildings (to either expand the standard province sheet or replace with an entirely new one), special events, an alternative approach to the winter battle (instead of a die roll, players secretly bid a number of soldiers), and character roles to give each player a unique ability. While these sound interesting and I may not be able to resist, I’m actually on the fence about this one. I really enjoy the base game, but it just didn’t seem to be calling out for an expansion.

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Chicago, IL: Man playing cards on his porch is shot in the buttocks by a passerby. (source)

Mansfield, OH: 17 year old issued a summons for hitting a 41 year old staff member over the head with a board game at Foundations for Living. (source)

Likas, Malaysia: Four foreigners arrested for playing the card game Lap Lap Fu. (source) Lap Lap Fu is a Chinese poker variant, where you have 13 cards that create three hands, the top hand with 3 cards, and the middle and bottom hand with 5 cards each.

Not games, but related: Toronto, CA: Comic store (Dragon’s Realm) owner accused of installing hidden camera to spy on women’s washroom (while trying on comic related tees, etc). (source)

FIDE: The crisis over Susan Polgar and the stolen emails continues to get more complicated, with more criminal suits being filed. Read source if you’re interested. (source)

Pontiac, MI: Man pops off a few shots with a gun and robs a dice game. Then turns his back to leave and gets shot in the back and killed by everyone at the game, all of whom had guns. (source)

Memphis, TN: Former Memphis Tiger Antonio Burks shot by robbers as he watched a dice game. (source)

Rochester, NY: Man shoots a shotgun at a group of people playing dice in a backyard, wounding 4. (source)

Costa Mesa, CA: Roman Catholic priest who molested boys in the early nineties arrested at a card game in a community center near his home. (source)

Cheshire, UK: Four septuagenarian ex-servicemen wrestle a 24 year-old knife wielder to the floor when he attempts to rob their game of dominoes. (source)

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Mr Bacon’s Big Adventure. First one to make it to the frying pan at the end of the board wins.

(source)

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Strange World is an RPG from Carnivore Games set in the modern world where you play investigators looking for paranormal activity. Think Ghost World or X-Files.

Carnivore Games’ first product was Now Playing, and RPG guidebook that helped you reconstruct your favorite television show as a game.

Update, Oct 2009: After failing to register the trademark to “Strange World”, the game’s name has been changed to “The Unexplained”. (source)

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Moments after GetIFun announces a Settlers of Catan knock-off Kolonists for the IPhone, Catan Industries announces it’s team up with Exozet Games for an official Settlers of Catan game for the platform.

Wondering if Catan is going to go the Hasbro/Mattel route.

(source)

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For insights and advice on roleplaying with Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, I always turn to the ENnie Awards-nominated web site Critical Hits. They know what makes it fun to play. But they also know the game and where to find stuff to make it even better. Critical Hits latest feature is a guide to 4E-compatible accessories like tokens, power cards, battle maps, and web services. Other collections at the site include skill challenges and character class and race information.

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