A Pennsylvania jury found that poker is a game of chance, and therefore gambling on the outcome to be illegal betting. (source)

Meanwhile in Colorado, an appellate judge overturned a ruling by a jury from a year ago that found poker to be a game of skill. (source)

Meanwhile, some states, such as FL and CA, are wrangling over casinos in Native American reservations and how to share in their profits, others states are still debating whether Monopoly is gambling (SC, most famously), the WSOP is covered by ESPN, and Russia recently decided that poker is not a sport after all. (source)

Click here for an update on the legality of poker in each US state.

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Space Hulk, a well-regarded pimped-out two-player game in the Warhammer theme, originally from Games Workshop in 1989, is set for reprint by GW on September 5.

You can pre-order your copy for $99.

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According to NPD Group, US toy sales are down 2% to $7.81 billion. However, board games (referring to game publishers) are up 10% to $353 million. And kids age 3 to 5 are not spurring this growth, as they are down 6%.

In contrast, video game sales (not sure if US only or world-wide) are down 29% at $848.9 million, the fifth straight month of declines. Also, web-connected toys and games (*cough* Chaotic *cough*) are down 43%.

(source, source)

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The Los Angeles Times give it up for Pokemon’s World Championship event, dropping names and video clips. (source)

The Puget Sound Business Journal pimps Discovery Bay Games. (source)

The Toronto Star pimps toys and games, including Bananagrams and The Settlers of Catan. (source)

The (FL) News Chief pimps family game night, including various of last generation’s board games. (source)

The Guardian pimps the 90th birthday of Gibsons Games, UK. (source)

The Times of India pimps board games, including The Settlers of Catan and Cranium. (source)

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Lombard Street in San Fransisco, considered one of the world’s windiest and steepest streets, will be turned into a life-sized version of Candy Land in honor of the game’s 60th birthday.

Children from U of C San Fransisco’s Children’s Hospital will play the pieces, with actors playing the characters.

(source)

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Another in the conversation cards genre, Family Talk is a family of games from Around the Table with a small footprint: just the cards and the keyring.

The game comes in regular (1 and 2), buddy, teen, grandparent, and camp versions, all under $10.

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Saturday, Mike Gray, Director of Game Acquisitions at Hasbro, revealed that the company is developing a new version of its classic Battleship game. Battleship Galaxies will have a science fiction theme, use 3-D models, and should be available in 2010. Play for the new game has apparently also evolved from the original. No more call outs of “D-3,” Mike said the game would be more like Heroscape and Battle Cry.

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Some of the games that sold out at the show: Revolution and The Stars Are Right from Steve Jackson Games, Eclipse Phase from Catalyst, Heroes of the World from Asmodee, Battelstar Gallactica Pegasus expansion from Fantasy Flight Games, but not the Pathifinder RPG from Paizo! Despite an extremely long line on the first day, hundreds were left Sunday afternoon.

Timestreams from Bucephalus Games is a multiplayer card game of time travel. Two boxes just released—one with Medieval and Modern Day card decks, one with Stone Age and Future Tech. Available in December will be Renaissance and Industrial Revolution.

Coming soon from Bucephalus will be Dogfight, an abstract strategy game with a wood board and historically accurate, die cast metal, model fighter planes from World War II.

From Fantasy Flight Games:

• Next after BattleLore Heroes will be the Creatures expansion and the Dragons expansion. Creatures will contain a Wood Giant, Earth Elemental (these two originally released as promos in blister packs by Days of Wonder), and Hydra (with interchangeable heads). Dragons will include a Wood Wyvern, Ice Drake, and Fire Dragon, as well as the creature card and lair terrain hex for the previously released Troll.
• War of the Ring Collectors Edition should be available at the end of this year or early next for $350-400.
• Fantasy Flight has purchased the Tanhauser game and intellectual property outright from its previous European publisher. This should enable the company to release expansions on a more reliable schedule. Later this year there will be a Daedalus map and other expansions. Also, Fantasy Flight will be publishing a second edition of the game, which will keep all the components exactly the same but will provide updated rules. For those with the first edition, the new rules will be available for free download, or for $5 for a printed copy.
• Fantasy Flight is applying board game design principles to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition. Whereas a number of modern RPGs attempt to reduce the burden on players by jettisoning details, WFRP keeps the detail but makes it much easier to manage and reference with custom components such as special dice, character sheets, stance tokens, condition cards, and career cards.

Catalyst still committed to Battletech and Shadowrun but expanding with casual board games and new RPGs and miniatures games. Eclipse Phase is an RPG with a grim but not hopeless transhumanist setting. Leviathans is a miniatures game set in an alternate history Earth with flying ironclad war ships (got me on that one!). Merchants is a light resource management and selling game from Reiner Knizia.

Rush n’ Crush is a combat and racing game from Rackham and AEG. It’s set in the AT-43 universe, is playable by up to 6 people, and has Arcade (basic) and Overdrive (advanced) rules versions. Expansions with more cars and jumps should be available in December.

Even better than all the games were the people I got to spend time and game with: Ben Clark, Don Dehm, Derek Rex, Dirk Solko, Jeff, Will, Zandra, Jim, and Brian! Thanks Boyd, I think it was, for pointing out a curious fact—amazing that for thousands of games played in the board games rooms, we didn’t see a single loose gaming piece on the floor!

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