I was (embarrassingly) introduced to Hanafuda Japanese Flower Cards while writing up an article about Neopets games that had real life counterparts, or where somehow based off real life games.

A Hanafuda deck contains 12 suits, each representing a month of the year and having a designated flower.  There are 4 cards in each suit: 2 normal cards, 1 “ribbon” card, and one special card.  Most decks I’ve seen are absolutely beautiful.

Interestingly enough, Nintendo was first founded in 1889 for the sole reason of producing hand painted Hanafuda cards, though the history of the cards predates this a bit.

There are many games you can play with a Hanafuda deck.  I’m most familiar with the Korean game Godori (also called Go Stop), which is a completely addictive game.  You can pickup a book called Hanafuda the Flower Card Game to get an idea on Hanafuda’s namesake game, and a few others.

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The East Brunswick Sentinel pimps a local Pinochle club. (source)

Philadelphia’s civil servants once again challenge the public to games of Scrabble in public libraries in Philly Plays Scrabble. (source)

WNKU in Cincinnati pimps Yottaquest, the winner of the Goodman Games contest for the country’s best game store. (source)

The Northampton Valley Advocate pimps Eurogames and BGG. (source)

The Seattle Post Examiner has their own Geek of the Week. This week’s listed her favorite board games as Trivial Pursuit, Doodle Jump, and Power Grid. (source) [What a selection.]

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Pueblo, CO: One man shot dead when two guys shoot through a door into five people playing cards, for no apparent reason. (source)

Brooklyn, NY: Man shot and killed, possibly at a dice game. (source)

Tallahassee, FL: One man shot and killed at a card game. (source)

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Economy got you down? Laid off? Business in the tanks? Maybe it’s time to turn your hobby in to a career. I won’t kid you—jobs in tabletop games (at least, the salaried kind) are hard to find. But there are a few. Here’s what I’ve been able to turn up:

• Fantasy Flight Games is recruiting for a Marketing Content Coordinator and an LCG Game Producer.
• Paizo Publishing is looking for a Customer Service Representative, an Editorial Assistant, and Editorial Intern, and Warehouse Personnel.
• Mattel lists 228 openings. Most are in retail, including food service.
• Wizards of the Coast needs a Brand Manager, Associate Brand Manager, and Senior Art Director for Magic: The Gathering, and an Associate Brand Manager for Dungeons & Dragons.
• Hasbro (parent of Wizards) also needs an Assistant Global Brand Marketing Manager, to help the company push its products in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Asia, and a Senior Global Brand Development Manager, to oversee product development and production for an unspecified brand.

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