http://www.gamingretailer.com/ Gaming Retailer en-us Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:13:58 GMT 1440 CPG-Nuke Dragonfly Gaming Retailer dot Com News http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html http://www.gamingretailer.com/images/logo.gif http://www.gamingretailer.com/ http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=24 Wizards of the Coast has announced major changes to the Magic:TG prerelease events beginning with the Shard of Alar set this fall. The release parties will be held as usual, the weekend of Oct 3, 2008. Prereleases will see an expanded number of locations, including retail stores and will happen the weekend of Sept 27-28, 2008. Information about running these event, including space requirements is not readily available at this time, however a link to new DCI organizer level and the requirements for those is available here. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:13:58 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23 WOTC has announced some pretty major changes in the rarity levels and distribution of Magic cards to begin with Oct 3, 2008 release of Shards of Alara. These changes include set size, rarity, booster composition and the replacement of theme decks with a new product called intro packs. Set Size: Magic sets will be smaller in total card. October’s Shards of Alara, which traditionally should be a large set will have a total of 249 cards, followed by the 2 smaller sets codenamed “paper” and “scissors” with 145 cards each. The base set scheduled for release in July 2009 has an official size of TBA but an article by Mark Rosewater quotes the number 229 as something he confident in. Smaller set sizes are being done in response to consumer feedback about the difficulty of new players starting the game and existing players keep up. New rarity level: Shards of Alara will introduce a new level of rarity called Mythic Rare which will appear on average in 1 out 8 booster packs. Shards of Alara will contain 15 mythic rares, 53 rares, 60 uncommon and 101 commons. Rosewater sites the expectations of new players coming into magic and their expectation based on other card games as the driving reason behind a new level of rarity. Booster packs will also contain 1 basic land per pack again as method to make it easier for new players to get started. New Intro Pack: Replacing the theme deck is a new product called an intro pack. It will contain a 41-card pre constructed deck and also come with a booster pack. Intro packs will retail for $12.29 Read WOTC announcement HERE Mark Rosewater's article is HERE Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:59:07 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=22 The Best Four Days in Gaming Never Looked Better INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2008) - Gen Con is pleased to announce that once again Wizards of the Coast, Inc., will be a co-sponsor of Gen Con Indy. Fans of all ages come to Gen Con each year to see and experience the latest in analog and digital gaming, and Wizards’ participation is a highlight for many fans. This year, Wizards of the Coast will be showing off their latest offerings, including the release of Dungeons & Dragons® 4th Edition. “We are so pleased to have Wizards of the Coast once again be a sponsor of Gen Con. Its long history with the show, as well as the popularity of its products makes it an integral part of the entire Gen Con experience,” said Adrian Swartout, president of Gen Con. Tue, 20 May 2008 15:37:15 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21 A big-box board game for 2 to 4 players, Age of Conan puts players in the throne rooms of some among the most important kingdoms of the Hyborian Age. Aquilonia, Turan, Stygia and Hyperborea strive for supremacy, and are willing to use any weapon available, be it intrigue, open warfare, or even sorcery. All the while, Conan, the black-haired Cimmerian, creates his legend taking adventures in every corner of the Hyborian world, never giving his allegiance to any kingdom for more than a brief stint. Iconic Fate and Combat dice, a Strategy deck and individual Kingdom decks bring to life the colourful universe of Conan the Barbarian, made of sorcerous spells, violent battles and diverse characters, in a game that can be won by the most ruthless player, or maybe by the one that best manages the double-edged personality that is Conan. Will Conan wear the Crown of your Kingdom, or tread his throne under his sandalled feet? A ge of Conan – The Strategy Board Game , is published by Nexus Editrice and is designed by the same team that created the best selling board game War of the Ring (Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello and Roberto Di Meglio). Here follow some additional information. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:00:35 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=20 Gen Con Files for Chapter 11 SEATTLE (February 15, 2008) Gen Con LLC announced today that it has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the State of Washington. This action became necessary as a result of significant unforeseen expenses associated with attempts to expand its core business to encompass externally licensed events. Gen Con’s flagship show, Gen Con Indy, remains a vibrant, profitable event. Gen Con Indy will take place as scheduled August 14–17, 2008, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The protections afforded by Chapter 11 will allow Gen Con to further its efforts to address its liquidity needs, preserve value for its creditors and explore strategic alternatives for the business. “Because the fundamentals of our business are strong; and because our debt problems are challenges mostly linked to one-time events, we feel confident that the profile of our company will benefit under Chapter 11 and come out strong in the end,” said Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Gen Con. Chapter 11 refers to the section of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that provides for court-supervised restructuring of companies as they continue to operate normally. This proceeding is intended to help companies to become stronger financially. Gen Con LLC will continue to operate without interruption during this process and looks forward to an expeditious resolution to the short-term challenges and the ability to focus entirely on producing Gen Con Indy, The Best Four Days in Gaming. International Gen Con events are unaffected by this situation and will continue to operate as scheduled. About Gen Con Gen Con, LLC produces the largest consumer fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America. Itts operations include Gen Con Indy and licensees for European and Asia Pacific Gen Con shows. It was acquired in 2002 by former CEO and founder of Wizards of the Coast Peter Adkison, who solely owns the company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community. For more information visit the website at www.gencon.com. Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:26:43 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=19 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WIZKIDS ANNOUNCES SELLOUT OF DC HEROCLIX: CRISIS! January 22, 2008 (SEATTLE) — WizKids Inc. announces the manufacture sellout of DC HeroClix®: Crisis five-figure Boosters and bricks. Crisis, releasing February 27, is completely sold out at the manufacturer in North America due to unexpectedly high preorder sales. DC HeroClix: Crisis brings to players’ tabletops characters from the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, Identity Crisis, 52 and the ongoing Final Crisis storylines. “The Crisis release attests to the close collaboration between DC Comics and WizKids®—the closest collaboration over any HeroClix release,” said Joe Hauck, WizKids EVP of Sales, Marketing and Product Development. “The results have been far more impressive than either DC Comics or WizKids could have anticipated.” Although supplies are limited, North American retailers can still purchase Crisis through Alliance Game Distributors (1.800.452.6642) or Diamond Comic Distributors (1.800.669.4263 x1005) and should contact their sales representatives for preorder information. European retailers should contact their local distributor for preorder information. Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:40:27 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=18 On Friday August 17th, forty four teams from all across the world descended on Gen Con to prove that they were the best three man operation to play UFS in the world! After six grueling rounds of Swiss, only eight teams survived to make it into the final single elimination rounds. During the championship round, Team Nice Head consisting of Fred Ehrhart, Omar Chavez, and James Hata (2007 UFS US National Champion) faced Team Suck and Die consisting of Jonathan Herr, Paul Bittner, and Matt Kohls (2006 UFS World Champion). The matches were heated but when the smoke cleared, Team Nice Head was left as the first UFS Team World Champions! Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:04:52 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17 Sabertooth Games has posted 10 cards from their upcoming expansions to the Universal Fighting System collectible card game. Five cards are from the Soulcalibur III release - Higher Calibur while the other five cards are from the SNK release Fortune & Glory. These two expansion sets both feature 99 new cards that are 100% compatible with the existing UFS cards pool. The preview cards can be found at Sat, 04 Aug 2007 15:39:22 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16 Steve Morgan discusses the changes to Games Workshop's Trade Sales Program. To read the interview you must be logged in and click HERE Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:55:22 GMT http://www.gamingretailer.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15 Players will compete for the "Coolest Prize in Gaming" at the UFS World Championships this August at GenCon. 2006 World Champion Matt Kohls will be defending his title with a deck built around his own character card (a fully playable, tournament-legal card of his own likeness, given to him by Sabertooth Games for winning the World Championship at GenCon last year). Fri, 20 Jul 2007 14:20:00 GMT