Osprey at GAMA 2012

Osprey is a very interesting company.  They make and distribute historically accurate books from ancient times to today.  They have been used as reference books for many different games, from miniature, to even role playing.  For the most part their books are loaded with information, but they are now in the miniature games business... not the actual minis, but the rules!  I was very excited to go to their session at GAMA to learn more about the product, and now I want it in the store!

Force on Force

This is a modern era miniatures game made by Ambush Alley Games.  They have gone with a fire team approach, not a gigantic scale battle.  It is also playable in any scale, so try out those plastic army men you may have.  They are now bring out a new game, which is the first non historic, called Tomorrow's War.  This one will be similar to Force on Force, but set in the future.

Field of Glory

This is the older time line miniatures games by Slitherine.  In this game you can play with ancients and medieval miniatures.  As with Force on Force, it is playable in any scale!  They have done a great job keeping historically accurate and created a point system for force building.  They then added in Fields of Glory Renaissance.  This new add-on to the game allows you to play in a new time which includes GUNS... which adds a very different feel to the game.  Finally to round out the list, they have Field of Glory Napoleonic, which will release very soon.  This book will set the miniature game on a division scale.  To get you started, her are the Quick Start rules for the Napoleonic!  These rules will cover a 25 year time span.

Other Products

Osprey brings out books all the time.  Some of these are Raid books that focus on a very specific event in history, Essential history books, Duel books between two different specifics, and so much more!  These books run from ancient times to modern and everything in between! 

Some cool books to look out for from Osprey would be their Civil War books, as we close out the 150th Anniversary of this war.  Another set of books would be the War of 1812, as it is the 200th Anniversary of this war. 

If you are a gamer, or just really love history, these books are for you!  The depth of information, as well as the fantastic graphics make these books a must have!  Stop in the store and check out some of the Field of Glory titles I we have right now!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks   

Cryptozoic at GAMA 2012

Cryptozoic had so much to show us at GAMA!  They had information about non-sports cards, deck building games, board games, and trading card games.  I'll try and summarize some of what we saw so that everyone will have a chance to here about what is coming from Cryptozoic.

The Hobbit:

This year Cryptozoic will be releasing 2 different deck building games.  One game will be a bit of a throw back for the Lord of the Rings, and the other will be The Hobbit, Unexpected Journey!  The first one will release in the summer and the second in the winter of 2012.

World of Warcraft:

Well there is so much to say about World of Warcraft (WoW), that it might be easy to do it as a list.  So if you are looking for more information, then try the WoW website to get more details.

• March - Champion Decks: These decks will be pre-cons focusing on main characters from the online game.
• June - Tomb of the Forgotten: The third in the block of current sets.  They will introduce the Forgotten, a monstrous race of paladins.  
• August - Battle of the Aspect Raid:  This is a new Raid deck around Deathwing.
• October -Timewalker: War of the Ancients: A new set with never before seen characters from the lore of World of Warcraft.
• November - Feast of Winterveil Tin: a new holiday tin for World of Warcraft.
• Coming this year will also bring a WoW Deck Building Game: Clash of Champions.

Non-Sports Collectible Cards:

If you are really into pop culture, and you really like to collect, then check out some of these great products that will come out these year.

• Vampire Diaries
• The Guild
• Big Bang Theory
• Smallville
• Fringe
• Tarzan 100th Anniversary
• The Walking Dead

 Other Games

• DC Comics Deck Building Game: using Cerberus Game Engine
• Castle: based on original characters from the Marvel graphic novels
• Capcom Deck Building Game: using Cerberus Game Engine (will work with DC game)
• Batman Arkham Asylum: based on the video game, play as batman or the inmates!
• Archer: Mature Audience... 'nuff said!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Star City Games Invitational Qualifier March 2012

Welcome to our Star City Games Invitational Qualifier for March 2012!

We had a really nice turnout for our first Star City Games Invitational Qualifier (SCGIQ) with 40 players.  We had players come in from as far away as Long Island and NY City.  What was really great was the number of local players that did so well.  Thanks to Steve Carpenter for being a Head Judge for this event!

We also have a resident Magic Card painter.  He will alter cards and custom paint on them for players.  He has done many cards for the store and is doing a nice job. Check out his site: Alterated

Congrats to James Rynkiewicz for winning the event.  He and Chris Brellochs played out an epic game lasting almost 2 hours to complete best 2 out of 3.  

Here are the players and deck lists who were Top 8 in the event:

James Rynkiewicz

UW Delver

4 Geist of Saint Traft

4 Delver of Secrets

4 Mana Leak

4 Ponder

4 Gitaxian Probe

3 Invisible Stalker

4 Vapor Snag

4 Snapcaster Mage

2 Thought Scour

2 Dismember

2 Sword of War and Peace

2 Runechanter’s Pike

9 Island

1 Plains

4 Seachrome Coast

4 Glacial Fortress

3 Moorland Haunt

Sideboard

2 Corrosive Gale

2 Celestial Purge

2 Dissipate

2 Phantasmal Image

1 Batterskull

1 Jace, Memory Adept

1 Revoke Existence

1 Surgical Extraction

1 Divine Offering

2 Timely Reinforcements

Dave Oppenheimer

UB Zombies

4 Gravecrawler

4 Diregraf Ghoul

4 Geralf’s Messenger

4 Diregraf Captain

4 Phantasmal Image

4 Tragic Slip

4 Geth’s Verdict

2 Phyrexian Obliterator

2 Liliana of the Veil

1 Sword of War and Peace

2 Fume Spitter

3 Mortar Pod

4 Darkslick Shores

4 Drownyard Catacomb

14 Swamp

Sideboard

3 Ratchet Bomb

1 Sever the Bloodline

1 Corrosive Gale

1 Mental Misstep

2 Surgical Extraction

2 Black Sun’s Zenith

1 Phyrexian Obliterator

1 Dismember

1 Go for the Throat

2 Nihil Spellbomb

Frank Demerie

UB Zombies

4 Mortarpod

4 Diregraf Captain

2 Phyrexian Metamorph

2 Skirgsdag High Priest

4 Gravecrawler

4 Diregraf Ghoul

4 Geralf’s Messenger

3 Geth’s Verdict

2 Fume Spitter

3 Porcelain Legionnaire

2 Phantasmal Image

3 Tragic Slip

1 Go for the Throat

14 Swamp

4 Darkslick Shores

4 Drowned Catacomb

Sideboard

3 Nihil Spellbomb

3 Corrosive Gale

3 Distress

2 Go for the Throat

1 Cemetary Reaper

2 Phyrexian Metamorph

1 Fumespitter

Jason Arensini

UW Humans

3 Moorland Haunt

4 Glacial Fortress

3 Seachrome Coast

11 Plains

4 Doomed Traveler

4 Champion of the Parish

2 Gideon’s Lawkeeper

3 Gather the Townsfolk

3 Geist of Saint Traft

4 Hero of Bladehold

2 Elspeth Tirel

4 Honor of the Pure

4 Intangible Virtue

4 Oblivion Ring

4 Midnight Haunting

1 Island

Sideboard

2 Revoke Existence

2 Celestial Purge

2 Day of Judgment

3 Mirran Crusader

2 Nihil Spellbomb

2 Leonin Arbiter

1 Ghost Quarter

1 Surgical Extraction

Christopher Brellochs

UB Tokens

4 Doomed Traveler

3 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

2 Elspeth Tirel

4 Intangible Virtue

4 Honor of the Pure

4 Oblivion Ring

4 Gather the Townsfolk

4 Lingering Souls

4 Day of Judgment

2 Midnight Haunting

2 Ghost Quarter

3 Vault of the Archangel

4 Evolving Wilds

4 Isolated Chapel

10 Plains

2 Swamp

Sideboard

1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

2 Hero of Bladehold

3 Mirran Crusader

2 Celestial Purge

2 Divine Offering

1 White Sun’s Zenith

2 Doom Blade

2 Surgical Extraction

Douglas Kimball

Wolf-Run Ramp

6 Forest

2 Kessig Wolf Run

3 Inkmoth Nexus

1 Mountain

2 Plains

4 Razorverge Thicket

3 Sunpetal Grove

3 Copperline Gorge

1 Clifftop Retreat

2 Batterskull

2 Green Sun’s Zenith

1 Birds of Paradise

2 Acidic Slime

4 Primeval Titan

2 Solemn Simulacrum

1 Thrun, the Last Troll

2 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

4 Huntmaster of the Fells

1 Gideon Jura

4 Rampant Growth

4 Sphere of the Suns

4 Day of Judgment

2 Ratchet Bomb

Sideboard

2 White Sun’s Zenith

1 Autumns Veil

2 Karn Liberated

2 Ratchet Bomb

3 Celestial Purge

2 Combust

2 Ancient Grudge

1 Ray of Revelation

Lyon Kressner

RG Aggro

2 Hellrider

2 Galvanic Blast

2 Sword of War and Peace

4 Huntmaster of the Fells

4 Green Sun’s Zenith

1 Garruk Relentless

2 Phyrexian Metamorph

4 Llanowar Elves

4 Birds of Paradise

4 Rootbound Crag

4 Copperline Gorge

4 Strangleroot Geist

1 Vorapede

1 Devil’s Play

2 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Acidic Slime

1 Thrun, the Last Troll

1 Incinerate

1 Daybreak Ranger

2 Kessig Wolf Run

10 Forest

3 Mountain

Sideboard

2 Slagstorm

2 Traitorous Blood

2 Autumn’s Veil

2 Ancient Grudge

1 Thrun, the Last Troll

1 Naturalize

1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast

1 Garruk, Primal Hunter

2 Combust

1 Bellowing Tanglewurm

David Reed

UB Zombies

12 Swamp

1 Island

1 Buried Ruin

4 Darkslick Shores

4 Drowned Catacomb

2 Fumespitter

2 Phantasmal Image

2 Phyrexian Metamorph

3 Porcelain Legionnaire

3 Diregraf Captain

4 Gravecrawler

4 Diregraf Ghoul

4 Geralf’s Messenger

2 Lilliana of the Veil

1 Go for the Throat

2 Mortarpod

3 Tragic Slip

3 Geth’s Verdict

3 Mana Leak

Sideboard

2 Mimic Vat

2 Nihil Spellbomb

2 Surgical Extraction

3 Distress

1 Sever the Bloodline

2 Black Sun’s Zenith

1 Phyrexian Metamorph

1 Ratchet Bomb

1 Cemetary Reaper

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks