Friday, April 6, 2012

PRIMER: Walking Dead


As a result of the incredible finale of Season  2 of The Walking Dead, we've seen a huge influx of customers (both new and old) streaming in to read the comics. Given that TWD is available in numerous formats, I thought a brief explanation of how they all work was in order.

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The Single Issues

Walking Dead is up to issue #95, and every almost single issue is sold out. The first several issues all go for $300+ each on the after market. Issue #19, the first appearance of You-Know-Who, just sold for over $1,000 by itself! Crazy, huh? So, anyone looking to get just the issues is in for a long haul.

The most popular format for reading TWD is the softcovers.

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The Softcover Volumes

Each softcover reprints 6 issues. Volume 1 is issues #1-6, Volume 2 is issues 7-12, Volume 3 is 13-18, etc, etc. With the exception of Volume 1, every volume is $14.99

Volume 1 is set at the low, introductory price of $9.99

The softcovers make it easy to pick up one or two books at time. You can walk in, grab the next couple in the series, take them home, devour them (buh da bum) and then come back for more at your leisure.

15 Softcover volumes have been released to-date, covering 90 issues.

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The Hardcover Volumes

Whereas the softcover reprints 6 issues each, the hardcovers reprint 12 issues each  Oversized, and hardbound, each volume costs $34.99

Only 7 Hardcovers have been released so far, covering 84 issues total.

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The Omnibus Hardcovers

Check out these badboys: Only of these over-sized hardcovers (with a slipcase) have been printed so far. Each one contains 24 issues, and is priced at $100.

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The Compendium

48 Issues, $75. In terms of price-point, the Walking Dead Compendium is the best value you can get for a dollar, but it is A Big Big Book.

Only 1 Compendium has been released so far.

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I would expect to see another of each of the Hardcovers and another Compendium released within 12 months time. The softcovers come out like clockwork, every 6 months or so. The next softcover, Volume 16, arrives in June.

-Scott.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Catalyst Game Labs at GAMA 2012

Catalyst Game Labs has some great games out already and more fantastic ones to come!  They have some properties that many players may know already and some new ones that will get some attention once they release.  So lets start with some that you may know!


Shadowrun

This is the classic Shadowrun game you may remember from the early 1990s.  Many people feel that the game has disappeared, but it has been around for a long time!  Catalyst Game Labs has some new product coming out, one of which is the Runners Toolkit.  The toolkit has a GM screen, cheat sheets, and compiled charts for weapons and equipment.  This is a must have item if you are already playing, or if you are thin king about checking out the game.  They are also hoping to get a line of miniatures out for Shadowrun.  This will be fantastic for adding to game play! I personally can't wait to see how they do the Street Samurais and Deckers.

Battletech

The 25th Anniversary box set was fantastic!  If you aren't sure, then you can check and see how often they have had to reprint it!  The pieces could have had a little more detail, but they are good for getting players into the game.  They also included 2 premium figures (Thor and Loki) which are very nice.  Catalyst Game Labs will also be bringing out new box sets to introduce intermediate and advanced rules... with minis to enhance your games. 

Some other great games
  • Hexagon
    • Abstract pawn jumping game
    • Family style game
  • Linear
    • Gem stones
    • Line making game like Bejeweled
    • Abstract
  • Balance of Power
    • Kings, Bankers, and Generals... who will win?
  • The Duke
    • Tile laying game
    • Feels like chess
Leviathans

Saving the best... or most interesting, for last!  Leviathans is a game that has hit many speed bumps since it was showcased at Gen Con 2011 with massive replicas at the booth.  It looks like they are closer now to releasing this game and maybe we will see it after Gen Con 2012.  So let me give you some quick points about this very interesting miniatures/board game:


  • Set in 1910
  • Airship Battles
    • Aerial height system
    • Possible water units as well
  • Prepainted Miniatures
    • Lightly colored and easily repainted
  • Color coded D12s
  • 3 sets of rules: Basic to advanced
  • Hex Maps, same scale as Battletech maps
  • Multi player and Team play
  • Looking at an RPG set in the world
  • Starter box will include British vs French

If you are looking to try any of these great games, stop in and ask us about them.  We would love to discuss them with you and show you what we have.  We are hoping to maybe run some events for Leviathans or maybe even offer to help them with getting this going!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Soda Pop at GAMA 2012

What can we say about this company... WOW!

Soda Pop was at GAMA and they had so many fantastic products to show off, including a new card game not out yet... but I will get to that soon.  So we will have to break down everything that they had there, and discuss some of the new product that is soon to come out. 

Oh, and if you have not checked these games out, Candy and Cola are in every game!

Super Dungeon Explore


We will have this back in stock soon.  We are very excited for this game and can't wait to get it back in stock.  If you have not played yet, then you should.  This multi-player game pits the players vs the Consul!  The Consul controls the monsters who are there to stop the players from getting treasure.  The style of the minis is cute anime, but don't let that fool you, the game play is spectacular.

We have a staff member here at the Den who built a custom 3D board for Super Dungeon Explore so that he could run quick and easy demos of the game.  He is also painting up every piece... including the LE Candy and Cola!  Check out the 3D game board with lots of each bits to make it look more like an icy dungeon:




Relic Knights


This game started as minis only, that then became a game with it's own rule set.  They are fantastic!  The game play is very fast paced with lots of strategy.  The minis are also fantastic... I just can't say it enough.  This game is Sci-Fi based with an anime theme.  The minis are not assembled and unpainted, so you can make them as nice as possible or as simple as you like.  This game also uses no dice... yes, I said no dice!  You use a deck and trust your luck to that deck.

Tentacle Bento


Do you like anime?  Do you think you could be an alien tentacle monster?  Could you snatch up school girls in a plot to take over the world?  Then this is the card game for you!  This Rummy style card game is not released yet, but we got to play it at GAMA.  The game involves taking tricks involving a student, a location, and a situation called a snatch!  If they are all in the same suite (sporty, smart, sexy, or cute) that is a royal snatch, if not... it's a sloppy snatch.  If you get a royal snatch, then the game changes slightly, like changing direction of play. 

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

Friday, March 23, 2012

Lords of Waterdeep Boardgame

Well, it is finally here...the first Euro-style game made by Wizards of the Coast...Lords of Waterdeep! Journey back to the Forgotten Realms and try your hand at the game of intrigue, adventure and bribery as one of the many rulers of Waterdeep, the City of Splendors.


A new attempt at Euro-gaming, the Lords of Waterdeep is a beautifully made 2-5 player game.  According to the selling blurb, it is meant to be played in about 1 hour by players 12 yrs. and older, though I'm sure any child who has been introduced to the Forgotten Realms campaigns or novels would certainly be able to play. The fact that every game only takes 8 rounds should be able to keep every one's attention. Now, without further ado, let's see what's inside...


Upon first cracking the box, we first notice a folded board, many different colored tokens/markers, a rulebook, player mats and various cards. On the right side, we have buildings and 1GP coins.  On the left, 5GP coins, control markers, and various Victory Point tokens. Everything is well-packaged, but will take a while to sort! Quite luckily, you have me to do that for you...


While I'm punching everything out, let's take a look at the board. It represents all the Wards that you will need to build on and assign Agents to, and has spaces for Quest Cards, Buildings, the Intrigue Deck, and various Discard piles. The "stones" around the perimeter track player points, and the golden "track" near the bottom right marks the current round.


Alright, everything is set up now, so let's take a look...First, there are the player-specific Mats, one each for the groups controlling Waterdeep. These are (from left to right); City Guard, Harpers, Knights of the Shield, Silverstars and Red Sashes. Underneath each Mat, I've placed each of the relevant pieces. The meeple is an Agent, the circle is the Score Marker, the small token is the Building Control Marker and the large token is the specific Victory Point Counter. The amount of Agents each player has depends on the number of players per game.


In addition, there are two Neutral Agents; the Ambassador and the Lieutenant. They can only be added to your Agent Pool by use of certain effects. The Tower piece is given to the First Player, and events occur toward the left. There are also four types of Adventurers; Fighter/Orange, Wizard/Purple, Rogue/Black and Cleric/White. They are required to accomplish Quests, and form part of the Supply. The second part of the Supply is made up of Gold Pieces and Victory Points. Below are the fronts (top) and backs (bottom) of the 5GP, 1 GP and Victory Points.


And now...on to the cards. Below we have each of the Lords of Waterdeep. The bonuses listed for your chosen Lord are based on various combinations of Buildings, Piety, Commerce, Warfare, Arcana and Skullduggery. Choose carefully, as your Victory Point bonus could make or break the game for you!


Next, we have the Intrigue Cards, which include everything from "Call in a Favor" and "Assassination" to "Sample Wares" and "Research Agreement", and many others besides. By judicious use of these cards, you'll be able to both advance your agenda and foil those of your opponents...or will you?


Remember, not only do you have to watch out for the opposing Agents, but you must gain your own Victory Points and Gold by completing Quest Cards and the much-sought-after Plot Quests, which give other bonuses! Although you may perform one Quest per turn, beware of adversaries who play a Mandatory Quest on you. No other Quests can be completed until the Mandatory Quest has been fully accomplished. Don't let yourself be sucked into too much Intrigue!


Last, but definitely not least, and the Buildings. There are nine Basic Buildings, and 24 Advanced Buildings. All nine Basics are always available to assign Agents to, but the remaining 24 must be purchased during the game. Each Building has a bit of information on what effects it does, as well as where it is located in traditional Waterdeep. However, the purchaser is not limited by this "history" and can place an Advanced Building wherever she wants. Anywhere up to three Advanced Buildings are available for purchase, but there are only ten empty spaces, so buy carefully!


Having trouble keeping track of it all? Don't worry, the rulebook is a wonderfully simple 24 pages of game mastery. It contains full color pictures, photos of items, play sequences and even FOUR illustrated appendixes for the Lords, Clarifications, Agents and Buildings! Concerned about needing plastic bags or boxes to keep all the meeples and tokens in place? Fear not, as the WotC design crew have made not only the best compartments with which to hold their creation, but what is conceivably the most aesthetic as well. If I may be so bold, I would suggest this is a new step towards something trully fulfilling and sucessful for our friends at Wizards of the Coast!


-Stasi "Dengirl" King


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

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