» Card Games
Monday, June 29, 2009
OgreCave reviews – Kung Fu Fighting
Today we’re joined by Dennis, who provides his take on Kung Fu Fighting by Slugfest Games. This card game is fast becoming a go-to favorite in local gaming circles, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, see what Dennis has to say, and go try it out for yourself. And if his write-up puts you in the mood for other martial arts themed games, don’t forget our Games of the Ninja 2008 feature.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
2009 Origins Award winners
We’ve known the nominees for a while now, and resisted judging too harshly for having a t-shirt in the “Game Accessory” category. This year’s winners were awarded in a ceremony overseen by James Ernest last night at Origins. A notable winner was the Mouseguard RPG for Best RPG, despite being up against the Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition Player’s Handbook and Trail of Cthulhu. (I could say it “eeked” out a win, but then I’d feel ashamed.) Serenity Adventures won for Best RPG Supplement, and Magic: The Gathering – Shards of Alara was named Best CCG Supplement. As many expected, Dominion took the title as Best Card Game, while Pandemic got he nod as Best Board Game. Click below for the full list of nominees and winners.
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Upper Deck Signs Long-Term Deal with Marvel
Today Upper Deck Entertainment signed a multi-year licensing deal to use characters from the Marvel Universe. Covered products will include trading card games (TCGs), miniature games and trading cards. The agreement also includes rights to develop products based on Marvel’s upcoming films. The first products are expected to be released in January of 2010.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
OgreCave reviews – Genji
To keep our flow of reviews moving along, we offer Demian’s review of Genji from Z-Man Games. The attractive card game gives players the opportunity to win the hearts of Japanese princesses through poetry – but how much challenge does the game offer? Click through to find out.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Toys R Us wins lawsuit against Amazon
Toys R Us is in the news again. No, it’s not buying another competitor. This time, the company has won $51 million in its lawsuit against Amazon.com. This comes three years after the early end of the ten year exclusive contract Toys R Us signed with Amazon in 2000, which made Amazon the only online sales venue for certain Toys R Us products. In that supposedly-exclusive partnership, Amazon didn’t remain exclusive on its end, and allowed other companies to sell identical toys, games, and other items through its site (hence the lawsuit). While there’s still talk of appeals, Toys R Us seems to be on the upswing right now.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wizards rewarding customers this weekend
Perhaps as a warm-up to next week’s Free RPG Day, Wizards of the Coast is holding a Gift With Purchase Weekend starting tomorrow, June 12, and running through Sunday, June 14. At participating retail stores, gamers who buy WotC products totaling $15 or more will get to choose a free gift, selected from the following items:
- A pair of Magic:The Gathering Half Decks
- A D&D Miniatures: Demonweb booster pack
- A Star Wars Miniatures: The Clone Wars starter set
- The Orc King, a D&D hardcover novel by R.A. Salvatore
If there’s a WotC book or some miniatures you’ve been waiting to pick up, this may be your time. Just get there early, as it’s one gift per customer, while they last.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Audio Report – Rumors of demise are highly exaggerated
Okay, mostly exaggerated. I’ve struggled to get this podcast recording functional for many moons (well, more like a couple moons). A few months and a hardware upgrade later, and we have, at long last, the DunDraCon ’09 episode of the OgreCave Audio Report. You’ll notice this episode takes the news bits we usually discuss at the beginning and formally makes them a distinct segment, which sounds suspiciously like our other podcast show, OgreCave’s Gaming News Update (because it is). We’ll still discuss the latest gaming news, don’t worry – but this show is mainly given over to interviews with Joseph Goodman and Aaron “Blackdirge” Rudel of Goodman Games, Steven Chenault of Troll Lord Games, Aldo Ghiozzi of Free RPG Day 2009, and various DunDraCon ’09 convention-goers. Have a listen, and deposit some comments if you like. We’ll have more for you soon.
Monday, June 1, 2009
OgreCave Gaming News Update: Cornering folks at KublaCon ’09
Another convention, another salvo of OgreCave Gaming News Update interviews! This time we made it out to KublaCon ’09 in Burlingame, CA, just south of San Francisco. Four new interviews from the show are at your disposal:
- Harley Stroh (Goodman Games) on upcoming Age of Cthulhu and Dungeons & Dragons: Fourth Edition projects.
- Aldo Ghiozzi (Impressions) tells us what Free RPG Day ’09 has in store.
- Josh Qualtieri (Zombiesmith) introduces his miniatures company and This Quar’s War.
- Keith Baker (creator of Eberron) talks of Eberron: Fourth Edition, of his Free RPG Day offering, and traveling the world telling stories.
Hear all the latest from this round of victims – er, interview subjects – and be sure to subscribe to make sure you get our next updates.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
GAMA Trade Show ’09 interviews, and the Gaming News Update
We’ve had some delays here at OgreCave, largely due to a problem with the podcasts (and with finding enough time to fix it). However, it looks like our audio software glitch is identified and quarantined, so let’s move ahead with presenting not just some episodes, but a whole new podcast! OgreCave now presents the OgreCave Gaming News Update, a short (around 5 minutes) twice monthly podcast which gets straight to the news. Some of you will recognize the GNU as an evolution of how the OgreCave Audio Report starts, or from our initial experimental run on War Pig Radio. Well, now it’s official – get your dose of quick gaming news in podcast form right here. (Yes, we’ll have more Audio Report episodes up soon as well – more file rescuing is underway.)
You’ll find our initial run of shows listed as well, but right now I’ll just highlight the recordings from the GAMA Trade Show 2009 we finally managed to wrest from the jaws of malfunction. We’ve got five interviews from this year’s show, on a variety of subjects:
- Michelle Nephew of Atlas Games on her upcoming card game, Ren Faire.
- Scott Hill of Flying Frog Productions reveals Invasion from Outer Space, and more.
- Will Schoonover of Steve Jackson Games speaks of The Stars Are Right, Revolution, and more.
- Matt Wilson of Privateer Press, with the plans for Monsterpocalypse and WarMachine 2.0.
- Darren Watts of Hero Games, talking of Hero System: Sixth Edition and Champions Online.
Have a listen, let us know what you think, and check back for more Gaming News Updates in the weeks and months ahead. We’ll keep you as informed as we can!
Monday, March 30, 2009
I went to GameStorm and some stuff happened
First, The Free RPG Blog is rad. Just had to get that off my mind.
Now: GameStorm! The best thing about Portland’s largest game convention is that it’s smaller than anything in Seattle. This makes all the industry heavyweights who live in Seattle feel all relaxed when they come here. I’d tell you everything I gleaned in conversation as a result, but that’d end the relaxation pretty quickly.
Andrew and Kristin Looney of Looney Labs were guests of the con and waaaay overshared on their plans for the rest of the year – they told their secret Christmas gift, for crying out loud! But one thing I doubt they will mind me telling you about is Are You The Traitor?, a card game which, as you might guess from the title, plays in the are-you-a-werewolf? gamespace. It’s similar to Covert Action in some ways, but I found it easier to grasp – basically it’s a Werewolf/Mafia-ish experience for fewer players in less time. They’ll have it out for Origins, and even the haters are going to have to admit that it is freaking gorgeous.
Bucephalus Games was showing a whole lot of stuff coming out soon. I liked the look of Bill of Rights by Mike Selinker along with Teeuwynn Woodruff of D&D fame, and a Mr. Dan Tibbles. It’s kind of like Nomic Lite, but lots of games are like Nomic Lite… but Bill of Rights is more so. Also showing, not from Bucephalus but perhaps in a similar vein to Bill of Rights, was T.P.O.C. (The Politics Of Cannibals) by Stractical Concepts (not kidding about that name). Didn’t get a chance to play it, but any political game where you can throw swing voters into a cauldron of stew has something going for it.
I saw a game called Space Alert getting a good measure of play; apparently it’s from the designer of Galaxy Trucker and is along the same lines – build a spaceship, hope it doesn’t get torn to hell by stuff – but it’s co-op, way crazier, and timed by means of an included audio CD. It doesn’t have a US publication date yet.
On the RPG front, new releases were largely of the ashcan-and-leaflet variety. Be on the lookout for Advanced Sea Dracula Second Edition, though. And should you find yourself in one of those normal-people bookstores, check the humor section for Michael Fiegel’s Ninja Burger Employee Handbook, which he was showing alongside HELLAS but which doesn’t have hobby-channel distribution.
Lastly: Mutant Chronicles movie trailer. Certainly looks… like a movie.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Asmodee update
Asmodee recently dropped us a line to keep us updated on the company’s latest developments. Here’s what we know:
- The sled racing game Snow Tails, a big hit at Essen last year, will arrive in stores in the U.S. this May. Briefly renamed Too Mush, the gaming community’s reaction convinced Asmodee to leave the name unchanged.
- Bombay, the game of merchants seeking their fortunes on the streets of India, and Bakong, in which players will race to gather emeralds in the Cambodian jungle, will both be out in April.
- Jamaica will return in a new box, and Asmodee is reprinting sets of Treasure Cards to give out at Origins and Gencon this year.
I still need to get my hands on the Sebring/Chicago map for Formula D. Those crisscross sections on the Chicago map scare me to no end, but I can’t look away…
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Guilty plea in $1.5 million Decipher embezzlement suit
A few years ago, Decipher was one of the major game publishers in the industry, giving Wizards of the Coast a run for its money. Time went on, and several factors, including the company’s loss of the Star Wars CCG license back in 2002 led to Decipher being a much smaller presence in the game industry. Fans may remember another reason Decipher had troubles was embezzlement, to the tune of $1.5 million, which was stolen from the company over a nine year period by Decipher’s former vice president of finance, Rick Eddleman, brother-in-law to Decipher founder Warren Holland. Yesterday, Eddleman pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to 12 counts of embezzlement. He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years, and will be sentenced in June. The full newspaper story is below.
Read More…
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Audio Report – Lists and holidays
As we continue to get caught up, the OgreCave podcast crew presents the long lost (well, long delayed, at least) end-of-2008 episode of the OgreCave Audio Report. Steve returns to tell us how the season treated him as a retailer, and how gift guides can have a big impact. Then we wade through all sorts of game talk, make our traditional Nostradumbass predictions, and wrap up for the year. When you have a minute, have a listen to this and any of our previous shows, and be sure to leave your comments here.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Trio of new Atlas game expansions
Atlas Games has posted product pages and card lists for expansions to three of their games – Gloom, Let’s Kill!, and Mad Scientist University. Let’s Kill!, one of the few games I’ve seen that threatens its publisher, is set to receive the Crime Scene Instigation set. The expansion will add Law Enforcement icons to certain victims, and Psychosis cards to change how the game plays. MSU will benefit from taking Spring Break, which will provide Gimmick cards to change up the plans of mad scientist students. As for Gloom, fans of the dreary experience should prepare for Unfortunate Expeditions. The new set will add new Characters, Modifiers, Events, Deaths, and a new card type, the Expedition card, which – you guessed it – will change how the game plays when in effect. Release dates are still to be announced.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Dominion promo cards at BoardGameGeek
Those of you who’ve gone all in for Dominion, Rio Grande’s customizable non-collectible game of card drafting (and selection for OgreCave’s Christmas Gift Guide 2008) should be stopping by the BoardGameGeek store right about now. Preorders have started for sets of Dominion Promo Cards: Envoy & Black Market. Sets will provide ten copies of each card, as well one different-backed randomizer. Currently, the cost is listed at $0.01, so there’s no reason not to grab one. The promo cards should ship in mid-March, and even more Dominion goodness is planned later this year. According to this month’s Rio Grande news, Dominion: Intrigue is in the works for release in the second quarter of this year, while Dominion: Seaside is tentatively planned for an Essen 2009 release.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Scrye magazine shutting down
Collectible card and miniatures players might be interested to know that Scrye magazine, the self-proclaimed “Guide to Collectible Games”, will end its lengthy run with its April 2009 issue. Started in 1993 at the height of the Magic: The Gathering craze, Scrye was mainly known for its CCG price guides, which became the standard for many retailers. Scrye is owned by F&W Media, which shut down another of its publications, Comics & Games Retailer, in late 2007. Two difficult parts of the industry at once – collectible games, and magazines. Is anyone surprised by this announcement?
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Spoils gets new owner
Back in May 2008, Tenacious Games, publisher of The Spoils TCG, announced the company would cease operations. Now, eight months later, fans of the extravagantly-promoted game – first launched in 2006 – have new hope in the form of a new owner. According to a Spoils website news post, the rights and property of the company now belong to a group or company called Arcane Tinmen. Josh Lytle and Patrick Meehan of Tenacious Games will be helping out with the game’s relaunch. Certain portions of the announcement may give you flashbacks to other bankrupcy announcements from the past year. In any case, bravo for saving games that still have life in them. … The Spoils has life in it, right?
Monday, December 22, 2008
OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2008, part 4
Now that Christmas is just a few days away, you’re either all set for gift giving, or just about to panic. Fear not – the Cave dwellers have one more list of gift suggestions for you, and this time none of them require shipping. Therefore, we wrap up (*ahem*) our eighth annual holiday guide with An Aetheric Christmas Dozen – 12 Gifts in Electronic Formats. Pick a few, burn them to a disc, and dash away to all your last-minute holiday engagements.
And for anyone still looking for ideas (or planning to spend some gift certificates soon), don’t forget to check our other lists for 2008:
- Twelve Stocking Stuffer Games (12 Games of $25 or Less)
- Twelve Days of Roleplaying (12 RPG Gift Ideas)
- Twelve Boxes for Christmas (12 Boardgame Gift Ideas)
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the staff of OgreCave!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2008, part 1
The turkey and stuffing may not even be on the table yet, but the Cave dwellers have been hard at work to make sure you’re ready for the holiday shopping season. To that end, we present part one of our eighth annual recommendations list, the OgreCave Christmas Gift Guide 2008. This first list of worthwhile gaming goodies, Twelve Stocking Stuffer Games, goes easy on your wallet, letting you stick a toe into the holiday gift buying before coming back to see the rest of our lists in the days ahead. We’ll have the rest of our suggestions up in the next few days, but in the meantime, use this list to remember what you’d like to give your friends, get from friends, or both. And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Upper Deck has second round of 2008 layoffs
The season of cutting back is fully underway. We hadn’t mentioned the Mattel layoffs yet, so if you hadn’t heard, now you know. In addition, our sources say that Upper Deck has just had more layoffs, and this round is more severe than the company’s cutbacks in early May. If true, that would mean Upper Deck is letting go of more than 50 employees this week. We’ll let you know once we hear more, but between this, Mattel’s layoff, and the WizKids closure, things are looking a bit grim lately. [UPDATE: We've now also heard that about 60 people were let go from Upper Deck - 40 from California, the rest from Nevada, mostly from mid-level and entry level positions in R&D, Special Projects, and Brand. This equates to nearly 20% of the company's workforce. As always, we wish the best of luck to everyone affected.]
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Download free board game, kill your friends
It’s been a while since we’ve reported on an Invisible City Free Game of the Month, but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to roll out. In case you haven’t been paying attention, you might want to check out this month’s offering in time for Halloween. In Haunted Destinies, an original tile-based board game, one player is secretly trying to wipe out the others in order to perform an evil ritual on the Scottish moors. It’s up to everyone else to prevent this, and thanks to a ghostly afterlife, even murdered players have a chance at victory…. If that’s not enough free horror for you, there’s also last month’s madness: a revised edition of Cthul-B-Que.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
First look: Monty Python Fluxx
We just received our copy of Monty Python Fluxx from Looney Labs today, and I had a quick look through the cards. Despite what I saw in a prototype deck at GTS ’08, it appears the card selection has been de-spammed – as in, no cards with the word “Spam” on them. The cards favor Monty Python and the Holy Grail over all other Pythonisms (with a few other references sneaking in), which isn’t a bad idea when trying to appeal to the gamer market. In addition to the Creeper mechanic from Zombie Fluxx (winner of Best Card Game in our 2008 Ogre’s Choice Awards), some of the cards seem to have dual purposes – certain situations that cause them to function differently, or allow them to be sacrificed for an effect. In all, just from this early glance at what Monty Python Fluxx has to offer, this may be another Keeper. (*ahem*) We’ll post a full review to our reviews section in the days ahead, once I’ve rallied some players.
Monday, September 29, 2008
OgreCave review – Ticket to Ride: The Card Game
Our friend Lee Valentine, deputy Ogre and thorough game reviewer, gives us his blow-by-blow analysis of Ticket to Ride: The Card Game from Days of Wonder. Does interesting gameplay outweigh quirky rules text? Have a read through and find out, and peruse our other reviews while you’re at it.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Audio Report: Ogre’s Choice 2008, and prizes!
It’s time once again – okay, fine, it’s a bit overdue – for our annual Ogre’s Choice Awards show, wherein all the Cave Dwellers have contributed to the final award nominee and winner selections. Mike, Steve, and I discuss what we liked this past year, which you can read along with on our Ogre’s Choice page. Be sure to listen carefully, and you’ll be rewarded with the details on the Secret Code Contest we’ve put together with the help of four other friendly neighborhood podcasters. Yes, you can win stuff! Click on our new podcast logo, or right here, to peruse the episode index.
A periodic hour of awesome with editors Allan and Mike. Subscribe!
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