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News

Latest news: 10th February 2010 – older news below

We've had a couple of new arrivals, including Shaun Woodward's World Cup Card Game for the 2010 World Cup.

There were a few new games to see at the London Toy Fair and we're in discussion with a couple of the publishers. The Spring Fair is this week and we'll see if there's anything else to add.

Contents: What's new / Spotlight / Best sellers / Coming soon / Admin

Best Sellers

January 2010

1    Confucius

Thumbnail of Confucius box

2    Hansa TeutonicaThumbnail of Hansa Teutonica box

 

3    Ice Flow

Thumbnail of Ice Flow box

4    Climb!Thumbnail of Climb! box

 

5    League of Six

Thumbnail of League of Six box

6    Duel in the Dark Tactical Cards

7    Race for the SummitThumbnail of Race for the Summit box

=    Container Expansion

9    Duel in the Dark 2nd Ed

=  Wits & WagersThumbnail of Wits & Wagers box

What's new
  • Thumbnail of Big Dope Deal artworkBig Dope Deal (PDF document, 550k) is an entertaining and undemanding game of dealing in illicit drugs. Players travel to buy their stock and then try to avoid Customs and the Police.

     
  • Thumbnail of World Cup Card Game boxThe World Cup Card Game 2010 (PDF, 70k) allows players to find out what might happen at the competition this summer—while steering their own team to glory, of course.

     

Games 'n' Gadgets have reduced the RRP on Lucky Escape and this is reflected in our new price list. Prime Games has done the same with Chelsea.

Coming soon

Cubiko is an entertaining mixture of dexterity game and noughts and crosses. A new edition is in the works and we expect to have copies once that's available.

As noted above, we're also talking to some of the exhibitors from this years Toy Fair.

Spotlight

Thumbnail of John Silver boxI've always enjoyed John Silver (PDF, 109k). Players place the nicely-illustrated cards into a grid. When a row is complete, the players get the cards. The trick is to collect treasure and apples while avoiding the black spot—in best "Treasure Island" style. As the players lay out the grid of cards, they have only themselves to blame if it doesn't work!

A treasure card from John SilverDesigned by Martin "Aqua Romana" Schlegel, the game requires a bit of thought and makes an excellent family game—or a good filler for gamers. We are currently offering it at a reduced trade price.

Admin

Our full price list has been updated and is available as either a PDF document (GBP or EUR) or an Excel spreadsheet—just follow the link.

Pevans

Older news items

Date

Headline

21st January 2010

Climbing games from Scimitar and Scorpion Masqué, Scorpion Masqué's I betcha... party game and re-stocks
 

11th January 2010

Climbing games from Scimitar and Scorpion Masqué, Scorpion Masqué's I betcha... party game and re-stocks
 

1st January 2010

Prices revised for UK VAT change
 

29th December 2009

Speed card game Crazy Kick is in, as is the second edition of Duel in the Dark and its latest expansion set
 

4th December 2009

IGA winner Day & Night arrives, along with the range of cooperative games from Sunny Games
 

17th November 2009

Three new games from Giochix, Argentum's Hansa Teutonica, Greed, Incorporated from Splotter and more
 

3rd November 2009

The first crop from Spiel '09: JKLM's Tinners' Trail, Prime Games's Chelsea, Ted Alspach's Beer & Pretzels, Erosion from Sierra Madre Games, Ghenos's Strada Romana and Peter Burley's Take it Higher!
 

12th October 2009

Games for Halloween, including Halloscreem!, drinking game Lucky Escape and others. Plus a fresh printing of Confucius and titles coming from JKLM.
 

10th September 2009

New games from Valley Games plus re-stocks from Sierra Madre Games and Michael Schacht's Burger, Baumeister & Co from Abacus
 

20th August 2009

Ace Murder Mystery range, along with Bloom and Boss Kito from the Netherlands
 

21st July 2009

JKLM Games's Tulipmania 1637 arrives, along with Triagonal, Supernova and more
 

early 2009

News items from the first half of 2009
 

2008

News items from 2008
 

News index / Top of page

21st January 2010

What's New

    Thumbnail of Lords of Creation boxLords of Creation (PDF document, 118k) is a new edition of Martin Wallace's terrific game of world domination. players create the world, populate it with warring tribes and then struggle for dominance. There's more information in the PDF.

     

  • Thumbnail of Steam over Holland boxSteam over Holland (PDF, 122k) is an 18xx game on steroids. Set in the Netherlands in 1839, the game has players investing in these new-fangled railway things, laying track, running trains and trying to make a profit. See the PDF for more information.

     
  • Thumbnail of Street Paintball boxMoving away from the intellectual, Street Paintball (PDF, 118k) is a bit of fun: players hurl soft rubber 'paint splats' at each other! The trick is to get the right target when a card is turned over as players lose lives for hitting the wrong one. Follow the link above for more information.

     
  • Thumbnail of That's Life! boxThat's Life! (PDF, 182k) made the shortlist for the prestigious Spiel des Jahres prize in 2005 (under its German title of Verflixxt!). I only found it a couple of years later, but was immediately charmed. It's a fun family game where players race their pawns along a line of tiles, aiming to get the bonuses and penalise their opponents. There's more information in the PDF.

Spotlight

An opportunity to highlight games you may have missed first time around.

I couldn't resist Beep! Beep!—just for the toy car that's included! It's soft, squeezable and it squeaks! My nephews enjoyed the game too, competing fiercely to spot matching cards and to grab them. A little too fiercely, perhaps. :-)

Okay, it's a children's game, but any game that involves quick reactions means children and adults can compete together. Here you also have to match cards by colour or type—which still doesn't seem to give the grown-ups an advantage. If three cards of the same colour or type are on the 'road' at the same time, the first player to grab the car (and beep it!) gets bonus cards.

A simple game from Reinhard Staupe that is good family fun.

Other

Ted Alspach reports that Bezier Games is re-printing Ultimate Werewolf: The Ultimate Edition and this should be with us later in the year.

The Toy Fair season is upon us again. The London Toy Fair is next week (26th-28th January at Olympia) and we will be attending to present Chelsea. This means we'll be short-staffed elsewhere so please bear with us if we don't respond as promptly as usual.

We made a slight amendment to our Terms and Conditions at the start of the year, withdrawing the prompt payment discount for payments by cheque. Two reasons for this: the first is that cheques are taking a week to clear even after we've received them. Secondly, our bank charges us more for paying in cheques and we get so few that this is effectively a charge per cheque. Our apologies to those who do pay by cheque, but we trust you'll understand.

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11th January 2010

Well, our consignment from the States has arrived. However, there's a van somewhere in the snowy lanes of Essex searching for 22 Springwood Drive. DHL haven't been able to find us since before Christmas, but I have every hope they'll get here eventually. I'll fill you in when they do.

Our US consignment consisted of fresh stocks of Cluzzle, Say Anything and Wits and Wagers, along with some new titles. You wait for a rock-climbing game and then two come along at once...

  • Climb! (PDF document, 135k) is a neat dexterity game from Canadian publisher Scorpion Masqué. Players use their fingers to manoeuvre their way up a rock-face. There's more information in the PDF.
     
  • The other game from Scorpion Masqué is I betcha... (PDF, 173k), a party game that gives players challenges to perform without anybody else noticing. Something that could go on in the background at games clubs, too.
     
  • The second climbing game is Scimitar Games's Race for the Summit (PDF, 77k), which previewed at Spiel last year. This demands a bit more thought as players use the advantages of their character to be first to climb the rockface provided by the cards.

I have finished reviewing all our prices and have made a number of changes, including putting several items on offer with a reduced trade price. Our full price list is available as either a PDF document or an Excel spreadsheet. I have now added a price list in Euros to these.

News index / Top of page

1st January 2010

I have updated our price lists for the change in UK Value Added Tax that took effect on 1st January.

I've also taken the opportunity to review all our prices. The first effect of this is that several more games are now on special offer and some Recommended Retail Prices have changed.

A couple of deliveries are due early next week, so expect a revised price list and details of the new games before the end of the week.

All of these board games are shown in our latest price list, which is available as both a PDF document and an Excel spreadsheet.

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29th December 2009

We have one new arrival: Crazy Kick (PDF document, 360k) is a rapid-fire card game based on football. The players are in two teams, playing cards to pass the ball or tackle other players. First team to get the ball in the net five times wins. Follow the link for more information.

In addition, we have the second edition of Duel in the Dark. This contains a new printing of the base game together with the 9 small expansions produced since the original edition. Because of this, we've reduced the price of the first edition game.

On top of that, we have the latest Duel in the Dark expansion, the Tactical Cards. These give players tactical advantages during the game, but cost them victory points at the end of the game.

Our latest shipment from the US is due for delivery in the first week of January—more about this next time, along with other expected arrivals.

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4th December 2009

I am delighted to add the charming cooperative games from Sunny Games to our range. I've tried a couple of the younger games with my highly competitive nephews and was surprised that they actually cooperated. Clearly, saving garden creatures from Max the cat is more fun than hitting each other! Click on the Sunny Games (PDF document, 1 Mb) link for more information.

Thumbnail of Day & Night box artJust in is the winner of this year's International Gamers Award prize for best two-player game. Day & Night (PDF, 110k) is a gorgeously-illustrated board/card game of duelling magicians. The cards are spells, which are used to establish positions on the board, which is how to win.

Thumbnail of Treasure of the Dark Tower boxWe've picked up some copies of Treasure of the Dark Tower (PDF, 130k) , or Schätze des Dunklen Turmes, as it says on the box. This is a competitive dungeon bash with the goal of gaining the four keys needed to open the treasure vault.

There's an entertaining demo of the Lucky Escape game on YouTube—follow the link to take a look.

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17th November 2009

First off, let me confirm that we have plenty of completed copies of Tinners' Trail and Chelsea now and are shipping them out as quickly as orders come in. Several other games have come in and are introduced below. We have also been able to reduce some prices on new stock, notably Kriegbot and Sector 41. And at the bottom of this section are some other bits of news.

Thumbnail image of Acqua Dolce boxAcqua Dolce (PDF document, 201k) is the first (alphabetically) of the new card games from Italian publisher Giochix (now part of the "Games in Italy" partnership). It's a brightly-coloured card game about stocking an aquarium—and doing a better job than your opponents.

Giochix's second game is African Park (PDF document, 201k), where players manage a game park in Africa, fitting their animals into the correct ecological niches.

Thumbnail image of box art from Chairman of the BoardChairman of the Board (PDF, 102k) is a family game of cutthroat competition, scheming and skulduggery. The object is to manipulate your way to a managerial position, rise to Board level and take the Chair. However, all the other players have the same goal...

Thumbnail image of box art from Greed, IncorporatedOn a similar note, but a completely different level, we have Splotter's Greed, Incorporated (PDF, 104k). This is a hefty business game for our time. Players are corporate executives seeking to maximise their personal payoffs to fund an extravagant lifestyle! The most decadent playboy (or girl) wins.
 

Thumbnail of box art from Hansa TeutonicaHansa Teutonica (PDF, 84k) is Andreas Steding's second trading game that takes the Hanseatic League as its theme. This one is set on land as players establish trading routes across the network of roads and take 'control' of cities.

Most word games have players making words from their set of letters. Not so LeCardo (PDF, 80k). Here players have to make compound words or phrases from their set of words. Outrageous puns work too.

Thumbnail image of box of Medievalia ActionMedievalia Action (PDF document, 201k) is an expansion for Giochix's Medievalia and the third of their new publications. It adds another dimension to this game of feudal development by providing Action cards.

Niche (PDF, 271k) is a set-matching card game. Although unmatching would be a better description as the idea is to play cards that do NOT match what's already on the table. First to get rid of their cards wins.

Thumbnail of box art for Such a ThingAnd finally, we have Such a Thing (PDF, 66k), the English language version of the highly succesful party game Ein solches Ding. Players get rid of their cards by adding them to the descriptions already on the table and identifying something that fits the whole description.

Scimitar Games report that their clever space exploration game, Sector 41, is included in GAMES magazine's Games 100 for 2009 and was nominated for Best Family Strategy game. It is also reviewed in issue 155 of Knights of the Dinner Table.

Opus-Dei: Existence after Religion is one of the three games short-listed for 'Grown-up Game of the Year 2009' in the Danish game awards - Guldbrikken (The Golden Pawn).

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3rd November 2009

Thumbnail of Tinners' Trail boxWe had a busy time at Spiel '09—and ever since! We managed to bring a few new games back with us and others are on their way, so I've updated our price list. Here's what we've got so far.

Thumbnail of Chelsea box artThe second edition of Tinners' Trail (PDF docment, 1 Mb) from JKLM and the brand new Chelsea (PDF, 135k) from Prime Games, are in the final stage of production—the first copies made it to Essen. Both are now available to our UK and European customers (and will be in the US in due course).

Thumbnail of Beer & Pretzels boxBeer & Pretzels (PDF, 225k) is an entertaining game from Ted Alspach and Bezier Games. Players throw beer mats at a target area, aiming to have their scoring symbols still visible when they're all piled up. Great fun!

Dash-in Dungeons (PDF, 702k) is more than a 'dungeon bash', there's a complete fantasy RPG in the box. The whole game is provided on cards: characters, encounters, maps and scenarios.

Thumbnail of Erosion artworkSierra Madre's latest, Erosion (PDF, 89k), is a card game about geology. Players try to build the highest mountain by laying down strata of rock, while eroding their opponents' creations. It's a clever, competitive game that is also scientifically accurate.

Strada Romana (PDF, 820k) comes from Italy and is a prize-winning trading game set along Roman roads—specifically those connecting Rome to its ports.

Thumbnail of Take it Higher! Box artA new game from Peter Burley is something to look forward to. Take it Higher! (PDF, 431k) is a further development of his classic Take it Easy! with Reiner Knizia. The basic idea is the same, but this game has octagonal tiles and several clever ways of adding bonus points to your score. It's quite fiendish.

I'm pleased to report that Jet Set is back in stock and we expect lots more games in the next few weeks.

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12th October 2009

Thumbnail of Halloscreem! boxJust in time for Halloween we have Halloscreem! (PDF document, 334k), a whodunnit board game for 2-8 children from Ace Murder Mystery. Players have to deduce the murderer, their motive and the weapon using a combination of tactics and their memory. The 'Scary Music' CD provides a suitably chilling atmosphere as the players search Castle Crypto—on the board or around their own house.

For a more adult Halloween, don't forget A Taste of Transylville Terror (PDF, 87k), Ace's Halloween murder mystery dinner party game.

Thinking of Halloween, other suitable games would be Ghost for Sale, a game of buying haunted Scottish houses, and It's Alive!, where players race to build their monster...

Definitely aimed at an adult audience is Lucky Escape (PDF, 112k) from Games and Gadgets. This is an imaginative party game using an electronic drinks tray that selects the next to face a forfeit—unless they can answer a question correctly.

Thumbnail of Confucius box artA second printing of Confucius (PDF, 237k) means this clever strategy game is now back in stock. So, too, are games from Burley Games (Take it Easy! and Take it to the Limit!) and Splotter (Duck Dealer and Indonesia).

Thumbnail of Tinners' Trail boxJKLM's second edition of Tinners' Trail (PDF, 1 Mb), Martin Wallace's acclaimed game of tin and copper mining in 19th century Cornwall, is in the final stages of production. It will be launched at Spiel '09 next week and will be available to UK and European customers after the show (see below).

Thumbnail of Chelsea box artAlso coming after Spiel is Chelsea (PDF, 135k), the first title from Prime Games. Designed by John Ede, this is a family game in more than one sense. The players are families establishing their offspring in their own homes and competing to get everybody just what they want.

We are all off to Essen for the Spiel '09 games fair next week (and some of us are going on to the Lucca fair the following week). We'll be short-handed in the warehouse over this period (especially from 19th to 27th Oct while people are in Essen), so please bear with us.

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10th September 2009

Our latest shipment from North America includes Airships at War, Kriegbot and more from Sierra Madre and Container and Habitat from Valley Games, together with fresh stock of Sector 41. It includes two new titles from Valley Games (PDF document, 640k):
    Beep! Beep! is a three-minute, fast-playing card game from Reinhard Staupe in which players try to save forest critters from road traffic;
    Titan is Valley's high quality edition of this classic slug-a-thon - players recruit creatures for their legions and battle to become the Titan.

Burger, Baumeister & Co is the Michael Schacht game of developing Frankfurt that was missed off our last order from Abacus. It's now in stock, along with other Abacus titles including Aquaretto, Mamma Mia! PLUS and Valdora.

To get a better idea of the superior quality of the Ace Murder Mystery range, see the testimonials and video on their website.

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20th August 2009

Whodunnit time! Our latest arrival is the range of Murder Mystery games from Ace Murder Mystery (click the link for more information—PDF Document, 87k).
    A Case of Treasure and Treachery—a piratical murder with treasure at stake!
    Le Mystère des Masques—King Louis is in the Bastille, so who's the dead man who looks just like him?
    A Taste of Transylville Terror—a Halloween whodunnit as horror characters identify a killer

Each contains a narrative CD, invitations for diners, character booklets and is plotted to fit in with a three course meal.

Also now in stock are Bloom and Boss Kito (PDF, 130k) from QWG. We have some copies of Hermagor, too—these are in Dutch boxes, but include English rules (and there's no text on the components).

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21st July 2009

Thumbnail of Tulipmania 1637 boxJKLM's latest is Tulipmania 1637 (PDF document, 63k), a quick-playing board game of the famous bubble market. Players buy and sell tulips, aiming to push the prices up and sell at the top of the market. The first batch of the game has just arrived in the warehouse and is ready to go out. As well as English, Tulipmania 1637 is available in Dutch, French, German and Spanish.

NB: Tulipmania 1637 will be distributed in North America by Alliance and is going through their solicitation process. For contractual reasons, we cannot supply direct to America.
The Spanish edition of Tulipmania 1637 is available from El Viejo Tercio.

Our other new arrival is Triagonal (PDF, 244k), a set of games played on a triangular board with triangular pieces.

The updated copies of Valley Games's Supernova are now available and we have fresh stock of Sumeria.

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25th June 2009

Everybody seemed to have a good time at this year's UK Games Expo in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago—we certainly did and we trust you did, too. Of the new games launched there, Days of Steam (PDF document, 160k in size) and Sumeria (PDF, 120k) are in stock. However, our initial stock of Sector 41 has sold out and it will be a few weeks before we can get more from the USA.

If you have a club associated with your shop, we can provide a copy of Days of Steam for the club, courtesy of JKLM Games. Just let us know and we'll add it to your next order.

JKLM Games provides English and German rules with Days of Steam (Polish is also available). If you'd like to get the game in another language and can provide a translation, please contact us. JKLM is keen to make similar arrangements for all its forthcoming games (currently expected to be available in English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch).

The expansion set—extra cards—for Playing Gods arrived for the Expo and is now available. We also have a few Playing Gods promotional items: a couple of T-shirts (white, XL, showing the "Budda-Budda-Buddha"), one set of the 'Limited Edition' idols (high quality, more detailed versions of the game's playing pieces) and a couple of extra Buddhas. If you'd like to make use of these, let us know your plans and we'll send them on.

Valley Games has provided us with replacements for the misprinted parts in Supernova. The updated games will be available in a couple of weeks, once we've worked our way through all the boxes.

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2nd June 2009

This weekend is the UK Games Expo in Birmingham, where several new games will be launched. We will have three new board games, launched at the Expo, in stock next week.

Days of Steam (PDF document, 160k in size) is a new railway game from Aaron Lauster and Stratamax. This was originally intended for publication at Spiel '08 (and I was very taken with it when I played it there) and will be available to customers in the UK and other European countries.

Thumbnail of Sector 41 boxSector 41 (PDF, 180k) is a science fiction game from new US publisher, Scimitar Games. Players compete to explore an unstable sector of the galaxy, grab stocks of 'Glynium' and get them back to their mother ships. Nice spaceship pawns and interesting gameplay make the game.

Thumbnail of Sumeria boxThe latest Reiver Games title is Sumeria (PDF, 120k), designed by Dirk Liekens, and will be with us after the Expo. Players are jostling to get the city-states they control to the top of the heap in time to get scoring markers. As they benefit from collecting sets of scoring markers, there are lots of tactical considerations.

Now in stock is the new expansion for The World Cup Game. Due in this week (Thursday 4th June) are some Valley Games titles (notably Hannibal and Master Builder), plus fresh stock of Wattsalpoag's Jet Set and the Giro d'Italia games.

I must apologise for the lack of Abacus's Bürger, Baumeister & Co: someone (ahem!) forgot to put it on the Purchase Order. D'oh! We will get some copies in our next consignment from Abacus. We have also sold out—for the time being—of Brass, Duel in the Dark and Origins.

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11th May 2009

We've just had several deliveries, so a number of new titles are now in the warehouse (not to mention the older games that are back in stock). I have updated the price lists to reflect all of this and here are the highlights.

To tie in with the start of this year's Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) cycle race, we have Ghenos Games's two Giro d'Italia games (PDF document, 220k). The board game is a special edition of Leader 1, with a "real-time rule", special cards and instructions for reproducing the stages of the race.

New to us is a selection of Günter Cornett's entertaining games from Bambus Spieleverlag (PDF, 200k):

  • The Bottle Imp (aka Flaschenteufel), a clever card game based on a Robert Louis Stevenson short story
  • Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, a struggle between good and evil—also based on RLS's writings
  • Greentown, a board game of developing the eponymous town to attract visitors
  • Socks in the City, a game of reuniting separated pairs of socks!

Due in today is a consigmment from Abacus (PDF 120k), which includes several new games:

  • Aquaretto, a re-themed version of Zooloretto that stands on its own or can be combined with the earlier game
  • Bonnie and Clyde, a 'Mystery Rummy' game about the infamous Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
  • Bürger, Baumeister & Co, a Michael Schacht game of developing the city of Frankfurt-am-Main
  • Mamma Mia! PLUS, 10th anniversary, expanded version of Uwe Rosenberg's clever card game of pizza making
  • Valdora, a Michael Schacht board game set in a land rich in gold, silver and gems.

Next week we expect to have the fifth (and final) expansion for Shaun Derrick's World Cup Game. Due in June (after its launch at the UK Games Expo) is Reiver Games's Sumeria. And lots more.

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24th April 2009

It's been a few weeks since my last news bulletin—I blame this on my visit to the States (which was good fun, thank you) and being buried in paperwork as I wrestle with our accounts. But you don't want to know about that, what's new on the games front?

Our latest consignment from the USA has now arrived and includes the first Gryphon Games—a series of 'bookcase' format games from Fred/Eagle:

  • For Sale—a new edition of this classic auction game;
  • Gem Dealer—a Reiner Knizia bidding game (formerly Attacke);
  • High Society—a simple, but clever bidding game from Reiner Knizia;
  • Money—another new edition of a Reiner Knizia classic where players swap banknotes;
  • Worm Up!—is a personal favourite: players manoeuvre their chain of 'worm segments' to win the race.

There are also two new games from Eagle:

  • Brass is the second edition of Martin Wallace's terrific, challenging business game of the early Industrial Revolution in Lancashire.
  • The Club comes from Finland and is set in a disco where players manoeuvre 'dancers' across the floor in an effort to make the perfect couple. Eagle give it a 'PG-15' rating.

There are more details of all these in our April 2009 list (PDF document, 375k).

Also in the delivery is Ted Alspach's Utimate Werewolf: the Ultimate Edition (PDF, 170k). This is a professionally-produced and packaged set of playing aids for Werewolf players: character cards for 40 roles, scenarios, scorepad and a comprehensive guide. The artwork is gorgeous.

We now have fresh stock of Attack!, Cluzzle, Galactic Emperor, Incan Gold, the Puerto Rico PC game and Wits and Wagers as well.

And finally, our drawstring cloth bags (follow the link for a picture) are now available in purple, orange and black as well as the three primary colours.

Coming soon is Giro d'Italia, a special edition of the cycling race game, Leader 1, that covers Italy's equivalent of the Tour de France.

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31st March 2009

We had an unexpected arrival last week: a consignment of titles from Altar Games (PDF Document, 253 Kb) in the Czech Republic. Follow the link for more about the games, but they are:

  • Fresh stock of Dorn, the strategic fantasy role-playing board game;
     
  • Greenland (Grænaland), a game of grabbing land to settle the eponymous island;
     
  • Jantaris, competing guilds struggle for market share in a medieval city;
     
  • Legion (Legie) is a 2-player combat game.

Our pending consignment from the USA is indeed due in after Easter (assuming no delays in transit or Customs), but we're getting much less than we expected. In particular, the consignment does not include any Roll Through the Ages, which is now out of print (a re-print is due in August).

Other recently out-of-print games are Confucius and Railroad Tycoon.

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20th March 2009

First off, two new games will be in the warehouse on Monday (23rd March).

  • Kahmaté (PDF document, 96k) is a fun board game version of (6-player!) Rugby from France that's already got a bit of a following.
  • Opus-Dei: Existence After Religion (PDF, 76k) is a card game of competing philosophies from Denmark (and, the designer is keen to point out, has no connection to the Catholic organisation, 'Opus Dei'). This comes in display boxes of six copies and there is a discount for buying a full box.

Follow the links for more information about the games.

It looks like our pending consignment from the USA will finally ship soon, which means a number of titles should be available after Easter. Speaking of which, I will be in the States for the week before Easter (6-10th April) attending the Gathering of Friends. It should be business as usual, but there may be some delays where I need to deal with things.

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17th February 2009

The first thing to mention is that we moved to our new warehouse at the end of January without too much trouble. This gives us plenty of room and we have got it pretty much organised now. We're still waiting on BT re-instating the phone line though. The address, should you need it, is 22 Springwood Drive, Braintree CM7 2YN (note this is the warehouse only, all correspondence should still go to the usual address).

Secondly, we have reduced the prices on a few titles, notably Phoenicia, which now has an RRP of £20. The full price list (243k) has been updated with these changes and the latest availability of all titles.

As far as new arrivals go, we now have MAG's Colors (PDF document, 122k) in stock along with fresh supplies of Duck Dealer, Duel in the Dark (and expansions) and Wind River.

Fresh from the London Toy Fair is Army of Zero (PDF, 153k), a two-player combat card game. While the game is aimed at pre-teen children, the cards also provide a series of puzzles for older children and adults with a prize in the offing.

And don't forget our colourful cloth bags...

I'm sorry to report that we won't be getting the copies of 1861 I mentioned last month as there is a dispute over who owns them. We'll have to wait until this is resolved.

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9th January 2009

Splotter's latest strategy game, Duck Dealer (PDF document, 113k), arrived earlier this week along with fresh supplies of Indonesia. Note that neither of these games is shrink-wrapped, so the boxes can be a little worn.

We have found some copies of After the Flood tucked away in the warehouse, so this is available again. We also located some copies of 1861 in Germany. We're getting these shipped back to us and they should be available later in the month.

I have updated our price lists to show current availability and latest prices (I'm hoping the pound is now on its way back up again).

We will again be moving to a bigger warehouse later in January. The precise date depends on finalising the contract, but be aware that we'll probably be closed for a few days while we move.

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9th December 2008

Our latest delivery from Germany arrived on Friday, as did several other consignments, so the following are now in stock:
  Blooming Gardens (PDF 133k), the Ragnar Brothers' beautifully-illustrated card game of cultivating gardens (or dumping pests on other people's gardens).
  Castle for All Seasons (PDF document, 166k) has the players constructing a castle and trading for what they need.
  Heads of State (PDF 166k) – cracking board game of noble families and European domination from Aussie designer Peter Hawes.
  Monastery (PDF 133k) is the Ragnar's latest with the players competing to add most buildings to a medieval monastery.
  Qb (PDF 104k) is JC Games's new game – it's a good-looking, cube-based word game.
  Space Alert (PDF 93k), Vlaada Chvatil's cooperative game of space exploration, played in real time.
  Wind River (PDF 180k) is the latest from Argentum with players moving their wigwams around the prairie in pursuit of buffalo.

Photo of drawstring bags with hand for scaleWe also have some drawstring cloth bags available in red, blue or green. The photo gives an idea of the size. RRP £2.50 (inc VAT) each, Trade £1.30 (ex-VAT).

A number of games have run out, notably Confucius – see the catalogue page for the latest price lists and availability.

Special offers:
One third off full cartons of Freya's Folly, Phoenicia (PDF 92k) and Scandaroon (PDF 116k – see page 2). To put it another way: 6 for the price of 4! As well as this, a selection of individual titles are on offer to clear our remaining stocks. See the price list for details.

Still expected before Christmas:
  Colors, the new, two-player abstract game from the team behind Caveman.
  Splotter's new space trading game, Duck Dealer.
  Fresh stock of Duel in the Dark and expansions.

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1st December 2008

First off, our price lists have been completely updated. As I needed to do this for the new rate of VAT in the UK, I have taken the opportunity to review our prices and the current exchange rates.

Next the good news, here's what's new in stock:
  Arriving several weeks early, Carpe Astra (PDF 215k) is the latest from Reiver Games. It's a game of galactic politics as players jockey for support to become Emperor.
  Glory to Rome I.V – second edition of the card game of re-building ancient Rome.
  I overlooked Kamisado last time. This is Peter Burley's clever new two-player game where the piece you can move is dictated by your opponent's previous move. We also have Burley Games's Treasure Island.
  Le Havre, or 'what Uwe Rosenberg did after Agricola'. It's another clever development game: need I say more?
  Playing Gods (PDF 430k) – irreverent board game of gaining the most believers by offering enlightenment – and smiting the infidel! Follow the link for more information about the game.

More good news – some special offers:
One third off full cartons of Freya's Folly, Phoenicia (PDF 92k) and Scandaroon (PDF 116k – see page 2). To put it another way: 6 for the price of 4! As well as this, a selection of individual titles are on offer to clear our remaining stocks. See the price list for details.

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21st November 2008

As most of you will know, a lot of what we brought back from Spiel sold out quickly. Where possible we'll be re-stocking as soon as we can (a particular issue is the new titles from Valley Games as LudoPackt has lost track of their stock).

The following have arrived:
  Bezier Games's new Age of Steam expansions: Essen Spiel (limited stock), Secret Blueprints of Steam (limited stock) and New Hampshire/Vermont.
  Expansion pack for Duel in the Dark – though we've run out of the base game and new expansions. I expect more of these next week.
  The new edition of Fairy Tale: this still uses the original artwork, but the graphics have been tidied up and made clearer.
  Masters of Trade, the expansion for Rotterdam, making it more of a gamers' game.
  Second edition of Skyline of the World, with tidied-up rules (and English rules included in the box).

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30th October 2008 (update 11th Nov)

Well, we're back from Spiel, the lorries have been unloaded and everything's in the warehouse. So, what have we got? (Apart from the bug we all seem to have picked up on the trip.) First off, we now have the new runs of League of Six and Age of Empires III. Plus our first batch of new titles (PDF 300k).
  Cavum is a new Kramer and Kiesling game of mining precious stones from Dutch publisher QWG.
  Cities is Martyn F's follow-up to Wadi and has players developing a city centre, aiming to get their buildings in the best spots.
  Dorn is the English edition of the fantasy role-play board game from the Czech Republic.
  Duel in the Dark expansions: Baby Blitz (a major expansion that gives the German player ways of attacking Britain and dealing with that pesky Mosquito) and Early Nights (gives the British player the Wellington bomber).
  Habitat is a card game from Valley Games in which players try to develop a rich ecology.
Jet Set is the latest from Kris Gould and Wattsalpoag. It's a cracking game of buying and using air routes across Europe.
  Kamisado is Peter Burley's new game: a brightly-coloured two-player abstract where one player's move dictates what their opponent moves next.
  Kriegbot is from Phil Eklund and Sierra Madre. Players design fighting robots and pit them against each other.
  League of Six: Loyal Retinue is the expansion for League of Six, taking the game to six players and adding other options.
  Master Builder, designed by Hartmut Witt and Wolfgang Kramer, is about developing a medieval town and comes from Valley Games.
  Municipium is a Reiner Knizia game of political power in a Roman provincial town and is also from Valley.
  One More Barrel is the latest from Michele Quondam and Giochix. It is the struggle by Western powers for oil in a Middle Eastern country that looks strangely familiar...
  Supernova is another from Valley Games. Players are various races trying to escape their solar system before the sun blows up!
  World Cup Game Expansion 4 (W Germany 1974, Argentina 1978, Spain 1982, USA 1994) is pretty self-explanatory.

I'm awaiting confirmation of how many copies of After the Flood and Steel Driver are available to us after Warfrog has fulfilled its orders. Orders placed with us will be filled on a 'first come, first served' basis once I know the numbers.

We also have re-stocks of various things. The decline of the pound against the dollar means a rise in the prices of US titles as we get fresh stock in. I have noted these on the price list.

Various games didn't make it to Spiel, notably the new games from JKLM and Eagle. Splotter had only 200 copies of their new space trading game, Duck Dealer, due to a shortage of wooden pieces. More games are coming but probably not before Christmas. The English copies of Le Havre, Uwe Rosenberg's new board game for Lookout, sold out at Spiel. More copies are available and I expect to get these in November. Several people have asked about the new edition of Galaxy Trucker and its expansion. This is only available from Rio Grande.

As I mentioned last week, Z-Man Games has all but concluded a deal with Esdevium for exclusive UK distribution. As we sell out of Z-Man titles, I am removing them from our price list.

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10th October 2008

Confucius has finally arrived in quantity and we have started shipping orders out. Note that the RRP has increased to £35 and our prices have increased in line with this.

We're off to Essen on Tuesday 21st October and back a week later. For that week we're effectively closed, though we will respond as much as we are able to. We'll bring some new stuff back with us and more will arrive over the next few days. As we get things unloaded and organised, we'll let you know what's available.

We have finally been able to arrange shipping for the new edition of League of Six and will be bringing this back from Essen. Fresh stock of Glory to Rome I.V is finally en route and should be with us just after we're back from Essen.

I've been asked about the new Treefrog games, After the Flood and Steel Driver. These are limited editions that will be launched at Spiel and there's a good chance they will sell out at the fair. We will only have stock if there are copies still available after the show. JKLM Games reports some production issues with Ascendancy and Huang Di: the games will certainly be available at Spiel, but we may not have stock in bulk until later.

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23rd September 2008

We have several new arrivals this week:

  • It's Alive! (PDF document, 100k) is finally in -- it's a new edition of this entertaining game of monster building;
  • Leader 1 (PDF, 400k) is a board game re-creation of cycle racing from Ghenos Games;
  • Scripts and Scribes (PDF 190k) is a card game of competing monasteries from Doctor Finn and
  • With Sword and Shield (PDF 140k) is a card game of jousting knights from Sweden.

We've finally heard from Cambridge Games Factory and copies of Glory to Rome I.V will be on their way to us soon. However, there's still no sign of Confucius. The wooden pieces expected at the end of August have not arrived. We should have copies of the game 7-10 days after the components arrive, but I don't know when this will be.

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10th September 2008

The re-print of Agricola arrived last Thursday and we sent out orders on Friday and Monday. There are still plenty left, along with the metal animal sets (see picture below).

New arrivals are About Time (PDF document, 580k), a party trivia game about history and chronology, and Solairis (PDF 95k), a card game of duelling wizards – both of which you may have seen earlier this year at the UK Games Expo.

Galactic Emperor is now sold out. The publisher is re-printing the game, but we don't expect this until November.

It's Alive! is ready and should be with us in a few days. However, Confucius has been further delayed (waiting for wooden pieces to arrive from the Czech Republic): I still hope to have copies by the end of the month.

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27th August 2008

The re-print of Agricola is en route and we should have copies in the warehouse on Friday, ready to send out orders from Monday, 1st September.

Photo of metal animals for AgricolaOur sister company, JKLM Direct, has some sets of metal animals as an unofficial expansion for Agricola. A set is 21 sheep (in white), 18 pigs (black) and 15 cows (brown) and full RRP is £12 (inc VAT). We don't have the margin to add these to our main price list, but we can make them available to JKLMnP customers at £8.51/set (ex-VAT). NB: these are not in our price list, so just add them to your order. They, too, will be available from next week.

The other news of note is that Tinners' Trail is now sold out. Warfrog has retained some copies for October's Spiel games fair in Essen, but the rest of the print run has been sold.

Reiver Games reports that production of It's Alive! has been delayed. We now expect to take delivery of this early in September. Confucius is expected about the same time. We still haven't been able to get our copies of League of Six out of the Czech Republic, but are hopeful that they'll be with us soon.

Finally, like everybody else our delivery costs have increased substantially over the last couple of years and now we have fuel surcharges on top. As a result, from 1st September our standard delivery charge will increase to £8.70 in the UK and £40 for Europe (both ex-VAT).

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12th August 2008

Galactic Emperor (PDF document, 545k) and Say Anything (PDF, 129k) arrived on Friday and are now available.

Along with them, we took delivery of Rapscallion (PDF document, 161k), a new card game from Ted Alspach and Bézier Games. Follow the link for more information about this interesting bidding game, along with the full edition of Bézier's Ultimate Werewolf.

Special offer: on advance orders for the new games from JKLM (PDF doc, 74k). Pay a 5% deposit and get a further 5% off – full details in the document.

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15th July 2008

We now have fresh stock of some older titles from JKLM Games:
  Celtic Quest – Nigel Buckle's game of Celtic warriors as the Roman legions arrive in Britain
  City & Guilds – Steve Kingsbury's clever game where players blanace influence in the city and in the Guilds
  Kings Progress – Influence courtiers and the King to favour you in this subtle strategy game
  Kogge – excellent trading game from Andreas Steding, set in the Hanseatic League
  Third World Debt – a challenging debt management game by Dave Thorby
  Whisky Race – Lightweight fun from Andreas Steding

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1st July 2008

Our stock of the English edition of Agricola arrived, but sold out in matter of days. Z-Man Games has scheduled a re-print, which we expect early in August.

The same happened to the new edition of Glory to Rome. Fresh stock is expected in August.

One new arrival that has stuck around is King of Chicago (PDF document 75k) from Danish outfit Tusbas. This is an atmospheric Thirties-style gangster game set in Chicago.

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