I saw my first true Christmas ad on television the other day. It was oddly enough a PetSmart ad during a rerun of Doctor Who on BBC America. Strange way to start the holiday ad season, but decorations and products have been infiltrating store shelves for a few weeks now. For large stores and manufacturers, holiday planning has been going on since last Thanksgiving. Somewhere in a secret room, toy designers are releasing a new version of Disney Cars Monopoly that more sales than last year's copy, and possibly a number of repeat customers.
In the Adventure Gaming industry *snicker* that long term planning isn't there. Outside of GenCon releases, a company is more likely to release a product during the winter doldrums than push for a Christmas season release.
The good news is, this year looks to have some gems for Christmas, depending on your clientele.
My Wish List
Reaper's CHRISTMAS MOUSLINGS $12.99
My Money is No Object List
GREAT WAR AT SEA: CONFEDERATE STATES NAVY - Avalanche Press survived the d20 glut. and continues to produce some interesting chit-based wargames. This one WW1 Naval with an alternate history Confederacy still hanging large and in charge.
EVIL BABY ORPHANAGE
Evil Baby Orphanage - The world’s foremost time travelling facility for the preventive parenting of evil babies! In Evil Baby Orphanage, players take on the role of a Time-Nanny, kidnapping villains throughout history and raising them to be accountants, ballerinas, or... something. Prevent your babies from burning down your orphanage as you try to keep the Unabomber away from the arts and crafts table, Kim Jong II away from the toy rocket ship, and Caligula away from everyone! Use good toys to keep Evil Babies from wreaking havoc, bad toys to encourage Evil Babies in other orphanages to cause a little trouble, and various Nanny actions to swap and adopt the as you endeavor to keep the most evil outof the time stream. Scheduled to ship in October 2012. WYR PG001 ............................$18.00
The Imaginary Store List
Compass Games:
THE WAR: EUROPE 1939-1945 $150.00
NATIONS IN ARMS: VALMY TO WATERLOO $120.00
SILENT WAR $75.00 for a solitaire sub warfare game.
If these aren't the definition of big Christmas present, nothing is.
Days of Wonder
TICKET TO RIDE: MAP COLLECTION VOLUME 3 - THE HEART OF AFRICA
Decision Games
BREITENFELD: ENTER THE LION OF THE NORTH
ACRE: THE THIRD CRUSADE OPENS
LEBANON ‘82: OPERATION PEACE FOR GAILLEE
LOOS 1915: THE BIG PUSH
PAVIA: CLIMAX OF THE ITALIAN WARS
More affordable chit wargames.
Diamond
Pathfinder Goblin Plush: Here 'be a toy goblin, but with no price in the catalog. Let's hope he doesn't cost too much booty.....
Fantasy Flight Games with a great schedule of releases.
BLACK CRUSADE RPG: THE TOME OF BLOOD $39.95
BLOOD BOWL TEAM MANAGER CARD GAME: SUDDEN DEATH EXPANSION $24.95
ROGUE TRADER: STARS OF INEQUITY $39.95
STAR WARS RPG: EDGE OF THE EMPIRE BEGINNER GAME $29.95
STAR WARS: THE CARD GAME $39.95
STAR WARS X-WING MINIATURES GAME: A-WING EXPANSION PACK $14.95
Milenium Falcon, Slave I and Tie Interceptor are also coming out.
I haven't looked into the Star Wars space minis, but $14.95 for a single figure sounds great for dogfights, but financially daunting for anything larger.
Frog God Games
THE BLACK MONASTERY HARDCOVER $33.00
PATHFINDER / SWORDS & WIZARDRY: TOME OF ADVENTURE DESIGN $42.00
PATHFINDER: THE SLUMBERING TSAR SAGA COLORING ALBUM $4.99
PATHFINDER: THE SLUMBERING TSAR SAGA HARDCOVER $149.99
RAPPAN ATHUK HARDCOVER $114.99
Mantic
GOBLIN SHARPSTICKS (20) $22.49
Paizo
GAMEMASTERY FLIP-MAT:WATCH STATION $12.99
PATHFINDER ADVENTURE SHATTERED STAR PART 6 —THE DEAD HEART OF XIN $19.99
PATHFINDER CAMPAIGN SETTING: SHATTERED STAR POSTER MAP FOLIO $19.99
PATHFINDER MODULE: DOOM COMES TO DUSTPAWN $13.99
PATHFINDER PLAYER COMPANION: DUNGEONEER’S HANDBOOK $10.99
Privateer Press
TROLLBLOOD LONG RIDERS (5) PIP 71080..............................$109.99
What? $110 for five figures? What are they, 54mm sterling silver?
Reaper
THE NATIVITY: WISE MAN #1 RPR 01437 ................................$6.99
Start stocking your nativity to be used to play Warlord.
Steve Jackson
DINO HUNT DICE GAME $9.95
It just won't die! SJG released the card version of this in the 90's and I remember it faring better in museum gift shops than independent game stores. Why not Munchkin: Dino Hunt?
Troll Lords
CASTLES & CRUSADES RPG: JACK OF LIES $19.95
CASTLES & CRUSADES RPG: THE CRIMSON PACT $6.99
WotC
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: DUNGEON COMMAND - CURSE OF UNDEATH $39.95
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: RUINS OF WAR DUNGEON TILES $11.95
As 5th Edition is playtesting, let's break out generic stuff for the holidays.
Wizkids
THE LORD OF THE RINGS DICE BUILDING GAME -
Tolkein + Dragon Dice?
MARVEL HEROCLIX: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Stocking stuffers!
With regards to Frog God Games I own three of the listed products (Tome of Adventure Design, Slumbering Tsar Saga HC & Rappan Athuk HC and they are all extremely high quality products.
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