tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30185581649847276652024-03-18T21:01:12.369-07:00The word from the OutpostA blog dedicated to gaming and Imperial Outpost Games, a games retailer in Arizona.Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-49686122349125581742013-08-07T17:28:00.000-07:002013-08-07T17:28:44.299-07:00Sheer Idiocy<span class="userContent">I really don't get it. I just don't get it.<br /><br /> To be clear. I have never...EVER.. said that "I can outsell 'storeX'". If the owner/owners of 'storeX', want to keep on saying stuff like that, then there's nothing I can do to prevent it.<br /><br /> To be even more clear. There is only one store that I care about how and what it does. Mine. I don't care about the store down the street, I don't care about the store on the other side of town. I'm sick and tired of petty animosity being slung my way when all I want to do is run my store to the best of my ability.<br /><br /> To the owners of 'storeX'. Stop spreading gossip. Either you're making the gossip up yourselves, or you're listening to people who are acting as agent provocateurs. Either way, it's petty. Exceptionally petty. <br /><br /> It's days like these that make me want to find the first buyer for the store and walk out of here. I'm serious. I am tired of people trying to play the stores against each other by making up crap about other store just to 'score points' or become part of some 'inner circle', and I'm tired of other stores playing along in this game. I'm tired of the snide comments, left handed 'compliments' and outright hostility. <br /><br /> Let me be even FURTHER more clear. It has come to my attention that another store is upset because I have managed a 'store exclusive' on some product line. Well that's farking news to me, if it is true. And by the way, if I find out that is indeed the case, I will make it end, as I don't believe that access to products should be handled in that manner. <br /><br /> I do not think I am better than any other store owners. I do not believe that my store is better than the other area stores. Different, yes. We do things differently and that is the nature of competition. Being in competition does not mean a "For me to succeed the other guy must loose." I do not believe in that, but it appears that attitude is not reciprocal. That attitude is immature and petty. What makes me even angrier is the customers who trust this owner/owners hear all of the drivel that's being spewed and believe it without any proof or confirmation.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent"></span>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-47151064303212698652012-08-02T11:59:00.001-07:002012-08-02T13:02:56.683-07:00Kickstarter no more<div style="text-align: left;">
Yep.. I'm pissed.</div>
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Kickstarter just announced that they will no longer allow publishers to offer 'bulk or retail' discounts on their products...effectively shutting us out of the loop now.</div>
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As of this moment, I have spent over $2000 on products. I've helped support games for 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, Reaper Miniatures, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Flying Buffalo Inc. Crash Games and many MANY more. </div>
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For years, I've beat my head against the desk with the rise of PDF's. I've seen great games and gaming companies abandoning print runs for the domain of digital publishing. Looking at it objectively, who can blame them. It takes tens of thousands of dollars to bring a book to market, and then have to undergo the trial of market acceptance. It doesn't take many brain cells to figure out why publishers would rather go the route of digital pdf publishing for their RPG's, and even the occasional board game. It makes a whole bunch of financial sense for publishers to be able to eliminate that huge, up front, publishing cost, and go direct to their consumers.</div>
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However as a retailer, it chaps my ass to hear my customers talking about all of the awesome books they're getting online that I can't provide to them. Now, some people say that's just greed on my part, that I'm upset because I can't get a cut of it. The noble part of me wants to say "no...that's not it.. I like being able to present these fine things to my customers, and let them know that I care about them and what they want by having a diverse selection." However the realist part of me then says "OF COURSE IT GODDAMN IS ABOUT ME NOT GETTING A CUT!". I'm a retailer. I do this to - make money -, and when I see gaming dollars bypassing the retailer that DOES piss me off to some degree.</div>
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Or, as another man, far better with words said :</div>
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“About 50% of the human race is middlemen and they don’t take kindly to being eliminated.” <br />Captain Malcolm Reynolds</div>
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Now, kickstarter. It's a fairly recent comer on the scene, and I looked on with a little bit of amusement when I started seeing some projects some up on it. Then..I saw that one of them..the Far West game had a 'retailer support level' on it. At the risk of sounding crass..I touched myself when I saw that. Here was a game publisher, who was 1) overcoming the burden of initial print run costs. 2) significantly eliminating the 'well now we hope it sells now that we've spend all that money on a print run. ( now..points 1 and 2 sure do look an awful lot like the benefits of pdf...Buuuuuut...) 3) have a physical print book out there, that people can hold in their hands and flip through 4) let me as a retailer stock the product on my shelves and let me do what I do best. SELL BOOKS.</div>
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It was a glorious moment. I signed up immediately. I giggled like a schoolgirl at the thought of publishers coming BACK to the print market, confident if their project was funded that the demand WAS out there. I cavorted around the store with the thought of no longer having to wistfully look at DriveThru RPG and hope that some of the stuff there would one day make it to my shelves. I frolicked up and down the length of my RPG wall, giddy that my RPG selection (one of the best in the state, and I'd honestly put it in the top 10% in the nation) would have even MORE diversity. I needed a cigarette. </div>
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Now kickstarter comes along and tells the publisher that it can no longer offer retailer levels or 'bulk discounts'. *insert sound of a car hitting a wall at 100 mph*. Wut? All of a sudden now, I'm being cut out of the loop AGAIN. Now, with the pdf thing, there were some huge logistical hurdles there keeping retailers out of the loop, it wasn't JUST a 'money thing' </div>
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This TOTALLY is just a 'money thing'.</div>
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What was that Mal? “About 50% of the human race is middlemen and they don’t take kindly to being eliminated.” Thanks much, good buddy, glad ya got my back.</div>
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At this point I'm just reduced to an agape mouth, with a severe look of 'what the fuck' on my face. Yet again, I get to watch as a new distribution scheme manages to completely avoid me, the retailer, and in essence, take money from my pocket. </div>
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Some might say that 'just wait a little while...these products will end up in distribution...you'll eventually be able to get them.' That I highly doubt. The vast majority of sales on a product will be in it's initial release. If a manufacturer makes a game, and releases it through kickstarter, then THAT's where the majority of the sales will be made. Any sales through the distributor will be afterthought sales, and likely will not amount to enough number to make it worthwhile for them to carry. Also, it's likely that the manufacturers, using the kickstarter system will be printing enough copies to be able to even stock the distributor warehouses, as making a bunch of copies that you aren't sure are going to sell is sort of at counter odds to the whole approach of a kickstarter project in the first place.</div>
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So..once again, retailers are left out in the cold. On the outside looking in. And people wonder why more and more retailers are leaving the industry for greener pastures elsewhere.</div>
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Thanks again Kickstarter. Thanks for nothing. <br /></div>
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<br /></div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-53470452319541955542012-04-11T12:32:00.001-07:002012-04-11T12:34:07.980-07:00Of Paint Racks and Planning<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Interesting article on IcV2 here.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22629.html" target="_blank">http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22629.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And by interesting, I mean "the first half of the article seems reasoned and well thought out, but the last half of it seems to be little more than a monkey throwing his feces at the wall."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this article, Scott Thorne says....</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"It would really have helped us out in terms of budgeting if GW had given us more information about this more than two weeks in advance. "</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was told by my rep, almost TWO MONTHS AGO, that the current line of paints were going to be phased out. We were told that instead of ordering them by the box of 6, we could order them individually, so that we could have a 'minimum stock on hand'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, it doesn't take a mental titan to figure out what's going to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also told...MONTHS AGO..to prepare for a 'large financial outlay'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, it sure doesn't take a mind of Mensa to figure out what's going on here.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now here's the funny part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott here is bitching about an outlay of $2000 bucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, to a game store owner, 2 large isn't a small chunk of change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It surely isn't.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, if a person who was watching their money couldn't set aside the sales from all of the paint on their current rack (which will NOT be restocked), then I'd suggest a serious look at the way they do their financial tracking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the past couple of months, we almost completely sold out of the paint on our soon to be replaced rack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The money from that, under normal circumstances, would go to pay for restocks, and then other sundry items, like rent, electricity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of putting that money into restocks (or, I'm willing to bet in Scotty's case... dumping those sales into other departments....) just set it aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the time comes to shell out those bucks for that rack, one should have almost half of the money already set aside. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is what we in the industry call "financial planning".</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, in the interests of fair argument, this scenario doesn't take into account the fact that the range expanded from 70 some odd paints to 145. This means that, depending on the previous rack's stock levels, you'll have in the neighborhood of one quarter to one half of the new rack paid for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, for myself, hearing that the line was going to be expanding to 145 paints, I was fully expecting Games Workshop to want me to buy 12 bottles of each paint, putting the cost of the new rack system at about $3600.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they came and said that it was only going to be 6 of each paint, that actually freed up about $1800 dollars in my budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still though, the point remains that anyone who possesses even basic observational skills should have been able to adequately prepare for the new rack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, onto his comments about the rack itself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Unfortunately, the new rack suffers from a design flaw, at least from the retailer point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike GW's last two paint racks, I guess in order to fit the wider range of paints into it, the paint slots fit at a much steeper angle, only holding six paints, unlike the older ones, which held 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since GW ships paints in quantities of six, the store either has to maintain extras in backstock somewhere away from the rack or wait until paint runs out before putting in a reorder."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean....really? This is actually worth kvetching about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I noticed the same thing too, and for the briefest of moments my brow furrowed slightly at the fact that I wouldn't be able to store more than 6 points on rack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My marginal disappointment at that was countered by the fact that now, with the increased angle, and another changes to the rack, All of the paints in the rack would actually slide down to the front of the rack properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before, the rails that the paints set between were just a hair too narrow, and since they used a flat metal pan to slide on, there was much greater friction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was many times people would buy a couple of paints, and the ones behind them wouldn't slide forwards.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, it would look like we were out of paints, when in reality we had plenty more, just tucked up in the darkest deepest recesses of that rack, unable to slide down into the light of day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, we'll have to keep a box set aside with backstock paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have several things that are in my backroom as backstock (and overstock too..which is another insidious beast).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's not going to take too much for me to tell my employees to keep an eye out, and if they see a paint low on the rack, to check the inventory in the computer, and if there's plenty of inventory left, go into the backstock and get some.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is what we in the industry call "inventory management".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Is it a touch more inconvenient?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, I'll grant that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it over the top inconvenient?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's more than made up for with a rack that has all of the paints slid to the front, and helping to make the rack look full and stocked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As one of my retail mentors once said "if you can't afford to keep your paint rack stocked, get out of the business."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'll take this rack six days of the week and twice on Sunday over that last rack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My job is inventory management, and asking me to do my job isn't a 'design flaw'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some people might think I'm just being a sightless fanboy, waving the games workshop banner in utter and loyal devotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People who know me will know otherwise, as I'm one who point out what I perceive to be flaws, but I also feel it's proper to point out when people only feel like whining about the potential negatives of a situation, instead of at least acknowledging the positives.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are plenty of very legitimate things to bitch about concerning Games Workshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact that a retailer can't pay attention to some very basic signals, and seemingly can't be bothered to pay a little more attention to his stock levels, doesn't count among them.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Glass-of-water.jpg/220px-Glass-of-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Glass-of-water.jpg/220px-Glass-of-water.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-41169477833036287192009-12-09T17:02:00.000-08:002009-12-09T17:05:32.514-08:00Where does it all come from? Part 3<div style="text-align: left;">Ok, when I said a few days ago that "tomorrow I'll put up the RPG chart" I forgot to take into account that<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">1) the weekend was coming up<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">2) I had a Warhammer Tournament to get ready<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3) I had 2 sessions of Pathfinder to run for our Pathfinder Society group here on Sunday<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">4) IT'S CHRISTMAS season and I am in retail (which generally means that I do NOT get to control my own time, it controls me.)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">But, I have a few minutes now, (aided by the fact that the order that I was expecting today didn't come in because of the storm in California a couple of days ago) so I promised myself I wouldn't get dinner until this post was up.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">In my database, I have two ways of breaking RPG's down First of all, I break them down by basic genre; Fantasy, SciFi, Western and so on and so forth. I also break them down by product lines; D&D, Gurps, Traveller and such.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's take a quick gander at which genres are selling the most.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, this isn't much of a surprise. Fantasy RPG's are the market staple. (thank you Mr Tolkien, Mr, Howard, and Mr Lieber). In the store we have D&D and Pathfinder taking up much of the burden of fantasy RPG sales, but there are a few others contributing to that. Earthdawn, Exalted, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and a couple of the Indie games also added into that. SciFi games came in second with sales of Traveller, Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader and a few other minor ones.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now for the chart that probably will be a big surprise. I know that it was for me.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzX1EbRPFIG1r09aXrZNWo5XDVBo-7jTPIPtB4QiLoIeN55sbPmX7T3-ErCKq8XYKmFVN1-JPWiNUjzcjFFcTA15a7F3OHW9FIj5ogdZzTSyEa0DS9eYwcrCeSs2iNlMFCx64tgSE2rNA/s1600-h/rpg+lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzX1EbRPFIG1r09aXrZNWo5XDVBo-7jTPIPtB4QiLoIeN55sbPmX7T3-ErCKq8XYKmFVN1-JPWiNUjzcjFFcTA15a7F3OHW9FIj5ogdZzTSyEa0DS9eYwcrCeSs2iNlMFCx64tgSE2rNA/s400/rpg+lines.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yep... not only was D&D NOT number one, it wasn't number two or three either. It came in at number 4 and from the looks of the chart, it sure wasn't too much higher than the number five, Savage Worlds. Traveller is the number one, and that's for one reason. We have a gaming group that's switching over to that game, and the person who's running it and one of the other players have been picking up the line. Here's the sad fact. This will be an abberation on these sales figures, and I highly suspect that next month, Traveller will fade farther back down on the list. It's position this month, is really not something that can be counted on, but the fact that ONE group, was able to bump it to the top spot speaks volumes. What it says to me, is that the RPG market, at least for me is in a horrid decline. When one group can come in and overshadow D&D like that, there is a problem.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, WFRP had one special thing on it's side which gave it the number two slot. It costs 100 bucks for the main boxed set. Sell a few of those and it would be hard to keep it out of a top slot.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pathfinder is number three, and more importantly it's eclipsing it's parent D&D. There's a lot of grousing about 4th ed amongst veteran gamers, and many of them have sworn off of playing. To me, this is a bit of tragedy, as basically it's saying "im so stodgy that I really don't want to hang out with my friends anymore and socialize with them because of some silly game rules". To me, the game was always secondary to the real reason of getting together with my friends. I'm sad that feeling isn't more widely held. Pathfinder, however is picking up SOME of those disaffected players who aren't interested in converting to the 4th ED rules. In fact, i'm running games for their organized play campaign, The Pathfinder Chronicles, here at the store on the first Sunday of the month. I'm happy that it's doing well, but that it's doing better than D&D proper, is telling.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">All of that aside, these charts tell me that D&D is no longer king of the heap, and I can no longer afford to just bring in several copies of each new release as they come out, and expect them to move. D&D will now be subject to the same scrutiny that the other RPG's get. If I don't reasonably know of someone who will buy a copy of a particular book, I'm not likely to order it. D&D books were usually immune to any kind of process like that, but no longer.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">By looking at sales, and seeing what the trends are, I don't carry a lot of hope for RPG's in general, at least here in the store. I love RPG's and I will continue to carry them, but it would be irresponsible of me to keep carrying them in the ways that i've done in past years. A good business is one that's flexible enough to adapt to changing markets and make decisions based off of that. <br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-27288158215092335032009-12-03T20:41:00.000-08:002009-12-03T20:41:39.787-08:00Where does it all come from? Part 2<div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday, I posted some basic sales information concerning how the sales of IOG are divided up between the various departments. I'd like to continue that with showing a breakdown of two of those departments. CCG's and Accessories.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's go ahead and start with the CCG's.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru_9Nr3giuYs1gfwscHIffAFUcK627Qg8HdzIyQiV2XfbsccHEXWEpnZ94_yp_1v_MBWocj-tTNLThrSIEyi-_TWDO9p3lGDnln8L_iD78vN2GIsfaFLzf4N_Kd_eBr25V5tqhzKfCBzi/s1600-h/ccg+sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru_9Nr3giuYs1gfwscHIffAFUcK627Qg8HdzIyQiV2XfbsccHEXWEpnZ94_yp_1v_MBWocj-tTNLThrSIEyi-_TWDO9p3lGDnln8L_iD78vN2GIsfaFLzf4N_Kd_eBr25V5tqhzKfCBzi/s400/ccg+sales.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Shocker....huh?<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyone who's known me for any length of time knows that CCG's are just something I'm not into. With a couple of rare exceptions (Vs system, WWE Raw Deal) I've never really gotten into CCG's. I've dabbled here and there, but i've never gotten into them to any great degree. The last time I actually was REALLY interested in Magic, the word Ante was still in the rulebook. My gaming interests have always leaned more towards RPG's, Mini's games and Board games, and it's really little surprise that my store would tend to reflect that. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"> I've actually avoided bringing in CCG's and (until now) have only dabbled occasionally in the CCG market. It certainly isn't because I have an active animosity towards them, it's just simple basic unfamiliarity with CCG's and their players. I don't speak their language, and I have difficulty relating to that gaming style. Therefore.. I've avoided it. With all that's happening in the gaming market, and what my predictions of what WILL be happening here in the local gaming market, i've decided I can no longer afford to have such a gaping hole in my product lines in the store. Some other retailers I've talked to are just shocked to learn that i've lasted 11 years without Magic. Also, there's been a local store that has pretty much been dedicated to Magic. When I opened up, it was Jesters Court (now gone), Beyond Gaming (now gone), Mana Werks (now gone). So it's not too hard to see that between having a local competitor that pretty much solely dedicated themselves to Magic, and the general churn I've seen in the store that DID hit Magic pretty hard, I've never been too excited to get into Magic.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Recently, with the new 2010 Core set, and the release of the Zendikar block, i've decided that we will now be doing Magic. I have no intention of turning the store into a Magic ONLY store or even a Magic dominated store, but we are now running regular tournaments, selling boxes, and soon will be selling singles. It's a big step, and I'm glad that I've chosen to do it.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Accessories.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">You've heard the BASF ads. "We don't make a lot of the products you buy; we make a lot of the products you buy better!" That's pretty much describes my Accessories department. Things like Dice, Paint, Tools, Card Sleeves, Miniatures Cases all fall under that umbrella. Here's how accessories sales break down here at IOG.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCulBKFWe29JCwVw4vwTVLQ7-hEOyad4M7Q0g9bAPD2L7JdQ-EtSekCB6-356GJE6DGbWP5MdqOhfFWCXD8K0z87m-m8-YxBbnewbtBgsgxWjP0oH4Op0QRwwFgDL03QF7-gmyKxy89fx/s1600-h/accessories+sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCulBKFWe29JCwVw4vwTVLQ7-hEOyad4M7Q0g9bAPD2L7JdQ-EtSekCB6-356GJE6DGbWP5MdqOhfFWCXD8K0z87m-m8-YxBbnewbtBgsgxWjP0oH4Op0QRwwFgDL03QF7-gmyKxy89fx/s400/accessories+sales.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Most of these categories should be pretty self explanatory. Gaming Aids, is mostly things like templates, tokens, counters and the such. Mapping is for things like battlemats, or GamingPaper or the awesome Paizo Flip Mats. The Modeling category is for things like basing materials, bases, and plasticard.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is one of the categories in the store that's seen more and more growth over the past few years. Years ago, the idea of someone selling pre-sculpted bases was a novelty, and now there are several companies doing that (some better than others). Recently, Battlefoam, has just stormed into the market selling high quality and very configurable custom foams for miniatures. Up until they came in, Sabol Cases were considered the Cadillac of gaming cases. With the introduction of Battlefoam, they've slipped down to Honda Civic status. Gale Force 9 is perhaps one of the premiere example of this emerging market. They've made their entire business on making tokens, bases, templates for other people's games. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, there are a few places here where I want to do some improving. As we get more Magic being played, we'll sell more card sleeves, that goes without saying. One of the surprises to me was just how strong terrain REALLY is. For years, I've dismissed it, saying 'people generally play here in the store and just use our store terrain, so there really isn't too much of a market for selling it here in store.' As Lex Luthor so succinctly said in the recent superman movie. WROOOOONNGG!! It's clear that there IS a market for terrain, beyond what I was seeing (or letting myself see), and I would be remiss to ignore it longer.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">That's enough for today. Tomorrow I'll continue with a breakdown of RPG sales. Which RPG line is the best seller here in the store? The answer might surprise you.<br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-10631244515090429712009-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:002009-12-02T15:55:32.688-08:00Where does it all come from? Part 1<div style="text-align: left;">A while ago, I did a post where I went over all of the store expenses for a month, giving a general look at where all of the copious dollars I manage to make a month (bwhahah) go. (You can find that post <a href="http://imperialoutpostgames.blogspot.com/2009/10/where-does-it-all-go.html">here.</a>) This month, I thought i'd take a different tack and go over the other end. Where does all of it come from? Some people might be surprised to see the breakdowns of various departments and categories in the store, especially as I've found that most people will tend to over estimate the facet of the hobby that they are actively engaged in.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is going to be a multi part post, broken up over several days. For the first day here, I'm just going to show the overall categories and their relation to each other vis-a-vis sales here in November.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Before I go into that I'd just like to reflect on a two different numbers. 73% and 53%. The first number, the 73% was the increase in sales from this Black Friday to last year's Black Friday. Now, Black Friday is generally not that huge a day for us. For many retailers selling more conventional wares, Black Friday is the make or break day of the year. It's called Black Friday because this is the first day of the year that many business start to show a profit, or as we say 'run in the black'. Yes, this means that many businesses run at a loss for most of the year until the holiday sales season start. I honestly don't know how people who are involved in these business cope with that, as it would drive me stark raving bonkers to run for a loss for SO long and then to make up for 10 months of losses with 2 months of breakneck sales. That is FAR to topsy turvey for my tastes.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">For us, Black Friday isn't too different than most other Fridays. We do see SOME Christmas sales, but the majority of people are shopping at the big box stores getting 94% off of laptops, or MP3 players for free after rebate. Short of deciding that I wanted to go out of business in a spectacular fashion, there's nothing I could do that could even remotely compete with those sales and promotions. So I don't bother. It's been my general experience that people do their shopping for sister Sally and brother Billy in those first few days after Thanksgiving, mostly because what Sally and Billy are asking for are fairly common things. Barbie, X box and "whatever the hot toy that will cause fistfights and at least 2 trampling deaths at the big box stores", are what people are looking for. But what about crazy little cousin Elmo who plays those funny games with the little figures and funny dice? People tend to come in a bit later in the holiday shopping season to buy those kinds of gifts. More often than not, they have NO idea what they're looking for, and either hand me a list with a frustrated look on their face, or they just ask for a gift certificate.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The second number I mentioned, 53% is what this November's sales are up over last November. 73% and 53%. Those are some pretty significant increases. In looking at things with as an objective an eye as I can muster, I have to come to 2 conclusions as to why sales are better.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">1) People feel better about spending money, regardless of how good the economy is going/isn't doing. A LOT of my customers are out of work right now, but this time last year, most everyone was feeling shellshocked into not wanting to spend money. There are some signs that the economy is improving, but I think people are feeling a bit better about spending. It should be noticed that I have really noticed that people are buying things more on debit and cash than on credit.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">2) The store is in better shape than it's been in for a good while. We have better inventory, and a better 'attitude' than we've had for a long time. I've had many customers come up to me in the past couple of months and tell me that they haven't been as excited to be here and to buy things as they have here recently. I'm in the store a lot more, im paying attention to what's happening a lot more, and I think that's really showing.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ok..that's over and done with, and now let me show you that little breakdown I promised WAY back at the beginning of this post.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">For anyone who's really been in my store, seeing that miniatures are 50% of sales really shouldn't be too much of surprise. CCG's while low, are still building here and we are, week by week, getting more and more people coming into play Magic. If there is a bit of a surprise in here's it's that the number two department in the whole store is Accessories. That includes things like, dice, paint, tools, mapping aids, game aids. It goes back to something I said earlier, we don't need more games, we need more things to make games BETTER.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's a breakdown of the top 15 items overall for the month of November<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">1) Zendikar Boosters (WotC)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">2) Skaven Army Book (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3) Space Wolf Battleforce (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">4) Imperial Guard Chimera (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">5) Fortress of Redemption (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">6) Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying 3rd rd (Fantasy Flight Games)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">7) Ork Battlewagon (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">8) Assault on Blackreach (40k starter set)(GW) <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">9) Hammer of Thor Boosters (heroclix)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">10) 2010 MTG Booster Box (WotC)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">11) Zendikar MTG Booster Box (WotC)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">12) Pathfinder Bestiary (Paizo)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">13) Cadian Battleforce (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">14) Tau Battleforce (GW)<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">15) Ravenwing Battleforce (GW)<br />
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Tomorrow, I'll continue this with a break down of some of the categories, giving you all a bit more of a look at what moves here at IOG. <br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-14978632611766614552009-11-27T14:09:00.000-08:002009-11-27T14:09:07.612-08:00New stuff at the Outpost : 11/27/2009<div style="text-align: left;">Some bright, shiny, new releases this week for your gaming pleasure!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>RPG</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Radicals Handbook-Dark Heresy</b></u>: The most extreme and zealous Inquisitors of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Radical factions, walk a dark and dangerous path. Now, you and your acolytes can walk among, or against them, with the knowledge contained in the latest sourcebook: The Radical’s Handbook. From the mysterious Ragged Oracle of Seedworld AFG-218 to the horrors of the Maletek Stalker, The Radical’s Handbook contains a wealth of background information and game mechanics to enrich your Dark Heresy campaign. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Vorkosigan Saga-GURPS</b></u>: From the award-winning science-fiction stories of Lois McMaster Bujold comes The Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and RPG . . . set in a future universe of honor and betrayal, war and intrigue, great victories and great defeats. Miles Vorkosigan is brilliant, charismatic, the heir to a noble house on a warrior planet . . . and hopelessly crippled. No. Not hopelessly. A Vorkosigan never gives up. And when the fragile, dwarfed, odd-looking Miles charges headlong against the universe . . . Miles may break, but he's used to breaking. And he'll pay that price, for his Emperor's honor and his own, because when Miles hits it hard enough, the universe gives way. Now you can enter the world of Miles Vorkosigan. Play his soldiers, his agents, his comrades. Play Miles himself, if you're up to the challenge . . . and if you think you can dare as much, and talk as fast, as the "little Admiral."<br />
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Character Creation / Combat & Adventuring-Hero System 6th Edition:</b></u> The Hero System has a new edition out, and it's better than ever! Incorporating everything we've learned from over 28 years and input from the most fervent fans in the industry, the 6th Edition rules will be in full color and hardcover for the first time, just in time for the new excitement being built up by the forthcoming Champions MMO releasing this summer! Now in two separate books, the 6th Edition is also available for purchase as a set of both. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay</b></u> is a new, exciting way to experience the popular Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is a grim world, constantly at war. As a hero, you will take up weapon, spell, or prayer and do your best to combat the might of enemies terrifying to behold. As the Game Master, you will make the lands of the Old World real as you craft the story, the people, creatures, and the mysteries the other players will encounter during their adventures. Everything your group needs to begin its adventures in the Old World is included in the Core set. This Core set is an excellent way to bring new players into the fold, as well as to reward experienced roleplaying with new and exciting innovations.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>NON COLLECTABLE CARD GAMES</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Arcana:</b></u> Will the Guild of Blades control the city? The Guild of Thieves? Its up to you as you fight for the best agents to exert your influence. As the game is played, various stacks of "Stake" cards are revealed. Using the cards in your hand from your Main Deck, you will play agents to the various Stake cards, and you will use other cards to augment your agents. The player whose agent wins the Stake will claim it, placing it in his Resource Deck. Any card from your main deck that has been played also goes to the resource deck. When the main deck runs out, you reshuffle your resource deck into a new main deck. The more powerful the Stake card you win, the better it will make your deck as the game progresses. However, should you win a stake for a card that does not directly help your strategies, you can put the card under your Guild card, and still score at the end though not have to reshuffle that card into your deck, maintaining focus. Every card has a point value and at the end of the game the total point value of all the cards in your possession determines the winner. Each Stake is determined by various factors, such as military power, political power, money, etc. Each Guild has different abilities, such as the Guild of Blades always winning ties on Stakes determined by military power. Along with the Stakes, each player is given a number of Objective cards at the beginning of the game. Completing these objectives, such as "Control three Automaton Stakes" will earn the player additional points. By customizing your deck as you play and with four different Guilds to choose from, the replay value of Arcana is nearly limitless. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>BOARD GAMES</b><br />
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Captain's Log 40- Star Fleet Battles:</b></u> The Federation GSVX survey ship has encountered the first known Space Manta, a dangerous monster. Unable to find any way to destroy the ship, the captain must expend the lives of his pilots to gain as much information as he can before the Space Manta destroys his ship! Captain's Log includes fiction, tournament reports, and information for all of our product lines including updates, new ships, new rules, and new scenarios. Star Fleet Battles: Six new scenarios, Romulan variants of the F5W, Tholian heavy police units, Anarchist part 20, WYN LTT, Old M81 Galaxy pirates, Starswarm, S8 update, Victory at Origins, Term Papers, Triaxian Primer, Growler, and much more. Federation Commander: Three new scenarios, six new ships including two new empires, stasis field generators, command notes, Victory at Origins. Federation & Empire: A new rule, Q&A, Tactical Notes, Why, proposals board, new ships. Klingon Armada: Tactics, example of play, a new scenario, four new ships. Ten questions, Awards, After-action, Command the Future, Input Guide, Why, Proposals Board, Background Questions, Galactic Conquest, Klingon Imperial Line, SFBF Terrain Cards. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Atlantis:</b></u> You control a faction in beautiful Atlantis, the glorious civilization built upon the sea. No other city rivals its power. None command such riches. Now, the link between the land and your beloved home of Atlantis is crumbling! You must race to move your people along the great bridge to the mainland before it disappears into the thundering waters below. Picking up artifacts as you move, you must be wary of creating gaps in the bridge. For as the gaps proliferate and widen, those behind you face a costly-even perilous-journey to safety. So, flee with care and cunning. Be the first to guide your people to their new haven!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Megacorps</b></u>: MegaCorps is a game of economic domination. You control a MegaCorp — one of the six enormous conglomerates that dominate economic and political life in the mid-21st Century. You control industries, manipulate governments like puppets, and even wage war to open new markets. You win by making more money than the other MegaCorps. A player chooses industries in countries, hoping for big payouts by having less competition in the industry. But if you own an industry and want to build the same industry in another country you will need to get permission. Of course, you can try to take over the country first then build in there, using the force of countries you own and mercenaries you have or with those you can persuade allies to contribute. The type of government a country is can also have an effect on what you buy (or what you keep!). Kleptocracies can steal ownership of your industry. Dictatorships can nationalize an industry to shut you out. Democracies can buy you out.<br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-67804984894256949302009-11-17T14:08:00.000-08:002009-11-17T14:12:05.451-08:00New stuff at the Outpost : 11/17/2009<div style="text-align: left;">Hey all! Sorry it's been a bit, but the past week was just CRAZY. With our combat patrol kicking off for 40k and just a ton of otherstuff going on here at the store I just wasn't able to get anything posted. Now that things have calmed down a little bit, I really wanted to get the new releases for the past two weeks up so you all can see what fun and exciting things are new in the store. I'll also have another blog post tomorrow as well.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>RPG'S</b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Victoriana GM Screen</b> </u>-Packed with all the information a Gamemaster needs for easy reference during a session of Victoriana, this 'deluxe' thick screen will speed up your games and last for years.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Pathfinder: Seekers of Secrets</b></u> -At long last, the gates of the Grand Lodge have been thrown open, offering an inside glimpse of the Pathfinder Society! Packed with information about the most famous group of explorers on Golarion, this 64-page sourcebook is a must for any campaign that involves the Society, whether as employers or rivals.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Hero 6th Edition Basic Rulebook</b></u> -The Basic Rulebook contains all of the core HERO System rules, including character creation, combat and adventuring, and equipment - but without all of the options and details found in the standard rulebook. The Basic Rulebook boils the HERO System down to its essential elements so you can easily teach yourself the game, bring new players into your campaign quickly, or refresh your memory on a crucial rule. And when you're ready to move up to the complete HERO System, learning it will be a snap because the Basic Rulebook's already taught you the basics!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Traveller: Military Vehicles</b></u> -Sometimes battle dress is just not enough. Upgrading the vehicle creation system from Civilian Vehicles, Military Vehicles gives you the armour and weaponry you need for mass destruction. From simple scout skimmers to heavy self-propelled guns, to giant walking mecha, Military Vehicles contains everything a Traveller needs for self-defence on the road, in the wilderness and in the skies.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Shadowrun: Seattle 2072</b></u> - It’s a screwed up city. Isolated from the rest of the UCAS, it’s a haven for criminals—smugglers, syndicates, gangers. Legal criminals, too—mega corporations, governments, politicians. As beautiful as she is dysfunctional, Seattle is urban sprawl amid rolling hills and forests nestled up to man-made wonders next door to natural and man-made disasters. Whether you’re a native or not, Seattle will draw you in like no other. You can run for a lifetime and never leave Seattle, but some say you can’t run for a lifetime without entering. Seattle 2072, the second full-color hardcover as part of our 20th Anniversary of Shadowrun celebration. This 200-page book is the ultimate look at Seattle, presenting the City on the Sound in full color, like you’ve never seen her before.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Savage Worlds : Thrilling Tales</b></u> -The pulse-pounding excitement of the pulp magazines and cliffhanger serials of the 1930s and 40s, for use with the Savage Worlds rules system -- Grab your fedora and your ivory-handled .45s, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Star Wars: The Scavenger's Guide to Droids</b></u> -Gives players and Gamemasters access to a variety of droids from across the Star Wars saga. It includes new options for droid characters including talents, feats, equipment, modifications, quirks, and prestige classes, as well as other ways to customize droid characters, including templates based on different manufacturers.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Dungeons and Dragons: Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons</b></u> -A menacing menagerie of dragons for your D&D campaign. Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons describes several varieties of dragons, including gold, silver, copper, iron, and adamantine dragons. It also introduces several other kinds of metallic dragons suitable for any D&D campaign. This supplement presents dragons both malevolent and benign, and gives details on each dragon's powers, tactics, myths, lairs, servitors, and more. In addition, this book provides new information about draconic nations and organizations, and the roles that metallic dragons fill in a D&D game. Story and campaign elements in the book give Dungeon Masters ready-to-play material that is easily incorporated into a game, including adventure hooks, quests, and pregenerated treasure hoards.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>MINIATURES</b><br />
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<u>D&D Miniatures: Savage Encounters</u></b> -Expansion for Dungeons & Dragons features pre-painted plastic miniatures of iconic monsters from the Monster Manual core rulebook and other D&D game supplements. This 40-figure set includes monsters of various levels and roles, and each booster pack allows Dungeon Masters to run a ready-to-play D&D encounter right out of the box. Each booster pack contains one visible non-random miniature, and four hidden random miniatures.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>HeroClix: Hammer of Thor</b></u> -Throughout the ages, men and gods have experienced the power of Thor, Lord of Asgard, and his legendary hammer, Mjolnir. Now, Marvel HeroClix: Hammer of Thor Booster Pack will bring the might of the gods to your fingertips! Featuring not only the Thunder God, but also the heroes and villains of Asgard, this new HeroClix release boasts 60 all-new figures including the first Clix appearance of fan-favorites, The Runaways and marks the return of one of the most fun and exciting miniatures games of all time!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Hordes: Lord Morraig</b></u> -Morraig is an inheritor of an ancient and proud bloodline. War wolves that will barely tolerate the touch of man gladly bear him into battle, accepting his weight and fighting to the death to defend him. He is a pragmatic warrior predestined to lead the Wolves of Orboros to war. Few can match his cleft sword, and the enraged wolf beneath him snaps at any who evade his blade's edge.<br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-75729232514849398602009-11-07T02:22:00.000-08:002009-11-07T11:46:08.077-08:00Just an imprint.<div style="text-align: left;">I'm not a very happy camper right now, and it's because a certain snake has once again reared it's head in the Garden. That Snake is Ryan Dancey and the Garden is RPG companies. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">In an interview with <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25704">Gamasutra</a>, CCP's (The publishers of the MMO EVE Online,) Ryan Dancey had this to say about White Wolf Publishing. (CCP acquired White Wolf a couple years ago)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <i>"It's just an imprint... White Wolf used to have a fairly large staff. It doesn't anymore. It's focusing primarily on the World of Darkness RPG products. It's not doing some of the things it used to do; board games and other card games and things. The focus of the company [CCP] is on making MMOs and our legacy table top business is a legacy business."</i> <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This line might not be raising the dander in many folks, as it did mine, so let me take you on a little history tour, and show you why this might make someone's blood come to a bit of a rolling boil.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Way back in 1997, Ryan was part of a company called Five Rings Publishing. It was, in association with AEG, publishing/writing the hit CCG Legend of the 5 Rings. That's quite an accomplishment, but Ryan managed to accomplish quite a bit more. The deal that allowed Wizards of the Coast to purchase TSR inc was brokered by FRPG and Mr Dancey had a huge hand in it. So much of a hand that along with WotC being able to buy TSR, they also purchased FRPG.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">A few years later, the star of our show resurfaces when WotC publishes the Third Edition of the best known RPG of all time...Dungeons and Dragons. Ryan's hand in this was quite big...he was one of the primary creators of the OGL and the D20 open gaming license. He even was quoted at one point saying that there were too many gaming companies and too many gaming systems, and people needed to have just one good robust system with many genres, with everyone publishing stuff for the One Game. (Rumors that one of Ryan's first bosses was in actuality named Morgoth are unsubstantiated) I'm sure that many of the publishers of then-successful games were a bit taken aback at this man basically telling people that his goal was either to drive them out of business or make them convert their companies over to being subservient publishers of HIS company's games. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyone who played RPG's a few years ago can certainly remember the D20 boom. Everything was D20. Games that should NEVER have been translated into D20 were (Deadlands.. I'm looking at you) and because anyone and their inept dog who could type a few words was able to put out a craptastic D20 game. There was SO much chaff that it was nearly impossible to find the wheat. Many gamers (and more than a few retailers) were getting burned by buying just the most horrible D20 products which eventually caused a significant backlash against anything and everything D20. Where once the term D20 made eyebrows raise and people want to take a look, it became a warning sign, a pariah, and something to avoid, and a general source of ridicule. D20 went from untouchable, to damn near unsellable.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Many good companies got their start off of D20 ; Green Ronin and Goodman games are two that come to mind, and MANY companies quickly started churning out D20 products. Pinnacle, Atlas, White Wolf and frankly just about everyone involved in the industry, with the exception of a few. ( To this day the thought of what would have happened had Palladium actually made D20 Rifts still makes me break out in a cold sweat)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a couple of years after D20 made it's splash, that Mr Dancey ran for Treasurer of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Manufacturers_Association">GAMA</a>, the Game Manufacturers Association. GAMA is the organization that puts on the Origins Game show as well as the GAMA Trade Show. To many people, GAMA is as relevant as a third nipple, and to others its a vital part of helping to promote companies that don't have marketing budgets that resemble the GDP of small countries. It provides educational material, helps to show gaming in a good light, helps game manufacturers network and make connections, and acts to give the gaming industry something akin to a unified voice. The GTS is one of the only places that retailers can talk to publishers in a more business to business atmosphere.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Mr Dancey had been part of a group called FixGama. FixGama was dedicated to...wait for it...Fixing GAMA. GAMA wasn't perfect, not by a long stretch. The problems with the Origins awards were long and too numerous to go into here. Ryan Dancey launched an initiative to address these issues and reform GAMA from within. This is all well and good. Many of the things he advocated were things that really did need to get looked at and worked on. He was elected Treasurer of GAMA along with a few other members of the FixGAMA cabal.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then things went to hell.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll let the official press release take it from here.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Ryan Dancey tendered his resignation as Treasurer of the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Thursday. Dancey, who was elected at the Annual Membership Meeting a month ago, disclosed to the board shortly after his election that he had penetrated the GAMA Board of Directors e-mail list and had been reading board e-mails for some time. He certified to the board that no one else knew about this breach and that information gleaned from the action was not disseminated to any third party.<br />
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Last week, the board of directors informed members of the former board. Wednesday, the board informed the Full-Voting Membership at large. In the wake of discussion on the FVM e-mail list, Dancey decided it was best to resign.<br />
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"Over the past several weeks it has become obvious to me that the important work the Board was elected to undertake has taken a back seat to dealing with the issue of my access to GAMA's internal communications prior to the election," he wrote in his letter of resignation. "As I am aware of the number and nature of the immediate issues confronting the Board, and as I believe that the Board needs to address those issues as fast as possible, I believe that my continued service as GAMA Treasurer has become an impediment to that work, which must be removed."<br />
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"I hope that Ryan's resignation will aid us in moving forward," GAMA President Don Perrin said.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Dancey's resignation became effective at midnight PDT on the 29th. A successor has not yet been selected. Perrin indicated that further information on that subject would be forthcoming soon.</i> <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yes. He got access to private e-mails, and though it's not mentioned here, he used the information he read about there to get himself and some of his cohorts elected. He took things that were said on those private forums and use them in very subtle and manipulative ways for his own benefit. He violated the privacy of a good number of people, and damaged an essentially good organizations reputation. He completely confessed to this, and the issue is not whether Ryan was guilty at all, but <i>how</i> guilty he was. At one point in time, there were considerations of criminal charges being brought against, him. Sadly, that never happened as there wasn't a clear indication of monetary damages.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The aftermath of this was that Mr Dancey basically became something akin to a leper in most gaming circles. There were some who saluted his "bravery" in doing what he did, but others saw through that smoke and saw a smarmy dickweed, who felt that anyone who wasn't WotC was one step underneath sewer slime.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's fast forward a few years, and this...person.. becomes CCP's Chief Marketing officer. This is also the same company that has purchased White Wolf Publishing. White Wolf, at one point the #2 RPG producer (and it's arguable that at some points they were doing better than TSR), at one point the producers of games that totally broke the molds of table top gaming, are now being told that they are.....<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">"just an imprint"<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Just a little side company making little side things. He even goes so far as to call them a legacy business. You don't call something a 'legacy business' if you have much respect for something and/or it's future. It's a very slick way of being very dismissive. You use that term to refer to business that are "out-moded" or "obsolete".<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">CCP's Marketing director basically said that his "I give a crap factor" for White Wolf Publishing can be measured in microgiveashits. There wasn't anything AT ALL positive in what he said. No "we're looking for to working with them to bring out some great things". There wasn't anything at all like "with White Wolf's publishing prowess, we can move EVE online into other markets". There wasn't anything at all to give someone who loves White Wolf Games a glimmer of hope for their company's future. He even made a SPECIFIC point to mention that the staff had been cut and how CCP's business model was MMO's.<br />
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Back in 2007 he even made some predictions for the industry. <br />
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<i>"As a result of this change, look for White Wolf to become ultimately focused on its MMORPG offering, and by the end of 2007, to have reduced its paper-based publishing business to a shell entity, providing reprints of its games to a dwindling number of buyers."</i> <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">You can almost hear the derision in that statement there.<br />
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He recently said that WoTC was in a 'death spiral' for it's reaction to pull PDF offering from places such as Drivethru RPG, and in a review of Warhammer Fantasy RP, he even called it a "a clever derivative of D&D 3rd Edition" despite the fact that though the revamp of WFRP came out after D20, it was still so based in it's original form which predated D20 for MANY years.<br />
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I think what we're seeing here is perhaps one of the greatest cases of <b>Schadenfreude </b>I've ever seen. The D20 bubble burst and caused a good deal of misfortune for many, publishers, retailers and distributors. If D20 had continued to be the juggernaut that Dancey envisioned, perhaps he would not seem to bitter to the hobby that put him on the map. <br />
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I truly feel sorry for White Wolf at this point. I feel for the writers who toil to put out great books for it, and I feel for the fans. I think it's obvious at this point that CCP's Director of Marketing will NEVER allow White Wolf to even try to be anything more than "just an imprint" and a "legacy business". He's written them off, I cannot see anything but a long, slow decline into utter irrelevance for White Wolf now, based on this attitude from it's corporate parent.<br />
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It bothers me that this person, who at one time screwed over the biggest industry organization is now back in the circle again of having some influence over what was a great RPG company.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It bothers me that this person, who at one time basically wanted gaming companies to play by his way or hit the highway, can't even be bothered to feel that it's worth it to work to build the brand of what was one of the most popular RPG brands.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I guess it mostly bothers me that once again, this man is being given a platform to pontificate from.<br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-87948308602217431832009-11-03T15:12:00.000-08:002009-11-05T09:58:28.152-08:00We join the revolution!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Power to the People! The proletariat gaming masses will rise up with one voice and overthrow the shackles of the bourgeoisie opressors who only allow us limited gaming possibilities with no innovation. WE WILL BE FREE!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">um..oops. Sorry about that. I got caught up in the power of the revolution. Not a revolution for politics, or civil rights or anything like that. I'm caught up in an Indie Press Revolution. If the internet has been a blessing for game manufacturers, it's been a godsend to small press publishers. In the past, the biggest hurdle to small press RPG's was simply getting the word out. That's much less of a problem now. (not that a whole bunch of NEW problems have cropped up in their place). <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Many people scoff at Indie RPG's. They seem to think that if the RPG doesn't have a huge marketing campaign, some great IP that they're based off of, or 'conventional' mechanics then it should be avoided. I really do feel sorry for these people because if you really want to push the envelope and see what's really possible with RPG's then indies are the way to go. The authors of these games, in order to stand out against the mass market pablum, have to be VERY innovative. Usually they take some niche, or single concept, and hammer it into an iron hard concept. I've seen games that use Roulette wheels for resolution, (<a href="http://www.twistedconfessions.com/fastlane.php">Fastlane</a>) and one horror game (Dread), uses a Jenga block to simulate the growing horror that a horror RPG SHOULD have. (I've yet to really see horror coveyed properly, with the exception of two RPG's that i've been in.. both were Deadlands game...but I digress). These games aren't your standard ones, and you will have to accept that some of the conventions you're used to are not only thrown out the window.. they're weighted down with cement blocks and dumped off of a pier without so much as a "badda bing..badda boom".<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Today I pulled the trigger on ordering a number of games from Indie Press Revolution. IPR is a distributor of small press RPG's, and being the awesome folks they are, they also sell to retailers. I've gone through their lists, and picked out some of the ones that look the most intriguing and have them on their way. With any luck, they'll be here by the end of the week.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">There's actually a good amount of risk involved with this. The RPG market is not strong. It's not even mediocre. It pretty much sucks right now. Sales have consistently been dropping for years. ICv2, one of the industry watchers, published some figures that would seem to indicate that the RPG market has shed about 50% of it's sales in the past 7 years. Ouch. My sales haven't been THAT drastic, but RPG sales have certainly been flogging for some time now. 4th ED hasn't sold to the levels that 3.5 did, and aside from a few titles, the entire industry is in a bit of stagnation here and there, punctuated by a few little bright spots. There's a good part of my business sense that argued hard against bringing these in, but in the end, while I don't think that sales of these Indie RPG's are going to catapult me to new heights, it brings in something new and fresh that we haven't had in a good while. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, even if you don't want to pick up a pitchfork and join in with the revolution, check out some of the new titles that we're bringing in. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much fun you can have from a game you might never have heard of.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Spirit of the Century</b> is a complete, stand-alone pulp role-playing game based on the award-winning Fate system (Indie RPG Awards include: Best Free Game of 2003, Best Support, and Andy's Choice). Spirit features a heavily revised, revisited, and reimagined vision of Fate. Character creation can be done as quickly as a few minutes, or expand to take up an evening; adventure design is a snap with three methods for creating relevant, flavorful, player-focused stories at a moment's notice. Spirit's mission is to deliver an evening of fun, a "pick-up" game that requires little preparation, but provides hours of entertainment.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trail of Cthulhu</b> is a complete game of investigative horror set in the 1930s based on the work of HP Lovecraft. The game uses an adpated and enlarged version of GUMSHOE system which offers a laser-like focus on investigation, with characters driven to explore and investigate, even at the expense of their own health and sanity.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAuy1YJdh4XS-T2-0CYWp_nX_zEJdbBvM5y6ManCAfKYqP2HrC03CiZugXusHBvqlT-baxxFzOUltJNtX91xvH6O76J8cXPfW1BE0JZmU2_iYgkTf_NKKUyHQ6JL48GeA5zfQR2xYmhiv/s1600-h/t_16474_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAuy1YJdh4XS-T2-0CYWp_nX_zEJdbBvM5y6ManCAfKYqP2HrC03CiZugXusHBvqlT-baxxFzOUltJNtX91xvH6O76J8cXPfW1BE0JZmU2_iYgkTf_NKKUyHQ6JL48GeA5zfQR2xYmhiv/s320/t_16474_01.png" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Agon</b> - Agon is an action-packed roleplaying game about ancient Greek heroes who face brutal tests from the gods. With bravery, cunning, honor, and strength, one hero will prove to be the greatest and secure immortality in legend. Agon supports fast-paced, competitive play, with mechanics designed to create an even playing field for players and the game master. Oath-swearing and trash-talking are highly encouraged.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Esoterrorists</b> - You are elite investigators combating the plots of the Esoterrorists, a loose affiliation of occult terrorists intent on tearing the fabric of the world. The Esoterrorists introduces the GUMSHOE rules system, which revolutionizes investigative scenarios by ensuring that players are never deprived of the crucial clues they need to move the story forward.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96_bEgPPNb1aU3TOvftYpr3DSbTI1MF_hHTU_TJJIv5gfrw88okh8RW_6wyZRB0iCrd7c287cyJp7lOVMTGBnC3kEvK0LgxsRN_JIcsmITz_tAoI0oGXGhfijWCql3QlzQNOBkx1oKuQg/s1600-h/t_16378_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96_bEgPPNb1aU3TOvftYpr3DSbTI1MF_hHTU_TJJIv5gfrw88okh8RW_6wyZRB0iCrd7c287cyJp7lOVMTGBnC3kEvK0LgxsRN_JIcsmITz_tAoI0oGXGhfijWCql3QlzQNOBkx1oKuQg/s320/t_16378_01.png" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Thousand Suns</b> - Strap on your blaster pistol, grab your space suit, and get ready to journey into the future as imagined by the greatest writers of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Thousand Suns is a science fiction roleplaying game that includes all the rules needed to play. In addition, it describes the Thousand Suns setting, detailing its worlds, alien races, and conflicts. The setting provides not only lots of detail but plenty of options as well, allowing Game Masters to tailor it to suit their needs. Everything from world building to starship combat to alien species creation is here, so that nothing stands in way of creating the ultimate science fiction adventure.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1001 Nights </b>- Mysterious strangers. Beautiful women. Enchanted swords. Talking camels. You play members of the Sultan's Court, whiling away the sultry nights by telling pointed stories to advance your own ambitions. Navigate the social maze and you could win your heart's desire; offend the wrong person and you suffer the Sultan's wrath. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>The Arsenal of Heaven</b> - You had normal lives before you were Armed. Now you are plunged into a world of shape-twisted monsters who feed on suffering, sorcerers pursuing forbidden power, crimelords and secret government projects. But that’s okay. You’ve got two things going for you: determination, and the Weapons of the gods. Time to introduce them to the monkey king’s staff, the thunderer’s hammer, the messenger’s sandals, the devil-slaying sword... 'The Arsenal of Heaven' is a roleplaying game of modern supernatural fantasy, based around the short and simple NUGGET rules. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EdMSob_LW3Ikqlr8HfIokpezRiX4vBcBRCb-7byCH0RwK4Zjc388YMhekTmn_7_LZF1uvSkpqp8Sn_QIxRyYtN4q6WCPjijjV3LTrOSEWDXrR4E2pH-0wV_ZbcrUTBses9nhIfrJtV39/s1600-h/t_16585_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EdMSob_LW3Ikqlr8HfIokpezRiX4vBcBRCb-7byCH0RwK4Zjc388YMhekTmn_7_LZF1uvSkpqp8Sn_QIxRyYtN4q6WCPjijjV3LTrOSEWDXrR4E2pH-0wV_ZbcrUTBses9nhIfrJtV39/s320/t_16585_01.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Reign</b> - A fantasy game of dominion and leadership. Using the One Roll Engine popularized by GODLIKE and WILD TALENTS, this fantasy game puts the characters in the roles of monarchs, generals, ideologues and leaders of movements. In addition to the individual level of personal heroism and infamy, REIGN adds rules to roll the fortunes of churches, great families, conspiracies and kingdoms. History turns on your actions. How will you reign? <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fu7HDD8SATgKdylS8ZbCaGTYgub7Rod2KL9bmk6q9n5czVLpuUfNLgunp6ucfB9rNed5F68K3EkiNNC9fDN-mum8YjssxRoV-oCL2VRDaJnRg8ry7nQMu916QD9dBUTmgNd8OC4kGcij/s1600-h/t_16591_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fu7HDD8SATgKdylS8ZbCaGTYgub7Rod2KL9bmk6q9n5czVLpuUfNLgunp6ucfB9rNed5F68K3EkiNNC9fDN-mum8YjssxRoV-oCL2VRDaJnRg8ry7nQMu916QD9dBUTmgNd8OC4kGcij/s320/t_16591_01.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>A Dirty World</b> - A roleplaying game of angry decisions, ugly ethics, and black city streets. A game of film noir. "A Dirty World" rethinks the One Roll Engine to focus relentlessly on character. Hard-boiled private eyes, dirty cops and femmes fatale make their hard choices and hide their grubby secrets. "A Dirty World" features... * A unified conflict mechanic, where gunfights, duels of deceit and emotional blackmail not only work the same way, but fuse seamlessly. * "Swift Justice" character development. Instead of tracking and spending points, your character's abilities improve in direct reaction to the game's events. * One-Roll Mysteries, a mechanic to spit out intricate plots with one throw of the dice. * Rules that don't merely support drama, they are drama. Only meaningful choices push your character forward. There is no easy way, by definition. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Montsegur 1244</b> - Do you renounce your heretic beliefs and do you wish to receive the forgiveness of the merciful Father? In March 1244 this question was posed to several hundred Cathars. They had surrendered to the army that had besieged the castle of Montsegur for more than nine months. More than two hundred answered no, and thereby chose death by fire. Who were these people that chose to die for their belief? In Montsegur 1244 the players collaborate to create a story about who these people were. Each player takes on the role of one of the besieged Cathars who will face the choice between life and faith. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Mist-Robed Gate</b> - There are some things that we value more than life. There are things we're willing to scheme and cry and fight and die for.That's what wuxia cinema is about;fighting and dying for the things we care about. That's what Mist-Robed Gate is about. Presented by Shreyas Sampat and Two Scooters Press, Mist-Robed Gate gives you all the tools and references to fill an evening with martial-arts drama, including a game system, an extensive filmography, and a collection of recipes so you can cook your own kung-fu feast.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_2XQINORqY-YKgafKSz7zEnmoqgzK7PixR0xWoO1T51SQWuU0CVZly_bAWuKJp81rvyQAhRKNmDvbxIUkCONND_WszRgik_emuCnHBFNL1vsEzzGcbpaHBmzAG8knSgkPBMFrQSVcZWV/s1600-h/t_16839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_2XQINORqY-YKgafKSz7zEnmoqgzK7PixR0xWoO1T51SQWuU0CVZly_bAWuKJp81rvyQAhRKNmDvbxIUkCONND_WszRgik_emuCnHBFNL1vsEzzGcbpaHBmzAG8knSgkPBMFrQSVcZWV/s320/t_16839.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies</b> - Enter the world of Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies (S7S), the latest game from Chad Underkoffler featuring the PDQ system! In S7S you'll find a richly detailed setting of sky-ships, piracy, intrigue, mysticism, musketeers, and more, whether you're sailing through the haunted Ghost Sky, battling pirates from the inconstant isle of Ilwuz, intriguing in the Spider Empress' court of Barathi, or chasing thieves across the rooftops of Agua Azul. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nH54lvdQQ33FO2_RWvc32CB9S-DlyHUBzZQ35UDLDn6tPQVDTu6XBBTUOPny4zpdBDrXp2qeTElRAIhTRIwylRFeh-CJSrc1Q3wabdWLutcAfTzzLnXC7-o4n0bjfK4w7wVOE_j7_qsC/s1600-h/t_16861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nH54lvdQQ33FO2_RWvc32CB9S-DlyHUBzZQ35UDLDn6tPQVDTu6XBBTUOPny4zpdBDrXp2qeTElRAIhTRIwylRFeh-CJSrc1Q3wabdWLutcAfTzzLnXC7-o4n0bjfK4w7wVOE_j7_qsC/s320/t_16861.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Colonial Gothic</b> - All have read about the founding of America. This history shows what led to the American Revolution and the cry for independence. The history is clear, and there is no real dispute over these events. Or is there? There is a secret history, and this history deals with events that took place in the shadows. These events played a role in the history of the American colonies and the Revolution that few know about. The truth is hidden, and plots are afoot. Events are moving behind the scenes, and lurking in the shadows are agents with their own agenda. War is coming. The Siege of Boston is lifted, and General Washington is leading the Continental Army to New York. The enemies are many, but as to who they are, you do not know. Newly revised and expanded, this edition of Colonial Gothic builds upon what has come before and also presents new options and guidelines for running a supernatural historical horror roleplaying game set during the dawn of the American Revolution. Colonial Gothic is a supernatural historical horror roleplaying game set during the dawn of the American Revolution.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySU_gwWH9MsTn9inLjpUZldD7wNDKglO7RI9kuVDj3iDrl-FAxto2mj6T1I85ytdhe653-CaWIFKHauYK3blmBbtGgOn1gbaKwdSwjZI4YgHcjG9lMZ3FJvjdU9y0FqQ07Jzl75jGCaCR/s1600-h/t_16907.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySU_gwWH9MsTn9inLjpUZldD7wNDKglO7RI9kuVDj3iDrl-FAxto2mj6T1I85ytdhe653-CaWIFKHauYK3blmBbtGgOn1gbaKwdSwjZI4YgHcjG9lMZ3FJvjdU9y0FqQ07Jzl75jGCaCR/s320/t_16907.png" /></a><br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-5951315805065718882009-10-30T13:36:00.000-07:002009-10-30T13:38:57.921-07:00New stuff at the Outpost : 10/30/2009<div style="text-align: left;">This week was a bit of a slow one for new releases, and with a few exceptions, things should remain fairly sedate throughout the Holiday season, as many manufacturers concentrate on selling through their backlist instead of trying to madly rush to get a product out for the holidays. We did get a few goodies in this week, and here they are.<br />
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<b>RPGS</b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The Rifter® (Palladium System)</b> is your doorway to unlimited imagination and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new heroes, powers, weapons, magic and adventure for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider. </li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2HNGaxObg9zFhZowlFz73QXcdk8JCifcu9_m2KRwevxI4lwSDyU1Kk5UyOnMu7cxJ1JzAF_hYDSs9BZ7soOUMmPbP4RdTS9OwRYRUH0eQQCIN7rN7DXONKAZsPMPymXptubLz9mKJ-0M/s1600-h/148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2HNGaxObg9zFhZowlFz73QXcdk8JCifcu9_m2KRwevxI4lwSDyU1Kk5UyOnMu7cxJ1JzAF_hYDSs9BZ7soOUMmPbP4RdTS9OwRYRUH0eQQCIN7rN7DXONKAZsPMPymXptubLz9mKJ-0M/s200/148.jpg" /></a><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Shard RPG</b> The Suns have risen, and a unique world awaits you. Welcome to Dardunah, World of the False Dawn! The animal within you can be unleashed in this truly cinematic role-playing experience that introduces an exciting universe of rich cultures, deadly intrigue, wild martial arts, mysterious magical rituals, and alien environments</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObjLWOvw4dZmNeS60PnKcY54LmdVfzzpTamTzquEXXceaT5QO0ubPYoA2RfRBk4DsiDoIN6XhfwGQSdpNPlwTl9h_4OOeHdnmBS6afsNLq4Goyyp7ANdPUebr4kOl9oOCsJEouthWMfYg/s1600-h/S2PSSD10100_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObjLWOvw4dZmNeS60PnKcY54LmdVfzzpTamTzquEXXceaT5QO0ubPYoA2RfRBk4DsiDoIN6XhfwGQSdpNPlwTl9h_4OOeHdnmBS6afsNLq4Goyyp7ANdPUebr4kOl9oOCsJEouthWMfYg/s200/S2PSSD10100_500.jpeg" /></a><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Hydran Attack (Federation Commander)</b> Includes eight scenarios, one of them is the Energy Monster. Also included rules for new terrain (nebula, black hole, pulsar). Includes 40 large counters for FCHA, 40 more large counters for the ships in Booster Packs 91-95, and 140 half-inch counters for both! </li>
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Frostmarch Expansion (Talisman)</b> Can you overcome the bone-chilling storms and strange creatures or will your blood freeze when you behold the Ice Queen's cold, cruel gaze? The Frostmarch expansion features 4 new character cards and plastic figures, 84 Adventure Cards, 20 Spell Cards, 24 Warlock Quest Cards, and 3 Alternative Ending Cards - including a final climactic battle with the Ice Queen. Brace yourself against the onslaught of the Frostmarch!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m8gzzcEdMxKqF93KfyVvcaFudIRqAgIorT9hVRIeMjP_l1T38XKI9hanCN4BbMU7CO4SHFx0faWwiHE1csxfnh5RLjOVq8jJmLEizuEjSQSDHYELhnX5X7G16sh4iE73INZn1OS30kLR/s1600-h/d79df61f.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m8gzzcEdMxKqF93KfyVvcaFudIRqAgIorT9hVRIeMjP_l1T38XKI9hanCN4BbMU7CO4SHFx0faWwiHE1csxfnh5RLjOVq8jJmLEizuEjSQSDHYELhnX5X7G16sh4iE73INZn1OS30kLR/s200/d79df61f.png" /></a><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Garruk vs Liliana Duel Deck (Magic the Gathering)</b> These ready-to-play 60-card decks showcase some of the best spells that green and black Planeswalkers have in their arsenal. Duel Decks: Garruk vs Liliana has eight rare cards, and six cards with new artwork, including foil alternate-art versions of Garruk Wildspeaker and Liliana Vess. Each of the cards in the 60-card decks will be black-bordered and tournament legal. This means that these cards are legal for use in any tournaments where the original printings are still legal.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisERfKXQwvKkCGJtYT-XzHxl1vvPndS2PnovEoNmoaeSsulvuNUPuDtEaDPomdnLtD-iwE95mtXHoVB1gp4JnA9m7hkRdJCNiR9Wmsi5qOMgR4Fs79n1Qeq-eJhKmhY2g3VbgFfLRMylmn/s1600-h/garruk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisERfKXQwvKkCGJtYT-XzHxl1vvPndS2PnovEoNmoaeSsulvuNUPuDtEaDPomdnLtD-iwE95mtXHoVB1gp4JnA9m7hkRdJCNiR9Wmsi5qOMgR4Fs79n1Qeq-eJhKmhY2g3VbgFfLRMylmn/s320/garruk.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-25321757984806997522009-10-22T15:53:00.000-07:002009-10-22T15:55:40.820-07:00New stuff at the Outpost : 10/22/2009<div style="text-align: left;">We've had a good deal of new releases into the store here this week, and instead of breaking it up into a bunch of posts, I'm making it all one big MEGA post of all of the fun and exciting stuff to come in this week.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">So..without further adieu...<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>ROLEPLAYING</b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Pathfinder Bestiary</b> - The Pathfinder RPG Bestiary is the must-have companion volume to the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook. This imaginative tabletop game builds upon more than 10 years of system development and an Open Playtest featuring more than 50,000 gamers to create a cutting-edge RPG experience that brings the all-time best-selling set of fantasy rules into the new millennium.</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOXFLOziRbZF3Nls2NpPlhb8oxhrCk2w2w5F9HdhH9Q4kIglDyKPmiRz1Yro1lof8eskYJpU6es-pETVD_BqLAuF9PX7PgLtWSwMhXslgE_B2RbAsQ4kEEajoJxmrU_6PlknI-HvKCYAW/s1600-h/Pathfinder_Bestiary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOXFLOziRbZF3Nls2NpPlhb8oxhrCk2w2w5F9HdhH9Q4kIglDyKPmiRz1Yro1lof8eskYJpU6es-pETVD_BqLAuF9PX7PgLtWSwMhXslgE_B2RbAsQ4kEEajoJxmrU_6PlknI-HvKCYAW/s200/Pathfinder_Bestiary.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b><br />
</b><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Compass of Celestial Directions : North (Exalted)</b> - The fifth of five Terrestrial Direction books devoted to fleshing out the bare bones of Creation presented in the Exalted core book, this guide to Creation's Frozen North features mass combat stats for the forces of Whitewall, Gethamane, the Haslanti League, and other Northern powers, as well as dominion stats for the Mandate of Heaven, plus traits for the North's native gods and beasts.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I3tpUxh_1-F2HvMMJ7sOe_AkGFKTQI1anrLW648FPO8WC9KZ6Eh1jh_r5s1ZQhw9iEwL2YnzB3WMc1WirF0_NrzW5qQA0z8m4bnXdsHkZjU23lwuaG1rNzbHBlY2Ns4PCsDCJY74niTj/s1600-h/WWP80204_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I3tpUxh_1-F2HvMMJ7sOe_AkGFKTQI1anrLW648FPO8WC9KZ6Eh1jh_r5s1ZQhw9iEwL2YnzB3WMc1WirF0_NrzW5qQA0z8m4bnXdsHkZjU23lwuaG1rNzbHBlY2Ns4PCsDCJY74niTj/s200/WWP80204_500.jpeg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Prince of Undeath (D&D Adventure)</b> - This adventure can be run as a stand-alone adventure or as Part Three of a three-part series of adventures that spans the epic tier of gameplay. The adventure begins in E1—Death's Reach, and continues in E2—Kingdom of the Ghouls.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9LXk3QOMCifQpYqZyyhIsu5WvPFaFvaxoKdG2y5bgvjgITyK0tPim4QqlwmQBb51Sm1GJPntAO1B57s5QNkJ3RbbBeLubdRsy5hQEAtZhepp8tRqQR_jWBO1nTo-hbBJlbpi6vJOxVYi/s1600-h/Prince+of+Undeath+LR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9LXk3QOMCifQpYqZyyhIsu5WvPFaFvaxoKdG2y5bgvjgITyK0tPim4QqlwmQBb51Sm1GJPntAO1B57s5QNkJ3RbbBeLubdRsy5hQEAtZhepp8tRqQR_jWBO1nTo-hbBJlbpi6vJOxVYi/s200/Prince+of+Undeath+LR.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Primal Power (D&D)</b> - This must-have book is the latest in a line of player-friendly game supplements offering hundreds of new options for D&D characters, specifically focusing on heroes who draw power from the spirits that preserve and sustain the world. It provides new archetypal builds for barbarians, druids, shamans, and wardens, including new character powers, feats, paragon paths, and epic destinies.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWa9r8TfiuzysfJKSuENphiW4rb6LrW_Vf3XVnTiBzTcSPsXwDh54bgC5uAtj7xqsaNwX-olp28l1yYowNOTP04wBeDWHHz1guVbjnkMn8dM95qcnLIhKWhqeGk8FLaXJsWi9YA29ZYHC/s1600-h/WOC2191172_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWa9r8TfiuzysfJKSuENphiW4rb6LrW_Vf3XVnTiBzTcSPsXwDh54bgC5uAtj7xqsaNwX-olp28l1yYowNOTP04wBeDWHHz1guVbjnkMn8dM95qcnLIhKWhqeGk8FLaXJsWi9YA29ZYHC/s320/WOC2191172_180.jpeg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Sinister Woods (D&D)</b> - This D&D game accessory gives Dungeon Masters an easy and inexpensive way to include great-looking terrain in their games. This set provides ready-to-use, configurable tiles with which to build encounter locations. This accessory contains six double-sided sheets of illustrated, die-cut terrain tiles printed on heavy cardstock. This set of tiles allows Dungeon Masters to build outdoor encounter sites with wondrous terrain.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6SIJqjx5SmIAkXbDGS1J2GsK9U28UMJ3b6RthVmeVdk5H_WOv6AivXoNJY1beQiEY5CkePFzXBWiLeMaCfA93Z39CIk4yAeV5lPPY9716m6FZNNziwwR8VyW5ROtyfbrEuvm6N8uIIPi/s1600-h/WOC24208_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6SIJqjx5SmIAkXbDGS1J2GsK9U28UMJ3b6RthVmeVdk5H_WOv6AivXoNJY1beQiEY5CkePFzXBWiLeMaCfA93Z39CIk4yAeV5lPPY9716m6FZNNziwwR8VyW5ROtyfbrEuvm6N8uIIPi/s200/WOC24208_500.jpeg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>BOARD GAMES</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Carcassonne: Wheel of Fortune</b> - Wheel of Fortune is both a full replacement for the base game of Carcassonne and an expansion to the original base game. It includes 72 tiles, consisting of 63 tiles released in the original base game, 6 from Inns & Cathedrals, 1 from Traders & Builders and 2 from King & Scout. It also includes a special replacement start tile which depicts the Wheel of Fortune, a new mechanic unique to this edition of the game. The new start tile is the size of 16 tiles, arranged in a 4x4 square and is built using some of the tiles removed from the base game.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwf9dcazEvRrhdD-SThNU4Y1mUy01AESwpMtoPQQ-YWlUe89gWUal2SG9wqa38g_9RTDgsOcjzR8HLuLba4ACxKGXrHpSTG5ZwY6Wgc8OLLXPfA4JKjOl7IxNIH5ZULuaIKJJDvi4NQp5j/s1600-h/20727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwf9dcazEvRrhdD-SThNU4Y1mUy01AESwpMtoPQQ-YWlUe89gWUal2SG9wqa38g_9RTDgsOcjzR8HLuLba4ACxKGXrHpSTG5ZwY6Wgc8OLLXPfA4JKjOl7IxNIH5ZULuaIKJJDvi4NQp5j/s320/20727.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Grind</b> - Suspended just above a lake of seething magma, this flame-scorched arena is ground zero for the most brutal sport ever created—Grind! Here 10-ton, ash-spewing, steam-powered robots called steamjacks fight to move a giant, spiked ball into the other team’s goal. Using every weapon in their arsenal, these steamjacks slam, smash, and crush their way through the opposition as they tirelessly slug it out for the title. The Destructodome is the battlefield for two rival teams of armored metal warriors: the Iron Storm and the Steel Fury. With their eyes on the prize these two teams will stop at nothing to own the blistering field, so pack your playbook with cunning maneuvers, loadout your team with devastating weaponry, and get ready to stake your claim to glory.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBwYjLjX1eJOd0RyURBw58TH-imGBBjXB68Tf3A81T79kHjAt_Q4CPP95ghlRs8hJoASPQKo8oSKfuO_pNrxrrVWZMbLuefZ4Fm-kzEv677qeFhQXZaLySyHtgerI4IIzJPuUxdWTJcma/s1600-h/grind-cover.preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBwYjLjX1eJOd0RyURBw58TH-imGBBjXB68Tf3A81T79kHjAt_Q4CPP95ghlRs8hJoASPQKo8oSKfuO_pNrxrrVWZMbLuefZ4Fm-kzEv677qeFhQXZaLySyHtgerI4IIzJPuUxdWTJcma/s320/grind-cover.preview.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>MINIATURES</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Masters and Minions : The StarCorps Dossiers - Masters and Minions (Battletech) :</b> The StarCorps Dossiers is a sourcebook from the perspective of StarCorps Industries, compiled from dozens of sources by an army of administrators, all with an eye towards furthering StarCorps markets and interest. Masters and Minions is a complete who’s-who of the BattleTech universe, with well over a hundred personalities detailed. Short overviews of all the major and most minor factions of the Inner Sphere are also included, briefly covering such details as their most notable factories, planets and military forces.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR66Gi7VqNTHrZIrVhcwjGrYrK8TApk2alBsw2hXDk3i36nx5Dwsr2pn3onngACIKKl_kU4Rydmw0wzDk7FqfZVOV1tplDiax5D3qUUGxaOSMa4p8Fruc6kOuRdx4_4ibrp5m-PMXJwXUp/s1600-h/CAT35240_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR66Gi7VqNTHrZIrVhcwjGrYrK8TApk2alBsw2hXDk3i36nx5Dwsr2pn3onngACIKKl_kU4Rydmw0wzDk7FqfZVOV1tplDiax5D3qUUGxaOSMa4p8Fruc6kOuRdx4_4ibrp5m-PMXJwXUp/s200/CAT35240_500.jpeg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Retribution Strike Force Mage Hunter Unit (Warmachine)</b></li>
<li><b>Retribution Strike Force Mage Hunter Commander Unit attachment (Warmachine)<br />
</b></li>
<li><b>Nayl Character Solo (Warmachine)</b></li>
<li><b>Dawnguard officers and Standard (Warmachine)</b></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b>Marcus Gideon, Undead Hunter (Reaper)</b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Drunken Pirate (Reaper)</b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Murkillor the Wraith King (Reaper)</b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>Weapons Pack VI (Reaper)</b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>DHL Classics : Female Barbarians (Reaper)</b></li>
</ul>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-3770909859961119742009-10-17T16:26:00.000-07:002009-10-30T13:38:03.688-07:00New stuff at the Outpost : 10/17/2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">We recieved most of our new releases in the middle of the week, but a few things managed to make their way in on Friday. Here they are, in all of their gaming glory.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b>MINIATURES</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Space Wolf Battleforce</b> (Warhammer 40k)</li>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOk6slzBahxYRC82a-fl_xA26Q0JXYWx-Tss458A5l-R-5wq-RLC3BPDRzU7KFZDWrd0m2s_Ku21NAAlLiusOuBq9J6kVB0kEyPXRSJaR2o1hsMkA9M3Z55qA0pw6d9pgoXih1Ow2Uu3y/s1600-h/Battleforce-SW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOk6slzBahxYRC82a-fl_xA26Q0JXYWx-Tss458A5l-R-5wq-RLC3BPDRzU7KFZDWrd0m2s_Ku21NAAlLiusOuBq9J6kVB0kEyPXRSJaR2o1hsMkA9M3Z55qA0pw6d9pgoXih1Ow2Uu3y/s200/Battleforce-SW.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Arcane Legions- </b> If you ever wondered what happened to the guys from WizKids just take a look at this game and you will know what they have been doing with the downtime after WizKids closed their doors. Players each field "bases" of variable sizes (Sortie/small and Formation/large) with individual figures inserted into starting positions on the base. The goal is to control victory point areas and inflict losses on the opponent. Movement and battle resolution are conducted through a unique formation management mechanic that allows players to move figures around on the unit bases to increase either movement/melee/ranged combat at the cost of losing capabilities in the other areas.<br />
</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeL1osjA9FviYD9KJ_AhE2BsXM100pev70y8WoKqi9jIMTbbFHd3z1N43rF5NxxYfAmoYJWJWC7yTApEL3s_q6gB3GQVNK56VJ23A2dPkfb9RCZTWdTKYT8BDRqYTAt-Pk-3gDUkH0KC6/s1600-h/JFC+ARCANE+LEGIONS+STARTER+SET+CONTENU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeL1osjA9FviYD9KJ_AhE2BsXM100pev70y8WoKqi9jIMTbbFHd3z1N43rF5NxxYfAmoYJWJWC7yTApEL3s_q6gB3GQVNK56VJ23A2dPkfb9RCZTWdTKYT8BDRqYTAt-Pk-3gDUkH0KC6/s320/JFC+ARCANE+LEGIONS+STARTER+SET+CONTENU.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Hell's Highway</b> (Flames of War) Operation Market Garden: The main forces included in Hell’s Highway are an Irish Guards Armoured Squadron, a Welsh Guards Armoured Recce Squadron, a Guards Rifle Company, a 2nd Household Cavalry Squadron, US Parachute Rifle Comapny (both 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions) and a Fallschirmjäger company with two variants for the veteran 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment and the battered and rebuilding 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq8DKeehXql7_Ho5_LJvG4oGcw61yFwcoyDuxhzM1R_x_rSYUENf1vz_1a2nhdjGXNHWlMrENSGSB8KwLcZMbq7lIKy86C2IW442tJFABIqv4rWk-KKckbhCI9jxe1653ImUKTYXacz0b/s1600-h/Hells-Highway-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq8DKeehXql7_Ho5_LJvG4oGcw61yFwcoyDuxhzM1R_x_rSYUENf1vz_1a2nhdjGXNHWlMrENSGSB8KwLcZMbq7lIKy86C2IW442tJFABIqv4rWk-KKckbhCI9jxe1653ImUKTYXacz0b/s320/Hells-Highway-Cover.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b>ROLEPLAYING</b><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Realms of Cthulhu (Savage Worlds)</b> Whether you seek action and adventure battling cultists in sun-drenched jungle temples, a shadowy milieu of dark words and impossible deeds, or a twisted mixture dredged up from the darkest recesses of imagination and nightmare, you will find the rules you need and the inspiration you desire within these pages. Four distinct styles impact how physical damage and mental anguish are handled. This allows you to effortlessly shape and direct the focus of your campaign, from the pulpiness of Heroic Horror to the grim desolation of the Dark Spiral. Insight and advice are offered to the Keeper concerning magic, modifying monsters, and creating adventures, as well as a detailed roster of supporting cast members, and a comprehensive bestiary. For Savage Worlds.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpuDF_cIGrMYelUWZkrS72eAr5xIcCnwjOTRZkvlc8x9pGZnr6Ly3TQq-xCrc2PcZGtF629X7ZPE_K87NCjvZQphoxc86nvr1-CJz5GgXniEmtCcrd83dRsSm-Gvl-2KwpU9UQJu_yxN_/s1600-h/roc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpuDF_cIGrMYelUWZkrS72eAr5xIcCnwjOTRZkvlc8x9pGZnr6Ly3TQq-xCrc2PcZGtF629X7ZPE_K87NCjvZQphoxc86nvr1-CJz5GgXniEmtCcrd83dRsSm-Gvl-2KwpU9UQJu_yxN_/s200/roc.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Mortal Remains (Cthulhu Tech)</b> The New Earth Government. A place of progress and hope. A world carefully crafted by the powers that be to give lives to those it protects. The last hope of humanity in a time when it seems as if our light will be extinguished forever. The Migou. Beings from a nearby world who have always viewed the Earth as their backyard, to be used and abused as they will. Creatures caught unawares by what we have become and intent on destroying us because of it.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecQiTF0EUijud9y42WwcKur5P9GdO00GfKgGIKx-Q0shDFJlN_cw4kF2XtjMyNJRRFQwdgsJyFV-6cqJkijxEgMsMIlPHvy53Sg8iEXx66CqjyXVsYO14g1UTnL6p9V3L_QBjkRdA8Dm4/s1600-h/64601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecQiTF0EUijud9y42WwcKur5P9GdO00GfKgGIKx-Q0shDFJlN_cw4kF2XtjMyNJRRFQwdgsJyFV-6cqJkijxEgMsMIlPHvy53Sg8iEXx66CqjyXVsYO14g1UTnL6p9V3L_QBjkRdA8Dm4/s320/64601.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-60591332255271068252009-10-14T16:35:00.000-07:002009-10-14T21:01:27.233-07:00New stuff at the Outpost : 10/14/2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We have some exciting releases for RPG's and a magnificent looking board game in new at the store this week.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>BOARD GAMES</b></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The Adventurers </b>The Adventurers and the Temple of Chac is a new and exciting board game unlike any you’ve played before. From AEG and Dust Games, The Adventurers features a fast-paced thrilling run through the Temple of Chac, the Mayan rain god. As your intrepid adventurers delve through the ruins, they will face deadly traps guarding the ancient relics they prize.<br />
<br />
Featuring beautiful miniatures and exciting pieces to construct the traps of the temple, The Adventurers is one adventure you won’t want to miss!</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghau3FPz3nfhrCjj0zUy2-ycBlbge2OD_CoDLM8DAqWoRdx_xsVJWgnyfqVROw7DqGUdbDWRJvg5XTnitscI_O9bVoHX0f752tMVpfRlx8XJrf_gImPmc2pAm4ErkqDHajbIn7ESsuqA89/s1600-h/adventurers-3dbox.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghau3FPz3nfhrCjj0zUy2-ycBlbge2OD_CoDLM8DAqWoRdx_xsVJWgnyfqVROw7DqGUdbDWRJvg5XTnitscI_O9bVoHX0f752tMVpfRlx8XJrf_gImPmc2pAm4ErkqDHajbIn7ESsuqA89/s200/adventurers-3dbox.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ROLE PLAYING </b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Houses of the Blooded - </span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thousands of years ago, the ven ruled the world. They were a passionate people, obsessed with Romance and Revenge, opera and theater, and all the forbidden delights their decadent culture provided. In the end, that which made them beautiful was also the key to their own destruction. Houses of the Blooded is a game about tragic obsession. Set in the fantastic world of ven myth and legend, players take the roles of powerful characters bent on conquering their world, destroying their enemies and possessing all they desire.</span></span></li>
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdMXZxxTskPOWXE8cl81xramc9OpsD8jCgIdUqgTsqzItgRpXYny8Y1AKCcK67zjJeTkE8rppZuhprR1oNIFMuzxBoAKz8iDLXUVjaOzMNPere4Eu0uHCyJXcVa-ibTOBtbXEcCGoh2pf/s1600-h/houses_of_the_blooded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdMXZxxTskPOWXE8cl81xramc9OpsD8jCgIdUqgTsqzItgRpXYny8Y1AKCcK67zjJeTkE8rppZuhprR1oNIFMuzxBoAKz8iDLXUVjaOzMNPere4Eu0uHCyJXcVa-ibTOBtbXEcCGoh2pf/s200/houses_of_the_blooded.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Eclipse Phase RPG </b>- Eclipse Phase is an RPG set in Earth's far distant future, when humanity has achieved immortality by abandoning the need for physical bodies and transforming brain patterns into digital information. As a result, characters can change their bodies at will and always have a "backup copy" ready to deploy in case of "death." The game uses a percentile system and has no set classes, allowing customization based on skills, including psionic abilities.</li>
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> <b>Starblazer Adventures - </b>Gigantic fleets prowl the starlanes, mysterious aliens devise inexplicable fates for humankind, devilish scientists operate enormous engines of destruction and swashbuckling princes defend their world from ancient empires. </li>
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> <b>Secrets of New Orleans (Call of Cthulhu) - </b>New Orleans is a city of many faces. The gaiety of Mardi Gras is juxtaposed with the rampant corruption that earned it the nickname "The City That Care Forgot." The genteel decline of the French Quarter, the location of the city's original settlement, stands in contrast to the rich opulence of the Garden District, where the Americans later built their mansions. Voodoo and Catholicism exist side by side. Behind it's shining mask the leering visage of the Mythos can be found.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREaRogWLz7_1Gyi2wMvMfZEJwCALqD5qXkLw9ApuED7KtqCKay-ARP1OhEkFc0h1ERFU7Sm9XgGVm_-wHPuOyXG4R_txBhWhxg64bqEZm0BXUcJ2MxezzgWmihlauqnHmF6uVXaM8V2T0/s1600-h/CHA23114a.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREaRogWLz7_1Gyi2wMvMfZEJwCALqD5qXkLw9ApuED7KtqCKay-ARP1OhEkFc0h1ERFU7Sm9XgGVm_-wHPuOyXG4R_txBhWhxg64bqEZm0BXUcJ2MxezzgWmihlauqnHmF6uVXaM8V2T0/s200/CHA23114a.gif" /></a><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The Tome of Secrets (Pathfinder) - </b>The Tome of Secrets is a collection of advanced and optional rules for players and game masters of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.<br />
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<ul><li>8 new classes, including the Artificer, Knight, Priest, Shaman, Spellblade, Swashbuckler, Warlock and Warlord</li>
<li>3 new races, including the Half-Ogre, Ratkin and Saurian</li>
<li>Rules for character occupations (what your heroes did before they were heroes)</li>
<li>A system for character drawbacks, fleshing out your heroes with flaws</li>
<li>New rules for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, including Chases, Morale, Stunts, and more!</li>
<li>Game Master tools including a random adventure generator, a monster modifier, and a generator capable of creating over one million magic items!</li>
</ul><br />
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</li>
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-76517393323577781462009-10-10T14:09:00.000-07:002009-10-13T15:16:38.869-07:00New stuff at the Outpost : 10/10/2009Remember my last blog post where I mentioned that some weeks were feast and some were famine as far as new releases were concerned. Well, hello there famine..nice to see you...again.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Only a few things came out this week of note.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">MINIATURES</b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Uncharted Seas Templates and Tokens</b></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYte9u-TE0asziuxwmCm48IeZxVn1yDNg5lj04tQgF3-U21na238sm0CgvKqsXTdc4LYUY2eUjAwlMhEJLI4SL9HhLHYx7VW04zTA-viwWwfXr-IS41uY92fPVg3iMeB63ZWlmx4_k6dZ/s1600-h/temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYte9u-TE0asziuxwmCm48IeZxVn1yDNg5lj04tQgF3-U21na238sm0CgvKqsXTdc4LYUY2eUjAwlMhEJLI4SL9HhLHYx7VW04zTA-viwWwfXr-IS41uY92fPVg3iMeB63ZWlmx4_k6dZ/s320/temp.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">BOARD GAMES </b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Warhammer Invasion</b> - Warhammer: Invasion Living Card Game is an exciting two-player duel. The Core Set includes 220 cards, four player boards, and a supply of counters—all the materials necessary for players to take on the roles of either the indestructible Dwarfs, the shrewd Empire, the savage Orcs, or the vile forces of Chaos. Warhammer: Invasion Living Card Game uses a unique system in which players must expand their kingdom, carefully allocate their resources, and fiercely defend their capital against their marauding enemies.</li>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoMBwelC62M61NhU2eLT_K8iVjxucz_k7TDDr3Xh4kkDtgQeFRmsicyqraIPrYRUcZrI8ezAKxEvEv0gKwYZf9UVqiUwxv07ik1UYwBymEaKW7SehOa_y-EEBY3mjgr6laeRluEqmh5FT/s1600-h/WarhammerInvasionBox1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoMBwelC62M61NhU2eLT_K8iVjxucz_k7TDDr3Xh4kkDtgQeFRmsicyqraIPrYRUcZrI8ezAKxEvEv0gKwYZf9UVqiUwxv07ik1UYwBymEaKW7SehOa_y-EEBY3mjgr6laeRluEqmh5FT/s320/WarhammerInvasionBox1.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Chaos Marauders - </b>A vast Chaos army is marching north, when suddenly the sprawling mass of bored and surly Orcs grinds to a halt because of yet another petty feud. In Chaos Marauders, each player takes control of one of the Orc tribes involved, ready to show all the other mangy little creeps who's boss of dis ere scabby battle mob. Youll stop at nothing to win. No amount of trickery will be low enough, no amount of thugish brutality too vile. Who knows, you may even get the mysterious Chaos Marauders on your side! Only one tribe can come out on top - will it be yours? Chaos Marauders is a fast and frenzied game of Orcish mayhem for 2 to 4 players.</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_76874DPjuwkEr20vpguqD9VPUSnkbZ8txOKdfJO6n6OtMfoHfaHLXcOvvVRaW6it9X-xoMlJ8YlUSjLmmnGPGtTO9jI9idfV_aZq2huzopQ8mWD0LKdIZ2r8OfJlQB8YzyWrGtQG5P0/s1600-h/SL04_101_130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_76874DPjuwkEr20vpguqD9VPUSnkbZ8txOKdfJO6n6OtMfoHfaHLXcOvvVRaW6it9X-xoMlJ8YlUSjLmmnGPGtTO9jI9idfV_aZq2huzopQ8mWD0LKdIZ2r8OfJlQB8YzyWrGtQG5P0/s320/SL04_101_130.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><ul><li><b>Karatas, City of Thieves </b>-Located in the center of Barsaive, the city of Kratas is a veritable hub of information and stolen goods. Despite its location near almost all major trade routes, few honest merchants pass through the city, for Kratas is ruled and run by thieves. Its people are the clever and desperate, the illegally wealthy, and the horribly destitute of the province.<br />
<div class="small"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Kratas: City of Thieves offers gamemasters and players an indepth look at Barsaive's most disreputable city. This book provides detailed descriptions of Kratas, its gangs, and the characters who call this city home, along with new and original content for adventures in the world of Earthdawn.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5lE5eQNhEp3vdA4oNQ7MZHUIRc_leWl3TKFuMC5HpoIam31qQxvrBmY1kZLeQdxSmJbfEQfzUsOaIVRBR1W23lxEGWqKXZx3mMQCcfU0bmTjavwBumBePC3jpIiI5vEib8HLKkrSdhPR/s1600-h/MGP6150_180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5lE5eQNhEp3vdA4oNQ7MZHUIRc_leWl3TKFuMC5HpoIam31qQxvrBmY1kZLeQdxSmJbfEQfzUsOaIVRBR1W23lxEGWqKXZx3mMQCcfU0bmTjavwBumBePC3jpIiI5vEib8HLKkrSdhPR/s320/MGP6150_180.jpeg" /></a><br />
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<b> </b>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-50109705180519662862009-10-07T17:44:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:20:39.625-07:00New stuff at the Outpost 10/7/2009<div style="text-align: left;">We received a midweek order this week that contained some MAJOR new releases, in addition to some special orders hitting in as well.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">MINIATURES</span></span></b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Retribution Warcaster Garryth</b></li>
<li><b>Retribution house Shyeel Magister Solo</b></li>
<li><b>Retribution Soulless Escort Weapon Attachment</b></li>
<li><b> Retribution Arcanist Solo</b></li>
<li><b>Retribution Ghost Sniper</b></li>
<li><b>Retribution Invictor Officer and Standard</b></li>
<li><b>Tharn Bloodweavers Unit </b><br />
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</ul><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ROLE PLAYING</span></span></b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Rogue Trader</b> - In Rogue Trader, players take on the role of a Rogue Trader and his most trusted counselors, empowered by an ancient warrant of trade to seek out profit and plunder amongst unexplored regions of space. Fame and fortune reward the bold, but the unwary find only an anonymous death! (this book looks dead hot sexy - D )<br />
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</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovdKTKjsShjWoE7rnbSSyFMIvK4ABrmhE-Izyy4Hs2b-Gx5O0IcuU5wKuUzy-kWWP7QNgD0GkFu6kL62iNI2BJUD-375oyFZTOK_ZgLA2LjzeYrnhr-Rd6Nj7x21g1DWm_XY9JMaDVQ-P/s1600-h/RT-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovdKTKjsShjWoE7rnbSSyFMIvK4ABrmhE-Izyy4Hs2b-Gx5O0IcuU5wKuUzy-kWWP7QNgD0GkFu6kL62iNI2BJUD-375oyFZTOK_ZgLA2LjzeYrnhr-Rd6Nj7x21g1DWm_XY9JMaDVQ-P/s320/RT-Cover.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OTHER</span></span></b><br />
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</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Card Sleeves for American sized board games</b></li>
<li><b>Card Sleeves for European sized board games</b></li>
<li><b>Mini card sleeves for American board games</b></li>
<li><b>Mini card sleeves for European board games</b></li>
<li><b>Cthulhu 101 </b>- Aimed squarely at those who are "Cthulhu-curious" and modeled after such short, light-tone books as the Bluffers Guide series, Cthulhu 101 combines clear, concise answers to common questions like "What is Cthulhu?," "Who is <span id="lw_1254962495_6">H.P. Lovecraft</span>?," and "What is the <span id="lw_1254962495_7">Cthulhu Mythos</span>?", complete with "Top Ten" lists of Lovecraftian stories, movies, and other Mythos milieu. (this book is absolutely HILARIOUS! I Highly suggest taking a look at it! -D)</li>
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-12850099312894291642009-10-05T19:16:00.000-07:002009-11-05T10:07:57.097-08:00The Claudius Syndrome<div style="text-align: left;">In the third Act of Hamlet, King Claudius tries to say, "I'm sorry." He has a lot to be sorry about. After all, he's murdered his brother, stolen his brother's wife, and taken the kingdom of Denmark. That's a lot of guilt. So he urges his "stubborn knees" to bend, and he tries to confess his sins, and be forgiven.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">There's only one problem: Claudius is willing to say what he did was wrong, but he's not willing to give up any of the booty he's taken! He admits that his contrition is unforgivable since he is unwilling to give up the spoils of his ill-won battles. He can't give up Gertrude or ruling the kingdom, and he can't confess to the people at large that he murdered his own brother. He's just not willing to pay the price for his mis-steps.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It would take a brand new definition of the word 'denial' to say that I'm not aware that there have been many many times I have not had the follow through that I should. At times, I can be what is best described as forgetful. This can be best exemplified in the way I have, or the way that I have NOT handled special orders. I know for a fact that a lot of people out there are less than thrilled with my track record there. Frankly, I'm not either.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, obviously, my sins are not as serious as those of Claudius. On the other hand, Claudius is an imaginary person who isn't real, while the mistakes I have made are real. So who is to say which set of crimes is more serious. In the end, Claudius and his cohorts on the stage are teachers, and the lesson they teach us is simple:<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Saying your sorry isn't worth much if you're not ready to make amends for the actual mistake with more than just words.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's difficult to make amends to those people for whom I've disappointed with my lack of follow through on the special orders. The mistake is done, and in some of the cases, the offended have moved on or away. What I CAN do, is to take steps to make sure that this doesn't happen again, and make sure that if I make a further mistake, it's met with more than just a 'sorry'.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am committed to making sure that things like this don't happen again. I MUST make my actions speak louder than my words.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Therefore, I'm instituting the following changes to the way that Special Orders are handled at the store.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you place a special order at the store for a product that is not currently out of print, if I do not either contact you within two weeks as to the status of the order or have the product here in the store for pickup, you will be given a store gift certificate for three times the value of the special order.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bend, stubborn knees. Because words without thought never to heaven go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiih-4JvI8QpAhE56hjStGrZFDJ2VBYETO54Eb-W5GKI69qb_Z6CQYL-DX6paZnxwizv0AIFrqxE5lFS3a9VTKdPs15L6VVKHopeKfJbNbKpRmfk1Vely3hVfym0jMgRUbguum56iNNAoP/s1600-h/Claudius_at_Prayer_Hamlet_3-3_Delacroix_1844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiih-4JvI8QpAhE56hjStGrZFDJ2VBYETO54Eb-W5GKI69qb_Z6CQYL-DX6paZnxwizv0AIFrqxE5lFS3a9VTKdPs15L6VVKHopeKfJbNbKpRmfk1Vely3hVfym0jMgRUbguum56iNNAoP/s320/Claudius_at_Prayer_Hamlet_3-3_Delacroix_1844.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-31324187737495748262009-10-03T15:07:00.001-07:002009-10-03T15:21:19.403-07:00New stuff at Outpost 10/3/2009<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Miniatures<br />
</b></span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Space Wolf Codex: </b>The Space Wolves are back and are badder than ever<br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Space Wolf Pack: </b>This box can be used to make Blood Claws, Grey Hunters, and Wolf guard. <br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Space Wolf Terminators: </b>complete with plenty of hand to hand combat options. <br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Najl Stormcaler: </b> master psyker of the Space<br />
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<b>Lukas the Trickster: </b>cunning and powerful Blood Claw <br />
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</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Board Games<br />
</b></span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Starmada: </b>The Universal Game of Starship Combat is a simple (but not simplistic) board game of starship combat, in which players square off in a general attempt to blast each other's fleets into just so much space junk. <br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Starmada – Klingon Armada: </b>Klingon Armada contains all of the rules options, additions, and starship designs necessary to allow players to pit forces of the Klingon Empire against their perpetual enemies, the Star Fleet of the United Federation of Planets.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Pandemic : On the Brink of Extinction: </b>On the Brink will add new roles, new variants, and new diseases to the game. Some new roles include the Archivist, The Generalist and the Bio-Terrorist<br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>CCG's<br />
</b></span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Zendikar Boosters<br />
</b><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Zendikar Fat Pack</b><br />
<br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Zendikar Intro Packs</b><br />
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</div><br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>RPG's<br />
</b></span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Faulkner's Millinery and Miscellanea: </b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The essential guide for 1867, Faulkner's is packed with detail on clothing, equipment, weapons and incredible steam powered devices. You are not properly equiped without it! Sourcebook for the Victoriana RPG</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUhSHEjTiUyfnhC8tCTMVgWQJg-1b4yAnamZd1JlWZQrWgNnsYtR8xzfVx_Ve9vNFWCjspbhaeDUEKrWS94bzD6KY_UCMWSg0Vn7UCku132Wa1cx_mOXKxPmWW0DLt0lMnNo6c1t_kbKq/s1600-h/thumbnailfaulkners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUhSHEjTiUyfnhC8tCTMVgWQJg-1b4yAnamZd1JlWZQrWgNnsYtR8xzfVx_Ve9vNFWCjspbhaeDUEKrWS94bzD6KY_UCMWSg0Vn7UCku132Wa1cx_mOXKxPmWW0DLt0lMnNo6c1t_kbKq/s200/thumbnailfaulkners.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>The Marylebone Mummy: </b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">A dinner invitation turns to a night of horror. Can the characters destroy the Marylebone Mummy before its too late.<br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><b>Savage Worlds Weird War II:</b> In the horror of war, dark things rise, and World War II is history's greatest conflict. Prepare to battle the evil of the Axis powers and the hideous things that rise in their wake<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-73394495938762908132009-09-29T18:31:00.000-07:002009-09-29T18:33:13.433-07:00What and Why: Part 2 - Manchild in Suntown<div style="text-align: left;">Ok. I know that I said that it'd be tomorrow when I put up the next post, but the weekend was just BUSY. This is the first chance I've had to sit down and write. So.. back to our saga.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The hero of our story had just recieved the ring of power and was making his way to the Elven stronghold....oh..wait. Wrong hero and wrong story. *sigh* His is much better than mine.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As an aside, I do promise that this will be the last 'purely vanity' post on here. I don't want everyone to think that this going to be just about me, there WILL be a bunch of stuff about gaming, both playing and being a retailer and about stuff going on at the store. It is difficult to talk about the store and not have a bit of 'me' creep into it, but I'll work to make sure that it's not all about me.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I got to college, I fiddled around with some other games here and there. I got into a short lived Dungeons and Dragons game, and then got into FASA's Starship Tactical Combat Simulator.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwNfxs3E10co5MUtWKmnsgTnJkQRm23SKWXsYg1-p0OZwWrpK8cxpkXP0dY9O592AoS7ZdBeQEtZFOlHiq9D9zsxY2sWTeKmmvmPdtKF6OX_DfPOrxqSH7_Lj2wzr2dYfUkg5jqu2__XJ/s1600-h/FASA-StarshipTacticalCombatSimulator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwNfxs3E10co5MUtWKmnsgTnJkQRm23SKWXsYg1-p0OZwWrpK8cxpkXP0dY9O592AoS7ZdBeQEtZFOlHiq9D9zsxY2sWTeKmmvmPdtKF6OX_DfPOrxqSH7_Lj2wzr2dYfUkg5jqu2__XJ/s320/FASA-StarshipTacticalCombatSimulator.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Ahhh.. the memories. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ran into the same problem with that game that I did with my previous foray into games like Dune and Richthofen's War: no one to play with.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPjy9iReHDrLgfwZbOrj7kvGY5NQd2ltsiAycR3BRRqQDHKMJu4aPplzqTKkL8w-QQalkzl4d6cG45oakt9WSeISJs2fuo3aDsRirygQ32dlAqpC8QH8jRkk7kZguP9owpD3gyn_DjpW5/s1600-h/cyberpunk2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPjy9iReHDrLgfwZbOrj7kvGY5NQd2ltsiAycR3BRRqQDHKMJu4aPplzqTKkL8w-QQalkzl4d6cG45oakt9WSeISJs2fuo3aDsRirygQ32dlAqpC8QH8jRkk7kZguP9owpD3gyn_DjpW5/s200/cyberpunk2013.jpg" /></a>It wasn't until my second year of school that I met someone else that shared my passion for gaming, another student named Altan Khendup. Altan was from the Berkley area and introduced me to Anime and to one of the RPG's that I would continue to have a love affair with for many many years. Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk was unlike the RPG's I had played in the past. There weren't classes, there weren't spells, and most importantly, there was a STORY. Altan was great at making the world come alive and about making me care about the <i>why</i> rather than the <i>how</i>. Why were we being attacked? Why was the crimelord wanting this person kidnapped? Why did the things happen the way that they did? It opened up a completely new world for me. I saw gaming as much more than just a tactical exercise, or numbers crunching quest. I saw it as a vehicle for telling a story, for sharing a tale, and for bringing in the players to help craft that yarn. So much of what I am and know as a Game Master was taught to me by Altan, just though sheer example. I'll always be forever in his debt.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After one more year I met the next person who would shape me as a gamer: Jeff Smith. Jeff was working at Hobby Bench, a general hobby retailer here in Phoenix. He had worked at several other hobby stores in Ohio and though he also was well versed in other hobby aspects (RC and modeling) he was their go-to guy for gaming. At that time I was living in an apartment complex behind one of their stores, and just by random chance we met. He and I struck up a conversation and we found that we had a lot in common. We soon became fast friends and were gaming regularly together.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jeff used to make regular trips to Tucson to deal with some other hobby accounts, and occasionally I'd go down with him to keep him company on that long drive. One day, after seeing some of the books on his shelf at home, I asked him a question that to this day has had lasting consequences on my life. "So, tell me about this Warhammer 40k game." He started telling me about the Imperium of Man at Bell Road and I-17 and didn't finish until we got to Tucson. When we got back home he gave me some extra Space Ork figures that he happened to have laying around and we started playing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was hooked.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Again.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavZzVAIWZFaPpe_Jsyl-4nBvnnWzRFVDNvKIJ5ftpPQ8VsT-A1q5mdRR0VU2y8kt7kbUcFdN1HkGVcseW1f-oZYCyCPYkvBW7uKhqr5fxjU7Tg11pEg23F-kR9efyiEWAeJCLngOLqhgn/s1600-h/Rogue_trader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavZzVAIWZFaPpe_Jsyl-4nBvnnWzRFVDNvKIJ5ftpPQ8VsT-A1q5mdRR0VU2y8kt7kbUcFdN1HkGVcseW1f-oZYCyCPYkvBW7uKhqr5fxjU7Tg11pEg23F-kR9efyiEWAeJCLngOLqhgn/s200/Rogue_trader.jpg" /></a>I became a 40k addict, and spent many, MANY hours painting figures, writing army lists, and getting my ass royally handed to me in battles. During this time, I also was a bit more exposed to the gaming community. Cons, tournaments, and other such gatherings, and I started to gain an appreciation of the importance of the gaming store, not only as a place to sell games, but as a place to gather, talk, and just make connections with others in the community.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time passed, and I continued to split my time between RPG's and miniatures games...oh...work too. At this point, I was doing some freelance programming for Checker Auto, and i'd grown disillusioned with the computer field. Jeff had been working at a local store called Waterloo Games (pretty much a valley institution at the time) in their north location. He had decided to move on and go to work for Games Workshop, and I ended up taking over for him at Waterloo Games. Finally I had achieved one of my dreams : I was working at a game store!<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The year that I worked there was an amazing education, working at the store. I never would have imagined the differences that being on the other side of the counter made. Things I had taken for granted as a customer were now completely different, and I quickly realized that working at a game store was NOT all fun and games. (go ahead and groan..everyone else does when I say that).<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Without going into the gory details, I rapidly came to the conclusion that I could do much better on my own. I started to research business plans, marketing strategies and began to scope out locations for a potential store. After leaving Waterloo having undertaken a successful negotiation with the First National Bank of Parents, I started work on opening my own store. Imperial Outpost Games.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The original store was small (funny though that it sure didn't look small when I first moved into it.) and served me well for those first four years. In the time that I've run the store I have met some of the greatest people that a person could hope to call friend. The quality of people I've met through the store is something I constantly marvel at. The friendships I've made through the store are some of the things in life I value the most. They say that the measure of a man is the friends he keeps, and if that's the case, I'm truly blessed.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's all because of gaming.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gaming has brought me great friends, great times, and has managed to put food on my table for several years now. Few things make me as happy as a good Friday night, when 6 different games are being played at the same time and the store is standing room only.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have the opportunity to share something that I love with others, and that's a rare gift. Gaming brings people together, gives them a good reason to laugh, and in a day when computers and the internet and taking a bigger and bigger share of folk's time, it gives them a place to come and be social with each other.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I hope that this rambling has given all 4 readers of this blog a bit of a better idea of where I'm coming from when I say :<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love gaming.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's not something I say because I just make my living from it. It's not something I say because I'm expected to. It's something I say because I truly feel that it's made my life better.<br />
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</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3018558164984727665.post-80522145455187835142009-09-25T20:36:00.000-07:002009-09-25T20:40:41.709-07:00What and Why: Part 1 - In the beginning..there was gaming<div style="text-align: left;">They say that the first step of any journey is the hardest. Whoever said that must have known, at least instinctively, about blogging. This being my first post here, it's probably good to lay down what it is that I hope to accomplish here with this blog, and then provide a bit of an introduction to myself, and why I own a game store. . After all there really is a person behind these words on the screen.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, starting with what I plan to be putting up here :<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Updates about the store - what's happening, what's coming in, and other such nonsense. I promise to not let that dominate things though.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thoughts about the gaming industry - as a retailer for 11 years and an <strike>addict</strike> consumer for...much..longer, I have a good deal to share about this industry/hobby<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Game reviews - I'm in the fortunate position of being able to play a LOT of games. You might want to know about them.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Painting projects - Yes. I paint miniatures. Yes. I play miniatures games too. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Occasional rant - I really can't say right now what I might rant about, but that's the beauty of rants.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">That should deal with the WHAT adequately, but the WHY is a bit harder to answer.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I love games.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">ok..maybe it was a bit simpler than I thought. Still though, I should at least TRY to explain a bit more.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Games have always been a part of my life. Growing up, there was always a board game to play, and some of my fondest memories growing up were sitting down and playing a game with my family. Chinese Chess, checkers, Life, Monopoly (which would invariably end with me reduced to tears and my dad owning FAR more property than the laws of statistics would dictate as possible), Bonkers, Mastermind, Battleship, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.criticalgamers.com/archives/pictures/DuneBoardgame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.criticalgamers.com/archives/pictures/DuneBoardgame.jpg" width="152" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As I grew up, my taste in games changed a bit. I branched out into some of the Avalon Hill board games. Richtofens War (which to this day I still LOVE), Dune (which to this day I still LOVE MORE), and Squad Leader. Sadly, I didn't have a lot of people to play these with as my parents really weren't too interested in the intracicies of the Fokker D VII or just who the Baron Harkonnen was and why he hated Paul. With most of those games, I went from being a practicing gamer, to more of a gamer theorist. I contemplated playing the games, I would many times set them up, but I rarely got a chance to actually practice my imagined skills.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Around this time, (which would be 1979ish) my cousin introduced me into something which would change my life...Dungeons and Dragons. My first character was named Kenelm, and I distinctly remember the fun, deadly, strange, deadly and lengthy (did I mention deadly) adventures we ran through.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I was hooked.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Not only was I hooked, I was VERY lucky in two respects. First, we had a store in Great Falls, Montana that actually sold Dungeons and Dragons - Hobbyland. Second, I had supportive parents in my new hobby. They had heard the reports out there that D&D was evil, satanic and pagan. While we were up at Hobbytown one bright and glorious day, they looked at some of the books I was <strike>begging</strike> respectfully asking them to purchase for me. Looking through the books, they came to the conclusion that they did NOT understand what this game was about, but were pretty sure that anything Satanic would NOT have so many charts, lists, and math. A few minutes later, I was the proud owner of The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual. (no doubt it was the purchase of said book which made the day as bright and glorious as I remember it). I am incredibly thankful that my parents looked at the game with an open mind and were comfortable with my playing it.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">After that, I started branching out into a few other RPG's, namely Top Secret and Boot Hill. Painting miniatures also went hand in hand with RPG's back then and it wasn't long before I had the full range of Testors Enamel paints. Nightly, I would spend hours ruining perfectly good figures with my pathetic attempts at painting. Some of these first figures are still in my possession, though safely under lock and key. Eventually I was introduced to the magic of Acrylic paints and my painting skills went up considerably after figuring out some of the things acrylics allowed me to do.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">During high school I joined the Chess Club. It's quite ironic, that. At NO time did we EVER play chess, and I don't even where the club's chess boards were. We were, in reality, the Wargaming Club. We played Boothill, a LOT of Napoleonics and some board games. ( I FINALLY got a chance to play some of those other wargames I had been picking up for several years). Eventually I was even the treasurer of the Chess Club. To this day I still don't know how to play chess.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">All good things must come to an end, and eventually I graduated high school and began the next stage of my life, college. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll pick up with exactly how to convert a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology into a happy, successful game store in tomorrow's post.<br />
</div>Imperial Outpost Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08346549685959560523noreply@blogger.com3