~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | Fine Games for Players & Collectors | | now located at: 2078 Madrona St., North Bend, OR 97459-2143 USA | | www.FineGames.com | ~~~~~~~~ 541-756-4711 866-690-7879 M.Dean@FineGames.com ~~~~ Games Update 1996 #11 July-Aug (20 Aug) 1996 WELCOME again to another Fine Games electronic newsletter.These updates contain news and other info of interest to active board gamers and collectors. They also explain how you can download copies of the many Fine Games' online catalogs at your convenience. C O N T E N T S Fine Games NEWS .......... What's going on at Fine Games - WWW/FTP Site Updated 8/13 - Having a Life Time Approaches NEW Games ................ Newly released games - Islawandha from Spain Pending Releases - World in Flames Status - Junta Returns - the next MAGIC Release New Chatham Hill Line of Games INDUSTRY NEWS ............ Decision Games Raises Prices 17% All Quiet on Genie ONLINE CATALOG ACCESS .... Downloading Files via EMail FTP Q & A Your SUGGESTIONS ......... Suggestions Always Welcomed F I N E G A M E S N E W S ONLINE CATALOGS UPDATED on the FG's WWW & FTP site on Tuesday, 8/13. These are now current. In particular, you'll find the prices of many later issues of S&T and most WWW issues to be very attractive. IT'S TIME I HAVE A LIFE. For the fourth year now, I'll spend a week cycling thru 450 miles of the SE Oregon countryside on Cycle Oregon in early September. This includes a sweep around Crater Lake, and 5 nights of camping in 1-tavern towns. Not to mention all that lycra... Please don't be alarmed or disturbed if I do not answer email or phone inquiries during the week of 8-14 Sept. I will honor all reservation requests in the chronological order received when I return. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION to this newsletter assumes that I have your correct email address. If you change your address for any reason, please send me your new mailing or email address immediately. N E W G A M E S The last two months have seen a deluge of new releases. An unusually high proportion of these are either must-have items (like the '96 ASL annuals to those needing their ASL fix), or just damn good games (such as AH's Air Baron or Mayfair's reprint of several German games). Last month, Fine Games began offering CHATHAM HILL games. These have been in print since '91 in some cases but only recently discovered. This line of 18 some games are uniformly VERY simple, making them suitable for novices & spouses. They focus on some truly unique subjects--whaling, car building & developing flight technology--while including a great deal of color & flavor into the games. Nearly all are inexpensive--$4.90 ea, so they're worth a look on my WWW site. Below are all the games released in July or August. Cash Publsr Game Title & Edition Box Wght Price Rels Date ------ ------------------------------ --- ---- ------- --------- AH $GREED Y $5.25 No idea what this one is about. But its a simple family game. AH AIR BARON BC $21.00 Modest complexity family-style gm of building a sml airline by securing access to airports, buying better planes, building hubs, etc. '96 AH ASL:ANNUAL '96 n 0.6 $14.00 Mag style compilation of new scenarios, terrain overlays, strategy & tactics articles, replays, etc. A must for ASL fiends. '95 AH STONEWALL'S LAST BATTLE BC $21.00 Rgt/div lvl gm of btl of Chancellorsville. 5th in ACW series. 4 scenarios plus Brandy Station, including a short intro senario. '96 CHAOS MYTHOS: INVESTIGATER BSTRS n $3.50 Complete set of 9 double sided investigator card otherwise found only in the starter decks. CCG based on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos & Chaosium's series. '96 COFA ARMY OF THE HEARTLAND FB $33.60 Detailed gm of the ACW in the West w/ focus on Kentucky, Tennessee & N.Georgia thru '63. Companion gm to Campaign of RE Lee. J.Prados'96 COFA ART OF WAR #23/24 n $4.90 Mag w/ add-on kit to Camp RE Lee or Army of Heartland plus variant for several other games. '96 COLUMG DIXIE: GETTYSBURG CARD GAME SB 0.3 $7.00 "Tradable, collectable" card game of the Am Civil War, this edition the btl of Gettysburg. Battles played w/ colorful & historically accurate cards in 30-60 minutes. Each deck contains 60 of the 300 possible cards representing all units present. '96 COLUMG DIXIE: GETTYSBURG CARD GAME SB $42.00 COMPLETE SET Complete set of all 300 cards. "Tradable, collectable" card game of the Am Civil War, this edition the btl of Gettysburg. Battles played w/ colorful & historically accurate cards in 30-60 minutes. '96 CRI ASL: ASL'96 PACK SCENARIO KIT n $7.00 Sml kit adding 10 well-tested scenarios involving the Jap/Chinese theater, 1938 to Korean War. '96 CRI ASL: CEMETARY HILL CAMPAIGN n $5.95 EXP KIT Adds overlays, a chapter tab, and scenarios from the fighting on Crete, 1941. '96 DECS_T FIRST BLOOD: GUADALCANAL n $11.90 CAMPGN,2ND #178 Sml gm of the land campaign for Guadalcanal, Spt'42-Jan'43 in Weekly turns. S.Llewellyn'96 GMT SAMURAI BC $31.50 5th in Grt Btls of History series. Covers samurai era & the btls of Sendoku Jidai. MAYFR MANHATTAN, 2ND BC $21.00 Americanized version of German game. Players compete to build up 9 cities, seeking to ultimately have the highest building in the world. Uses cards. '96 MAYFR SETTLERS OF CATAN (DIE BC $24.50 SIEDLERS) Americanized version of game named German Gm of the Year in '95. Players compete for control & development of an island. '96 MIH FIELDS OF GLORY BC $30.80 2nd in Gread Btls of History series. Covers 2 btls: Oudenarde (July 1708) in which Marlborough's daring wins over superior numbers as two armies run into each other in march order, and Malplaquet (Spt 1709) in which English assault French defending Paris behind fortifications. Bbtln/rgt lvl. R.Berg'96 WIZARD MAGIC: CHRONICLES BOX OF SB 3.2 $77.18 BOOSTERS Another version of Magic: the Revenue Stream. XTRCMD GREAT WAR IN THE NEAR EAST #38 n $17.50 Corp level gm of WW1 in Iraq, the Near East & the Caucauses. Stand-alone game designed to make w/ Great War in Europe. '96 AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 10X13" n 10.0 $84.00 1,000QTY 1,000 ziplock bags for scuff-free storage of mags & games. AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 2X3" n $5.95 100QTY 100 ziplock bags for scuff-free storage of components. AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 3X4" n $8.75 100QTY 100 ziplock bags for scuff-free storage of components. CHATHA VOYAGE OF THE MAYFLOWER LB $17.50 [DELUXE] 2-4 Players operate ships that begin the settlement of NEngland, and attempt resupply. Elaborates on smaller version by adding cards & much nicer components. R.Toelke'96 COFA JENA FB $30.80 Op lvl gm of the battles at Jena & Auerstadt, using the same system as Army du Nord. 3 maps, 1.5 counter sheets. '96 COFA PAINTER'S GUIDE TO WWII NAVAL Fo $13.30 CAMOUFLAGE First comprehensive study of camouflage schemes used by the world's navies during WW2. 64pgs. '96 DECGMS KRIEG! HC $30.80 Strategic WW2 gm at army/corp level w/ cards. '96 DEL CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON Fo $11.90 1796-1815 MINIRULE Fourth in a series of miniatures rules designed for fast play. Btln, rgt or brig lvl. '96 KEN MONTY PYTHON & HOLY GRAIL SB $86.94 CARD GAME BSTR KEN MONTY PYTHON & HOLY GRAIL SB $91.98 CARD GAME DECK LSTSTD ZULU, BATTLE OF ISANDHLWANA ZL $15.40 Modest sized DTP game of the British disaster at Isandhlwana. Grand tac scale. Some assy required. L.Joicey'96 MAYFR MODERN ART, 2ND BC $21.00 Americanized version of the German game. Buy & sell collectable art works at auction. '96 MAYFR STREETCAR: THE NEW ORLEANS BC $21.00 TROLLY GAME Tile gm of trolly car racing thru New Orleans using elements from 18xx series and Dampfoss. Americanized version of Linie 1. '96 ONE REBEL YELL!, 2ND BC $21.00 8/96 Lo lvl tactical game of division sized formations during Am Civil War. 7 scenarios. 2nd ed adds index rules w/ examples & errata, 3 holed. '96 ONE REBEL YELL!, 2ND RULES n $5.60 8/96 2nd ed rules (only) adds index rules w/ examples & errata, 3 holed. '96 PRG POLITICO CARD GAME SC $10.50 2-8 player card gm of campaigning to win elections between 2 players for each round. Lots of wheeling & dealing, in-fighting, $, etc. '96 SBE XXXENOPHILE ADULT CARD GAME SB $37.80 BOOSTERS Adult-oriented, softcore comic series in a card gm. 270 cards in a game similar to poker. '96 SBE XXXENOPHILE ADULT CARD GAME SB $69.65 DECKS Adult-oriented, softcore comic series in a card gm. 270 cards in a game similar to poker. '96 SIERRA LUFTSCHIFF: zl $2.10 RIESENFLUGZEUGABTEILUNGEN Expansion kit providing more scenarios & aircraft for this 1-2 player gm of operating & defending a Zepplin during WW1. '96 _BOOKS ART OF PLAYING MYTHOS n $6.30 Strategy guide to this popular card game series. P E N D I N G R E L E A S E S Many new games are scheduled for imminent release. However, repeated delays are normal delays in this industry. Be patient & stay tuned. WORLD IN FLAMES may be out next month. Owners of earlier editions may upgrade by purchasing individual components. However, since virtually all components have changed, you may find it most cost-effective to simply buy a new copy. Here are your options, based on firm but not certain price projections. (Prices are list; my 30% off list applies.) WiF Deluxe $110 Includes 4, maybe 5, kits plus the game itself. WiF 6th $55 Update game, including comprehensive rules, but no kits' maps or counters. 6th Rules $20 6th Upgrade $50 Map, counters & rules; no box. Such a deal. 6th Maps $25 4-map set 6th Counters $25 6 or 7 counter sheets Lastly, SHIPS IN FLAMES T-Shirts in Lrg, XL & XXL will be available for $5 with the purchase of any WiF 6th game or component. Oh wow, eh? FROM SPAIN, an insightful new desktop publishing (DTP) game of the disasterous British defeat at Isandhlwana from one of my customers. The system appears quite sound, the result of a labor of love. The map is black printed on olive stock. Counters must be cut apart. All components in good, tho sometimes overly formal, English. Lastly, West End Games has sold the rights to its Junta game to Mayfair, which will republish the game in Sept or Oct. I'm glad to see this great game back in print, and hope that some of the others WEG has been sleeping on will follow. Magic: Mirage will be release over the course of several months. I am now accepting advance orders for this game. Since this game will not be stocked, this is the only way to obtain this thru Fine Games. Cash Publsr Game Title & Edition Box Wght Price Rels Date ------ ------------------------------ --- ---- ------- --------- AH RENAISSANCE: CIVILIZATION IN BC $38.50 due 8/96 MIDDLE AGES Civilization system applied to the Renaissance era. AH ASL: ACTION SCENARIO PACK (NO n $8.40 due 8/96 BOARDS) Kit providing 18 scenarios set on ASL boards #42 & 43 (& 10, 35, 38). Req several modules for play. AH ASL: ACTION SCENARIO PACK n $14.00 due 8/96 (WITH BOARDS) Includes boards #42 & 43. Kit providing 18 scenarios set on ASL boards #42 & 43 (& 10, 35, 38). Req several modules for play. AVALAN DEUX MARE [FORMERLY SMS HC $26.60 due 8/96 GOEBEN] Commerce raiding in the Med & Black Sea early in WW1. 40 scenarios. '96 AVALAN FIRST ARAKAN HC $26.60 due 8/96 Smaller, fast playing gm of the Japanese drive up the coast of Burma, 1942, using the Blood on the Snow system. '96 AVALAN RED STEEL: KISHINEV TANK HC $26.60 due 8/96 BATTLE German & Romanian forces assault strong Soviet forces early in 1941. Also includes Battle for Naples expansion for Avalanche. '96 AWE EUROPA UNIVERSALIS EXPANSION n $16.00 due 8/96 KIT Reprint of expansion to this already massive game. 273 counters & new optional rules including streamlined combat system & historical monarchs for all European nations, & several more scenarios. Need any more? '94 AWE FRENCH REVOLUTION BC $42.00 due 8/96 Another lavish production, this time about the machinations of the French Revolution. '96 AWE HISPANIA BC $36.00 due 8/96 Multiple invasions of Iberia by dozens of races thru over 1000 yrs. Components are as lush as Europa Universalis, but far more manageable w/ 1 map & 19pgs of rules. '94 AWE ROSSYIA 1917 BC $36.00 due 8/96 Multisided, multiplayer game of the Russian Civil War. 4 scenarios & campaign gm. 2 maps & 1100 counters. Very nice graphics but far more traditional than other AWE gms. '96 CEE LAST CRUSADE: Fo $8.40 due 8/96 BEACHHEAD-BERLIN SCEN BOOK 144pg book w/ scenarios, expanded campaign, solitaire rules & strategy. '96 CHAOS MYTHOS: CTHULHU MYTHOS STD GM n $54.39 due 8/96 BOX OF DKS Completely new set of cards compatable w/ the Limited Ed CCG based on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos & Chaosium's series. '96 CHAOS MYTHOS: MYTHOS INVESTIGATOR n $3.50 due 8/96 DECKS CCG based on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos & Chaosium's series. Each pack contains the 9 investigator cards otherwise found only in the decks. CHAOS MYTHOS: STANDARD EDITION BOX n 3.2 $91.00 due 8/96 OF DECKS CCG based on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos & Chaosium's series. Each pack contains two different set of cards. COFA COMMAND AT SEA: NO SAILOR BUT n $20.30 due 8/96 A FOOL KIT Adds rules for shore engagements & commando raids to the Command at Sea system. Scenarios for Tarawa, Sea Lion, Wake Is., etc. Req standard rules & data annex. L.Bond, T.Sofian'96 COLUMG SAM GRANT BC $35.00 due 8/96 Brother game to Bobby Lee, uses Columbia's block system and a beautiful map to cover the Western campaigns along the Mississippi, 1962-4, in 3 yearly scenarios. Doesn't join to Bobby Lee but rules included to link the 2 games. Simpler game, fun. '96 GMT BARBAROSSA BC $32.90 due 8/96 GRD DESERT, WAR IN THE... FB $57.40 due 8/96 Revised & updated Europa system game encompassing earlier Desert War & Torch games & Near East kit. '95 HOB ASL: GOD SAVE THE KING KIT, n $14.70 due 8/96 4TH AddOn kit providing a mini-ASL campaign of the Red Devil's defense of Arnhem against the SS. 7 scenarios, rules & 13 scen campaign gm. Req Red Barricades & KG Peiper I. '96 HOB ASL: KING OF THE HILL n $14.88 due 8/96 12 scenarios & campaign gm for the fighting on Hill 112 near Normandy. '96 LUDOPR NO PASARAN! zl $28.00 due 8/96 Spanish import w/ English translation of game (plus untranslated mag). Btln/co lvl btl on the outskirts of Madrid using a system similar to White Death w/ a command system. 12 scenarios, 960 counters 2 maps, 56pgs of rules. '96 MAYFR COSMIC ENCOUNTERS, 3RD: BC $10.50 due 8/96 COSMIC NOVAS KIT 90 additional cards for Cosmic Encounters. MAYFR FREIGHT TRAIN SB $14.00 due 8/96 Simple card gm w/ all sorts of train cards. 2-5 players try to assemble the largest train of like-kind cars. '96 MIH TANK COMMANDER, E.FRONT BOX SB $84.00 due 10/96 OF 12 DECKS Collectable carg gm of armored warfare in the East at sqd & vehicle lvl. PUBOPO PUBOPOLY LB $17.50 due 8/96 Monopoly-like game in whcih 2-4 players build a microbrew empire. Includes $125 coupons to CA microbrews. (Speaking as someone from the microbrew capital of the world, CA microbrews seem to be intent on prefecting Budwieser. Bleech.) SIMTAC ALEXANDRIA 1801: END OF BC $69.30 due 8/96 EGYPTN DREAM Btl of Mandara & Canope, 1801. English defeat the last bastion of the French in N.Africa at Alexandria. Rules system is a variant of earlier system. '96 SPEARH THEY MET AT GETTYSBURG BC $24.50 due 8/96 Area move grand tactical game similar to Storm over Arnhem, same system as Bloodiest Day. Brig lvl. '96 _SFTWR OVER THE REICH CD-ROM DOS/MAC HC $49.00 due 8/96 3D strategy gm of managing a front line fighter squadron during the last half of WW2. Allocate planes, pilots, weapons, & fuel. '96 _SFTWR WOODEN SHIPS & IRON MEN HC $49.00 due 8/96 ? CD-ROM DOS CD-ROM only. 1, 2 & PBEM adaptations of the wondeful boardgame. Historical ship-ship & fleet battles, campaigns, & design your owns. '96 I N D U S T R Y N E W S DECISION GAMES raised its prices on most products by up to 17% as of the 1st of August. They provided little advance notice. All popular games' prices went up. However, a few games remained the same, and two games (Across the Suez & War of Rebellion) decreased in price. Future issues of S&T, beginning with #179, will also reflect an 18% price increase, to $20 list. Past issues will not change in price. GENIE, the 2nd tier online service, has plateaued after the mass exodus of users in the spring. Unfortunately, the plateau is basically depopulated. There is no gaming activity whatsoever. Youvelle, the new owner, was said to have defaulted on its first payment to GE by a sys op on the service. D O W N L O A D I N G F I L E S B Y E M A I L A little-known facility of the internet allows you to send a simple script of commands via email, and receive a response--including files-- back by email. This may be useful to you so that you can monitor what's available on my FTP site, or to download one or more of my catalog files. You MUST address your email request to special server addresses. I suggest either of the following: ftpmail@census.gov ftpmail@webster.dartmouth.edu In the body of the email, you enter a sequence of valid commands for the system being accessed (Unix in the case of my FTP site). In general, you OPEN the site desired, CHANGE DIRECTORY to the desired location, then execute whatever file operations are desired. Finally, you QUIT the operation. So, to retreive my _readme.txt file that details the current content of my catalog file, enter the following script: open ftp.FineGames.com chdir pub/vendors/finegms get _readme.txt dir quit The DIR command will provide a directory listing (in lovely Unix format) of the files in my main directory. LS will provide an abreviated listing. Remember that ZIPped files are binary and will arrive as one (or more) uuencoded emails which must be decoded (and possibly combined). Whether this causes you problems depends on your mailer program and your experience with the utilities necessary to process encoded files. Remember also that, while the straight TXT format catalogs are also available, these make for HUGE emails that may take a while to upload into your email reader. F T P Q U E S T I O N S & A N S W E R S I'm happy to attempt to solve FTP-related problems. But keep these points in mind especially when using any text-based FTP tools: * If your FTP program looses its connection prematurely, try setting your program's time-out threshold to at least 60 seconds. Or try contacting the site at times OTHER THAN evening hours PST. * My FTP site, like most, is CASE SENSITIVE. Use lower case letters unless a directory listing shows the use of upper case letters. * Most FTP sites use a FORWARD slash ("/") rather than the backslash ("\") that DOS users are familiar with in path statements. * Signon via Anonymous FTP. That is, signon with an account name of "anonymous" and a password which is your actual, complete email address. * Use a BINARY TRANSFER mode when copying ZIPped files of any sort. You can use BINARY or ASCII transfers with TXT (text) files. * You must use the current version of PKZIP to UNZIP compressed files. The current version is 2.04g. Earlier versions probably won't work. Y O U R S U G G E S T I O N S YOUR SUGGESTIONS that help me improve the service I provide to you via this Update or in any other way are greatly appreciated. Michael Dean Fine Games for Players & Collectors