~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | Fine Games for Players & Collectors | | now located at: 2078 Madrona St., North Bend, OR 97459-2143 USA | ~~~~~~~ 541-756-4711 866-690-7879 M.Dean@FineGames.com ~~~~~ Games Update 1996 #12 28 Sept. 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 SPECIAL OFFER ............ 35% Off New Games Ordered by 10/3 Fine Games NEWS .......... What's going on at Fine Games - I'm Baaaccckk! - FTP Site to be Updated ~1 Oct. - Back in Town NEW Games ................ Newly released games - the Mayfair 4 Pending Releases - Coming Very Soon! World in Flames War in the Desert INDUSTRY NEWS ............ Omega, 3W Disappearing Magazines in Limited Supply ONLINE CATALOG ACCESS .... Downloading Files via EMail Using a WWW Browser to Access FTP Q & A Your SUGGESTIONS ......... Suggestions Always Welcomed S P E C I A L O F F E R I will be on a *BUSINESS* trip to one of my largest distributors this next weekend. (This is in contrast to my several back-to-back vacations this month!) Since I will have a special discount offered to me for purchases made this coming weekend, I will pass this one-a-year opportunity onto you: **** All New, In-Print Games Are 36% Off If Ordered by 3 Oct. **** Any gaming item is included (CCGs remain 30%, but Osprey books are 25% off). And your prepaid order must be received by Thursday, 3 Oct. I will accept conditional credit card orders to allow you time to send a check, if you'd prefer. And the actual deadline is rather flexible for my long time customers so you can contact me during my visit to see what's available while I scrounge this large distributor's warehouse. Myself, I can't wait! Please, call on or before Thursday, 3 Oct. F I N E G A M E S N E W S I'M BACK from CYCLE OREGON, an annual, weeklong bicycling event. I apologize to those who wished or tried to contact me during my absence. The freedom to take vacations is one of the core benefits of this business, yet it may be frustrating to those who enjoy my services and want a game during these times. My thanks for your patience. MY ONLINE CATALOGS will be updated by Tuesday (Tues, 10/1). A few additional games must be added, then all files will be reasonably current, including the host of neat family-oriented games recently published by Mayfair. FINE GAMES' WWW SITE is available. This gives you very convenient & easy access to all the catalogs at my FTP site as well as providing full explanation on all other aspects of doing business with Fine Games. Add this WWW URL to your hot list (all lower case): http://www.FineGames.com// YOUR SUBSCRIPTION to this newsletter assumes that I have your correct email address. If you change your address for any reason, please send me an update including your name and your new email address. USING EMAIL TO REQUEST CATALOGS is easy! You can use this to easily & painlessly monitor what's available on my FTP (or any other) site, and to actually download files. Type the following commands in an email to recieve instructions by email: Send the letter TO: ftpmail@census.gov In the BODY of the mail, type these commands, one per line: Open ftp.FineGames.com chdir pub/vendors/finegms/int_file get ftp_mail.txt quit In a few minutes or hours, a small (2k) fill with instructions will arrive in your email which more fully explains using FTP by email. N E W G A M E S The best of the games in the last 2 month's crop have been the Mayfair reprints of some fine German games. These include Settlers of Catan (the best of the lot to many), Modern Art, Street Car and Manhattan. Descriptions below, and all are in stock! Plus, there are more goodies to come from Mayfair. Cash Publsr Game Title & Edition Box Wght Price Rels Date ------ ------------------------------ --- ---- ------- --------- AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 10X13" n 10.0 $84.00 1,000QTY AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 2X3" n $5.95 100QTY AAA ZIPLOCK STORAGE BAGS, 3X4" n $8.75 100QTY ziplock bags for scuff-free storage of components. AVALAN GREAT WAR AT SEA, V.1: THE HC $29.40 MEDITERRANEAN Naval combat thruout the Med & Black Sea in WW1 in 40 scenarios & linking campaign. Excel components. Formerly SMS Goeben or Deux Mares. '96 BOHN OPERATION HUSKY: THE CAMPAIGN BC $28.00 OF SICILY Modest complexity, detailed look at the campaign in Sicily. A decent game if you get past the cover art. Have yet to see this one. S.Bohn'96 CHAOS MYTHOS: MYTHOS INVESTIGATOR n $3.50 DECKS Each pack contains the 9 investigator cards otherwise found only in the decks. CHAOS MYTHOS: STANDARD EDITION BOX n 3.2 $91.00 OF DECKS Each pack contains two different set of cards. Compatable w/ limited edition decks. _BOOKS ART OF PLAYING MYTHOS n $6.30 Strategy guide to this popular card game series. 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 CHATHA 1876 CENTENIAL BASEBALL LB $21.00 Simpler game of baseball as it was played by the first year of the National BB League in 1876. Play any pair of the 8 teams of that year based on all the player characteristics & original rules. COFA JENA: NAPOLEON CONQUERS FB $30.80 PRUSSIA, 1806 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 COMMAND AT SEA: NO SAILOR BUT n $20.30 A FOOL KIT Adds rules for shore engagements & commando raids to the Command at Sea system. 8 Scenarios for Tarawa, Sea Lion, Wake Is., etc, plus 400 counters. Req standard rules & data annex from earlier game(s). L.Bond, T.Sofian'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 CRI ASL:LEATHERNECK CAMPAIGN PACK zl $7.00 13 scenarios involving the US Marines in the Pacific. '96 DECGMS KRIEG! HC $30.80 Strategic WW2 gm at army/corp level w/ cards. Simpler game utilizing cards for special events. Has gained quite a steller reputation, doubly so for a DecGm Game. '96 DECS_T FIRST AFGHAN WAR #179 n $14.00 Part of the Sun Never Sets series. British in Afghanistan in 1839. '96 KEN MONTY PYTHON & HOLY GRAIL SB $86.94 CARD GAME BSTR KEN MONTY PYTHON & HOLY GRAIL SB $91.98 CARD GAME DECK CCG following MP's outing in Arthurian England. Could be good, what with killer rabbits, shrubberies & Knights that say NEE. '96 LUDOPR NO PASARAN! zl $28.00 Spanish made game w/ English translation of rules, secenario & background. 12 scenario, Btln/co lvl btls on the outskirts of Madrid using a system similar to White Death w/ a command system. 960 counters 2 maps, 56pgs of rules. '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 MIH TANK COMMANDER, E.FRONT DECK SB $7.00 Collectable carg gm of armored warfare in the East at sqd & vehicle lvl. 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 PUBOPO PUBOPOLY LB $17.50 Monopoly-like game in which 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.) '96 SBE XXXENOPHILE ADULT CARD GAME SB $37.80 BOOSTERS 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 SIMWOR SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL zl $7.00 1-5 players assume role of artic explorers racing to the N.Pole--and back--late in the 19th century. Outfit an expedition & set off into the unknown. Random terrain is discovered ala Source of Nile. R.Moorehead'96 TTG AXIS & ALLIES: NEW WORLD Y $24.50 ORDER COMBAT Rules & new plastic units for A&A set in the modern era. '96 TTG AXIS & ALLIES: WW-1 COMBAT Y $24.50 Rules & new plastic units for A&A variant set in the WW1 era. '96 WIZARD NETRUNNER BOX OF BOOSTERS n $74.34 WIZARD NETRUNNER BOX OF DECKS n $75.39 CCG. P E N D I N G R E L E A S E S Many of these titles have been (& will be) delayed repeatedly. Many could show up without further ado or be delayed for months. Such is the quixotic nature of this industry right now. Most notable among the pending releases are (1) World in Flames 6th, and (2) War in the Desert by GRD. Both should be excellent releases, and I believe they should be out in early October. If you have a WiF 5th or before, you'll likely want to keep or sell your existing copy & buy a complete 6th ed. The reason is that basically all components have changed. Were you to buy a new copy & sell the old copy, you'd come out ahead of merely upgrading your existing copy. Imagine that! Cash Publsr Game Title & Edition Box Wght# Price Rels Date ------ ------------------------------ --- ---- ------- --------- TIMJIM THRONEWORLD BC $35.00 due 10/96 Galactic conquest for 2-6 players. Each alien race manages technology & allocates resources to conquer other races' worlds. Large gm w/ 900 counters. '96 GMT THREE DAYS OF GETTYSBURG n $4.90 due 10/96 ? ERRATA KIT Kit w/ counters & extensive errata correcting the rushed development of 3Days. '96 GMT SPQR PLAYERS' GUIDE n $10.50 due 10/96 ? Tactics & strategy of play. AAA MAGNETIC COUNTER HOLDERS, SC $5.60 due 10/96 5/8" (55) ADG WORLD IN FLAMES 6TH BC $38.50 due 10/96 THE finest detailed strat WW2 game. 2 scenarios, 2 1-map & 5 2-map campaign games. Mates w/ Days of Decision to add pre-war politicing & builds. 1986 .Roberts award; 1986 Game of Year & Game of Decade by F&M mag. '91 ADG WORLD IN FLAMES 6TH DELUXE BC $77.00 due 10/96 Latest & greatest, w/ new streamlined & 3-holded rules, plus 4 kits. THE finest detailed strat WW2 game. 2 scenarios, 2 1-map & 5 2-map campaign games. Mates w/ Days of Decision to add pre-war politicing & builds. 1986 .Roberts award; 1986 Game of Year & Game of Decade by F&M mag. '91 ADG WORLD IN FLAMES 6TH UPGRADE n $35.00 due 10/96 KIT Includes rules, maps & counters for WiF, plus rules to 4 add-on kits. AH ASL: ACTION SCENARIO PACK (NO n $8.40 due 10/96 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 10/96 (WITH BOARDS) Includes boards #42 & 43. Kit providing 18 scenarios set on ASL boards #42 & 43 (& 10, 35, 38). Req several modules for play. AH RENAISSANCE: CIVILIZATION IN BC $38.50 due 10/96 ? THE MIDDLE Civilization system applied to the Renaissance era. AWE EUROPA UNIVERSALIS EXPANSION n $16.00 due 10/96 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 HISPANIA BC $36.00 due 10/96 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 10/96 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 10/96 BEACHHEAD-BERLIN SCEN BOOK 144pg book w/ scenarios, expanded campaign, solitaire rules & strategy. '96 COFA HARPOON BOXED SET, 4TH BC $35.00 due 10/96 Latest version of this popular modern era air-sea tac combat system. '96 COLUMG SAM GRANT BC $35.00 due 10/96 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 10/96 GMT NORTH AFRICA, BATTLE FOR... BC $26.60 due 10/96 GMT WINGS OVER THE REICH BC $17.50 due 10/96 GRD DESERT, WAR IN THE... FB $57.40 due 10/96 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 10/96 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 10/96 12 scenarios & campaign gm for the fighting on Hill 112 near Normandy. '96 JOH JOHNNY REB, 3RD BC $16.80 due 10/96 Revision of GDW's popular Civ War mini rules. '96 MAYFR COSMIC ENCOUNTERS, 3RD: BC $10.50 due 10/96 COSMIC NOVAS KIT 90 additional cards for Cosmic Encounters. MAYFR FREIGHT TRAIN SB $14.00 due 10/96 Simple card gm w/ all sorts of train cards. 2-5 players try to assemble the largest train of like-kind cars. '96 MAYFR SILVERTON: GM OF COLORADO BC $24.50 due 10/96 ? RAILROADNG,2ND Short & long versions for 1-6 players. RR bldg in Colorado plateau. Stake mine claims, build track, invest in rolling stock & passenger service. Includes expansion kit previously published separately. '96 ONE FOX ONE n $14.00 due 10/96 Card gm of modern air combat. ONE REBEL YELL!, 2ND RULES n $5.60 due 10/96 2nd ed rules (only) adds index rules w/ examples & errata, 3 holed. '96 SPEARH THEY MET AT GETTYSBURG BC $24.50 due 10/96 Area move grand tactical game similar to Storm over Arnhem, same system as Bloodiest Day. Brig lvl. '96 WIZARD BATTLETECH BOX OF BOOSTERS SB $74.34 due 10/96 WIZARD BATTLETECH BOX OF DECKS SB $62.65 due 10/96 WIZARD MAGIC: MIRAGE, BOX OF BOOSTERS n $74.34 due 10/96 WIZARD MAGIC: MIRAGE, BOX OF DECKS n $75.18 due 10/96 WIZARD NETRUNNER: PROTEUS BOX OF n $74.34 due 10/96 BOOSTERS _SFTWR BATTLEGROUND: ANTIETAM [PC BC $37.50 due 10/96 CD-ROM] Req Win3.x or Win95, 4mb min, 486+. First of a series of nicely done multimedia wargames. Variable command lvl (from an army to a sml unit), various perspectives, SVGA graphics, sound, drag & drop interface, null-modem play, PBEM. Many small scenarios on well known actions during the btl of Antietam, w/ several what-if options. Talon Software'96 _SFTWR BATTLEGROUND: SHILOH [PC BC $37.50 due 10/96 CD-ROM] Req Win3.x or Win95, 4mb min, 486+. First of a series of nicely done multimedia wargames. Variable command lvl (from an army to a sml unit), various perspectives, SVGA graphics, sound, drag & drop interface, null-modem play, PBEM. Many small scenarios on well known actions during Shiloh, w/ several what-if options. Talon Software'96 _SFTWR BLACKBEARD [PC] HC $42.00 due 10/96 PC version of the solitaire game of the same name. Priacy around the world. _SFTWR MAGIC: THE GATHERING [WIN95 SB $56.00 due 10/96 CD-ROM] 486+,Win95, 8MB+, SVGA. Computer adaptation of Magic 4th, w/ all the cards plus 28 out of print cards and 12 new cards. Multimedia tutorial, various Wizard AIs, deck builder utility, & strategy development in Magic Duel. By Sid Meier/Microprose'96 _SFTWR OVER THE REICH CD-ROM DOS/MAC HC $49.00 due 10/96 3D strategy gm of managing a front line fighter squadron during the last half of WW2. Allocate planes, pilots, weapons, & fuel. '96 AVALAN RED STEEL: KISHINEV TANK HC $26.60 due 11/96 BATTLE German & Romanian forces assault strong Soviet forces early in 1941. Also includes Battle for Naples expansion for Avalanche. '96 COFA HOME BEFORE THE LEAVES FALL BC $63.00 due 11/96 Strat lvl gm of the first year of WW1. '96 DECGMS SUN NEVER SETS ON THE BRITISH HC $29.40 due 11/96 EMPIRE Britain defends its empire in 3 gms: Zulu War, River War, and March to Peking. MAYFR DIE HANSE LB $47.60 due 11/96 Multiplayer gm of building a 15th century shipping empire. Cutthroat competition AND cooperation. Said to be an outstanding game w/ ex components. '96 MAYFR INDIAN RAILS Tb $17.50 due 11/96 Empire Builders does the Indian subcontinent. '96 STI WHITE STAR, BLUE SKY MINI n $11.20 due 11/96 RULES Air combat rules for 1/300 scale miniatures during the last 4 year of WW2 in the Europe. Many adv rules for various types of bombing. 10 single missing scenarios & 2 campaigns. '96 GAMERS GD'41 BC $30.10 due 11/96 6th gm in Tac Combat series, w/3rd ed rules. 2nd in series covering Gross Deutschland unit thruout war. This time, GD advances on Tula late in '41 against a stiffening Soveit defense. '96 THIS WILL NOT BE AVAIL THRU FINE GAMES. MAYFR JUNTA, 2ND BC $14.00 due 11/96 Reprint of this simple & wild multiplayer game of power politics. V.Tsao, B.Grossman, E.Goldberg'96 I N D U S T R Y N E W S Competitive Edge, which changed its name from Game Fix early this year, has failed to produce issue #12 in anything approaching a timely manner. Since it has positioned itself as a monthly periodical available to both traditional hobby AND mass market distribution, its absence is disturbing. Many of its games are compact but quite interesting and certainly creative. These are difficult times for game publishers. Games by certain manufacturers are now getting into very short supply. While the manufacturer may have plenty of stock, distributors are now purging themselves of their stocks of many, if not most, of their 3W, Omega and older magazine games (such as S&T and Commands). Even a few Clash of Arms titles are invovled. What it means to you, the consumer, is that slow selling items (judged by distributors) will often require more delay to obtain when it isn't in stock. 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 S I T E I N F O An ever wider variety of catalogs is available to you online at my FTP site. Look for the "_readme.txt" file at the following address: ftp.FineGames.com/pub/vendors/finegms/ You may use a WWW browser to view TXT files and download any file using the LOAD TO DISK option. Just enter the URL: ftp://ftp.FineGames.com/pub/vendors/finegms/ In particular, you may wish to download the "all_cats.zip" file (450k) which contains a copy of ALL unique catalogs. 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