It is widely reported on the Internet that the sale of the Avalon Hill game effort to Hasbro has been completed, and that the Avalon Hill Web Page now leads directly to a location at Hasbro. Apparently, Hasbro is making enthusiastic plans for expanding in the direction of games for more mature players, though it is not clear if these titles will be more along the lines of the modern German games or the modern board wargames. One matter that is still up in the air is reported to be the fate of the Avalon Hill General. I have seen no reports either that the General is for sale or that Hasbro is planning to resume publication. In my opinion, subscribers will eventually get issues or a refund. This will not, I believe, be a repeat of the event first reported in Strategist, that TSR had purchased “all of the assets and none of the liabilities” of SPI.

Like most of you who don't want to see The Longest Day turned into a party game for teenage girls, I'm sorry to hear about the sale of the oldest-biggest-best wargame producer, but, also, probably like most of you, I'm tired of hearing all the chatter about it. As Ty Bomba used to say, before he went crazy and started putting Chess variants in Command Magazine, "Onward" or "Forward" or something like that. Congratulations to Alan Moon for picking up Spiel des Jahres 1998 for Elfenland. The runners up were Basari, Caesar and Cleopatra, Canyon, Da-vid & Goliath, Die Macher, Durch die Wueste, Euphrat & Tigris, and Gipf. Congratulations also to Ted Racier and Moments in History for winning the Charles S. Roberts Award for Best Pre-World War II Board Wargame--All Quiet on the Western Front. Looks like Avalon Hill will go out in a flash of glory with For the People. It is already getting raves from wargaming heavies like Peter Perla and John Leggat.

Strategic ACW games are few and far between but often great--A House Divided, The Civil War (Victory, not Xeno) and now Mark Herman's masterpiece. The only downside is that while the graphics aren't bad, they aren't as good as they should be. If you've seen Successors, you know what The Hill was capable of doing and it's a shame they didn't give the game of the year the same treatment.... Randy Heller's new regimental Bulge game is getting good feedback, too. Heller has taken the best from other good Bulge games, added a few things without adding unnecessary complexity and titled it Bitter Woods. In Monsters Ravage America each of 1 to 4 players controls one giant monster and one branch of the armed services. As a monster you destroy cities and get stronger for the ultimate showdown between giant monsters. As the military you protect cities from other player's monsters and try to capture one to send to Hollywood.... On to Richmond is the 6th game in the "Great Campaigns of the American Civil War" series. It recreates McClellan's brilliant but poorly executed campaign to take Richmond.... Call 800-999-3222--while you can--to order directly from Avalon Hill.

GMT's Invasion Sicily is Vance von Borries' simulation of the Allied invasion and conquest of Sicily. Scenarios include Gela Beachhead, Operation Husky, Campaign for Sicily and a second campaign scenario that lets the Allies invade Calabria before Sicily. Regiment and Battalion, 3 days/turn, 5.5 miles/hex, 1 to 2 players. Saratoga is a low complexity tactical level simulation of a battle that was a turning point in America's struggle for independence and Benedict Arnold's greatest victory. Sets up in 5 minutes and plays in two hours. Regimental, 1 hr/turn, 200 yds/hex, 1 to 2 players. Jugurtha, Phalanx, and SPQR Player's Guide are in stock. You can help a great company stay in business and influence the selection of games they print by buying directly from them through their Plan 500 deal. Call 800-523-6111.

The Swedish game of the year, Svea Rike, covers Swedish history from the beginning of the 16th Century to the beginning of the 19th. Players are noble families in cut-throat competition for power, property and riches who have to cooperate to defend Sweden from foreign foes.... The first Svea Rike expansion, Batalj, adds a small mounted battleboard, cards and counters.

We finally have plenty of Doris & Frank's Ursuppe in stock. Like with Elfenland, for a while, we had a hard time importing it as fast as it sold. Ursuppe, Primeval Soup, has consistently generated appreciative comments from our customers. Large mounted board, cards (German on one side and English on the other) and lots of wooden pieces. 2 to 4 players control tribes of amoebas and use gene cards to "evolve" them. Ursuppe Expansion due end of Oct.. We also have Doris & Frank's Banana Republic, Igel Argern, Eselsrenen, Mu & Mehr, and Pico in stock. You can find out more about their games at their website (http://www.am.uni-erlangen.de/~nestel).

Simulations Workshop's Panzers at the Pyramids covers the hypothetical 1942 drive into Egypt by the Afrika Korps. ¡Cuba Libre! simulates the Bay of Pigs and some possibilities of a successful invasion. By the time you read this we will have Simulations Workshop's new game Caseros, 1852 in stock. Ah, the beauty of Desk Top Publishing. Where else are you going to find simulations of the battle that put an end to the Rosa regime in Argentina, or the operation to free the nuns held hostage during the Congolese Civil War or the conflict between Peru and Maoist guerrillas or a game as good as Williamsburg, 1862 for $14.40? Ivy Street's Stonewall at Cedar Mountain continues to generate good reviews and lots of appreciative comments from customers. It features a simple but elegant orders system--sort of like The Gamers' "Civil War Brigade Series" without the fuss and ambiguity--and uses a chit pull system to increase chaos and enhance solitaire play. Williamsburg, 1862 ($14.40) uses the same rules as Stonewall at Cedar Mountain but adds mission cards to create victory conditions known only to one player. Free Ivy Street flyer upon request. Microgame Co-Op's Shining Path covers the ongoing conflict between Maoist guerrillas and the Peruvian government. The Siege of Hong Kong covers the end of the 1941 invasion of Hong Kong Island by the Japanese. Ypres, 1915 is a brigade/regiment level simulation of the Second Battle of Ypres.

Markham Designs' Montcalm and Wolfe deals with The French and Indian War at an operational level. Messines, 1917 covers WWI's version of the Battle of the Crater. A low complexity strategic level Napoleonic is a good idea, and, if you don't mind high prices, dreary graphics, rules that are too convoluted for the level of play and one-sided counters, OSG's La Guerre de L'Empereur is for you. Kuhlmann-Geschichtsspiele's Welfen und Staufer covers the 12th Century struggle to rule Central Europe. The gameboard is a beautiful 23 x 29 inch mounted map of the Holy Roman Empire with boxes for pilgrimages, coronations and armies. Other components include 112 cards, 100 wooden counters, dice, data sheets and an English rulebook that is also full of scenarios and history. Kampf um Rom, Struggle for Rome, contains two multiplayer games--Germanica by Hartmut Witt and Huns, Romans and Germans by Gerhard Kuhlmann--covering the fall of Rome and the barbarian invasions between 375 and 955. Beautiful 24 x 20 inch mounted map of Europe with charts and tables, 120 wooden counters, 60 cards, Cultural Development sheet pad, Rules and Scenario book in English. We also have Kuhlmann's Dice Tower which lets you roll in style. Check out their web site!.

Columbia's newest block game, Victory, is not a historical simulation, but it is a good game. While it comes from the American wargaming tradition, it has many features in common with "German" games--easy, fast-playing, nice-looking components, fun, lots of wood. Free flyer on request.... The first expansions Map Set#3, Green Blockset, and Gray Blockset are in stock. For information about Columbia's "autoship program" call them at 800-636-3631.

Rio Grande Games' newest game, Medici is an all English reprint of Amigo Spiel's Medici, a game of Renaissance trading. Mississippi Queen is an ingenious game of racing riverboats for 3 to 5 players, ages 10 up, taking 30 minutes to an hour to complete.... Black Rose is an expansion for Mississippi Queen, adding a pirate riverboat.... Loewenherz is a game for 2-4 players, ages 12 and up, taking 1 to 2 hours to complete wherein you are a prince trying to acquire enough power by controlling territory to become king when the old king dies.... Fossil is a game of fossil hunting for 2 to 6 players, age 10 up, taking about 30 minutes to play.... Ido is an abstract strategy game for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 up, taking about an hour, played with bright plastic pieces on a Mondrianesque board.... Edison & Co. for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 up, about 45 minutes to play, is one of the best rooftop prototype vehicle racing games around.... If your local hobby or game store doesn't stock these games, tell them these games will bring in new customers by bringing in people who love games but don't want to be a dungeon master or acquire the perfect deck of silly creatures. Tell them to call Rio Grande Games at 505-771-8813. Agents of Gaming's Babylon 5 Board Game lets you recreate the struggles between the various races of the Babylon 5 Universe at a tactical level with pewter space ships. We have all the pewter ships in stock, deeply discounted. Component Game Systems' Babylon 5 Board Game also lets the races of the Babylon 5 Universe fight it out. We have all the supplements, starter kits and other accessories deeply discounted. GRD just took the aging but still good Europa System to WWI with March to Victory and the Pacific Theater of WII with War of the Resistance. War of the Resistance covers the real beginning of World War II, the 1937 Japanese invasion of China.... For pre-pub offers call 515-236-8899.

Moment in History's Clash of Titans simulates the 1943 tank battle of Kursk using the Ring of Fire system. In addition to the historical battle, it includes scenarios for a May offensive and an August counteroffensive. 1 map, 630 counters.... Triumphant Return covers the Soviet's November '43 liberation of Kiev, once again, using the very successful Ring of Fire system. 1/2 size map, 240 counters.... Recent games from Moments in History: Turning the Tables covers the Axis defeat of the Soviet Spring '42 offensive. White Ensign/Rising Sun is Jack Green's simulation of the 1942 Japanese raid on Ceylon. Eastwall simulates the 1943-44 fighting for the Dnepr.... Next from Moments in History: Lodz 1914, Risorgimento 1859, Tunisia 1943 and Austerlitz, 1805.... Call 805-534-9723 to check out their pre-order deals.

SimTac Spain's Rivoli, 1797 covers Napoleon's victory over the Austrians in Italy. Battalions, squadrons and batteries, 15 mins./turn, 140 yds./hex. Along with a very good historical introduction, there are two sets of rules, one is the second edition of SimTac's standard rules and the other is a basic rules set that is brief and easy to learn, but has optional rules that allows for a gradual increase in complexity and realism. Free flyer upon request. We hope to have Ludopress' Bailen 1808 in stock by October. Fantasy Flight's Twilight Imperium, and its 3 expansions Borderlands, Distant Suns, and Twilight Armada are getting mostly good comments from customers. Battlemist is a fantasy board game where each player controls a race seeking to control the land of Mennarra. Like Twilight Imperium, it uses movable hex tiles for the board so that no two games are alike.... Just in: Magblast, a fast paced multiplayer card game of "screaming space battles."

New from Cheapass: Safari Jack, Parts Unknown, from Wizards of the Coast: Guillotine, Earthquake, Instinct, Robo Rally Radioactive, Filthy Rich, and from Winning Moves Priceless and 25 Words or Less. If you like auto racing games we have Formula De and its Expansion Circuits. Great-looking game and lots of fun. Especially popular with ASLers for some reason.... Real Action Stockcar Championship includes a 37 x 22 mounted board with a track on each side and 20 plastic stockcars. Easy and quick.... Das Motorsportspiel has 2 60 x 30 tracks and 6 very expensive 1:87 scale European sport cars. Comes in a large tube. Daytona Challenge features a 3-d (vacuum formed plastic) replica of the Daytona International speedway and five 1:44 scale die cast NASCAR cars. The 3-d race track doesn't fold so it comes in a huge box.

Vae Victis #22: Crete1941 simulates the first successful (but costly) major airborne operation of WWII.... Strategy & Tactics#191: Sea Devils covers the ACW on the high seas.... COMMAND #48: Tomorow the World 2nd Ed. simulates the hypothetical war between Japan and Germany after the Axis win WWII. Boulder Games passed on Command #49 and returned their shipment of Chess 2000, or whatever, to XTR. Always different and always interesting, Steve Jackson's newest games include Knightmare Chess and The Church of the Subgenius. "Give me slack or kill me!" Joining Fiendish Games' very good bicycle racing game, Breaking Away is their 2 to 6 player game of negotiation, double-cross and battle for the company soul, Office Politics. Bosworth is touted as the game you already know how to play because the cartoon characters on the cards move like chess pieces.

F.X. Schmid/USA makes a great line of kid's games: All My Ducks is a memory game for 2-4 players, ages 4 to 8, taking about 10 minutes.... Eddie’s Eleven is a card game that teaches counting.... On Your Broom is witch racing for 2 to 6 players, ages 4 to 8, taking about 15 minutes.... My Haunted Castle is a concentration game for 2 to 4 players, ages 6 and up, taking about 20 minutes.... We also have F.X. Schmid's games for older kids and adults like Call My Bluff, Take It Easy, etc. Gamewights also make great games for kids. The newest of which includeGo Away Monster, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Frog Juice), Cows Can’t Dance, Alien Hotshots, etc.

Sierra Madre Games' American Megafauna is a game of biological domination with a scale that it truly vast--5 million years/turn, 1500 km/hex, 30 megatons of biomass/counter. From New Zealand we have Morland's card game of buying, selling and trading--Freemarket. Tilsit's new games, Courtesans of Versailles and Joan of Arc are in stock and not impressing anyone. From the people who publish the Japanese edition of Command Magazine we have two ziplocks by Michael Smith: Clash of Steel is a 2 player game of surface naval warfare during WWII with emphasis on the role of the battleship.... Schlachtschiff Bismarck is an operational level simulation of the pursuit and destruction of the Bismarck. Critical Hit's All American Gamer’s Guide is in stock.

Probably by the time you read this we will have Those Ragged Bloody Heroes and Ruweisat Ridge. We have Brian Moore's Play Aids for The Gamers' SCS and OCS games and two Avalanche Press Games. Most sell for $7.40. His newest play aid is for The Gamers' DAK.All the Camelot Games--Clash of Eagles, Malta, Sturmovik, Peninsula Italica, Barbarians, and Starfighter are back in stock. Wolfhound Games' Swords of Glory is a medieval resource management/warfare game with hex tiles and counters that are too thin. Xeno's Sushi-Jalapeno War is a 2019 war wherein US and Republic of Texas forces take on Japanese and South American Union forces for control of Mexico. Lots of neat plastic pieces (including mushroom clouds).

In Jolly Roger's Maul of America (spelt as indicated) one player controls a bunch of Zombies out to eat shoppers, the other players, trapped in a mall. The box bills itself as a game of "mayhem, carnage, destruction, gratuitous violence, and a food court!" Three fairly new abstract strategy games that are selling well are Fibonacci, Gipf, and Pentagonia.

Kalivas Games has some neat canvas, wood and plastic games that set up quickly on the beach (or any other place) and store in a canvas tube: Beach Checkers, Beach Chess, Beach Maze, and Beach Backgammon.

Abacus Spiele's Canyon is a board and card game of Indians racing through a canyon in canoes. F.X. Schmid's Basari is a game of racing around a Middle East bazaar collecting jewels. Bambus' Twilight is a card game wherein followers of the Moon Cult and Servants of the Sun compete for human souls. Northwest Corner's Ur is a nicely done hardwood reproduction of the first "beer and pretzels" game.... Briia/Dama's Pink Card is a party game for 3 or more gay, straight or undecided players. Mayfair's Settlers of Catan Card Game is the English version of the Kosmos game.

Avalanche Press, maker of fine wargames like The Great War at Sea and Red Parachutes, now has a game out called Airlines. They say it's better than Alan Moon's game of the same name. Hopefully, by the end of September they will ship The Great War at Sea 2 and Operation Orange. For pre-order deals call 800-564-9008.

It's a bit hard to tell from the title (3 dots and a dash stand for "V" as in "Victory" in Morsecode) and the box art, but Udo Grebe Game design's Morsecode simulates World War II in western Europe from the beginning to the end with the following scenarios: France 1940, Sealion, Italy July 1943, Overlord, Cobra, Bulge. Corps, 1 mo/turn, 25 miles/hex, 1 to 5 players, 1680 counters. Western Carolina Historical Research's Pocotaligo 1862 & 1864 covers the five battles fought in southwestern South Carolina during the American Civil War.

The Gold Sieber games are just like the Rio Grande versions except that you get German and English rules: Lowenhertz, Black Rose, Edison & Co.

GLS Designs' Corporation will have you jetting around the globe building corporate skyscrapers. Chatham Hill's Countryside and Village and Portsmouth Harbor are in stock. They recently reduced the price of the boxed version of a really good game, Lords of the Sierra Madre. To pre-order from Decision call 805-723-2088.

We stock computer games by Talonsoft, Avalon Hill and Schwerpunkt. Many at reduced prices (that's reduced over the normal deeply discounted price). Ask for a list of computer games. In mid or late October we will have an inventory reduction sale of books and magazines in stock. Ask for our book and magazine sale list after 15 Aug. Paper Wars #27 is back and likes everything it sees. Games Games Games 122 includes reviews of Babylon 5 Board Game, Tycoon, Svea Rike, and more. #123 reviews Durch die Wüste, Wettstreit der Baumeister, etc. #124 reviews Basari, Cheops, Freibeuter, reports the sell of Avalon Hill and has a buyers guide. Of course, the best thing about Games 3 is that it has Mike Siggins writing for it.. Perfidious Albion #96 contains lots of reviews, comment and other witty chat about wargames. The General #32-3 features ACW games. Line of Departure 27 takes a look at White Ensign, Iron Bottom Sound II, Victory in the West, Panzers at the Pyramids and a few other things that strike Jim Werbaneth's fancy.