~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | Fine Games for Players & Collectors | | 2078 Madrona St., North Bend, OR 97459-2143 | | http://www.finegames.com/ | ~~~~~~~~~~ 541-756-4711 10am-9pm PST M.Dean@FineGames.com ~~~~~~~~~~ Games Update 1997 #22 19 Dec. '97 WELCOME again to another Fine Games e-newsletter.These Updates contain news and other info of interest to active board gamers. If you choose to unsubscribe, you may do so via a simple, polite request to unsubscribe. <<----------------- Designed for fixed pitch font -------------------->> C O N T E N T S The BIG NEWS ............. Settlers is Back in Print. Finally Fine Games NEWS .......... What's going on at Fine Games - Last Minute Xmas Shopping - CLOSED XMas to New Years - Preliminary EOY Feedback INDUSTRY NEWS ............ Berlin: Red Vengenge Out of Print NEW Games ................ New Releases Settlers of Catan, 4th, Formula De Add-On Boards & Parts A Merry Xmas to all T H E B I G N E W S THE BIG NEWS is that Settlers of Catan, out of print for 6 months, is finally, finally back in stock. Copies arrived only today, and all preorders for this have shipped, But I haven't had time to closely compare components of this edition to prior editions. I am calling it a "4th" edition, however, because the box art has change completely, and I'd say much for the better. I have 2 copies on hand, with reinforcements due on Monday. There is still time to get a copy for Xmas via USPS. For two lucky gamers or their significant others. F I N E G A M E S N E W S This newsletter is rather short. Afterall, you're probably like me. Shouldn't be reading this when there is so much more Xmas shopping to do... THERE IS STILL TIME to get that last minute game for Xmas, or several games for the New Year. Orders will be shipped with all possible speed till the fat lady opens her presents.... Lighter orders shipped by USPS *TODAY* (Friday, 19 Dec) still have a reasonable chance of arriving by Wednesday, Christmas Eve. The drop dead dates for shipments THIS YEAR are Tuesday, 23 Dec, for UPS shipment or Wednesday, 24 Dec, for USPS Priority Mail or international shipments. FINE GAMES WILL HIBERNATE between Xmas and New Years. R&R, a little strategic planning, moving fixtures, and other stuff that demand a focused mind. Calls and emails received during this week will be returned as time permits. We will fully reopen on Monday, 5 Jan. Long after the hangovers are gone! SOME END OF THE YEAR FEEDBACK is already available to guide my future efforts to further improve Fine Games services to you. Among this is this fact: for 1997 to date, the average order took 2.4 days to ship--that is the date that payment arrives to the date the order ships. And this includes weekends, special orders, *everything*. This is the best ever acheived, and I'll bet a whole lot faster than what you've experienced from others doing business on the internet. One goal of the strategic planning I mentioned above is to find a way to sustain this level of speed without killing myself in 1998. I N D U S T R Y N E W S BERLIN: RED VENGENCE: The first of two killer ASL releases is already out of print after all of about six weeks. Supplies of Berlin: Red Vengence can no longer be replaced, and thus the price has changed. However, I have a good number of copies still in stock for those ASL'ers who absolutely, positively NEED a copy but inexplicably haven't picked up one already. Berlin should be reprinted after the publisher makes some changes to fend of the possibility of another Avalon Hill panty raid. The other killer release, Dzerhezinksky Tractor Works, has not yet be published by Critical Hit. N E W G A M E S & P E N D I N G R E L E A S E S A few gems out this month, most notably Settlers of Catan 4th, and several but not all of the Formula De add-on map sets & parts. Also, there are finally enough die Siedler von Catan CARD Game Tourney Expansion kits to offer these for sale. These have been the hardest of all the die Siedler series to find. NEWLY RELEASED GAMES & ACCESSORIES between 97/11 and 97/12 ***************** Fine Game for Players & Collectors ****************** ************************* 12-19-97 0:25 **************************** Fine Games, 1936 SE Tenino St, Portland, OR 97202 M.Dean@FineGames.com These items have recently been released. Box Est Cash Expected Publsr / Game Title & Edition Typ Wght PriceEA Rels Date ------ -------------------------------- --- ---- ------- ------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AGENTS OF GAMING (Agents) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST BABYLON 5 WARS BOARD GAME BC 1.4 $31.50 97/11 Reprint due in Nov. Board game set that comes w/ 12 minis, to model the ship-ship action from the show. Not that great a game, but lots of color to the ships.'97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AH AVALON HILL GAME CO. (AH) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST STARSHIP TROOPERS ['97] BC 2.6 $21.00 97/11 New design intended to piggyback on the '97 release of the movie. (Remember what happened with the Platoon game? We'll see...) 2-4 players, multi-scenarios, individual characters and...BUGS. '97 SUCCESSORS, BTL FOR ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE BC* 3.4 $35.00 97/11 3-4 player game of the Successors period following Alex the Great's death using the We The People / Hannibal system. Covers Europe to Persia, w/ 64 cards, stand-up generals, etc. This is bound to be a hit. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CLASH OF ARMS (CofA) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST COMMAND AT SEA: SUPERMARINA II Fo 0.5 $14.00 97/11 Miniatures oriented rules & counter set to recreate WW2 in the Mediterranean in the air & at sea, '41-3. Orig Supermarina reqd; adds 24 scenarios. '97 OPERATION SPARK BC 1.4 $30.00 97/11 Operational lvl game of Soviet Jan'43 offensive attempting to relieve Leningrad. J.Radey'97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CRITICAL HIT (CRI) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST ASL:ALL AMERICAN! 82ND AIRBORNE n 0.8 $31.00 97/11 COMBOMOD First two All American modules in one kit. '97 ASL:ALL AMERICAN! 82ND AIRBRRN n 0.4 $17.50 97/11 TIMMESORC 8 scenario kit focused on actions of the US 82nd airborne near Timmes Orchard & Amfreville village. Includes a heavy stock map & 2 monster scenarios allowing mating w/ Mod#1, Kellam's Bridge. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DECISION GAMES (DecGms) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST OVER THE TOP! HC 1.0 $26.60 97/11 Quardagame of WW1 battles: Brusilov Offensive, Verdun, Damascus, St. Mihiel. Op lvl w/ 550 counters & 4 maps. Geo Patton's first tank battle included! '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DECISION GAMES S&T GAMES (DecS_T) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST OVER THE TOP!: BTLS OF MONS & MARNE n $25.00 97/11 #186 w/mag. Pair of brigade level games of the battles of the Mons & the Marne, Aug & Spt 1914, using the Over the Top system. J.Miranda'97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EURO GAMES / DESCARTES (EuroG) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST FORMULA DE: EXP BOARD 3 & 4 Fo 2.0 $17.50 97/12 Add-on board for this acclaimed French formula D racing game. Shows 2 tracks from Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belguim & Zandvoort North, the Netherlands. FORMULA DE: EXP BOARD 5 & 6 Fo 2.0 $17.50 97/12 Add-on board for this acclaimed French formula D racing game. Shows 2 tracks from Imola, Italy & Kyalami, S.Africa. FORMULA DE: EXP BOARD 7 & 8 Fo 2.0 $17.50 97/12 Add-on board for this acclaimed French formula D racing game. Shows 2 tracks from Di Monza, Italy & Magny-Cours, France. FORMULA DE: EXP BOARD 9 & 10 Fo 2.0 $17.50 97/12 Add-on board for this acclaimed French formula D racing game. Shows 2 tracks from Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Interlagos, Brazil, and Autodromo do Estoril, Portugal. FORMULA DE: PEWTER CAR SET SC $6.00 97/12 Set of 10 crafted pewter formula-1 cars, 2ea of 5 styles. FORMULA DE: REPLACEMENT RACE PAD SHEETS Fo $4.00 97/12 50 Race Sheets for those who really love this game. FORMULA DE: REPLACMENT DICE SET SC $5.50 97/12 Replacement set of all 6 gear dice plus a damage die. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES (FFG) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST TWILIGHT IMPERIUM: DISTANT SUNS KIT HC 0.6 $16.10 97/12 Add-on kit to this nice multiplayer sci-fi series. Adds tourney rules, adv neutral civilizations, 32 new cards, new armies & ships for all 8 races, etc. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIVE RINGS PUBLISHERS (FiveRi) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST DUNE: EYE OF THE STORM BOX OF BOOSTERS SB $75.35 97/11 CCG of the Dune world. 15 card pack. '97 DUNE: EYE OF THE STORM DECKS SB $6.30 97/11 CCG of the Dune world. 6 starter decks, ea representing a power. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IRON CROWN ENTERPRISES (ICE) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST MIDDLE EARTH: LIDLESS EYE COMPANION Bk $7.00 97/11 BOOK Players guide to the cards of this Middle Earth expansion set. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ KHALSA BRAIN GAMES (KBG) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST FORMULA RACERS MINIS (10) SC 0.4 $7.50 97/12 Set of 10 pewter auto racers from several eras. 4 styles in each identical package. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MARKHAM DESIGN GAMES (Markha) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST MONTCALM WOLF, FRENCH & INDIAN WARS n 0.4 $14.00 97/11 DTP game of the Frech & Indian wars prior to the Am Rev. R.Markham'97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MAYFAIR GAMES (Mayfr) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST DIE SIEDLER VON CATAN: SEAFARER SB 3.0 $40.00 97/11 EXPANSN German expansion kit to Die Siedlers, providing ships & new terrain types to the basic 4 player version. K.Teuber SETTLERS OF CATAN, 4TH BC 2.0 $24.50 97/12 Reprint of this incredibly popular, appealing game w/ different colored pieces & rules for 5-8 player games using 2 copies of the game. Americanized version of game named German Gm of the Year in '95 (die Siedlers). Players compete for control & development of an island created with tiled terrain. 4th ed revamps & improves the box art, primarily. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PEAK GAMES (Peak) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST AXIS & ALLIES, 2ND: DATELINE, WORLD WAR Y $11.20 97/12 Kit adding all sorts of new toys to Axis & Allies: research the Bomb, build crusiers, subs, Tiger tanks, Kamikazees, paratroopers, etc. What more do you need? '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIERRA MADRE GAMES CO. (Sierra) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST AMERICAN MEGAFAUNA EVOLUTIONARY BOARDGM zl 0.8 $11.50 97/11 1-4 player gm in which players evolve their own prehistoric animals, seeking to prosper & drive others to extinction. 5mil yrs per turn! Published using DTP techniques & quality. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ STRANGE MAGIC GAMES (Strang) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST MATERIAL WORLD, 2ND LB* 1.8 $21.00 97/11 Simpler game of worldwide trade for 2-5 players. Revised edition has pirates & explorers basic/quick play rules. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THUNDER MOUTH PRESS (THM) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST MAGIC: OFFICIAL DECKBUILDERS GUIDE Bk $10.00 97/11 Discusses 120 preconstructed decks for players of all tastes. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WIZARDS OF THE COAST (Wizard) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST BATTLETECH: MECHWARRIOR BOX OF BOOSTERS SB $74.34 97/11 CCG of this popular fantasy sci-fi game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ XENO GAMES (Xeno) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST SUSHI-JALEPENO WARS LB* $33.00 97/11 Japanese invasion of Mexico in the not too distant future, defended by the US & the Great State of Texas. Ala Fortress America. Designed for fun. '97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ XTR: COMMAND MAGAZINE (XTRCmd) (541) 756-4711 10am-9pm PST END OF THE EMPIRE #46 n $23.80 97/11 w/mag. 2 map, 560 counter game of both the 1756-60 French & Indian War as well as the American Revolution. Maps cover Nova Scotia to New Orleans. 9 scenarios including 1 intro, 1 on F-I War, and 7 yearly or campaign scenarios on the Am Rev. W.Marsh'97 My sincere wish to each of you for a happy, warm & refreshing Christmas holiday season for you and your significant others. Remember, once the shopping is done, its all downhill from there. Michael Dean Fine Games for Players & Collectors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FINE GAMES FOR PLAYERS & COLLECTORS The Best in New & Used Historical Gaming http://www.finegames.com Michael Dean (541) 756-4711 M.Dean@FineGames.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~