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Chicago Toy and Game Fair - Nov. 21, 22

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:33:11 +0000

The annual Chicago Toy and Game Fair (CHITAG), scheduled to take place at the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago on Nov. 21 and 22 (which is an event I highly recommend if you can make it), will once again be preceded by the Toy and Game Inventors Expo (TAGIE).

TAGIE, which will take place on Nov. 19 and 20 at the Navy Pier, is designed to help toy and game inventors and entrepreneurs by providing networking and educational opportunities, along with a chance to meet face-to-face with some of the industry's top professionals. This year's speakers include Mike Hirtle and Michael Gray from Hasbro, Dave Okada from Mattel, Max Osterhaus from Out of the Box Publishing, Steve Toth from Fisher Price Toys, John Bell from Buffalo Games, and Ellen Heaney-Mizer, game buyer for Barnes & Noble.

TAGIE will culminate in the Toy and Game Inventor Awards the evening of Friday, Nov. 20. TAGIES will be awarded to the Toy Inventor of the Year, the Game Inventor of the Year, Rising Star Inventor of the Year, and Young Inventor of the Year. The awards will be presented by actresses Daryl Hannah and Hilary Shepard (who designed the party game Liebrary), game designer Leslie Scott (Jenga), and game designer and author Tim Walsh (Blurt, The Playmakers).

Chicago Toy and Game Fair - Nov. 21, 22 originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 05:33:11.

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Chateau Roquefort - Children's Game Review

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:33:21 +0000

Castle Roquefort is a paradise for mice -- a Castle of Cheese. In this children's board game, players send their four delightfully sculpted mice across the roofs and into the rooms to pick up cheese -- but you have to watch out for trap doors that can send your mice to their doom. In his review of Chateau Roquefort, Mark Jackson says the game can be enjoyed by both children and adults, and that it is a great introduction for the younger set to action point games.

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Chateau Roquefort - Children's Game Review originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 05:33:21.

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Guesstimation Game Sponsoring Cranberries Reunion Tour

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:33:11 +0000

Discovery Bay Games recently announced that the game Guesstimation will be the presenting sponsor of The Cranberries reunion tour. The 19-city tour kicks off on Nov. 12 in Baltimore. The multi-platinum band has not toured in nearly seven years.

Guesstimation, for 2 or more players ages 8 and up, is a trivia game in which players do not need to know the exact answers to win the game. During each round, a question is read and everyone writes down their answer. When the answer is revealed, the closest guess wins the round.

"We are excited to have Guesstimation as the presenting sponsor of our reunion tour," said lead singer and songwriter Dolores O'Riordan. "It's a great way to spend quality time with friends and family and that's always a good thing."

Guesstimation Game Sponsoring Cranberries Reunion Tour originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 05:33:11.

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Hello Kitty TCG Due in March 2010

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:33:16 +0000

Upper Deck recently announced plans to release a trading card game based on the Hello Kitty universe in March 2010. Described in a press release as a "Hello Kitty collectible miniatures and stickers trading card game," Upper Deck says the game will be targeted to young girls and tweens.

"We are so excited to be adding such a global icon to our product portfolio," Margeaux Sullivan, Upper Deck's Hello Kitty brand manager, said in the release. "Hello Kitty has been charming girls of all ages around the world for more than three decades and we look forward to helping her celebrate her 35th anniversary."

Upper Deck entered a multi-year arrangement to publish the TCG with Sanrio, the company which owns the rights to Hello Kitty. The game will include collectible figures, stickers and trading cards. Upper Deck said it is planning to issue three concurrent releases next year.

Hello Kitty TCG Due in March 2010 originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 18:33:16.

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Trivial Pursuit Experiment - New Web Site

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:10:01 +0000

A new web site is challenging men and women so see who is better at the classic trivia game Trivial Pursuit. Known as the Trivial Pursuit Experiment, the web site allows players to log in and answer as many questions as they want to. (As of this morning, the men's team led 682,000 to 515,000.)

But be careful, because Trivial Pursuit can be addictive. Comedian Ricky Gervais recently said, "Forget [my] Hollywood career. Trivial Pursuit comes first. I hate it when my friend gets asked who Mickey Mouse's girlfriend is and then I get asked what Kierkegaard's first essay was."

Trivial Pursuit Team Edition, the latest edition of Trivial Pursuit, will be available this holiday season. It includes six new question formats, including multiple choice and "name six." Trivial Pursuit Team Edition is also played in rounds, which means that players do not collect wedges as in previous version of the game.

^{Image courtesy of Hasbro}

Trivial Pursuit Experiment - New Web Site originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 08:10:01.

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Hula Hippos - Children's Game Review

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:33:04 +0000

Twenty-four small wood chips in the shape of hippos and a polished wooden ring... that's it. That's all that you find in a box of Hula Hippos. And yet, reviewer Mark Jackson says that game designer Heinz Meister milks more fun out of those simple game components than many games whose boxes are stuffed full of boards and bits. Here is Mark's review of Hula Hippos.

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^{Image courtesy of Gamewright}

Hula Hippos - Children's Game Review originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 05:33:04.

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Norwegian Wins Monopoly World Championship

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:54:13 +0000

Bjorn Halvard Knappskog of Norway has won the 2009 Monopoly World Championship. The 19-year-old student is the first world champion from Norway, and the youngest person ever to win the title. He was awarded a $20,580 prize, the amount of money included in the standard Monopoly game.

Entering the semi-finals, Knappskog was seeded 16th out of 16 players. He won at the final table in a game that involved the national champions from the United States, Russia, and New Zealand. Russian Oleg Korostolev and American Richard Marinaccio were eliminated first, setting up a showdown with Geoff Christopher of New Zealand.

"This was the best game in the tournament for me," Knappskog said. "I was really happy to be here whether I won or lost, but I'm also very happy to have won."

The first Monopoly World Championship was held in 1973. This year's event was held in Las Vegas and featured 42 players.

More information is available at Monopoly.com and at the Monopoly World Championships YouTube Channel.

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^{Image courtesy of Hasbro}

Norwegian Wins Monopoly World Championship originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 07:54:13.

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2009 Monopoly World Championships - Day 1

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:00:20 +0000

The first day of the 2009 Monopoly World Championships has come to an end in Las Vegas. It started with 42 players from around the world; just 16 will play on the second and final day of competition. The top five players going into day two are the national champions from Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. The reigning world champion, Spain's Antonio Zafra, and the 26-year-old U.S. champion, attorney Richard Marinaccio of Buffalo, N.Y., also advanced.

The 16 finalists, ranked in order of their finishes on day one, hail from: Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Croatia, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, Austria, Russia, Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, and Norway.

More information is available at Monopoly.com and at the Monopoly World Championships YouTube Channel.

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^{Image courtesy of Hasbro}

2009 Monopoly World Championships - Day 1 originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 22:00:20.

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Newspaper Profiles Monopoly Judge

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:50:02 +0000

Phil E. Orbanes, chief judge at the 2009 Monopoly World Championships in Las Vegas, was profiled by The Boston Globe today. Described as "the world's foremost Monopoly historian," Orbanes came up with the idea to add a third die, the Speed Die, to Monopoly sets. The Speed Die -- which cuts the average game down to about 90 minutes -- has been included in the standard game since last year, and it is being used at this year's World Championships.

Orbanes told the newspaper that playing Monopoly "was the first activity I participated in with my aunts and uncles where I felt equal. I wasn't the little kid who they were patting on the head saying there, there, or do this or do that. I was holding my own." Today, Orbanes is also the president of Winning Moves Games.

Newspaper Profiles Monopoly Judge originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 21:50:02.

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Kayanak - Children's Game Review

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:33:23 +0000

Kayanak may very well be the best children's game ever. Or at least that's what game reviewer Mark Jackson thinks today. He says it's possible something better will come along -- but for now, Kayanak is his favorite. Read more in Mark's review of the children's game Kayanak.

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^{Image courtesy of Haba}

Kayanak - Children's Game Review originally appeared on About.com Board / Card Games on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 05:33:23.

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