More Gaming Industry Upheaval

As ICv2.com and OgreCave.com report, we’ve had more shake-ups in the tabletop industry. Last week, Upper Deck laid off another 40 people on top of the others they let go earlier in the year.

On the bright side, a couple of companies have already stepped forward with plans to rescue the games of WizKids. The guys behind SaveHeroClix.com formed Piñata Games to spearhead their effort, while my friends at Catalyst Game Labs put in a bid of their own.

While there may be other suitors, both Piñata and Catalyst have excellent claims as heirs to WizKids’ games. (Piñata’s founders helped run WizKids until it folded, and Catalyst has licensed a number of WizKids games for RPGs.) I suspect both efforts may find that the current credit crunch hampers their efforts, but I wish them both the best of luck. Honestly, if Piñata wound up with HeroClix and Catalyst got the rest, I’d be thrilled–and hopefully they would be too.

Rest in Peace, Richard

My step-uncle Richard Lacy passed away on Sunday morning. Richard met and married my stepmother Nancy’s sister Sally later in life, but not too late for them to have their son Bill, whom I’ve known as a younger cousin for most of his life. Richard had three kids from a previous marriage, and while I’ve never met them, I’ve always heard good things about them too.

While the family is understandably sad at losing Richard, we know that he had a good, full life. It might not have been as long a life as we would have liked (is it ever?), but he was 79 when he passed. Despite the illnesses he’d suffered from in his final years, he went as gently as anyone could hope for. We should all be so fortunate.

The morning Richard died–before we knew he was gone–Ann and I brought the kids over to my father’s house for a huge family brunch. My whole step-family was there, along with my sister Kim and her family. That’s 22 people in all.

It was just the kind of gathering at which we often saw Richard, Sally, and Bill, and it felt very different knowing that we’d never have them all there again.

Good-bye, Richard. We’ll miss you, but we’ll remember you for the rest of our lives.

The Gamer Economy

It looks like games aren’t as recession-proof as they’ve seemed to be in the past–at least if you’re a mass-market tabletop games company. According to various reports, Mattel is laying off 1,000 people, 4Kids is still losing millions of dollars, and Topps is closing its WizKids division.

First, my condolences to those employees caught up in all of this. It’s never fun to lose a job, especially when the economy is so rough.

Second, this shows just how big gaming has become. The companies in these reports aren’t five guys working out of a basement. They’re mass-market, publicly traded, multinational giants. Because of that, they expand and contract along with the global economy rather than being able to relay on a small but dedicated base of fans to help them chart their own courses.

Times like this make me glad to be working for myself. Many people fear to make the jump to freelancing because they prefer the security of working for large companies. However, while my income may be varied and sporadic–that’s an inbuilt hazard for any freelancer–at least I never have to worry about being let go.

A (Not So) Horrible Controversy

A few weeks back, I heard a rumor that the Christian Children’s Fund had refused a donation from a benefit auction honoring Gary Gygax at this year’s Gen Con. I didn’t post anything about it at the time because it sounded a bit off-kilter. While the report understandably irritated some tabletop gamers, wiser heads (like those of Andy Chalk at the Escapist and Simon Rogers of Pelgrane Press) decided to investigate further.

Turns out the CCF isn’t all that Christian in the proselytizing sense (but certainly in the good works it undertakes) and that this was all a silly misunderstanding. Simon has the best report on it I’ve seen so far, and I applaud him taking the time to look for the truth behind the easy controversy.

Blood Bowl Killer Contract Collected

BloodBowlKC_TP.jpgThe inimitable Ian Brill, my editor at Boom Studios, tells me that the collected edition of Blood Bowl: Killer Contract should show up in stores on or around November 19. This, which contains all five issues of the miniseries, comes in two versions: the (extremely reasonable “what a steal!” $15.99) trade paperback and the (wildly spendy “you deserve to treat yourself, really!” $49.99) very limited edition hardcover.

BloodBowlKC_HC.jpgSometime in the next week, I’ll spend an afternoon signing the tip-in plates (an extra page to autograph) for inclusion in the hardcover, which I presume will eventually be both signed and numbered. If you’re so inclined, be sure to put in an order for the collection of your choice soon. Thanks!

The TAGIE Nominees

The nominations for the inaugural Toy and Game Inventor Awards (the TAGIES, because they’re part of the Toy and Game Inventors Expo) came out on October 23. You can read all about them on Richard Gottlieb’s blog at Playthings.com.

Longtime tabletop games fans should recognize at least two of the names on the list: my friend Richard Borg and Curt Covert of Smirk & Dagger Games. Congratulations to them both, as well as all the other nominees, and good luck to them in the final round. I’ll be there at the awards banquet in Chicago on November 21 to cheer them on!