It may not be an "unexpected journey" (the Hobbit movie game rights have been split between Wizkids, Cryptozoic, and LEGO), but Fantasy Flight Games has enough Tolkien titles to take you on their own trip through Middle-earth.

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Tags Fantasy Flight, Lord of the Rings, Toy Fair 2012

A packaging mock-up for the upcoming Clue Elimination shown at Toy Fair 2012

Of all the games I was expecting to see from Hasbro at this year's Toy Fair, a dart shooting version of Clue was not among them. Color me surprised, but also color me impressed. Clue Elimination draws more inspiration from the free-form live-action game of Assassin than it does from traditional Clue, but Clue Elimination also looks quite fun.

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Tags Clue, Clue Elimination, Hasbro, Toy Fair 2012

Think Risk, but with a lot more political back-stabbing. And fun.

In that cool "we read the books long before they were popular" sort of way, Fantasy Flight Games has publishing Game of Thrones board and card games for 10 years. Now don't you feel late to the party?

Lucky for you, we got to chat with Fantasy Flight's sales manager, Bryan Bornmueller, at Toy Fair 2012, where he gave us a rundown on the publisher's history with the franchise, as well as a first-hand look at the newly-released second edition of the Game of Thrones Board Game.

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Tags Fantasy Flight Games, Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin, Toy Fair 2012

These games have put Cryptozoic on the map, but are just the tip of the iceberg compared to what the publisher has in store for the remainder of 2012.

One hobby gaming company making their Toy Fair debut this year was Cryptozoic Entertainment, and if first impressions don't lie, the Cryptozoic booth will be a fixture for years to come. The publisher made a splash in 2011 with games based on World of Warcraft, The Walking Dead, Penny Arcade, and even some of their own original creations, but Toy Fair gave us a look into the company's future.

Most of those previously mentioned licenses will continue on this year, but several more will be joining the pack. These include The Big Bang Theory, DC Comics, The Hobbit movie series, and Castle. This is all in addition to the just-released Locke & Key card game and other future releases we have already previewed, giving Cryptozoic quite the 2012 release slate

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Tags Castle, Cryptozoic, Cryptozoic Entertainment, DC, Penny Arcade, The Hobbit, The Walking Dead, World of Warcraft

Prepare to get your roleplay on like it's 1974. As was previously revealed in the Dungeons & Dragons 2012 product schedule, Wizards of the Coast will be publishing premium reprints of the original Dungeons & Dragons books (Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide).

The new printings will be faithful reproductions of the originals based on high-quality scans of those texts, but with all-new cover artwork to commemorate the re-release. Now, that cover artwork has been revealed.

All three books will be limited-edition hobby store exclusives, available starting on April 17th, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Gygax Memorial Fund. Established to honor Gary Gygax, the late co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, the fund is aiming to raise a statue in his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Related Posts:
Lead Developer Mike Mearls Answers Questions About "D&D Next"
Why You Should Care About the Next Edition of Dungeons & Dragons

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Tags D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax, Gary Gygax Memorial Fund, Wizards of the Coast

Back in January, Mayfair Games announced that Catan: Junior will be hitting North America, but there were few details on how the game would change from its original Kosmos-published German edition, Die Siedler von Catan Junior. At Toy Fair 2012, I caught up with Mayfair's Director of Sales & Marketing, Bob Carty, to see an early prototype of this new Catan Junior edition.

The changes in this new version run the gamut of gameplay to theme. For one, all of the cards have been replaced with tiles (the sheets of symbols you see on the table are un-punched tile art), which makes more sense since this junior version of Catan doesn't involve stealing resources. The American version of Catan: Junior also incorporates a trade market which you can see has been built right into the game's board.

Thematically, the resources have received a bit of tweaking. Most notably, kids won't be collecting rum anymore, as those barrels have been renamed as molasses. Jack Sparrow might be disappointed, but I'm willing to bet at least a few parents will appreciate Mayfair's change.

Related Posts:
Mayfair Games Mold The Settlers of Catan Into a Social Experiment
Move Over Candyland, Catan Junior is Coming in April

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Tags Catan: Junior, Mayfair Games, The Settlers of Catan, Toy Fair 2012

You've seen traditional board games, and you've also seen video game versions of those same titles. But there is a third category somewhere in the middle. Previously relegated to niche status as VHS tape-controlled board games or Scene It-style DVD games, the marriage of analog and digital gaming is getting its vows renewed due to a major new player: the iPad.

After some smaller companies were given major attention for dabbling in this space during the 2011 holiday season, Hasbro picked up on the trend. They've dipped into their well of classic titles to see what potential can be unlocked from the iPad-on-a-board concept, coining the term "zAPPed" to label this new venture.

First up isThe Game of Life: zAPPed Edition, which will be hitting store shelves at the end of this week in a bit of a pre-Toy Fair surprise. Most products at the trade show are shown in early form and see release later in the year, but Hasbro is kicking off their "zAPPed" product line as we speak.

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Tags Apple, Hasbro, iOS, IPad, Life, The Game of Life, Toy Fair 2012

In the world of board games, there are those which take themselves too seriously, and others which don't take themselves seriously enough. Get Bit! takes a simple strategy game and sets out to achieve one goal: score so far off the silly end of that scale that the game will become awesome (think slapstick comedies and campy horror flicks).

In Get Bit!, each player takes on the role of one (waterproof) robot as part of a group out for a peaceful swim. When a ravenous shark begins chomping down on the robots' arms and legs, Get Bit! begins, and the robots enter a struggle for survival of the fittest. As the game's rules say, "you don't have to swim faster than the shark, you just have to swim faster than your friends!"

Just the Facts:

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 10-20 minutes
Age: 8+
Publisher: Mayday Games
Game Designer: Dave Chalker
MSRP: $25.00
Release: March 2012 (reprinting)

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Tags Dave Chalker, Get Bit!, Mayday games

After nearly a decade of waiting, Marvel RPG fans can finally get back in the game. RPG publisher Margaret Weis Productions has taken over the dormant superhero license, and will be releasing the first volume of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying later this month.

As a brand new effort that breaks away from previous efforts such as TSR's classic Marvel Superheroes RPG and Marvel's own Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, this system from MWP will use a version of the Cortex Plus rules set made famous in the Leverage and Smallville RPGs.

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Tags Margaret Weiss Productions, Marvel, Marvel Heroic RPG, RPGs

Screenlife is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the release of the FIRST-EVER Star Wars Scene It game coming out fall 2012! Just in time because I think I need some refreshing!

“It’s a delight to bring Star Wars, one of the most popular and beloved film franchises of all time, to the Scene It? galaxy of rich entertainment trivia,” said Barry Watts, CEO of Screenlife. “2012 is shaping up to be a great year for movie fans, as we are bringing not only fantastic new titles like Star Wars and Movie Night to our lineup, we are giving players new ways to play with convenient streaming gameplay.”

Here are the game details:

From the Battle of Naboo to the birth of Luke Skywalker, from the rise of Darth Vader to the fall of the Galactic Empire - Scene It? Star Wars delivers hours of fun spanning the complete Star Wars film saga. As one of the engaging new puzzle types introduced in this landmark title, the “Jedi Archives” challenges players to solve puzzles utilizing behind-the- scenes film assets, from storyboards, production stills, concept art and more.  The Force will need to be with fans as they try to solve the “Finish the Line” puzzles, which task Star Wars devotees to complete key dialogue from the films.  The “Imperial Listening Post” incorporates the fantastic sound effects of Star Wars, as players endeavor to identify the iconic hum of lightsabers, or the inspiration of Chewbacca’s signature voice. Emulating R2-D2’s famous projector, “Holonet Disruptions” presents clues in holographic projections, as first depicted in the original Star Wars.

Also Screenlife is introducing a new way to play by using the included DVD or streaming the content via your favorite web-enabled device, including laptops, tablets, and connected TVs. The streaming option offers added convenience while providing access to bonus content not found on the disc. Score!

I'm getting a preview of this game Monday at the NY International Toy Fair so will have much more insider info for you all very soon! Stay tuned!

Related Posts:

Toy Fair Diamond Select Assembles Avengers Minimates!
Fantasy Flight's Star Wars Card Game Delayed

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Tags Scene It, Star Wars, Toy Fair 2012