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I´m happy to report that the graphics for our June release, Martin Wallace´s Rise of Empires, are almost complete. Czarne did his

Recently I had the chance to test both Automobile, our October release, and a yet unannounced game from Italy, at Michael Schramm´s wonderful gathering of gamers at Bödefeld.

We have selected an artist for our October release, Automobile (by Martin Wallace).

It is...

You´ll find an interesting interview of Klaus-Jürgen Wrede at:

http://brettspillguiden.no

Last week the Hippodice gaming club of Bochum, Germany, again hosted the annual finals of the game authors´ competition.

The game is in production and moves along nicely. Steam will be produced in Germany at leading manufacturer Ludo Fact.

In the European board gaming industry, most of the titles are either released in October (at the Essen fair) or in February (at Nuernberg). However, does this really make sense?

I had the pleasure to attend the annual Italian Game Designers´Meeting (IDEAG) last weekend for the first time. It was held in cold but beautiful weather near Torino.

I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and an excellent & peaceful year 2009! I hope you find the time to play

Did I say 2009 will be a Martin Wallace year? Yes, it will!

Last weekend I had the chance to play Advanced Civilization by Francis Tresham, released in the early 80ties, for the first time in probably 15 years.

The project is now almost in the can from our side. Not only did Martin Wallace and development team do an outstanding job tweaking this already excellent game system to perfection, they also ensured that the new edition is looking beautifully.

As everybody knows, the economic data for the near future looks pretty bad. We are heading - fast - into a recession. However, in addition, there is a lot of "doom and gloom". To my mind, noone right now really knows what will happen.

You already know that we will do two games by Martin Wallace next year for sure: Steam and Rise of Empires. However, it looks like we will have a third "Martin game" in 2009. It should be out in time for Essen in October.

If I´d have to name just a single game designer/author who has impressed me most in the last months, I would certainly name "Martin Wallace".

In the meantime, the Hey! That´s My Fish! cell phone game has been released. If you like this game or cell phone games in general,

We had a very pleasant Spiel fair at Essen last week. The reception of our new games, Hey! That´s My Fish! and Sutter´s Mill was exceptional. I´m sure both games will do well in the future.

Run by Phalanx Games Deutschland, the Phalanx booth at Essen (60 sqms) will have enough room to test the new releases Hey! That´s my Fish! and Sutter´s Mill and the recent one The Golden Age.

Each fall US Games Magazine lists the "100 best board and cardgames" of the year. Phalanx again made it to the list twice.

Hey! That´s My Fish! Deluxe not only will be released as a board- and cell phone game but also as a PC game. Developed in Germany, we hope to see the game this year!

Phalanx Games again is present at the huge “Spiel” convention at Essen (October 23-26).

This year the booth is run by Phalanx Games Deutschland who are in the same spot as in the last few years (hall 9, booth 118).

Early this month I mentioned a few details on our forthcoming Rise of Empires game. Here is a little bit of additional info:

It looks like that both Westward Ho! and Sultan, the two games that Phalanx cancelled early this year because of our change of strategy, have found new homes – in both cases very respected German publishers. I´m most happy about these developments!

More soon!

If you think of a detailed game by an American author/designer, you are thinking of lots of phases that each player has to conduct in a specific order.

Railway and strategy gamers alike will be very pleased to know that the next (3rd) edition of the highly successful Age of Steam game by Martin Wallace will appear in February/March 2009!

In his Sutter´s Mill turn, a player has to decide between two options: He may either dig gold and move his prospectors from a camp to the various stores and offices of Coloma or he may conduct “actions” with prospectors who are already in Coloma. The more actions a player conducts, the higher the costs.

One interesting game of 2005, Hidden City Games´ “Clout Fantasy” was a total failure for various reasons (overly-complex rules, lackluster illustrations, pretty high price etc.).

As you know, there is an awful lot of games released each year.

In Sutter´s Mill the players not only try to dig as much gold as possible but also to achieve as much control over the few stores & offices in the booming town of Coloma.

In just ne week we will release the “deluxe” edition of Hey! That´s My Fish! We are really excited because it is the largest print run Phalanx ever did. The game is simultaneously released in nine different languages.

Yes, I know, the year is not over yet, however, let´s simply title this entry „best game I played between January and early October 2008“ instead of “best game played in 2008”.

In addition to the boardgame, Hey! That´s My Fish! will also be released for cell phones this fall.

So you think it is fun to work for a game company? Look at that Uli, he is playing cool games all day! Well, yes, from time to time I indeed play cool games but this is just a fraction of what I do.

In May 2009 Phalanx will release an original Martin Wallace design: Rise of Empires.

In the game two to five players are building their own civilization from the dawn of history to present times. All players start “small” and fairly powerless, however, through clever play they try to gain wealth and progress in several areas.

I had the chance to visit the “Origins Game Fair” in Columbus, Ohio this June. On first glance, the fair seems tiny compared to Essen with about one-tenth of the attendees of the “Spiel” fair at Essen.

In our company history Hey! That´s My Fish! is the bestseller by far. We are very happy to have this game available again in an all new (“deluxe”) edition next week!

Some topics (rightfully?) will find their way into games again and again – Ancient Rome, the Mediterranean region, Egypt, trading in the Middle Ages etc. etc. However, from time to time themes that are rarely gamed will be released in game form.

We are proud – Torsten Landsvogt´s Before the Wind has been nominated for Dutch Game of the Year!
In Before the Wind 2-4 players take the roles of traders, trying to fill their warehouses with goods which are then in turn transferred to the ships in the harbor. They have to pay attention to the right combination of goods because the captains only accept the goods from a single trader and expect a complete delivery before their ships leave the harbor.

At the “Spiel“ gaming fair at Essen this October Phalanx will release Sutter’s Mill: California Gold Rush of 1849. Here are a few introductory remarks:
In 1849, near Sutter´s Mill at Coloma, the first gold in California was discovered, initiating the gold rush.

As many of you already know, Phalanx Games has decided to “turn around” in the overcrowded gaming market. This change of direction cost a lot of time (and sometimes nerves…). However, I do think that Phalanx now is making good progress!

In time for the re-launch of our new website you’ll again find „daily“ news and comments on the gaming scene here.

They will be posted under the “Blog” header.