USAopoly Ends Motown Monopoly
Added July 10, 1999

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, USAopoly (maker of various state, city and special interest Monopoly sets) has discontinued the Detroit version of the classic real estate game. "We sold out of the last few (Detriot) games just recently, and we didn't think is was economically viable to make more," the company president is quoted as saying. A spokeswoman for the city mayor's office said the decision was a bad one. USAopoly did say it may publish the Detroit game again in the future.

Lunch Money Button Men Available Soon
Added July 10, 1999

Fans of Lunch Money, the Origins Award-winning playground combat card game from Atlas Games, and Button Men, the new combat dice game from Cheapass Games, can soon enjoy both passtimes at once.

Six new Lunch Money Button Men buttons are due out in August, sold in sets of two (Prudence and Charity, Faith and Temperance, Hope and Chastity). The Lunch Money buttons, designed by Cheapass guru James Ernest, are fully compatible with the original Button Men set, as well as with other sets published by Cheapass Games and future licensees.

The Lunch Money characters introduce two new features into the Button Men universe: the "Y" wild die (which allows a player to choose any die type from 1 to 20), and the "trip die," which enables a player to re-roll an opponent's die.

Pan-Atlantic Shogi Championship II
Added July 10, 1999

The second Pan-Atlantic Shogi Championship is scheduled to take place Aug. 22-25, 1999, in London, England, as part of the third Mind Sports Olympiad. The event also will feature the first-ever America-Europe team championship. The tournament is open to any interested shogi player, regardless of nationality or skill level. Registrants who sign up through a national shogi organization can play for free. A Web page devoted to PASC is available. Pieter Stouten is the tournament director.