InQuest 13 - 14 - InQuest News
1996 Toy Fair Report
The American International Toy Fair is one of the few affairs
where dinosaurs, dragons and cyberspace Netrunners are much
more routine than blizzards, buyout attempts and settlements with
the Federal Trade Commission. Last February's annual trade event
in New York City for the $19 billion toy industry, however, com-
bined all that and then some.
Steve Jackson Games: Dino Hunt
Steve Jackson Games announced Dino Hunt, a
card game due August in which players compete
to bring dinosaurs to the present. "Creating
this game was great fun," said SJG President
Steve Jackson.
"I got to study hundreds of different
dinosaurs and work with some great
scientists and artists to create the
pictures." The nonprofit Dinosaur
Society is reviewing the sci-
entific information on the
dinosaur cards for accuracy.
Decipher: Shadows
of the Empire
The American International Toy Fair is one of the few affairs
where dinosaurs, dragons and cyberspace Netrunners are much
more routine than blizzards, buyout attempts and settlements with
the Federal Trade Commission. Last February's annual trade event
in New York City for the $19 billion toy industry, however, com-
bined all that and then some.
Steve Jackson Games: Dino Hunt
Steve Jackson Games announced Dino Hunt, a
card game due August in which players compete
to bring dinosaurs to the present. "Creating
this game was great fun," said SJG President
Steve Jackson.
"I got to study hundreds of different
dinosaurs and work with some great
scientists and artists to create the
pictures." The nonprofit Dinosaur
Society is reviewing the sci-
entific information on the
dinosaur cards for accuracy.
Decipher: Shadows
of the Empire
Dino Hunt was one of the few new CCG prod-
ucts announced at Toy Fair. "The toy industry is
driven by toy stores and Wal-Marts and Kmarts and
Toys R Uses of our world. If you don't sell to them, this is
really not the best show," observed Decipher Marketing
Director Matt Mariani.
His company displayed Star Wars and Star Trek: The Next
Generation and discussed previously announced expansions
like Star Wars: A New Hope (due June or July) and, for Star Trek,
Q Continuum (midsummer) and Holodeck Adventures (late '96).
Mariani also revealed intriguing details about Shadows of the
Empire, a Star Wars expansion tentatively scheduled for next win-
ter. The all-new Shadows book, computer games and toys debut-
ing April explore the time between the "Empire Strikes Back" and
"Return of the Jedi" movies.
"We're going to create from models images
that look like they're from the movies," Mari-
ani said of Decipher's Shadows set. "We're prob-
ably going to get actors with outfits and such
and do video shots."
He described Star Wars sales as
"great, phenomenal."
Mariani also addressed the absence of a
Chewbacca and R2-D2. "You have to be able
to adjust some rules that may not have
worked out perfectly with the original set.
We needed things to balance out inadver-
tently strong cards from the original set. We're
wondering now if Darth is too strong - we
don't know, we're examining it. But you can't
bring in an unknown character to weaken
Darth Vader."
ucts announced at Toy Fair. "The toy industry is
driven by toy stores and Wal-Marts and Kmarts and
Toys R Uses of our world. If you don't sell to them, this is
really not the best show," observed Decipher Marketing
Director Matt Mariani.
His company displayed Star Wars and Star Trek: The Next
Generation and discussed previously announced expansions
like Star Wars: A New Hope (due June or July) and, for Star Trek,
Q Continuum (midsummer) and Holodeck Adventures (late '96).
Mariani also revealed intriguing details about Shadows of the
Empire, a Star Wars expansion tentatively scheduled for next win-
ter. The all-new Shadows book, computer games and toys debut-
ing April explore the time between the "Empire Strikes Back" and
"Return of the Jedi" movies.
"We're going to create from models images
that look like they're from the movies," Mari-
ani said of Decipher's Shadows set. "We're prob-
ably going to get actors with outfits and such
and do video shots."
He described Star Wars sales as
"great, phenomenal."
Mariani also addressed the absence of a
Chewbacca and R2-D2. "You have to be able
to adjust some rules that may not have
worked out perfectly with the original set.
We needed things to balance out inadver-
tently strong cards from the original set. We're
wondering now if Darth is too strong - we
don't know, we're examining it. But you can't
bring in an unknown character to weaken
Darth Vader."
Decipher's final Star Trek expansion will be
titled All Good Things, like the last episode of the
"Next Generation" TV show. A suitable endcap for the Star
Trek game, it should include cards like Guinan.
Decipher also displayed games like the popular How to Host
a Murder series for mass market buyers.
TSR: A Dragon Dice Explosion
At TSR, one key product introduction was a "spin-
ner display" for small retail stores. Vice President of
Creative Services Jim Ward touted Introduction to
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons box sets contain-
ing miniatures, books and CD-ROMs.
But of all 140 products expected in 1996,
TSR was clearly most excited about Dragon
Dice. "It's never been as successful for
us," Ward said of Toy Fair, largely
because the game had attracted
unprecedented mass market
and retail attention.
titled All Good Things, like the last episode of the
"Next Generation" TV show. A suitable endcap for the Star
Trek game, it should include cards like Guinan.
Decipher also displayed games like the popular How to Host
a Murder series for mass market buyers.
TSR: A Dragon Dice Explosion
At TSR, one key product introduction was a "spin-
ner display" for small retail stores. Vice President of
Creative Services Jim Ward touted Introduction to
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons box sets contain-
ing miniatures, books and CD-ROMs.
But of all 140 products expected in 1996,
TSR was clearly most excited about Dragon
Dice. "It's never been as successful for
us," Ward said of Toy Fair, largely
because the game had attracted
unprecedented mass market
and retail attention.
"Obviously the world
was ready for a collectible
dice game," Ward said, esti-
mating that 1 million starter sets
and kicker packs would be sold this
year. "It isn't the success we're used to,"
he chuckled. "We don't want to say it'll
crush people like bugs!" (For a look at the
game's collation problems, see "Amazon Dragon
Dice: Urban Legend?" below.)
In a back room, Director of Licensing Ted Schmitt
met with manufacturers eager to do products with TSR
tie-ins. One priority, he said, would be to develop Buck
Rogers properties.
As for the movie, TV show and ride announced at 1995's
Toy Fair ("Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie," "Product
News," InQuest #1), Schmitt said, those were among the
projects Universal's new owner, Seagram's, has decided
to evaluate.
Wizards of the Coast: Netrunner
At its striking new booth at the Javits
Center, Wizards of the Coast described the
cyberspace-based Netrunner CCG. (For an
in-depth look, see page 52.)
was ready for a collectible
dice game," Ward said, esti-
mating that 1 million starter sets
and kicker packs would be sold this
year. "It isn't the success we're used to,"
he chuckled. "We don't want to say it'll
crush people like bugs!" (For a look at the
game's collation problems, see "Amazon Dragon
Dice: Urban Legend?" below.)
In a back room, Director of Licensing Ted Schmitt
met with manufacturers eager to do products with TSR
tie-ins. One priority, he said, would be to develop Buck
Rogers properties.
As for the movie, TV show and ride announced at 1995's
Toy Fair ("Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie," "Product
News," InQuest #1), Schmitt said, those were among the
projects Universal's new owner, Seagram's, has decided
to evaluate.
Wizards of the Coast: Netrunner
At its striking new booth at the Javits
Center, Wizards of the Coast described the
cyberspace-based Netrunner CCG. (For an
in-depth look, see page 52.)
The company's '96 focuses will be
Netrunner, Magic expansions (Alliances and
the Mirage stand-alone in October), the Magic
Pro Tour (see page 13), and a Great Dalmuti
holiday edition.
New Magic products include ready-to-play
box sets, Chinese and Korean releases, a CD-
ROM game (see page 18) and video games
(from Acclaim in October). The Sabbat, a Vam-
pire: The Eternal Struggle stand-alone expan-
sion, is due next winter.
"We're here to show toy retailers what we
have coming in the future," said WotC's Jean
Flynn, adding that the company wasn't pursu-
ing the mass market.
