Tuff Stuff's Gamer Fall 1996 - 8 - 411
ous and deadly programs called "ice." In
"Proteus," a runner named Max Forward
stumbles onto plans for a new program-
altering technology. The balance of power
has shifted. Now the runner can play Bad
Publicity cards that undermine the Cor-
poration's image or draw on Hidden
Resources to launch surprise attacks.
Available in 15-card boosters for
$2.95, "Proteus" features nearly 150 new
cards with art by many popular "Magic"
artists. Moebius, the world-renowned sci-
ence-fiction illustrator, contributes sever-
al images to the set.
ANIME
• Japanese animation, or "anime," is
everywhere: in video games and tapes,
comics, action figures, trading cards,
movies, TV shows, and now CCGs. Anime
Cafe and Pioneer Video were first out of
the gate when they premiered the 'Ani-
Mayhem" card game in July. The original
305-card release utilized clips from four
popular animated series: Bubble Gum
Crisis, El Hazard: The Magnificent World,
Tenchi Muyo, and Ranma 1/2. A promo
card featuring art from the science-fic-
tion series Armitage III was distributed
through Pioneer videos, laser discs, and
audio tapes.
Fans should head to card shops in
November when "Ani-Mayhem's" first
150-card expansion arrives on shelves.
The game's designers hope to include
images from Legend of Lodoss War and
Ghost in the Shell, which proved a critical
hit when it toured theaters last spring.
Pioneer will substitute images from Armi-
tage III if it can't secure the rights to
Ghost in the Shell.
• Anime fans got an inkling of the mad-
ness to come, when Matthew Johnston
Games released the "Limited Preview
Edition" of its "Anime Madness" CCG this
past September. These presorted 100-card
decks sell for $15 and provide everything
you need to master the game.
"When the basic set comes out in
November," says Jim Johnston of MJG,
"there are going to be 160 cards added to
the selection." These new cards will be
sold in 16-card quarter packs for $2.50.
Four packs will give you enough cards to
build a 64-card starter deck.
November when "Ani-Mayhem's" first
150-card expansion arrives on shelves.
The game's designers hope to include
images from Legend of Lodoss War and
Ghost in the Shell, which proved a critical
hit when it toured theaters last spring.
Pioneer will substitute images from Armi-
tage III if it can't secure the rights to
Ghost in the Shell.
• Anime fans got an inkling of the mad-
ness to come, when Matthew Johnston
Games released the "Limited Preview
Edition" of its "Anime Madness" CCG this
past September. These presorted 100-card
decks sell for $15 and provide everything
you need to master the game.
"When the basic set comes out in
November," says Jim Johnston of MJG,
"there are going to be 160 cards added to
the selection." These new cards will be
sold in 16-card quarter packs for $2.50.
Four packs will give you enough cards to
build a 64-card starter deck.
The plot? You're the president of a
MegaCorp that produces anime. To elim-
inate the competition, you must become
the biggest thing on TV. How? Rock 'em,
sock 'em anime combat - your anime
characters against your opponent's. You
can choose characters from Bubble Gum
Crisis, Bubble Gum Crash, Genesis Sur-
vivor Gaiarth, Riding Bean, A.D. Police
Files, and Scramble Wars.
First mayhem and now madness.
What are game companies trying to say
about Japanese animation and its fans?
HYBRIDS
• Two new card releases from Steve Jack-
son Games aren't traditional CCGs. The
first, "Knightmare Chess," premiered this
past August. This stand-alone, 80-card
set is used in conjunction with a stan-
dard chess set, altering rules to liven up
the staid board game. For a turn, a
knight might slide diagonally like a bish-
op, or a pawn might move three spaces in-
stead of one. "Knightmare Chess" retails
for $14.95.
MegaCorp that produces anime. To elim-
inate the competition, you must become
the biggest thing on TV. How? Rock 'em,
sock 'em anime combat - your anime
characters against your opponent's. You
can choose characters from Bubble Gum
Crisis, Bubble Gum Crash, Genesis Sur-
vivor Gaiarth, Riding Bean, A.D. Police
Files, and Scramble Wars.
First mayhem and now madness.
What are game companies trying to say
about Japanese animation and its fans?
HYBRIDS
• Two new card releases from Steve Jack-
son Games aren't traditional CCGs. The
first, "Knightmare Chess," premiered this
past August. This stand-alone, 80-card
set is used in conjunction with a stan-
dard chess set, altering rules to liven up
the staid board game. For a turn, a
knight might slide diagonally like a bish-
op, or a pawn might move three spaces in-
stead of one. "Knightmare Chess" retails
for $14.95.
The second new game, "Dino Hunt," is
really a board game disguised as a card
game. Players lay dinosaur cards along a
"timeline," then roll dice to try to capture
the cards. Each card is worth a certain
number of points. Whoever has the most
points when all the dinos have been cap-
tured wins the game.
Every "Dino Hunt" card features accu-
rate dinosaur information and art by Pat
Ortega and Bob Walters. Steve Jackson is
really a board game disguised as a card
game. Players lay dinosaur cards along a
"timeline," then roll dice to try to capture
the cards. Each card is worth a certain
number of points. Whoever has the most
points when all the dinos have been cap-
tured wins the game.
Every "Dino Hunt" card features accu-
rate dinosaur information and art by Pat
Ortega and Bob Walters. Steve Jackson is
making the game available in both a 109-
card boxed set and 240-card "Limited
Edition." The box includes black-bor-
dered, "non-collectible" cards and every-
thing else needed to play "Dino Hunt."
The gold-bordered "Limited Edition" cards
are marked "1996" on the backs. Future
editions featuring new dinosaur art will
be dated with the years they're printed.
The "Limited Edition" is available in five-
card boosters for 99 cents a pack. Ten
chase cards are offered as incentives for
collectors; an extra chase card is included
in every display box. "Limited Edition"
cards can be used to enhance the basic
card game.
