Obituary: Hugh Hancock
Hugh Hancock died on February 5. Hancock created Strange Company to make movies, shorts, and machinima and developed the VR RPG Left-Hand Path. Among his earlier work was the mechanima film Bloodspell.
Hugh Hancock died on February 5. Hancock created Strange Company to make movies, shorts, and machinima and developed the VR RPG Left-Hand Path. Among his earlier work was the mechanima film Bloodspell.
Mayfair Games has announced that after 36 years in the gaming industry, they will be closing their doors. Prior to making this announcement, Mayfair Games has sold all their assets to Asmodee North America, which will continue to produce and distribute their games. Over the years Mayfair produced Empire Builder, the Role Aids series, and introduced Catan to the US market.
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Game designer Michael Satran died on October 28 from a brain tumor. Satan Began gaming in 1979 and worked as a designer for Hero Systems, publishing several sourcebooks and modules for the Champions system. He also created the Iron Sky RPG.
A minivan crashed into Pastimes Comics and Games in Niles, Illinois on October 12, causing the store to close while cleanup was underway. Pastimes has noted that nobody was in the store at the time of the accident and cleanup was proceeding quickly. The driver of the van, a 73 year old man, had struck another van before driving through the store window. Both van drivers were taken to a local hospital.
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LucasFilm has announced “Find the Force,” an augmented reality game that can be played on cell phones by visiting retailers from September 1-3 to find virtual Star Wars characters. The game begins on “Force Friday II,” the date of a massive product launch in preparation for the December release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
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The ENnie Awards honor the best in Role-playing publishing. The awards were presented at Gen Con on August 18. The judges for the 2017 were Jakub Nowosad, Kayra Keri Küpçü, Reece Carter, Kurt Wiegel, and Stacy Muth.
Judges’ Spotlight Winners
ENnie Awards
The Diana Jones committee announced Gen Con as the recipient of its 2016 award for Excellence in Gaming on August 3, 2016. The Diana Jones Award has been presented annually since 2001. It takes its name from a destroyed copy of the Indiana Jones Role Playing Game.
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The Diana Jones committee has announced the shortlist for its 2017 award for Excellence in Gaming, to be presented in Indianapolis on August 16, 2016. The Diana Jones Award has been presented annually since 2001. It takes its name from a destroyed copy of the Indiana Jones Role Playing Game.
SFWA President Cat Rambo announced that there will be a fifth Nebula Award presented beginning in 2017. In addition to Nebula Awards for Best Novel, Novella, Novelette, and Short Story, there will be an award presented for Best Game Writing. Details of the award have not yet been announced.
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Game designer James M. Ward is currently in the hospital in Milwaukee and expected to be there for several weeks. Ward has been suffering from neurological disorders since 2010. Ward was an early player and designer of Dungeons and Dragons and also founded Fast Forward Entertainment.
Cards can be sent to Ward at
James M. Ward
St. Luke’s Hospital, North Building, Room E3238
2900 W Oklahoma Ave;
Milwaukee, WI 53215