In continuing converage from GenCon, TFN Staff member Jeff Yankey wraps up day 1 with even more Star Wars games news and a bit extra about some of the demos.
Return of the Jedi will be released in November in a 110 card set. Along with new cards, there will be additional game mechanics added. Also, an Episode III preview card will be included . For ROTJ, it will include the Episode III Jedi Starfighter. Wizards just announced a contest to name the card and guess the mechanics of the card. You can find it at the Wizard of the Coast website
The Revenge of the Sith set will be released April 2nd. The ywill have a big promotion plus tournament as part of the release. Expect a big push at Celebration III for the new set from Wizards.
One of the most popular new games is the Star Wars Miniatures. This game uses small plastic figures and a variation of the D20 rules system. The starter pack is set for release in two weeks and will retail for about $19.95. It will include a map, rulebook, and several randomn figures. You are only guarenteed to get Luke and Darth Vader. They will also have booster packs around 13 dollars and will contain 7 randomn figures. Although the figures are plastic, the sculpt work is excellent. The Imperial Guard looks fantastic and almost has the "Unleashed" look to him. If you are planning on attending GenCon and want to play this demo, make sure to schedule early. The game slots filled by 3 pm today and this will be the least crowded.
A noted Star Wars author was spotted in the crowds today. Timothy Zahn, creator of the Heir to the Empire series, was enjoying the time in the dealer room. And as expected, members of the 501st Legion were providing guard duty at the doors.
Not everything revolves around Star Wars and Jeff was able to take in many other events going on at GenCon. At the Microsoft booth, demos for Fable and MechAssault 2 were very popular. Fable is definitely going to be the Knights of the Old Republic equivilant for Fantasy. The storyline is very interesting and the transformation from child to adult is awesome. MechAssault was setup in multiplayer mode and is a lot of fun...if you enjoy destroying everything in sight. On the sampled level, the Atlas, Mad Cat, Vulture plus other VTOLS, Tanks, and artillery pieces were available. You can also play an Elemental and try assaulting the walking tanks in your battle suit. You can climb on any mech and go for a ride or even try to MechJack (steal) the mech.
If you happen to be a "V" fan, Marc Singer stated that he met with the creators a week ago and everything is still on for the new series with NBC.