“This is not AD&D 3rd Edition!”

A perfect forward to this set of books.

These are the same exact AD&D 2nd Edition books that you remember, just lovingly reformatted and recreated. The quality of the books is amazing, as is the new layout, colors, and artwork included inside. No detail was missed, no shortcuts taken. I’ve already spent a good amount of time pouring over these and reliving so many fond memories of AD&D at summer camp, school, basements, and my college dorm room.

Those of you who are fans of AD&D 2nd Edition won’t be disappointed with these. Opening these books was almost as good as delving into the original books for the first time, mind reeling with the limitless possibilities for adventure.

Sure, I’ve played better systems since those days, but AD&D 2nd will always be my first. That’s something that no other system can say.

Each book, the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, and Monstrous Manual retails for around $50. Way worth it, in my opinion.

Copies of each book were provided free for review by Wizards of the Coast.

Over the course of six months players will compete against each other in determining who will control the Alpha Quadrant.  Players will receive participation prizes, and winners will receive an exclusive Organized Play ship.  At the end of the story line, a Fleet Admiral will be named, and a grand prize given out.

Attack Wing Starter sets and expansion packs will launch at Gencon in August.  Licensing the highly popular FlightPath maneuver system from Fantasy Flight Games Wizkids create realistic space battles between epic Star Trek ships.

More information on Star Trek: Attack Wing can be found at the Wizkids website.  Go to the website and use the local store-finder to see where you will be playing Attack Wing this fall!

Blitz Chess is a time-controlled form of the game, meaning it can be lost in the usual fashion or by running out of time. In Blitz, players are typically allocated 5-15 minutes each.

Here are two robots playing a 5 minute game.

[via Jane McGonigal]

The game will be for ages 8+, play in around 15 minutes, and have a MSRP of $28.00.

The game has been published before by Asmodee and other companies, and now moves on to Game Salute.

2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is the RPG that got me started into RPGs back when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I carried my old Player’s Handbook everywhere with me that the poor book is so beat up and falling apart.

Now Wizards has released premium reprints of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, and Monstrous Manual in three, beautiful, hardcover books. The books retail for $49.95 each, and can be purchased from DungeonsandDragons.com.

For a little bit of my history, I present you with my old Player’s Handbook.

Fourthcore D&D books have been discounted.

Stratus Games is giving away a copy of Gold Mine.

Obsessive Mommy is giving away The Joker Fun House Game from Wonder Forge.

Jade Louise Designs is giving away Angry Birds Star Wars AT-AT Battle Game from Hasbro.

Back to Basics Learning Dynamics is giving away You’ve Been Sentenced but they won’t ship the game. The winner will have to pick it up in Wilmington, Delaware.

GreyElephant Gaming is giving away Smash Up from AEG.

Online retailer, TimeWellSpent, is having a clearance sale.

Simply Stacie is giving away Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Clash Alley from Wonder Forge.

The game is called Train, and Brenda invented it in her kitchen.

The game asks two questions: “Will people blindly follow the rules?” and “Will people stand by and watch?”

In the game, players are filling trains with yellow people, following type-written instructions on the games’ cards. After a while the theme of the game sinks in when they draw the card that contains the train’s destination. Auschwitz.

At that point the thrill of victory becomes horror for some as they realize they’ve been loading trains with Jews off to be killed in the infamous concentration camp.

[Source: VentureBeat]

It’s a sci-fi game that looks to have a good amount of depth to it. While the files for the game aren’t yet available, they should be coming soon. There’s a document showing the first few turns of play here, so keep your eyes on the BGG page for more info.

Steve has kept a fantastic designer diary of his progress making the game, which I suggest you take a look at.