This is a copy of the “script” we used to organise Brainwaves Episode 156. It is not a full transcript but should give you an overview of the news as we reported it. Quotes are in italics.
Hasbro Rolls the Dice
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/58541/hasbro-signs-d-d-gambling-license
- Hasbro and its division Wizards of the Coast, which is behind brands such as Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, has announced a partnership with Games Global, a leading supplier of igaming content.
- The term igaming refers to internet-based gaming activities including online slots, poker and casino games. All igaming titles allow you to gamble with real world money.
- The collaboration will bring the world of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) into online gambling, seeing the iconic tabletop roleplaying game entering a new arena.
- The first game to emerge from this partnership, Dungeons & Dragons: Tales of Riches, is being developed by Neon Valley Studios. It is set to launch in the first quarter of 2025. In the game, players can expect an immersive, high-engagement slot experience.
- The release will be followed by further igaming titles as part of this multi-game collaboration.
- The announcement comes as Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
- Andy Booth, Chief Product Officer at Games Global, expressed his enthusiasm for the project by saying this:
- “The Hasbro brand is global and transcends the toy and game industry, so it goes without saying that Games Global is incredibly proud to announce this multicontent partnership. The first of many exciting releases, the Dungeons & Dragons slot will combine Hasbro’s world-building legacy with Games Global’s expertise, promising to deliver a game that engages, entertains, and transports players to new realms of fantasy.”
- D&D isn’t the first geek brand to break into online gambling. Marvel, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have all been featured in gambling machines. While many of those collaborations ended years ago, this new endeavour promises to reintroduce pop culture fans to the world of igaming with a fresh and captivating perspective.
Chess loses its trousers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8npkrey66o
- Ah chess. Who would have thought that when we started Brainwaves that Chess would be consistently featuring in surprising ways. We’ve had poisonings, accusations of sex toys being used as communication devices, the year of women in Chess sponsored by a breast enlargement company and now they’ve gone full trouser.
- Magnus Carlsen, the former world champion was defending his Blitz and Speed chess titles in New York.
- He was approached by officials who asked him to change his jeans.
- He offered to change them for the next day but was fined on the spot and asked to change immediately. Magnus pulled out of the tournament due to this incident saying
- “Honestly, I am too old at this point to care too much.” (he’s 34!)
- Carlsen had forgotten to change out of the Jeans after lunch. He was fined £159.
- However Carlsen did return to the tournament after FIDE, the chess governing body, announced some changes to its attire rules.
- They said they would relax their dress code for ‘minor elegant deviations’ that would be judged on a case by case basis.
- It seems this relaxation of the rules may have only been for this particular tournament.
Vallejo Workers
https://www.rascal.news/striking-workers-at-vallejo-paint-factory-claim-victory
https://spikeybits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Vallejo-Statment.png
- At the end of last year, we brought you news that workers at miniature paint company Vallejo were conducting intermittent strikes as they fought for better pay and conditions.
- It seems that the action has had an effect as Vallejo issued a statement agreeing to some of the demands. They announce the following in the statement
- READ FROM STATEMENT
- In the same statement they refute some of the allegations levelled at the company during the strike action.
- This includes denying that they pay workers below minimum wage, claiming that their factories are in good condition, and stating that they do have a workplace harassment policy that they are working on improving.
- The claim of their factories being in good condition directly contradicts the information provided by the union representing the workers.
Updates
Most Monopoly
- Could be an end story, but it ain’t.
- For the fourth time, Neil Scallan of London has broken the Guinness World Record for the most amount of Monopoly memorabilia, totalling 4,379 sets, having previously won is 2016, 2017 and 2018.
- On why he started collecting Monopoly sets, Neil said:
- “Firstly, it’s because I grew up with it and it’s a part of my history.
- “I started with the standard set, then I’d get them from different countries as I was travelling.
- “On the sets, when you’d go abroad, would be places that you’d visited so it was a nice double whammy.
- “It was nice to have something which was a memento of your trip and all the places you’d been in a collectable.”
- “The youngsters do love playing them but for me, it’s getting them and having them sealed.
- 800 of his sets are on loan to a Belgian museum.
News
Cardboard Edison Award 2025 Submissions Open
https://cardboardedison.com/award
https://cardboardedison.com/2025-award-submissions
- The Cardboard Edison Award has announced that submissions for 2025 are now open. The award highlights new and unpublished games that show promise and is an award we greatly admire,
- Anyone 18 years or older can enter their design, as long as it is original work that is not publicly available before June 2025 and is not licensed to a publisher during the period of the award.
- Board, card and dice games are eligible, but not RPGs or videogames.
- Each submission has to include a brief description of the game, a video overview and a rules document. You will also need to provide your name and contact information.
- Please make sure you have completed the game and playtested it before sending it in. Saying that, prototypes can be sent in and they do not need to have final artwork or graphics, but should be clear and usable.
- All designs remain the intellectual property of the designers, as you would expect.
- Submissions must be received before 11:59 PM Eastern time on the 31st of January 2025 and a submission fee of $25 per design is required. For Patreon supporters of Cardboard Edison a coupon code for one free submission is available on request.
- If you want to submit your design, please follow the link in the show notes to the online submission form.
Jobs, Opportunities, and Events
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs
Protos y Tipos
Spanish convention in March. Look up details.
https://asociacionludo.com/actividad/protos-y-tipos
- Protos y Tipos is an event for designers, publishers, media and other games professionals held in Zaragoza in March. Zaragoza is situated between Madrid and Barcelona.
- The event is aimed at allowing designers to test prototypes and for the Spanish game professionals to meet and chat. It is run by the Games Association of Spain.
- This year it will be held from the 7th to the 9th of March.
- You can find more details about the event and the Games Association of Spain on their website. We will provide a link in the show notes
- Thanks to Stephen Hammant for reaching out and sharing this event with us.
- If you would like us to advertise your event on the cast, then please let us know. We do not charge for this.
Patreon Shoutouts
Kevin Bertram
James Naylor
Shaun Newman
game-a-lot.fun/en
facebook.com/gamealotboardgames
Our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/thegiantbrain
Fanroll
https://fanrolldice.com/ref/2783
Outro
Monopoly changes the game
https://www.polygon.com/gaming/492505/monopoly-new-version-expansions-announced
- New year, new games, new…Monopoly?
- That’s right, for 2025 we are getting a rules refresh of the boardgame that people love to hate in an attempt by plastic parents Hasbro to make the game more inviting to modern players, instead of being the butt of endless snide remarks.
- We’re talking a plastic organiser, changed card sizes and shapes, an overhauled money system and 20-count it- 20% bigger playing pieces!
- Also also, legit expansions for Monopoly! Monopoly Free Parking Jackpot Expansion, Monopoly Go to Jail Expansion and Monopoly Buy Everything Expansion are the ones currently mentioned.
- Hasbro senior vice president of board games Brian Baker said: “We don’t necessarily need to sell more Monopolys,” Baker said. “Most people already own Monopoly. What they’re looking for is a reason to play it again.”
- Also a box refresh as it will come in a square box to better fit with modern board games and fit in an Ikea Kallax shelf
- Middle of the year release
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