PLAAY Connect 11.03.22
Don’t look now, but here come the Holidays! We’ll be moving into “Holiday Mode” soon, but before we do, let’s get you caught up with what’s going on around here!…
Hartford LIVE Event Recap
Had a great time in Hartford, CT on 10.15.22! We had about a dozen PLAAY gamers, a good mix of local and long-distance. Denver resident David Santistevan made the trip with us to Hartford, a city he'd never visited (that was pretty cool, we flew in on the same flight!). Also making the trip were James Cast (Virginia), Mark Russell (Toronto area), Randy Coryer and Pete Stevens (upstate New York), and Pete Adams (Wilton, CT). We got to meet the legendary "MGD Fuzzy," a Hartford area resident, as well as a couple of newcomers to the PLAAY group, Michael Canestrari and Michael Little, both from Massachusetts. Steve Tower drive down from AFR headquarters in Medfield MA with ukulele in tow!
After having decided our four big league finalists a couple nights earlier on the PLAAY Space LIVE--Houston, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta--we pre-PLAAYED the playoffs from there with HMBX, a full seven-game series for the ALCS, NLCS and World Series, it was pretty exciting and not dissimilar to what unfolded a couple weeks later in the real big league playoffs. In our ALCS, Houston prevailed over the Yankees 4 games to 1 (including a 13-2 game five beat-down that sent them to the Series), while Philadelphia surprised Atlanta in seven games, setting up an Astros-Phillies Fall Classic (just like in real life). In our series, the 'Stros swept Philly four games to none--in about a week, I guess we'll see how close we came.
After baseball, a bunch of us headed next door to A BBQ place right next door to the hotel, Bear's Smokehouse--WOW! (I wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't so good!) Reminded me of our 2015 Time Machine Tournament in San Francisco, where there was also an awesome BBQ place across from the venue and was the site of similarly great food and conversation. But, I digress...
After lunch, we headed back to the hotel for "Hoops in Hartford," which was the theme of the weekend. I spent about 30 minutes explaining the game, then another 30 minutes playing a demo quarter, Sixers and Celtics. Then another 30 minutes or so with Q&A about the game. At that point it was time for most to head home, leaving the non-locals (i.e., those of us staying at the hotel) to enjoy some evening game time. Me and David Santistevan played a full Sixters/Celtics game (won by the Celtics, who came back from an early 15 point deficit to win by a point 141-140--lots of three-pointers!), while Mark Russell and James Cast knocked out some Fury Hardball. Then, James Cast and I co-piloted Amelia Earhart's venerable Lockheed Elektra in a session of Aviatrix '37. We did make it around the world--it took us almost two months, so we didn't win the $100,000 prize but it was still a very satisfying experience. Especially memorable/noteworthy was the soft landing on Howland Island, NOT an easy thing to execute!
Thanks to all who joined the fun! We'll plan to do more "road tripping" in 2023, with on-location events planned for the summer and fall. Stay tuned!
AHE Recap
If you missed our annual "All Hallows Eve" show with Steve Tower, you'll want to check it out, especially the final segment of the show that featured our annual "Three for All Throw Down" with FACE TO THE MAT. Talk about your surprise endings!
Commissioner's Surprise HOCKEY BLAST Tournament
Our annual wide-open knockout hockey tournament is ON--with NO seeding (matchups are completely random) and ya gotta WIN to stay IN! We've completed the first round and have narrowed it down to our "Sweet Sixteen." As always, there were some surprises--among the first round winners were Seattle, New Jersey, Ottawa, Chicago, Philadelphia and Columbus--that's the beauty of a tournament like this. Over a seven game series, the better team usually prevails but if it's just ONE game...anything can happen!
You can read the re-caps of the games that are in the books here...
• And don’t miss the Flyers/Kraken LIVE on AFR tonight (11.03.22), 630p EMT, 830p EDT!!
Roller Rumble Returns!
Our classic banked track roller derby game is back, after a nearly two-year hiatus. ROLLER RUMBLE re-creates the sport that took America by storm in the 1950s and '60s, in a new vintage, "retro" look! Check out ROLLER RUMBLE on the PLAAY NOW website...
Many thanks to Mike Sagilano for providing this link to the Sports Illustrated Vault, for an amazing article on roller derby by legendary sports writer Frank Deford, published in March of 1969. Yup, roller derby in Sports Illustrated--it’s hard for some to believe that at one time, roller derby was one of America's most popular sports! If you're unfamiliar with that chapter of Americana, you'll enjoy reading the article. Deford later expanded the article into a full-length book, "Five Strides on the Banked Track."
Our version of the game offers a 1960s-themed fictional universe of skaters, with a base set of six teams--Vagabonds, Flying Tigers, Millionaires, Thunderbolts, Northerners and Warriors--and a second set of six additional teams (Roller Birds, Shamrocks, Bruisers, Rustlers, Monarchs and All-Americans) available as an expansion/add-on. There's also a FREE download of cards featuring the real life roller derby stars.
Soccer PLAAY Mats are Available Again!
Our first printing of soccer game PLAAY mats sold out quickly, but we've re-stocked and now have them available again. Thanks for your patience!
2023 PLAAY Games Holiday Sale Info…
It's (nearing) the hap-happiest season of alllll!! Time again (seriously?) for our annual Holiday Sale, with all sports game goodness of all shapes and sizes available at marked down holiday sale prices. But--as we say every year!--"You snooze, you lose!" The sale begins the day after Thanksgiving (Friday 11.25.22), and ends on "Cyber Monday," 11.28.22.
We're going to do SOME things a little differently this year...
• Everything will be on sale this year, ALL games AND card sets AND and accessories like game mats, AND all PDFs will be marked down for the sale!
• All products will be on sale all four days (instead of PDFs for four days, printed games on sale for ONE day).
• All printed products will be 10% off (instead of 20%--see below).
• All digital products (PDFs) will be 50% off (instead of 40%).
> Here's the low-down on why we're offering a smaller discount this year. As you know, prices have risen dramatically for everything. (I just paid $39 for a haircut!) We have not raised our prices this year, but we have absorbed rising prices in everything, from paper to mailing supplies, to postage, etc. Honestly, price increases are inevitable for 2023. BUT, our annual sale has become sort of a tradition, and we want to keep it going. And, you still enjoy holiday savings that are comparable to previous years with games and card sets BOTH on sale (i.e., if you get a game and a card set, you’ll save on both). We're also going to knock an additional 10% off our PDF prices to help make up the slack.
As has been our custom for the last few years, we’ll be offering a NEW holiday PDF game, along with several all-new card sets, some "limited time" product revivals and there'll be daily "door-buster" deals! Ho Ho Ho!!
For more details on the holiday sale, please watch our PLAAY CONNECT news stream.
Don’t Miss the PLAAY Games Online Christmas Party 12.15.22!!
We started this tradition during COVID and it has quickly become a PLAAY favorite! Last year's online party was awesome, and we expect this year's will be bigger and better. Join us Thursday night 6-8p MST on the PLAAY Games YouTube Channel for a couple hours of Holiday Fun with gamers from around the world!
This year's party will include an interactive Holiday contest with prizes, a "phone-in" chat segment and the big finish, the White Elephant Gift Exchange!
Here's how the White Elephant Gift Exchange segment worked last year. We invited PLAAY Gamers to mail us sports-themed "white elephant" gifts over a two-week mail-in periods. We wrapped the gifts as they came in, and assigned each of them a number. On the night of the party, we randomly assigned the gifts by drawing numbered ornaments out of a bowl. It was HUGE fun!
Want to participate in this year’s exchange? It’s easy! Here's how...
• To be included in the exchange, you have to provide a gift for someone else. Any sports-themed item will work, it does NOT have to be new. (Watch last year's show for ideas). Mail the gift to us here at PLAAY HQ. (Our mailing address is on every letter we include with an order, or you can contact us and we’ll provide it to you.)
• IMPORTANT: please limit your item to one pound shipping weight (or less).
• We suggest you mail your item to us no later than 12.05.22, to be received by 12.12.22. You don't need to wrap your item, we'll do that here (it saves shipping weight).
• For many reasons (shipping cost, shipping times, customs, duties, etc.), we're unfortunately not able to do international gift exchanges, sorry!
We're looking forward to celebrating the holidays with you, mark your calendar for 12.15.22!
Sports Gamer Christmas Sweaters NOW On Sale!
Speaking of the holidays--If you missed getting one of our sports game themed Christmas sweaters last year, we've brought them back EARLY EARLY this year! Super festive, and available in blue or green with sports-themed holiday sweater icons. Let the world know you're a sports gamer this Christmas! NOTE that there’s no PLAAY branding on the shirt, so it makes a great gift for any sports fan, even if they don’t play our games! And, BTW, the holiday sweater-wearing season begins in just three weeks!!
PLAAY Dot CON 2023
We're giving the green light for another year of our annual sports game gathering in Denver, PLAAY-Dot-CON 2023! Same (awesome) venue as this year's event, the Hilton Garden Inn, Highlands Ranch, CO. The final date has not been set, we're looking at weekends in late June to mid-July. Whatever weekend we choose, the convention schedule will include all the fun stuff from past get-togethers, including the Thursday night picnic, golf and baseball tournaments, after-hours gaming, and more. PLUS, we always like to do something NEW each year! If you've never been to one of our events, ask someone who HAS! It's a total blast, and creates lifetime memories. And, as in years past, you'll be able to get your early-bird convention PLAAY pass (at significant savings) during the Holiday sale.
FREE!!
Wouldn’t be a newsletter/CONNECT without free stuff!
• Divisional Round Baseball Teams for HISTORY MAKER BASEBALL: It's November and we're still watching baseball? We posted these teams just before the Hartford event, the "Elite Eight" from this year's big league baseball playoffs.
• Fury Hardball Series Teams: We couldn't let the Fall Classic slip by without creating Fury Versions of the league champions Philadelphia and Houston!
• All Hallow's Eve Trick or Treat: As seen on our "All Hallow's Eve with Steve" stream, here's the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, a six-hole course with a very high "scare factor!" You want to score well, but more important that you survive the round! (Go to the All-Hallow's Eve Blog Post and click the instant download button.)
2023 is On the Horizon!
As we race toward the finish line of 2022, we're already firming up plans for 2023. It's going to be another busy year! We're booked at Dice Tower West in Vegas (March), our summer convention, and an EXTRA special, amazing event on the calendar for October. Plus we have quite a bit of news on the game front. We'll go over everything in our "What's New in the New Year" YouTube stream, first Thursday in January, 01.05.23. Don't miss it!
Photo Finish…
Hanging out in Hartford, CT after our “Hoops in Hartford” event 10.15.22! (clockwise from top left) David Santistevan, James Cast, Mark Russell, Keith Avallone.
