New Home :)

It’s a new move for the online shop…. HERE, as well as a new home for the blog, which will now be embedded into the shop 🙂 ….HERE ….. So thank you WordPress for your greatness, we hope to use you again in the future 🙂 happy gaming….

You Just Keep Me Hanging Around…..

Minecraft Hangers, new in stock, just one of many great products being added to the shop (off & online) every week 🙂 Go Jac

Peace on Earth, Mars, and Andromeda!

Wow, it’s nearly here! Have we been in hibernation? Crazy few weeks – we’ve moved shop to something a bit bigger (yes, we can get customers in now!! lol)…. Board Games, Family Games, and Card Games have been selling steadily in the build up to the big day when families get together, eat, drink, and generally fall out over whose turn it is / which channel to watch / who ate the last mince pie

Another Year, and the TCG’s have again been our back bone, it is interesting how the popularity may wane of one of them (currently we’re mainly sticking to the big 4 – MTG, Pokemon, Yugioh!, and CFVanguard), and then a new release sees interest and sales take off. The release of the Pokemon X & Y DS game really gave the tcg a shot in the arm, and the latest Legendary Treasures Booster release has been our best selling Pokemon set for the year. The same can be said of YuGiOh!, Konami has obviously been listening to some quarters (and more than likely been hit by the rise of CFVanguard too!), and the recent release of the Blue Eyes Deck, and the Yugi & Kaiba Decks, has really sparked interest in players and collectors, many of whom had given up on the game. Magic the Gathering has obviously seen it’s player base swelled by the popularity of the Xbox game, and the age of those players starting younger too (amazing how many young kids are now playing and getting into MTG with their Dads!). Vanguard, is still pretty much the baby of the pack, and up to now, couldn’t do much wrong, but we have seen a swing, the initial rush to try the new kid on the block has slightly subsided, and some players have gone back to their old favorites YuGiOh! and Pokemon.

It’s been a fantastic year, and we have loads planned for 2014 🙂 So, thank you, we hope you all have a magical Christmas, and wish you Health, Wealth, and Happiness for the New Year 🙂 Be Good….!

Tis the Season to be…. Spooked, and Fired Up, and Full of Cheer, and Hope…

Wow, how fast has this year happened?!? The dark nights are now upon us, with Halloween here, and then Bonfire Night, and then Christmas and New Year crashing into our collective space it’s a crazy time 🙂 …. And in the middle of this chaos? We’re moving to a new shop with more space, yes we like to put ourselves in the x#@! Loving the Board games and TCG’s this year, but i think it’s time we tried to do something else as well, not sure what that is, but the thing is not to stand still too long or be trampled by the chain stores etc!!! So in the New year we will look at trying something else, maybe back to the Japanese Anime goodies that served us so well when we started up, maybe something more low key… who knows?

We do like this time of year, and we’re looking forward to having some time over the holidays for some great games – we have our eye on – Mage Wars, Race For The Galaxy, and more King Of Tokyo and Ticket To Ride 🙂

‘Come On Bobba – Light My Fire’ 🙂

 

Love Is…..

We are continuing with our love affair for all things board game – with the nights about to begin their long draw, and the chills starting to deepen, the ‘get togethers’ hunched around a table with family and friends going on various adventures seems like nirvana.

This fall we’ve got Twilight Struggle, and Mage Wars on the endless wanted list, granted these are both strictly 2 player games out the box, although Mage Wars can include more players – we’ll give our impressions on both of these as and when we get down and dirty with them!

The best seller (board game wise) so far this year has been the re-print of Pandemic, for a co op game it seems to avoid the pit falls that other similar games have fallen into… Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and Settlers continue to sell well, the Ticket to Ride Map Expansions proving popular.

Deck Building games seem to have been in vogue this year (certainly with the games makers), with various titles entering the market which has been dominated mainly by Dominion. The Resident Evil and Star Trek ones from Bandai, were a hit for us (though as with a lot of licensed things – it helps if you’re really into the license to begin with!).

Hopefully the next board game order will include ‘Love Letter’ (if available) – This is thanks to a customer who recently recommended it, we do take notice what people want, and rave about, as well as research them on the various review sites like boardgamegeek – “At each of the bi-annual Japan Game Market trade shows, they poll the attendees to rate the various games launched at that show.Love Letter won the Game Market Popularity Vote for New Games with a resounding 4.42 rating (out of 5).”

So if you fancy something a bit different now and again for your Saturday nights – get a few friends around – takeaway – and enjoy some fun and adventure at home…. 🙂

Summer – It’s Hotting Up :)

Summer, it’s here!!! (well for the moment) – Scotland has broken up, and the English schools are itching to hit the beaches (though no doubt the weather will change as soon as they do)….

We haven’t had much chance to keep up to date on WordPress lately, that’s not to say not much has been happening, just we haven’t enough hours most days!!

But you can always check out the latest arrivals at ToyToyjac online HERE . Or you can see what’s happening by having at our Facebook page .

Have a great Summer what ever you’re up to 🙂 – Stay safe, and see you soon….

 

Card Games Are Go…..

Wow it’s a busy time on the TCG front – the next week or so sees loads of new launches and arrivals!!

Cardfight Vanguard’s relentless release schedule sees the English arrival of booster set #8 Blue Storm Armada on May 3rd – ‘The oceanic invasion begins with Blue Storm Armada. Witness the true strength of justice with new units for Aqua Force, or take your pick of reinforcements for Neo Nectar, Dimension Police, Tachikaze, Narukami and Great Nature. Whichever you choose, your legions will be legend!’

Magic The Gathering fans have the release of the third and final Ravnica block on May 3rd too – ‘Dragons Maze,  Ten Guilds, One Destination! A massive puzzle spans the city-world of Ravnica, and all ten guilds race to be the first to crack the mystery. Rumors abound that whoever navigates the maze of clues could command world-shaking power. Will your guild take the prize?’

The Pokemon TCG sees the arrival of the Plasma Freeze expansion on May 8th – ‘Team Plasma’s frosty assault on Unova continues in the Pokemon TCG: Black & White Plasma Freeze expansion, and Trainers everywhere must show an icy resolve if they are to halt the relentless deep freeze! The struggle will be bitter as Team Plasma releases a blizzard of Team Plasma Pokemon, including Deoxys-EX, Thundurus-EX, and all of Eevee’s evolutions, backed by Team Plasma Energy, Item, and Supporter cards. But, with the Legendary Eon Pokemon Latios and Latias standing by your side and a host of Pokemon-EX ready to do battle, your opponents will find that now is the winter of their discontent!’

Looks like it’s game on – Piggy banks throughout the UK are sweating on it!! 🙂

Zombies R Us…..

It seems nowadays you just have to lump a zombie theme onto your product, and you’re onto a winner! Some products are better than others, we’ve recently received some Resident Evil Deck Building Games by Bandai, and initial feedback from customers is good, although we currently only have the stand alone Alliance set in stock at the moment, we do plan on introducing the other main games and expansions in the near future (though probably not the Nightmare expansion – it isn’t too good by all accounts!).

‘Resident Evil Deck Building Game Alliance – In Resident Evil, a deadly virus has caused the dead to rise and infect any living thing they encounter! Fleeing to a mysterious mansion, you must gather any materials you can find to protect yourself and fight for your survival against a legion of infected beings!

The Resident Evil Deck Building Game brings the story to life in a game of strategy where players construct their cards decks while they play. Choose one of your favourite characters from Resident Evil such as: Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, or Albert Wesker among others. Players start with only the most basic of items and weapons. As the game progresses, players build their arsenal with additional Weapons, Ammunition, Action or Item cards to customize their deck and improve their ability in defeating ‘the Infected’! Your deck will be your lifeline to survival. How will you survive the zombie outbreak?

 

Resident Evil DBG: Alliance is a stand-alone expansion that can be played on its own or with the top selling Resident Evil Deck Building Game. Play with new additional Characters such as Hunk, Carlos Oliveira, Steve Burnside, Josh Stone or Billy Coen. New Weapons, Actions and Infected have been added to this set to create even more powerful combinations and dangers. Alliance also introduces the new partner mode of play where you take on the mansion with not just one character but two!

 

Game Includes –  250 Cards / Game Manual

 

1-4 Players, Ages 13+

 

Play Time Approx. 45 mins’

Resident Evil Deck Building Game – Bandai

It’s the End of the World as we know it (i feel fine)….

New board games arriving next week after the Easter Holidays 🙂

One of which we’ve been trying get in for a while (a couple of customers in shop have been after it) is Pandemic by Zman Games, and the reprint (named Pandemic 2013) adds a couple of new twists on the previous versions! –

‘Pandemic 2013 Board Game – Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. Players must work together playing to their characters’ strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example the Operation Specialist can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5. But the diseases are out breaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.

As skilled members of a disease-fighting team you must keep four deadly diseases at bay while discovering their cures. You and your teammates will travel across the globe treating infections while finding resources for cures. The clock is ticking as outbreaks and epidemics fuel the spreading plagues and you must work as a team to succeed. Can you find all four cures in time? The fate of humanity is in your hands! The 2013 edition of Pandemic includes two new characters – the Contingency Planner and the Quarantine Specialist, which are not available in earlier editions of the game.’

It’s the end of the World, as we know it (i feel fine)

Not another ‘Next Big Thing’ Pocket Money Release!!

There is barely a week that goes by without a new Pocket Money / Playground Craze being released! We’ve cut back over the last 12 months in what we actually get in (sometimes we don’t even bother with some of them – Bumpeez anyone!!?) – Saying that we have a few bits in the new (to UK) Predasaurs DNA Fusion line arriving on Monday 11th, they are Dinosaurs after all! 🙂 You can watch the promo video and see the various packs at ToyToyjac HERE . Or, you could just save your pocket money, and treat Mum and Grandma (Happy Mothers Day – Sunday 10th) !!