Gen Con Indy

Troll and Toad is going to be at Gencon in Indy this year rock’n the joint.  If you see people walking around in ugly Idiocracy style shirts with a Troll and a Toad plastered across them make sure you introduce yourself

Gencon runs from August 13th until August 16th, if you can make it join us in all of the excitement. If you need more information take a look at Gencon’s official website.

Best gaming websites round-up!

Welcome to the Troll and Toad weblog.  In this post I’ll round up the websites I use most for different types of hobby gaming.  I plan to update this list as I get more familiar with getting webbed up to netpages or whatever young people call using the internet, check it:

CCGs/TCGs

• TCG Player – TCG & collectible game news, reviews and resources
• Pojo’s Gaming  Site – Strategies, tips & price guides for various CCGs/TCGs

Board Games

• Board Game Geek – BGG is the authority on anything dealing with, you guessed it, board games
• About.com: Board Games – I’m not usually a fan of About.com pages but the board game information is updated often with quality information

RPGs

• Wikipedia – This probably isn’t your first thought when looking for roleplaying game information, but trust me it’s an awesome resource for finding info. on unusual RPGs
• Wizards: Official D&D Website – The official Dungeons & Dragons website is difficult to navigate but contains a lot of good information on the most popular RPG
• RPG Gateway – A very robust list of links to RPG websites

Video Games

• GameSpot – GS is probably the most popular video game website. My favorite part of GameSpot is the reviews section
• JoyStiq – In my opinion the best video game blog.  It is funny and updated several times per day
• IGN – Another very popular video game information website
• GameFAQ – GameFAQs is by far the best website to find video game walkthroughs
• Game Revolution – Very old video game website that provides cheat codes for thousands of games

I’m aware of many other sites for the related categories but these are my favorites.  If you know of one that you feel should be on this list feel free to send it to me, ryang@trollandtoad.com.

Update: What is happening at Troll and Toad

I write a new post approx. every week or so with either a vein attempt at a comedy article, specials going on or anything else that leaks out of my brain… This week I think I’ll catch you up on different things happening here at Troll and Toad.

We are having a 40% off pre-order sale on the Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook 2 from Wizards of the Coast, at least until the pre-order period ends on March 17th of this year.  Also, we have restocked XBOX games, RPGs, Board Games and Miniatures as I mentioned in a previous post.

Troll and Toad has a Twitter account now, if you are interested follow us on Twitter and as etiquette seems to dictate I will follow back. Also, if you have a website or blog related to games feel free to e-mail me at ryang@trollandtoad.com (Ryan G. not R. Yang) so we can exchange links.

I recently updated the Troll and Toad change log, that seems to be a popular page on our weblog.  On that note, we recently hired another programmer so changes should be coming sooner than later.

We are going to be running ad’s in several different places soon that may be of interest to fellow RPG players.  Soon you will see our information plastered inside the pages of Kobold Quarterly, LevelUp Magazine and War Pig Radio.

Until next time,

Ryan G.

TrollAndToad.com Back To School

Welcome back to class everyone. School is back in session and the holiday break is over. Did everyone have a pleasant holiday break? Of course you did. Now stop pining away at what you didn’t receive and pay attention. Since everyone is completely relaxed, let us start with an excessive amount of homework assignments for your educational delight. Open your www.trollandtoad.com textbooks and let us review what we were working on. Do remember class, you will be joyfully tested on every detail of every assignment several months from now when you have most likely forgotten it. Climate change is very important in regard to the environmental sciences and nothing provides a better insight than Magic The Gathering Cards. Why Magic’s Ice Age gives a keen accurate (more or less) detail of the frozen hardships one might experience. This chilled deck offers Icy Prison, Hot Springs, Snowblind and many more to give your friends a refreshing cold blast. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, if you want the whole deal in one shot then Ice Age Complete Set is certainly the best way to go.

Literature is a basic foundation of any well rounded scholar’s education and these books were written to help you create your own adventures that would rival any of the great classics. Warlords of the Accordlands Master Codex for the Accordlands Role-Playing Game details all of the information that players need to begin adventuring in the world of Warlord: Saga of the Storm. Monsters & Lairs for Warlords of the Accordlands provides all the stats and information you need on every single monster from the Warlord CCG, and also includes brand-new beasts. Warlords of the Accordlands Campaign Adventure Book permits you to continue the adventure. The Warlords of the Accordlands World Atlas gives DMs and players everything they need to explore the world of Warlord: Saga of the Storm. It’s all in this single volume: the world setting, its religions and its bizarre magic.

For mandatory break time today, please feel free to play a Clix, MK & Other Miniatures style game. Play a game using the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe! Choose from 150 different characters to build your dream team-or use teams like the X-Men, Avengers, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, or the Sinister Syndicate with Infinity Challenge Starter Set Marvel Heroclix. Then expand your collection with the Infinity Challenge Booster Pack Marvel Heroclix. Or purchase individual clix like Cyclops #147 Unique, Elektra #144 Unique, Constrictor #037 Rookie and more in the Infinity Challenge Singles section.

Time to examine the lighter side of biology with Skelanimals Plush. Along with the more traditional Skelanimals, a new arrival of Skelanimals Shadow Plush have arrived. ChungKee (Panda) Shadow Plush, Dax (Dog) Shadow Plush, Jack (Rabbit) Shadow Plush, Kit (Cat) Shadow Plush and Marcy (Monkey) Shadow Plush are just as adorable as their brother and sisters. Make no bones about it, these guys are the perfect complement to their alter ego skelaminal plush.

History, why where would be without one or several versions of the same one? But I digress, this is history not philosophy. For an assignment of historical remembrance, pick a game, any game. 300: The Board Game is a fast and exciting way for 2-4 players to recreate the Battle of Thermopylae as depicted in Frank Miller’s epic film about the Spartans. Amyitis board game invites players to recreate one of the seven wonders of the ancient world: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The game is named after Queen Amyitis fell homesick, missing the green mountains of her native country. The king was deeply in love, so he decided to build a mountain filled with trees for her, despite the tough climate. Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage details the struggle between Carthage’s Hannibal and the Roman Empire in approximately 200 BC. Players use strategic-level cards for multiple purposes: moving generals, levying new troops/reinforcing existing armies, gaining political control of the provinces involved in the war, and generating historical events.

If you are looking to shore up those lagging grades, here is an extra credit project. Study the following three CCG booster packs and write an essay about the pros and cons of each: World of Warcraft CCG Dark Portal Booster Pack, Yugioh CCG Strike of Neos Special Edition Booster Pack, and Pokemon CCG Basic 2nd Edition Booster Pack. Each a great price and an excellent way to add to an existing card collection.

For all of you that came back without the supplies you needed for this semester, I strongly suggest that you go to Gaming Supplies & Dice. This World of Warcraft: Through the Dark Portal Playmat is ideal for your World of Warcraft (or any other CCG) games! If you are in need of a Magic: The Gathering lifecounter, Flying Tricycle #1-60 baseplates are laser-engraved 22 karat gold plates. You only need one base plate, and can switch Flying Tricycle Life Counters face plates to suit your playing style.

Face the Pit Lord if you dare!

Long ago Illidan Stormrage banished a brutal pit lord into the depths of Hellfire Citadel and took over his throne at The Black Temple. From then on the Pit Lord Magtheridon’s soul purpose was to create Fel Orcs for Illidans army. Magtheridon’s Lair Raid Deck takes you to the heart of the Citadel to do battle card style with this brutish ex-demon general. Ooo Mystical Doom!

Magtheridon’s Lair brings you 20 new loot cards for the World of Warcraft trading card game, many of which are items you get in the actual MMORPG encounter. These cards include Aegis of the Vindicator, Cloak of the Pit Stalker, Girdle of the Endless Pit, Glaive of the Pit, and Soul-Eater’s Handwraps. What? No Tier 4 Chest?! Erm…

Don’t forget to bring your Heavy Netherweave Bandages, buff up your weapons with Superior Mana Oil, and have a healthy stock of Superior Mana Potions, because this fight will be as brutal as the WoW Raid boss himself. Face the pit lord if you dare! n00b. kek! bur!

Also in stock are various assortment of older sealed product including items from Star Trek, Star Wars, and Dragon Ball Z.

The End Of Another Year

Here at www.trollandtoad.com, everyone is excited about the new year ahead of us. With fond remembrance of the past year, we are ready to go forward and embrace the challenges waiting to catch us by surprise. But on the lighter side, we have decided to forgo the grand tradition of creating more hype (or most of it) for the sake of another holiday. Instead here are a few paragraphs designed to peak your interest. Otherwise, from all of us at Troll and Toad, have a happy and safe New Year!

Taking a look back at what came in the way of Magic: The Gathering back in 2000. One word says it all, Prophecy. If you missed out first time around, Avatar of Woe (Prophecy)Prophecy Distress Pre-Constructed Theme Deck and Prophecy Turnaround Pre-Constructed Theme Deck. deserves to be checked out. The card itself received mixed reviews from some of our customers, but take a look and decide for yourself. Also from the Prophecy era,

RPG SUPER SALE offers some great items to supplement your currents gaming needs at prices that won’t make you cringe. The Mezzias are desperate and will reward well those who aid them in their hour of need, but can material rewards hold any allure for those who find themselves In the Belly of the Beast. Be part of a band of honorable warriors that are called upon to battle a demon sorcerer in a legendary mountain monastery when you play Burning Shaolin AG 3400 D20 Feng Shui D&D 3.5. Whatever your pleasure – travel, adventure, refuge – the Scaum Valley is the ideal destination. Dying Earth: The Scaum Valley Gazetteer teems with eerie creatures, exhilarating predators, and cunning prey for you to overcome and defeat.

Cold nights and drab gray winter days bringing you down? Leave that reality behind for awhile and enter a world of Fantasy Games. The world of BattleLore Main game (Days of Wonder) meshes history and fantasy together – putting players in command of a vast array of miniature troops on the battlefields of a Medieval Europe Uchronia at the outset of the Hundred Years War. Night after night, the murderous troll-monster Grendel stalks the Kingdom of Heorot in Beowulf the Movie Board Game (Fantasy Flight Games) and they await for a hero to save them. An age of twilight shall once more spread across the galaxy. A broken empire shall once more be re-forged. Hidden powers from dark space shall come forth to make an ancient claim when you enter the world of Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition.

Choose from an impressive selection of Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures to complete your set. The Deathknell Expansion Pack contains a randomized selection of figures designed to expand any collection of Dungeon & Dragons miniatures. The source for the latest D&D miniatures release, the Underdark Booster Pack D&D Miniatures comes from a vast underground region replete with many iconic D&D monsters, including the infamous – and popular – drow elves. Or take a chance with D&D Miniatures – RANDOM Monsters, at a great price that you just can’t beat.

Visit the oh so distant past with an Egyptian Plush Gods. Based on the Egyptian crocodile-headed god, Sobek was the god of Fertility, of crocodiles, and was known as he who created the Nile. Horus-Ra is the Sun God, father to all other gods, and therefore one of the most important figures in Egyptian mythology. After the early period of the Old Kingdom, Anubis was superseded by Osiris as god of the dead, being relegated to a supporting role as a god of the funeral cult and of the care of the dead.

Take care of your cards with a Magic: the Gathering 5th Black Knight deck box located in the Troll’s Clearance Cave. There’s also Magic: the Gathering Ascendant Evincar deck box, Magic: the Gathering Chainer, Dementia Master deck box, and Magic: the Gathering Erhnam Djinn deck box and many more, all at a great price.

A big Rawwww from The Troll (followed by a small half hearted croak from the Toad)

Hello all and thanks for having us.  Those of you familiar with Troll and Toad, nice to see you again you can skip this intro and get to the meat and potatoes to follow (or kill a few minutes and read on!).  This entry is for all those deprived souls who have, if you can believe it, been beating out an existence with out Troll and Toad in their lives!  Troll and Toad began in a garage in a land far, far away in a time all but forgotten called simply 1991.  They were small time show peddlers traveling to 40 or more show per year selling what ever was hot at the time be it Comic Books or Star Wars Figures and seeing the country one convention center, hotel or other handy location for a large gathering of the Sci-fi & gaming crowds.

Well, always one to ride the fads, in 1993 a new fad was set to take America and the world by storm and the Troll would not miss this one!  The Troll unbeknown to the Toad had taken out an ad in a new magazine called “Scrye” to promote some recent cards he had acquired through trade and was ill prepared for the onslaught which ensued.  Orders began to pour into the small 2 bedroom apartment as the phones continually would ring.  It didn’t take long to realize that they were onto something here and must expand by hiring an employee!

Next thing you know ole Trolls a millionaire so he loaded up the truck and moved to a top secrete facility deep in the Appalachian mountains to hoard his valuable Magic the Gathering cards.  Well needless to say this was horrible for business so in 1998 he went with this new fangled way of reaching people with your goodies for sale called the “Internet” and thus www.trollandtoad.com was founded to much fanfare (both employees and the Troll and the Toad had cake!)

Since the inception of Troll and Toad there have been 2 goals.  To have All the Cards, All the Time.  As you can well imagine this is no small task these days with over 20,000 different cards available for play.  Troll and Toad manages to keep over 98% of cards in stock at all times by sending people to scour the globe in search of Magic the Gathering cards.

Since 1998 Troll and Toad has expanded into many other games including but not limited to; Yu Gi Oh, Pokemon, Spellfire, Heroclix, D&D Mini’s, Horrorclix, D&D RPG’s, D20 RPG’s, White Wolf RPG’s, Board Games, Card Sleeves, Dice, Card Binders, Plush Toys and tons of other stuff (over 100,000 different items for sale at any time).

This is Troll and Toads first ever blog (save it, it may be collectible someday!).  As with the first venture into print advertising (Scrye Issue #4) we have no idea what to expect.  We will use this blog to allow our Product Specialists to write, inform and entertain you to the best of their abilities.  Please keep in mind we are very new to this so be gentle with the criticism though it will be appreciated as long its constructive and not destructive.

We will also try to address any questions you may have on a particular genera of any of the products we carry.  Whether it be about game mechanics, rarity, value or just a simple question, please feel free to ask and we will try to the best of our ability to respond with insightful details for the world and you to read.

I thank you for taking the time to get to know us and look forward to being able to help you, your friends and your family with all your gaming needs and questions. O’ yeah, I almost forgot **half hearted croak**.

Shawn Gambel

Director of Marketing

www.trollandtoad.com