INSIDE TOM'S BRAIN... Tis the season! I've been receiving many Christmas cards from loyal promoters, which is true every year, and I want to thank you again for being so thoughtfu. CotG isn't just a business, it's a way of life. And we don't just have fans (or even promoters), we have friends. It's all quite wonderful and I am very thankful. Thanks especially to Todd Joerchel, Kris Osk, and Larry Swank. On their shoulders we're building the future of Filsinger Games. Wait till you see the surprises in 2008, starting as early as January! A whole new look. A whole new approach. Stay tuned as we stun the gaming world with our boldness in 2008. And if you're good (and you guys are ALWAYS good, Santa Wolf told me) I'll give you a sneak preview of the book I'm publishing with Stan Lee BEFORE the rest of the world hears about it...and believe me the rest of the world WILL hear about it! You guys are on the inside, the ground floor, you're the foundation of our success. I wish you a happy holiday season, kick back and relax, play the games, and warn the world that the Filsinger Games onslaught is coming! --December 22, 2007 HAPPY GALACTIC HOLIDAYS to everyone! Well, you can't say we didn't give you enough cool new game merchandise for this holiday season! I won't even try to summarize everything, just go to the online store and check it out. All the new stuff is designated at the store with a holiday package. Scroll down and check it all out! This means that we're ending 2007 with a bang. And that's NOTHING compared with the excitment coming in 2008! There's LEGENDS coming to COTGonline plus the all-indy edition called LEGENDS OF THE FUTURE. What a year for LEGENDS OF WRESTLING it will be. Then there's the continued release of our game editions in the COTGonline format, beginning with INVASION 2088-2090. Yep, that's BISHOP HELL, SPIKE, and company getting the cool new COTGonline treatment! And don't forget all our great releases in our traditional format, including the new GWF game edition (2123) coming next summer. Where will ENDGAME'S crusade lead? You'll find out! Also look for a second printing of THE DARK MENACE OF THE UNIVERSE. Yes, the first print run of this seminal book is nearly sold out! How could it not when the Dark Menace speaks! I'll update the book with new stories and commentary on the latest game editions and goings-on in Filsinger Wonderland. With any luck DARK MENACE: THE SECOND PRINT RUN (not the real title!) will come out by the end of 2008. Get a first print copy (or two) while you can. When it's gone it'll pass into the legendary lore of literary collectibles. For now don't hesitate! You'll want to order ALL our great holiday items from PROMOTER MADNESS 2 to the cool new mixed martial arts version of POW 2122! Plus the updated GAME CHARTS, LEGENDS COLLECTOR'S PACK, BELGIAN BRAWLER (Indy wrestler) and more! And don't forget those cool COTGonline subscriptions. Treat yourself to sensational holiday gifts...you've been good all year, haven't you? I know you have. You've been a loyal and devoted promoter and the SANTA WOLF playing card is your gift from us for your support. But don't let SANTA WOLF loose during the holidays...what a mess of things he makes! --November 21, 2007 Dark Menace sighting! It's true folks. The Dark Menace (accompanied by the beautiful but deadly Madame Menace) was sighted at a Halloween party a week ago. The Dark Menace doesn't make many public appearances (hardly any in fact) but this was a rare opportunity for me to pull out the cane, put on the shades, and go menacing again! I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. And if I don't get a chance I also want to wish everyone a happy holiday season as we get closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas. And not just that! We're also getting closer to an exciting new CPC release as Mark Ashby whips out another sensational chapter in the CPC drama. And believe me, this one will top them ALL! CotG fans WILL NOT want to miss the next CPC game edition...it'll be historic. Keep watching this site for details! I'm playing three feds right now (hooray!). First my regular GWF fed, then my regular Legends fed, and finally a new COTGonline fed starting with the Original 2087 game edition! I'm having a great time and I promise to report my results eventually! I hope your feds are going great too. Well, just as I promised we've laid some groundwork in 2007 for the excitement that awaits us in 2008! Now that we've got all kinds of cool stuff available for COTGonline, including the Original 2087 game edition as well as New Beginning and the aCe saga, we're ready to spread the word from mountain to mountain, coast to coast, heck...from planet to planet, about CotG madness! With Kris Osk and Larry Swank at the helm, how can we go wrong? And don't look now but maybe we'll even get Legends online in 2008. The Legends series remains one of our bestsellers and wrestling fans are gonna hear more about the Legends game---the tabletop version AND an online version---in 2008! With all these exciting plans YOU BETTER start planning for GALACTICON 2008! It's scheduled for July 12-13 in Jamestown, New York and it'll be bigger than ever! Like I said, 2008 is going to be a year of growth for Filsinger Games and you won't want to miss our big celebration and party at GCon! Stay tuned promoters. And tell everyone you know that CotG is coming at em in 2008! Until Santa Wolf gives the SAVAGE FACE CLAW to a reindeer... (Hey, I don't think that's funny either.) --November 6, 2007 Hey gang, I'm really excited! COTGonline is going to open up all kinds of doors for Filsinger Games. We'll be promoting the game like crazy next year to comic book fans and gaming fans...wait'll they see all our back history! It'll open up a whole new universe to them. I can't wait, but on a personal note there's something even more exciting. After seeing the cool look of the color online cards for icons like Star Warrior and Thantos (and some of my personal favorites in terms of the cool coloring job, Death Knight and Exo-King), it's inspired me to restart an original fed...only this time online! You heard me right. I'm going to add a third fed to my ongoing playing. First, I've been playing my regular GWF fed, which is 740 fight cards strong (I haven't been reporting all my latest results...shame on me. I've been too busy!). Second, there's my Legends fed, also crowded out lately but I'll get back into it with a vengeance when LEGENDS INTERNATIONAL gets here. Now I'll add a COTGonline fed for the 2087 game edition. And Kris Osk tells me that INVASION 2088-2090 is being worked on as we speak, so I'll be able to add guys like Bishop Hell in the near future! As a guy that waxes nostalgic for the original sets, I'm going to LOVE starting over again in a new format! I know I'm not alone. A lot of game fans, some returning after many years, are playing COTGonline. How cool. I only wish I had time for a CPC fed and aCe fed, to say nothing of the many other feds people play. But I guess I should be thankful that I've got three feds going. I'll report my results when I get a chance...I'll probably start with a tournament for the GWF belt. It'll be like 1987 all over again. I might get so excited I'll run out and howl at the moon ala Wolf! If you hear me please don't tell anyone who I am, I've got a reputation to preserve! --September 28, 2007 Amid all the excitement about all our latest releases---from SUBVERSION 2122 to LEGENDS INTERNATIONAL to the release of the original COTG game edition at COTGonline---I've also been busy working on my publishing project with Stan Lee. Instead of repeating the same blog here, you can read the latest update at myspace. Check it out! Stan and I are planning for our book to be a top-seller in 2008 and loyal promoters are among the very first to hear about it. The rest of the world'll catch up next year! --September 1, 2007 Good things happen when you clean. After GalactiCon I had the urge to locate all the bootleg wrestlers that promoters have given to me and catalog them. It was harder than I thought! I spent an entire afternoon and evening going through boxes at Fed HQ to unearth as many bootleg characters as I could find. And I found plenty! At the same time I'll bet there are a lot of characters and editions I'm missing and in fact I'm sure I've got more lying around somewhere. Now comes the fun part. I'm going to catalog all the cards and sets individually. It'll take a while but I'll enjoy it. Promoters have sent a lot of characters to me over the years and I'm only going to catalog the ones that are represented by a "playing card" with character art on one side and stats on the back. I'm not going to catalog any cards made for real-life wrestlers (like Hulk Hogan), this is mainly a COTG project. I wonder how many cards and sets I'll wind up having. Right now it looks like around 300, but I'm bad at guessing these things. It could be more. I'll report back when I'm done, which may take a while. Then I'll make my lists available for anyone who is interested for say $2 to cover copying and postage. It looks like it'll be several pages. I'll savor cataloging these cards and editions as I am always impressed by the creativity of game fans. Well, time to get to work... --July 29, 2007 Well, the cat, or Wolf, is finally out of the bag! As announced at the News page Wolf has made a return to the GWF after a five-year absence. It's all covered in SUBVERSION 2122, you don't want to miss it! I'll be building up to a big WOLF vs. MONOLITH Main Event in my fed, but first I'm going to start with some mixed tag matches pitting say Wolf and Disaster vs. Monolith and Havoc or maybe Wolf and Endgame vs. Monolith and Sly Drury. Should be wild! Gotta run. I hope everyone is enjoying SUBVERSION 2122 as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until Daimyo accidentally breaks his nose twirling his bolo balls... --July 17, 2007 Whew! Deep breath... Another spectacular GCon has come and gone. What a weekend, always a blur for me. I'll try to mention some highlights knowing that I'll leave some important stuff out... I'm really pleased that we started to release new GWF game editions on Friday evening, it's a chance to visit and talk about the new stuff before the craziness that is GCon. And this year was even more special. The stories in SUBVERSION 2122 lend themselves to the BIG surprise more than some previous editions so I had the rare opportunity to ask attendees to read one of the stories BEFORE looking at the game cards. Looking at the cards would have given away a surprise. I suppose I'd compare it to going to a movie that's got a really cool twist in it but having them show that twist IN ADVANCE of the movie in a trailer or preview. As a moviegoer I'd be disappointed. I like to experience stuff the way it was intended by the creator whether it's a storyline in a comic book, an angle in professional wrestling, movies...you name it. I used to know a guy who worked in a comic book store and when I'd show up to purchase new books he'd say something like: "Wait'll you see the new Fantastic Four and how the Thing loses his powers at the end of the book!" I hated when he did that and told him to shut up and NEVER tell me anything beyond something general like it's a great book. BY coincedence Throwing Toasters performed a song at GCon about this kind of annoying person called Patrick the Spoiler. Anyway I had my one chance on Friday night at GCon to have game fans read the story FIRST instead of getting "spoiled" too early by perusing the playing cards first. That was fun! We had a great time. Game players seemed to feel the surprises were so cool that they appreciated them more the way we did it and we were all happy GWF campers. In the age of the Internet, surprises are harder to keep for loyal promoters who preordered by mail. So you may want to do it the same way when you receive SUBVERSION 2122 later in the week and that would be reading the first 3-4 pages of the handbook and then looking at the game cards rather than the other way around. But as always, IT'S UP TO YOU PROMOTER! I know some people are excitedly waiting to see SUBVERSION 2122 (that's great, I'm thrilled by your enthusiasm) and it's scheduled to begin mailing on July 11. Anything you hear about the game before that you might take with a grain of salt. Todd will give us updates on the mailing situation...maybe it'll be sooner! It's a great time to be a COTG fan! Last year we had the advance hype about the coming of MONO MONOLITH! (A little joke there about the MONOLITH song on the Throwing Toasters new CD.) This year is a bit different but the GWF will be as wild as ever! As always I love our fans and their loyalty and dedication. I can't wait for everyone to have SUBVERSION 2122 so we can talk, play, and compare feds. I've gotta run...more about GCon sometime later! --July 9, 2007 GalactiCon 2007 is right around the corner...only 4 days away! I can't wait. This year will be particularly enjoyable for me as Todd "Tournament Master" Joerchel will be organizing and running the con. That'll give me more time to visit with loyal promoters and even play tournaments! I can't wait for Friday night at the Holiday Inn when SUBVERSION 2122 is released for the first time. It's an opportunity to just sit around and chat about the GWF and the new cards and stories. What a treat! To all those who will be attending, thanks for making the effort to attend and your continued support. The first GalactiCon took place in 1990 and this year will represent 18 years of fun, togetherness, and wonder. 18 years is a lot of time in the game world. How do we do it? I guess it's because we've created a complex game universe and we know the secret of making it better all the time. There's never been a better interaction of creators and fans than with COTG and LOW. The awesome part is we're still stronger than ever and moving forward. This year's GalactiCon is the most diverse of all time with the opportunity to play COTGonline (especially exciting this year since it's the earliest stages of this groundbreaking venture), a PROMOTER MADNESS lottery and a live concert performance by THROWING TOASTERS! All these incredible events will support our bread and butter, the release of SUBVERSION 2122 and our other game releases! To promoters who can't attend, I'll miss you. I wish you could be there. To those attending, get ready! It's time to enter Oz and be whisked away for a weekend from the mundane and often boring world of work and responsibility. --July 2, 2007 Well, it's finally done! I've put the final touches on SUBVERSION 2122 and as always it was an agonizing process. Those final decisions drive me crazy and I lose sleep at night and walk around in a fog. Should so-and-so have a B ring rating or A? Should he have a down-3 on Level 2 Defense or a higher Pin Rating? And on and on. That's to say nothing of final decisions on the stories and info in the handbook! This is the final chapter in the three-part SUBVERSION story arc right? So it's gotta have some shockers and twists right? And it's gotta set up the next big story event coming in 2123, right? If you answered YES to all the preceding then I predict you'll feast on SUBVERSION 2122! For me the work is finally over and now the best part: unveiling the new game on Friday night at GCon! This new tradition excites me because it's a chance to talk about the new edition and nothing else with no distractions! And the greatest game fans in the galaxy are right there with me, the creme de la creme, the elite. Subscribers should watch for GWF PROMOTER #91 to be mailed out this week. It'll feature more teasers and card art from SUBVERSION 2122. And we'll slip in another teaser or two at this site before GCon on July 7-8. For those of you coming to GCon, can't wait to see you! I can't wait to see and hear what you think of the big surprises in store in SUBVERSION 2122! Those initial reactions on Friday evening are always the most fun and rewarding for me. And then the big con awaits us on Saturday and Sunday with all kinds of great fun including a live performance by Throwing Toasters! If you're still on the fence about attending and have even a semblance of sanity make your final plans NOW! This GCon is truly unique with the excitement of another PROMOTER MADNESS lottery, Throwing Toasters live performance, and all kinds of techno tricks so you can play COTGONLINE at the con! See you there! --June 25, 2007 I'd like to apologize to loyal promoters for not having more teasers for SUBVERSION 2122 to this point. And we'll make it up to you by giving you a barrage in the next few weeks! It all starts right here, just ask VIDTEK! This former CPC star will make his incredible return to the ring after being out of action with what doctors once called "career ending injuries." VIDTEK is ignoring doctors orders and staging a comeback in 2122. Will it be successful? VIDTEK will be joining forces with his buddies Muss and The Bomb as a 3-man team. Latasha is leaving the GWF and the team will be called the SULTANS OF SWAGGER. Who is their manager? And who will they be feuding with in 2122? VIDTEK will still be doing some announcing for the GWF while he's wrestling, annoying fans and wrestlers alike. Wait till you see the SUBVERSION 2122 handbook! VIDTEK will be interviewing the likes of Gryt and the Betrayer, newcomer RETRIBUTION, Valour and Lorelei, Kill Prey and Shann-Ra, and finally U.S. Male. Expect some run-ins and controversies during some of the interviews! Would you expect any less in the GWF? SUBVERSION 2122 will feature some big surprises including a new concept for the handbook...we can't say what it'll be yet! It's too big a surprise to ruin this early but collectors take note! I love it! SUBVERSION 2122 is in the final stages and almost ready to go into production. Loyal GalactiCon attendees will preview the new edition on Friday evening July 6 at the Holiday Inn in Jamestown. I guarentee that being the first to see SUBVERSION 2122 will be amply rewarded with shocking stories and events! The sparks will fly on July 6 and then the next day at the official start of GCon on July 7! Keep watching this site for more updates in the days ahead! And click on the VIDTEK drawing for a larger view. --June 20, 2007 Could things be any busier here at Fed HQ? The answer is a resounding NO! Todd and I are busy preparing for the greatest GalactiCon of all time! Don't hesitate...you've GOT to be there. I just spoke with technical guru Larry Swank yesterday and he's the latest on the list of people coming to GCon on July 7-8. I"m sure that cotgonline will be one of the HOT topics and guys like Kris Osk and Larry will have a lot to say and we'll have a cool techno set-up that will allow people to play cotgonline at the con! I also just finished writing the liner notes for the Throwing Toasters CD that will be officially released at GCon. It'll feature several new Champions of the Galaxy songs all masterminded by Grant Baciocco. His performance on Saturday night at GCon will be an all-time convention highlight. I can't wait! Other highlights of GCon will include the release of SUBVERSION 2122 and I hate to say this because I say it EVERY time, but I absolutely guarantee this will be a HUGE chapter of GWF history! The controversy will have game players talking for years to come. Watch this site for teasers over the next few weeks. That's the tip of the iceburg. We're also working on a new LEGENDS game edition and several other projects. I really have trouble keeping track of everything...we've unleashed a gaming storm and it's raging out of control! I hope to see you in Jamestown in a few weeks so we can talk about all this stuff in person. As for me, it's time to go into hiding once again so I can finish writing SUBVERSION 2122. Be cool. Don't spit in the wind. And whatever else you may do, DON'T miss any of our big releases this year! --June 2, 2007 MUSINGS FROM MYRTLE Well, a week in the sunshine away from the unseasonable cold of the northeast has done wonders for SUBVERSION 2122. I sat outside on the beach all day long writing and writing and writing. I've got a sunburn to show for it, but hey, that's hardcore authorship! Things were already looking up before I left for Myrtle Beach on April 8. I played my first-ever online match against Kris Osk and I had goose bumps all over. It reminded me of playing my first-ever tabletop matches back in 1985 when I originally created the GWF. This time around I managed Thantos to a DQ victory over Star Warrior. Kris better get ready...we'll need to have a rematch! I wrote about this match for my column for the next GWF PROMOTER newsletter, which mails in early May. Needless to say COTGONLINE is the most exciting thing to happen to CotG since...well, the breaking of the Galactic Code! Meanwhile SUBVERSION 2122 will be released at GalactiCon on July 6-8. Here's some early teasers about SUBVERSION 2122 (look for MORE in GWF PROMOTER next month). Mother Superior will make some claims about her relationships with Bloodline and Encubus that would have Oprah going crazy if she was still alive in 2122. It's so wild that Star Warrior and Thantos can't keep quiet...they'll get involved too! Then there's Sultana, the controversial newcomer who has targeted Mother Superior. You'll learn more about Sultana in 2122 including some bold moves she'll be making as a wrestler! Needless to say the feuds involving Divided We Fall are going to heat up! But wait! The incredible Mother Superior storyline is only a part of the suspense coming in 2122! What is the secret of Monolith? Did he really have an Aethran Cleansing? And if yes then who smuggled the technology to Epoch to give to Monolith? There's no better word to describe the 2122 game edition than SUBVERSION. Can anyone be trusted? Will Epoch's plan to take over the GWF be successful? Which team lost the Milky Way Tag Tournament and will be forced to disband? And just what is Endgame doing that is making Commissioner Massif so angry? Man, I haven't even gotten to the AniMen, Vin Strutter, Nosfera, Kill Prey, Big Things, and all the rest! Boy do I love writing this stuff! I can always tell a game edition is going to rock when I can't wait to play. Darryl Banks is busy working on the card art, so you know it'll be great. That's my report from the beaches of South Carolina all the way to the craters of Titan. There's less than three months till the release of SUBVERSION 2122...and I can't wait already. --April 16, 2007 "Are you the Dark Menace?" I was out for dinner with my family the other day when our waiter suddenly asked me that question. It struck me as funny and ironic. He didn't ask if I was Tom Filsinger but instead asked if I was the Dark Menace which seemed to me like seeing Leonard Nimoy at a restaurant and saying, "Hey, are you Mr. Spock?" I guess I've arrived...my persona is better known than I am. He told me he was reading the Dark Menace book which he borrowed from a friend and then, presumably because he saw me joking and having a good time with my kids, he kindly said, "You don't seem like a Dark Menace." I told him to keep his voice down...that this was my secret identity. I'm thrilled by the success of the Dark Menace book beyond the enthusiasm and support of game fans. My distributor is regularly asked for reorders by amazon.com and the book has sold out twice at Walden Books at our local mall as well as at the college bookstore where I teach. The first run is nearly sold out and when we go back to print I'll do an update including the appendix with updated game characters and storylines. I was recently interviewed for a New York City radio station by wrestling journalist Evan Ginzburg and Evan wanted to talk about creativity and the Dark Menace book as much as he did about my wrestling games. I'm pleasantly surprised by this reaction and am hopeful that the Dark Menace credo is an inspiration to some. For now I'll have to be content that when people see me locally instead of saying to themselves, "Isn't that Tom Filsinger?" they say, "Look, there goes the Dark Menace." It's a tough image to live up to but somebody's gotta do it. --March 7, 2007 Hey gang! I haven't had much to say about CotGOnline yet, but now I'm ready to break the silence! The project is moving along at a great pace. It's like watching a car built from scratch...from the inside parts that are usually hidden from sight to the final end product. I've been working with Kris Osk, the creative director here at Fed HQ, on several aspects of CotGOnline including the colorizing of game cards, game play, and the necessary evils of running a business. Many thanks to the current CotGOnline team including Larry Swank, Jeff Corbett, and James Anderson. The bottom line is we want to make CotGOnline a great experience for YOU! This is a bold experiment and if it works (and I think it will) then it will GREATLY expand what we can offer. For example, CotGOnline provides us the opportunity to release MORE game editions than ever before because it changes our mode of delivery which also changes our profit margins. It may become viable to continue releasing CPC and aCe game editions while also releasing other editions such as PROMOTER MADNESS and more. The current plan is to release ACE 2121 as the FIRST-EVER CotGOnline game edition. This is a bold experiment I'm very excited about and we can't wait to hear what you think. In fact, as the greatest game fans ANYWHERE, we're looking forward to hearing your praise and also your criticisms as we try to make CotGOnline better than ever. It'll be a work in progress and YOU are one of the prized members of our team. PROMOTER MADNESS will be released in the traditional format (hard copy of cards and handbook) in the next few months, perhaps in March. It'll rule! I've seen the card art by Werner Mueck and the fantastic characters that have been created. It's a memorable addition to CotG lore and proves that the Filsinger Games fan base is the best anywhere, not just as fans but as participants and creators. The suspense builds! This summer SUBVERSION 2122 will be released in BOTH formats! You'll have a choice to order the traditional way OR to purchase the game online. True fans will do both just to have the full experience of the game. It'll rock! Make no mistake...there are a lot of details that still need to be worked out with CotGOnline. But hey, there were a lot of details that needed to be worked out when they sent a man to the moon in 1969! We're shooting for the stars and our goals is to make CotG the most dynamic game on the market! Think about it. If we pull this off we'll be able to reach a new audience of game fans who prefer playing games online instead of sitting at a tabletop with dice and charts (What's wrong with these people? No matter. We'll court them anyway.) Expanding our customer base can only be a good thing that will allow us to expand in other ways. And you'll be there with us as always! CotG is OUR universe and we'll watch it grow! And we haven't forgotten LEGENDS either. Once we get the bugs fixed in CotGOnline then we'll move to LEGENDS and see what we can release in the online format for that game. So hang on loyal promoter! Not only are we going to deliver some awesome game editions this year (Mark Ashby and Kris Osk have some BIG surprises up their sleeves for CPC and aCe) but we're also going to expand our mode of delivery to bring in new promoters! And from there, who knows? A CotG movie? Action figures? Nosfera aprons? The skies' the limit when you expand your market and branch off in new directions. In fact, we've got a two-year plan. First to establish CotGOnline by the end of this year. Then in 2008 we continue our expansion and conquer the galaxy! That's not too ambitious is it? --February 3, 2007 I've been reading alot lately, especially writer Nikos Kazantzakis' quasi-autobiographical Report to Greco. A dark menace was he. Kazantzakis is an anguished soul trying to reconcile the religious and mundane aspects of life and while he's not sure he succeeds nonetheless he fully immerses himself in the heroic struggle of opposites such as good and evil and salvation and sin. His best known work that speaks to the conflict of "the good life of fun and frolic" (read: Wolf, Proteus) vs. the "life of the soul and mind" (Atman, Endgame) is his best-selling book, Zorba the Greek. What do all these high-minded themes have to do with Champions of the Galaxy you might ask? Everything. The composer Richard Wagner once said, "In representing life as a game, art transforms life's most frightening aspects into beautiful pictures, thus exalting them and consoling us." To me this is the greatest triumph of Champions of the Galaxy...that the mythology we've created speaks to some of the "most frightening" aspects of life. The game is centered around primal conflict, violent psyches, betrayal, subversion, chaos, brutality, and yet what emerges is a heroic fantasy that is enjoyable in sublimating those emotions to an entertaining end. I can't help but think about Champions of the Galaxy when Kazantzakis writes: "Suddenly a great and heroic epoch surged...an epoch full of extraordinary flashes of insight, terrifying legends, tragic thoughts, and tragic souls who conquered the abyss by covering it with cheerful myths." That's us at Fed HQ: the makers of "cheerful myths" surrounded by four walls of violence, mayhem, madness, and destruction. I've often said that the Garden of Eden myth was reprised when Thantos destroyed the Galactic Code in 2087. And even in the modern GWF era the mythology is as bright and luminous as ever. Just check out Exodus, the fallen angel. It doesn't get any more symbolic of philosophical themes than that and we can thank writer Kris Osk who ran with the concept I originally created for Atman. These are my thoughts on a cold and grey winter morning in January. I'm thankful for loyal game fans who allow us to continue to spread our wings and explore the incredibly rich CotGverse in all its glory. It seems like I should say "Excelsior" at this point, but another classic "cheerful" myth-maker already used that line... --January 27, 2007 Here's the most exciting new wrestling publication to hit the market in a long time. It's Indy Circuit Pulse a new magazine by Mark Holter devoted exclusively to independent wrestling! What a great idea and what great execution! The premiere issue of ICP is a color publication that spotlights dozens of indy feds plus articles and wrestler interviews. This premiere issue is a must-have for fans of CotG and LoW as there are no less than six pages devoted to Filsinger Games! There are articles about our games by Dennis Snodgrass and Andy Good as well as an interview with yours truly by editor Mark Holter. The best part (and promoters will love this!) is two Filsinger Games-style playing cards that come FREE with the magazine featuring indy wrestlers Sam Hayne and Eddie Fyne! These playing cards come on hard cover stock, just like official cards. Indy Circuit Pulse sells for $7.95 but there's more! Mark Holter is offering a discount for Filsinger Games promoters, bringing the cost of the collectible first issue to $6.95! This is a no-brainer...in fact collectors will want to purchase two copies of this landmark new publication. Just click on the magazine cover above to go the ICP Web site and when you place your order make sure they know you're a Filsinger Games promoter to get your special discount! --January 13, 2007 It's been reported on the news page at this site that the Throwing Toasters will be performing LIVE at GalactiCon 2007 on July 7. Is that big news or what? It'll rock the music world like Cheap Trick live at Budakon and the Beatles live at the Hollywood Bowl! Yup, add Throwing Toasters live at GalactiCon to that illustrious list! I saw the Toasters perform live earlier this month during their holiday tour in Pennsylvania and I loved it! All I could think about while I watched was how this was going to be a huge hit at GalactiCon. Grant Baciocco (Toasters frontman) is a hilarious stand-up comic as well as a great musician. And he's written some classic CotG songs like "The Ballad of Reptillo." Listen to all the great CotG songs at the Throwing Toasters CotG MySpace. I hope all loyal promoters start making plans RIGHT NOW to attend GalactiCon 2007. I promise we'll have PLENTY to talk about. Filsinger Games will be going through some exciting changes in the next few years and I can't wait to hear what loyal fans have on their minds. Start planning now...don't make me beg. And I'd like to wish everyone the best for a great holiday season. Start counting down the days until the end of the year because *BANG!* you've got to be ready for a Filsinger Games onslaught in 2007! We love having you aboard for this exciting new phase in CotG history, promoter! We're nothing without you. --December 23, 2006 Amid all the excitement of the release of CPC CATACLYSM 2121 and all the other stuff happening at Fed HQ comes some exciting sports news. I've spent my last two weekends at Rich Stadium (home of the Buffalo Bills) for high school playoff games featuring the Falconer Golden Falcons who are having an incredible and inspired season. My son Alex is on the team and he's pictured above after their latest victory in the driving rain at Rich Stadium. The Golden Falcons are the ultimate underdogs, ranked 19th in Class C in New York state at the beginning of the year and considered too young (mostly juniors) and without a superstar to go far. Well, they've upset the odds with incredible team efforts in two straight come-from-behind playoff victories over teams ranked higher than them. Yesterday they knocked off LeRoy, the #2 ranked team in the state by a score of 13-12 after trailing at halftime 12-0. Next week it's on to Rochester as the Golden Falcons have made it to the final four in the state. One more victory and it's off to Syracuse for the state championship. And this from a team that wasn't expected to have a winning record this season! What a thrilling ride it's been so far. Alex's friends and big CotG fans Neal Nelson (leading tackler the last game) and Darren Oakes are also on the team. All three boys have been seen at GalactiCon conventions the past few years. My daughters (Keri, Dana, and Holly) have been featured at this site with stories about Filsinger Games-sponsored soccer teams. Well, now it's Alex's turn and in a most unexpected and unprecedented run for the state championship. What a team effort; my hat is off to all of the boys. The photo above is from a published story by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, so Alex is a star...at least temporarily! If you're a fan of high school football you can check out more photos from the game here. End of sports announcement... --November 13, 2006 I mentioned in an interview recently that I think the recent era of Filsinger Games is among the most interesting and creative of all time. That wasn't just an empty boast. There's evidence of a renaissance all over the place... Spreading out our releases throughout the year has been a good way to show off our great releases. For example, CPC CATACLYSM 2121 will be released this month and it's a revolutionary new game edition from Mark Ashby featuring the breaking up of team affiliations in the CPC! That'll be wild. Plus there's the returns of MENSAR and EURITAR. What CPC (and for that matter, GWF) fan hasn't been looking forward to that?? Our next installment in the aCe trilogy is coming in March and believe me that'll feature some surprises as well. And it'll all come full circle in July 2007 when we release our flagship game edition, SUBVERSION 2122, which will feature the final chapter in the three-part SUBVERSION story arc. I defy anyone to tell me there's been a more exciting time in the CotGverse...where more interesting and exciting events are taking place on so many fronts. And yet this is only the tip of the iceburg. More exciting developments are coming in 2007...I can't talk about some of them yet because I hate announcing stuff prematurely; stuff that changes and evolves. It's safe to say we shouldn't forget LEGENDS OF WRESTLING, our licensed card game featuring a tribute to classic professional wrestling. We'll be releasing the next installment in July 2007 but keep an eye out for unique LoW releases in the next couple months. Then there's our unique, fan-interactive game edition, PROMOTER MADNESS, also due in July 2007! If you haven't made plans to attend GalactiCon 2007 (July 7-8) yet you better do it RIGHT NOW! It'll be another milestone with these incredible releases and believe me MORE will be added. In fact, who WOULDN'T want to be in the midst of a renaissance-in-progress? I anticipate 2007 and 2008 being landmark years in the history of Filsinger Games and that's not only because we're firing on all cylinders creatively. We're also going to be innovative. And we're going to extend our reach to new game fans. In the end it's about YOU, the greatest fans in the galaxy. It's because you demand high quality that we keep stretching ourselves to please you. It's because you're so loyal that we feel obligated to give you the best. And it's because you're so much fun to have around that we don't want to lose you as our friends! Let the world be on notice: There is such a thing as too much fun. We've created an incredible game community with the CotGverse and we'll never go away. We'll keep spreading the message and getting new converts and believe me the next few years will be banner years for bringing people into the fold. Here's to the future... --November 3, 2006 Here's an announcement for game fans that try to do EVERYTHING CotG and LoW related. The Throwing Toasters (fronted by Grant Baciocco) will be on a holiday tour at the end of the year and playing some college venues in December. I'm planning on attending the show on December 6 at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The show is scheduled to start at 8:00 pm. The last time I saw Grant was in August in Los Angeles when I visited The Comic Bug and met Grant and other loyal promoters. Since then Grant has written two new CotG songs: The Ones in the Water and American Guy. The Throwing Toasters are also scheduled to perform at GalactiCon 2007 on July 7-8 in Jamestown, New York. But why wait until then? Join me in celebrating Grant's rock comedy act at Edinboro on December 6. I'm bringing kleenex. If he plays The Ballad of Reptillo live it'll kill me. I hope to see you at Edinboro University on December 6. Look for me, you can't miss a Dark Menace especially wearing a CotG T-shirt. For more information about the show go to the Throwing Toasters MySpace. Hey, and don't forget Mike Melesky's CPC Release Party on November 11 in Downington, Pennsylvania. Wow, it looks like this is the season for Pennsylvania events just like the past summer was a California summer. We'll conquer all fifty states one at a time; I hope they realize that. For now, put November 11 and December 6 on your schedule of events and we look forward to seeing you! --October 9, 2006 Hey CPC fans! Did the news in the latest GWF Promoter (#86) get you excited about CPC CATACLYSM 2121 yet? Well, here's more news... We're proud to announce that this groundbreaking game edition will be drawn by none other than GWF artist, Darryl Banks! Is that good news or what? How could things be any better? Mark Ashby has some shockers in store for game fans in the coming edition. Add to his great writing the art skills of Darryl Banks and this one is destined to be a classic! Look for CPC CATACLYSM 2121 to be released sometime in November. It follows on the heels of the huge SUBVERSION 2121 game edition. The creative sparks are flying here at Fed HQ and you won't believe the treats in store for you in 2007 and beyond. I can barely contain my enthusiasm even as I write these words. But for now it's time to count down the days and weeks until CPC CATACLYSM 2121 is unleased upon the galaxy. It'll shake things up like nothing before it. We promise. --September 4, 2006 Yeah! It's finally happened. A song has been written about our favorite emo amphibian, Plethador. Yes, it's true. The plight of Plethador has been captured in a new song by the Throwing Toasters called "The Ones in the Water," a neat little ska tune that will have you tapping your foot and dehydrating in no time. You can check out the latest GWF masterpiece by Grant Baciocco at the Throwing Toasters MySpace. And sometime soon we'll add the song to the Filsinger Games MySpace as well, but first we want our loyal game fans to visit Grant's neat site and enjoy some of his other great songs. There are rumors swirling about that the Throwing Toasters will be performing at GalactiCon 2007 on July 7. Is that great news or what! Imagine hearing classics like "The Ballad of Reptillo" and "The Ones in the Water" live. Grant has been touring the country with his unique brand of comedy rock and it'd be a blast to have him perform at GCon! For now, take out your moisture bottles, sprinkle yourself, and get right over to the Throwing Toasters MySpace to hear this new song classic. But be careful, don't be grouchy or sad. No one likes to hang around with a moody amphibian. --August 27, 2006 I had a great time in sunny California last week (it's actually sunny these days in Jamestown too, but that doesn't last in the fall, winter, and spring). I had a great time meeting the West Coast Warriors at The Comic Bug! I loved every second of the three hours we spent talking, playing, and just hanging around. If you haven't seen the photos yet, they're here. It was nice to put names to faces. Man, I even got to meet the man who wrote my favorite ballad of all time, The Ballad of Reptillo. Of course I'm talking about Grant Baciocco of Throwing Toasters. Grant told me he's written the lyrics to another song that is as yet unrecorded and it's about Buck Steele and Genocide. I can't wait to hear that one! A great BattleZone tournament was played pitting selected GWF babyfaces against heels and the babyfaces got off to a great start thanks to Endgame. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. Nosfera took control off the situation at the end, winning three straight and clinching for the black-hearted heels. It didn't hurt a notorious rule-breaker like Nosfera that these were no-DQ matches! I had a great time in Los Angeles with my daughter Dana and my cousins. My cousins were my big helpers, driving me from one destination to another. We visited just about everywhere, from Universal Studios to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to Venice Beach and every place in between. I'll never forget meeting my new business partner, Stan Lee, in person for the first time after years of correspondence by phone calls and email. He had a full-size statue of Spiderman in his beautiful office which overlooks Beverly Hills. We visited in his office, had lunch at a fine Italian restaurant, took pictures, and just had a fine time overall. His assistant interupted at one point to tell him that Ted Nugent was trying to call but Stan said he was too busy to talk and to call back later. The Motor City Madman will have to respect the Dark Menace from now on! It was a great honor when Stan asked me to work with him and now it's time to get our project off the ground! That's just another thing on my plate (an overflowing plate, mind you), but it's a more exciting and stimulating life this way. I enjoyed visiting Los Angeles so much that I may do it again sometime. Perhaps we can come up with an excuse for a West Coast version of GalactiCon...you never know. Maybe that's too ambitious, who knows? For now there's the ORIGINAL GalactiCon that will take place on July 7-8, 2007 in Jamestown. And now that I've visited California, I'm hoping our West Coast fans will make the pilgrimmage to GalactiCon next year. We'd love to see you! --August 15, 2006 Quick announcement: We've had trouble retrieving our email in the past week (a server problem, natch) so if you ordered at the online store we probably DIDN'T receive your order. Be sure to contact us to fill it properly. Things are okay as of today. The problems were from July 23-27. Sorry for any inconvenience. Now, get back to those dice! --August 1, 2006 California here I come...finally! I've been trying to schedule this trip for years and it's finally gonna happen in August! As most of you know, I'll be making an appearance at The Comic Bug on Tuesday, August 8 at 5:00 to 8:00. I'll be fresh from a day-long business meeting with POW Entertainment in Beverly Hills during the morning and afternoon. I can't wait to see loyal promoters at The Comic Bug! For directions to The Comic Bug go to the News page. Already slated to stop by and visit is the Throwing Toasters own Grant Baciocco. Grant wrote the underground classic, The Ballad of Reptillo, one of the greatest comedy rock songs ever written! Can't wait to see you Grant. Everybody within three states has got to make the pilgrimage to Manhattan Beach (near Los Angeles) on August 8! It'll be a rare opportunity for me to meet loyal promoters that live too far away to attend GalactiCon. And send me an email or message through MySpace if you'd like me to bring any specific merchandise with me...we aim to please! For now I'm California Dreamin. I'm counting down the days to visiting the West Coast. I hope to see you! --July 28, 2006 Oh man, there's a lot to say about GalactiCon, I could go on forever. But for now I want to keep it simple. I want to thank everyone who showed up for the con. It was a fine turnout and the new venue was fantastic. Despite the higher costs, I'm going to book it for next year. And as usual I'm already excited about the next con! The response to Subversion 2121 and Legends Teams was sensational! Naturally people widely disagree on many things, from card stats to stories, but that's great! The main point is we are united in our love for CotG and LoW. Better yet, we are united in our caring about our game community, which is one of the most cohesive and passionate in all gamedom. I want to thank all the great promoters who attended the con...I can't name them all, it would take too long. I want to thank all the great contributers to our game community, from Mark Ashby and Kris Osk to Chad Olson and Tim Dalton and everybody in between. I also want to congratulate the winners of the Promoter Madness lottery. That'll be one awesome game edition featuring the creativity of the fans themselves. Our winners ranged from young to middle age and from first-time attendees to long-time loyalists. We're already planning for next year...there's all kinds of improvements and innovations in store. Even though we LOVE GCon every year, we're always trying to make it better. I mean, how else can you explain 17 years of convention greatness? It's easy. We're a cohesive game community that loves the games and respects each other. I can't count the number of promoters who've told me that CotG and LoW changed their lives and introduced them to lifelong friends. There it is: CotG and LoW are FOR LIFE. We released several new products at GalactiCon and they will be offered at the online store in the next week or so. They'll be some cool new items you'll really enjoy! (I better watch myself or I'll sound like some kind of a shyster.) Watch for GCon photos coming soon. And I'll be writing about the guidelines for Promoter Madness in the days and weeks ahead. But honestly, my primary goal right now is to take some time off and enjoy the summer. I want to spend time with my family and relax. Some other projects beckon as well. And then after my batteries are recharged LOOK OUT! We've got more surprises coming in the next two years than ever before! It'll be a time of change...a time of evolution. You just can't stand still. Thanks to everyone for their support. What I love the most about GalactiCon is seeing game fans in person, hearing stories about their lives, and of course talking about the games. My hat is off to all of you. I'm not worthy. --July 11, 2006 Wow! GalactiCon is finally around the corner. I spent the whole day with the Filsinger Games team preparing the student union at Jamestown Community College for our con. It'll be great! The student union will be a whole new experience for attendees and I'm betting a very popular one. Like I said, there are a number of great perks, but I'll let YOU be the judge when you get there. Better yet, all the game materials and merchandise have arrived at Fed HQ. Oh, the surprises! Be sure to bring as much money as you can get your hands on because it'll be worth it! GalactiCon 2006 will be an incredible experience destined to go down in CotG and LoW history as one of the most memorable cons! What more could anyone ask? We've got a HOT new game edition featuring MONOLITH. We've got all kinds of cool new stuff from LEGENDS TEAMS to the aCe TWO-PACK. There's the new bootleg cards and game editions. Or how about the new merchandise, including a PLETHADOR (!) T-shirt and RUSH T-shirt. Plus, there's surprise merchandise that will please our most loyal followers! Oh, did I forget to mention PROMOTER MADNESS? Nuff said. Finally, the countdown is down to two days! I can't wait to see everybody... --July 5, 2006 A quick note: It seems that interest in our games is as high as it's ever been. The buzz for GalactiCon is incredible and I've definitely been bitten by the bug. I can't wait for Friday (the 7th) to come already! As evidence that interest is higher than ever, BOTH the CotG web site and the LoW web site have recorded record numbers of views in the month of June. And the phone has been ringing day and night at Fed HQ with promoters calling to place orders and talk about Subversion 2121. The official Discussion Board has been busier than ever with topics related to MONOLITH being HOT right now. In particular, the discussions on the subject of booking MONOLITH once he arrives in 2121 have been very interesting and it's given me something to ponder for my own fed. Things are going very well, thank you, for Filsinger Games and our loyal promoters. We're taking over and no one is safe from our righteous wrath! --July 1, 2006 I woke up this morning with a good feeling and it's not about Subversion 2121 or any of the games (not directly, anyway). It's a feeling of awe and thanks about the CotG and LoW community. It's mind-boggling how the CotGverse has grown beyond the GWF. I managed to hand over the reigns of the CPC to Mark Ashby and we didn't miss a beat. And then I did the same with aCe with Kris Osk and things couldn't be better. How lucky is that...not a flop in sight. Our fan-grown talent has done us proud and I am thankful for that. Some people might think we compete with each other...but it ain't happening. We're a team. It's like the WWE where RAW, SMACKDOWN, and ECW are all under the same corporate banner or DC Comics where Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern are all on the same side. It's all the CotGverse. We inspire each other with our creative successes, that's what the magic of Fed HQ is all about. The same with the Legends games. Tim Dalton and Chad Olson, as if dropped from Old School Wrestling Heaven, have brought a rich sense of history and integrity to the Legends game editions. Take my word for it, we vigorously debate card stats, who should be included in game editions, and other things. That's the way creative energy works and at the end of the day the games are better and we're laughing about it. Our foundation couldn't be any more solid and it proves once and for all that sometimes smaller IS better. We haven't hired some hotshot game creators with an "impressive" resume to work at Filsinger Games, but instead groomed our creative teams from within. The results have been marvelous. On top of that, the lines between our fans and the game creators are blurred. On some level we ALL contribute to the CotG and LoW universes and we're ALL fans, including me. And what drives that point home more than PROMOTER MADNESS? What a crazy and mixed up world Filsinger Games is. We have no "business plan" and follow no marketing blueprints and yet we succeed. Is there a lesson in there somewhere? And so, no matter how overly sentimental it sounds (hey, I cry during Andy Griffith episodes, so I'm guilty) I wanted to put my feelings into words this morning. ...and I can't wait for GalactiCon to see all the great creators and fans in person. --June 28, 2006 Well, we've announced just about all the characters coming in Subversion 2121 and it's gonna be exciting to actually see the cards! There's only one surprise GWF character that's left, a mysterious newcomer and he'll shock the galaxy! As for Legends Teams it's the same deal. We've announced just about everybody but we like to keep a secret or two for when you receive your games in the mail. Everybody loves a surprise, right? This is to say nothing of some aCe surprise releases that will be announced in the next couple days. We've been pretty quiet about it with all the hype for Subversion 2121 and Legends Teams, but this will rock the boat too! And then there's some new merchandise that will debut at GalactiCon that we also hope you'll enjoy! If you're going crazy with anticipation just go run outside and start screaming, "THE NEW GAMES ARE COMING SOON!" No one will understand and they'll think you're crazy...but you'll be having fun so you'll have the last laugh. --June 27, 2006 For those people coming to GalactiCon, you can pay for the new games in advance if you prefer. Just order at the online store and write a note saying that you'll pick up the stuff at GCon. Order anything you want and it'll be there! This option will help some people with their budgets, allowing them to spend their hard-earned money on all the other great stuff at GCon, including auction items, promoter-made cards, and the surprise merchandise that will be available! You can also feel free to call us with your orders at 1-888-275-8178. The best is yet ahead...I can't wait to spring Subversion 2121 on you! You already know about some of the new playing cards including MONOLITH. But then there's the other surprises coming in Subversion 2121---I can't wait! --June 24, 2006 20 days till GalactiCon and counting! The convention officially starts three weeks from today and I'm really excited. I'm really pumped about releasing SUBVERSION 2121 on Friday night at the Holiday Inn. It's a win-win situation all around. It'll give early attendees a chance to read the handbook and see the cards before Saturday. And for people who arrive on Saturday they've lost nothing! They can still buy the game when the con officially starts. Those early conversations at the Holiday Inn on Friday will sure be interesting! With all those surprises I've got lined up in SUBVERSION 2121 we'd need a whole month to dissect each storyline! Scott Rosema called me a few days ago and told me he's excited about attending GCon. He'll be doing finished pencil work and sketches for game fans for prices far less than I pay! So if you've got a character in mind for Scott to draw, put it into your budget! Also, watch for original Legends art by Scott from FEVER and TEAMS to be available at the con. More good news. We'll have snacks and bottled water available onsite at GalactiCon this year. If July 8-9 is as hot as today it'll make a big difference! Al Steffens (owner) is ready and waiting for game fans to come to Chautauqua Comics on Saturday morning at 10:00 (before GCon officially begins at noon) for a game tournament. The world of comic books is more interesting than ever (what DC and Marvel are doing reminds me of WCW competing with the WWF in the late nineties) and you'll want to see what Al has got for sale...as well as playing a tournament! It's also a chance to convert any locals in attendance to the CotG and LoW cause. Does it get any better than this? Certainly not. I look forward to seeing loyal promoters beginning on Friday and then for a wild weekend. Man, I haven't even said anything about LEGENDS TEAMS and PROMOTER MADNESS...that's how exciting this con is going to be! --June 17, 2006 Man, we just posted some MONOLITH art at this site and I'm already swamped with emails and phone calls with questions and comments! A sure sign of a Big Thing in the making. First, the release date for Subversion 2121 and Legends Teams is indeed July 11. We always mail orders after GalactiCon has ended...there's no other way. People who pre-order will see their games mailed on July 11. They'll arrive who knows when...it depends on postal service. If you want to get the games as soon as possible you should indicate overnight mail or priority mail. Look for the new games to be available for preorder at the online store sometime next week. Or better yet just come to GalactiCon! There's still time to plan your trip. A lot of people have contacted me to say they're blown away by the MONOLITH art. They want to know if his card art will be an extreme closeup. To that question I say you'll just have to wait to find out! At least you're seeing some MONOLITH art early. MONOLITH is a larger-than-life character and the art we posted says that in volumes; the smug look on his face says it all. Kudos to artist Darryl Banks. But just how much the art is cropped will have to remain a mystery for now. And if the art posted online is already creating a stir, wait till you see his card stats and hear his story! His arrival in a space ship to meet Epoch and his teammates will be a noteworthy GWF moment for years to come. There's a huge buzz in the air for this guy. I'd dare say he's the most anticipated newcomer in GWF history, rivaling the buildup for Chaos years ago. As for GalactiCon, all systems are GO! I've heard there will be T-shirts available for Rush and another for Plethador. That's cool. I guarentee more surprises are coming as well! But as always, the main attraction is the new releases and the pleasure of visiting each other face to face. I can't wait. Subversion 2121 and Legends Teams both look great! And be watching over your shoulder and look VERY high...MONOLITH might be behind you. --June 9, 2006 It's the stretch run and here are some updates from Fed HQ: I'm currently immersed in writing Subversion 2121. It's coming along great. There will be several new wrestlers in this edition and we'll be posting some art in the coming days and weeks. You've already seen DEAD RINGER at the news page. Also coming will be SULTANA, OMEN, and of course, MONOLITH, the most talked about new character since...well, Chaos! The handbook will be written in a style similar to Subversion 2120. You'll be a fly on the wall for several key encounters including an FDF planning meeting and also the incredible "live" arrival of MONOLITH's starship. There are some other key meetings too, but I don't dare mention WHO or WHY just yet! Another project rushing to completion is Legends Teams. Check out the Legends site for news stories about some of the incredible wrestlers featured in that game edition. We've already announced a playing card for the legendary Curt Hennig. We're proud to offer a tribute card to this fallen star. Watch for more news stories and some sneak preview card art in the weeks ahead. The planning for GalactiCon 2006 is coming along also. Kevin Knipe has produced his color playing cards for Bishop Hell. These are his best yet as the kindly Bishop has never looked more menacing! The first twelve numbered cards have BH sporting the colors seen at the news page of this site. The cards numbered 13-65 feature a darker costume, making these Bishop Hell cards even more collectible than the ones before them, including Wolf, Thantos, Disaster, and the Road Warriors. And you know how much those are worth! All the events for GalactiCon are falling into place. I've been saving some auction items all year that will blow the place apart! And don't forget the surprises, like a Limited Edition playing card for Legends that hasn't even been announced yet! I can't wait! Keep watching this site for more announcements about just about EVERYTHING! We're hotter than ever. The Future of Wrestling is going to get wilder than ever with Subversion 2121 and our tribute to old school tag-team wrestling is nearly here with Legends Teams. These games will begin shipping on July 11...that is of course unless you come to GCon on July 8 and get them EARLY, fresh off the presses and part of an enthusiastic gathering of promoters like you! --June 3, 2006 Here is my Motor City Con thank you list: Thanks to Jim and Mary Miller for helping at the Filsinger Games table. They are the bedrock of support that is necessary to making these cons runs smoothly. Mary wore a great costume on Saturday. I hope you guys enjoyed your CD's! Then there's Steven Blade and Laura Phoenix, who shared some great stories about their indy wrestling federation. If everything works out the Dark Menace will make his infamous return to the managing ranks at the Motor City Con (October 14-15) later this year. Steven is trying to make arrangements for a wrestling card to be presented at the con. Keep watching for updates. Thanks to the "torrid threesome" of Rob Beaubien, Brett Bays, and Matt Dickendesher. It's always great fun to see these guys at the Motor City Con. Just check out the con photos at the convention appearances page to see the fun we had! Thanks to loyal game fans like Chris Dowdell who stopped by our table and talked about CotG and LoW. It's great to see old friends and to make new ones. Thanks to the newcomers who bought our games. I hope we've introduced a new mad passion in your life! Thanks to Gary Bishop, the convention organizer. He scheduled me for a Q & A session called "Meet the Dark Menace - Tom Filsinger" where I discussed my book and introduced the official Dark Menace Inventory. This personality test will be available at GalactiCon 2006. Thanks to the celebrity guests who were down-to-earth and fun to speak with, including Jon Provost, Seka, Daza Del Rio, Robert Z'Dar, and as always the Ghoul. No thanks to Greg Valentine who not only didn't show up, but didn't even call to say he wasn't coming. A lot of Valentine fans were disappointed and so were the convention organizers. So much for the promise to atone for a past no-show. And so it ends! Now it's time to gear up for GalactiCon 2006. Keep watching this site for updates. It'll be the BEST convention of them all! Warning: Don't look in any mirrors. DEAD RINGER might be looking back at you! --May 23, 2006 I'm looking forward to seeing all of our great friends in the Detroit area at the Motor City Comic Con this weekend (May 19-21). Jim Miller will be the general manager in charge of the Filsinger Games table and I'm confident, as always, that the game will be in good hands. I'm also looking forward to seeing other loyal supporters like Steven Blade, Laura Phoenix, Rob Beaubien, Brett Bays, and Matt Dickendesher. I'm sure there'll be more game friends in attendance and I apologize if I've omitted any names. This is to say nothing of Greg Valentine appearing at the Filsinger Games table. This is quite a welcome collaboration after the awkward no-show of Greg at GalactiCon 1998. Greg told me he's eager to atone for his nonappearance and one way was his insistence that he appear at the Filsinger Games table at the Motor City Con rather than being with the other media guests in the standard guest area. He'll be the only exception among the many media guests at the con as the convention organizers bowed to his request. As for me, I'll be a busy man. I'm scheduled for Q & A sessions, interviews, and meetings with artists. In my spare time I'll be hanging around the Filsinger Games table trying not to get in the way. Either that or the bar at the Doubletree Motel...sometimes the bar wins! And when I get back it's all about putting the finishing touches on SUBVERSION 2121 and LEGENDS TEAMS. That's to say nothing of making the final plans for GALACTICON 2006 on July 8-9. The excitement never stops, does it? For twenty years we've been growing and hitting our loyal supporters with one surprise after another. It's too much fun to stop. Maybe I'll see you this weekend. --May 14, 2006 GalactiCon 2006 just keeps growing all the time. I'm very pleased that Mike Bocianowski, the creator of the fantasy comic book series, YETS, has been added as a special guest. Mike is a great guy and an interesting fellow. We met at a comic book convention (of sorts) at Chautauqua Comics last weekend. Mike is eager to meet game fans and talk about fantasy, comics, art, and more. Wait till you see his books! Mike has been called "the new Walt Kelly," quite a compliment. Keep watching for updates on Subversion 2121. We'll be posting some artwork in the next week or so. Darryl and I are on a roll so you'll be seeing some great stuff! Many promoters think that the big story in Subversion 2121 is the coming of MONOLITH...and it's true, MONOLITH is a major story. But there's another new angle that'll come out of nowhere. It'll smack you right between the eyes and knock you for a loop. Nobody, but NOBODY, sees it coming. And it'll rock the GWFverse for years to come. All roads lead to GalactiCon 2006 on July 8-9. That's when the new games will be officially released, including the much-anticipated Legends Teams as well as Subversion 2121. This is to say nothing of the groundbreaking PROMOTER MADNESS lottery. Keep watching this site for updates on all this craziness! GalactiCon 2006 is only two short months away. And the world will never be the same again... --May 9, 2006 Subversion 2121 update: I've sent Darryl Banks the instructions for the new playing cards, always a big step towards working on a new edition. There'll be a tag-team that has the "two-cards-fit-as-one" design...something I always enjoy and it worked great with the Master Race. We'll even have at least one female this edition...how's that for a surprise! Darryl and I are saving the MONOLITH card art for last because he's such a important guy in more ways that one. Watch for all kinds of teasers, sneak preview card art, and even a Subversion 2121 quiz in GWF Promoter #84, due in early May. Legends Teams update: The Legends team has created the initial drafts for 11 of the 13 playing cards coming in Legends Teams. There will be a Limited Edition card that I'm VERY excited about. The last two slots are remaining flexible as I try to hunt down some last minute signings. Scott Rosema has started working on the card art. Should be another great Legends edition! In other news: The original playing cards in the Legends box set will soon be reprinted. In order to make this a special event for promoters we will tinker with the backs of some playing cards (I also did this with COTG years ago) and we'll even add new card art for two of the original 24 legends. Can you guess who they are? Game fans will be able to purchase the playing cards separately if they want these updates. This will be released in the next few months. More other news: We'll be going to the Holiday Inn on Friday night, July 7, for GalactiCon 2006. That'll be a blast...a chance for all of us to meet informally and talk about whatever comes to mind. This is a personal favorite GCon activity for me. And now, goodbye: Time to get back to work. You're always in our thoughts as we try to make the new game editions better than ever. --April 12, 2006 Sometimes there's so much going on it's hard to keep track of it all, but here's some things that have caught my eye... A new review of The Dark Menace of the Universe was posted at RPG.net by Shannon Appelcline. Even though she calls the book "somewhat peculiar" (what does she expect from a Dark Menace?), she writes a very favorable review. I forgive her. I appreciated Shannon's review. She discussed several of the key themes of the book at length such as creativity and individuality. It was also nice to see a game industry reviewer discuss the game creating and publishing aspects of the book. Thank you Shannon! Filsinger Games has invaded MySpace! Bryant Nowell has constructed this site and it'll allow us to reach even more potential fans and friends. Already several dozen wrestling fans have joined our "Friend Space." We hope to increase our MySpace presence and build the site to be truly interesting and enjoyable. Thanks Bryant! I'm currently being interviewed by Mary Williams for an article that will appear in Hot Psychology Magazine. Mary has been a joy to interact with via email and she's interested in creativity and the "dark menace" aspects of my book. When this article appears we'll let you know! On Friday I went to Cleveland on business and was honored by a surprise party organized by writer John Ettorre to celebrate the release of The Dark Menace of the Universe. For those that don't remember, John wrote the Introduction for the book. The party was like an episode of "This is Your Life." John invited people I haven't seen in over twenty years! Thanks for being so kind and supportive, John. The whole time I drove to Cleveland and back (five hours total driving time) I wrote down ideas for Subversion 2121. I nearly got into an accident about three hundred times, but I survived. More important, the notes for Subversion 2121 survived! Watch for teasers coming in GWF Promoter #84. Editor John Krause has an innovative idea for a way to present Subversion 2121 teasers, so you've got a great treat in store when GWF Promoter #84 comes out! Watch for this landmark newsletter to begin mailing the first week of May. Meanwhile some teasers and art will be posted at this site in April. The countdown begins! MONOLITH is coming! But that's not all...sorry, but I won't be specific just yet. But we're getting closer. Darryl has begun drawing several characters. The wheels are turning... --March 28, 2006 A peak inside Fed HQ: This past Sunday was a busy day. I began by putting in several hours working on Subversion 2121. I have several pages of notes and many concepts and characters I'm excited about. Yet, like a good dinner, some of the ideas aren't really "cooked" and must still play themselves out in my mind. Alas, life is not built upon work alone. After bouncing several ideas for Subversion 2121 off Alex Filsinger (kneeling) in the morning, we decided to call it quits and got the gang together for a game of hardcore (cold rain) basketball. The illustrious creator of Rush (Neal Nelson, top left) was there, playing a hard game as always. Then there was Darren Oakes (right), the fastest card sorter in federation history. He can sort editions of 2000 cards in record time. So you see, it's not all hard work at Fed HQ. We find time for fun. Darren gave Neal a choke slam into a huge water puddle in the yard and Alex did a belly slide in the mud. Me? I coordinated all the antics as befits a Dark Menace. Click on the photo for a bigger look. And now it's back to work! Keep watching this site for updates on Subversion 2121. It'll rock your fed. Sales for the New Beginning box sets are strong, so I consider Subversion 2121 the third edition of New Beginning. This condensed timeline helps my writing for reasons I won't analyze here. I'd like to say that MONOLITH is the big story in Subversion 2121 and he'll be memorable, believe me. But there may be an even BIGGER story. I can't wait to spring it on an unsuspecting galaxy! Subversion 2121 is dedicated as always to YOU, our loyal promoters and the best game fans in the galaxy. We work hard to make these editions as good as they can be in order to please you. And with Subversion 2121, I think we're going to hit a home run. --March 16, 2006 At first blush I like our new system of releasing new COTG games three times a year. It gives each of them some time in the spotlight. A great example is aCe 2120: Reinforcement. It seems that everyone is talking about this groundbreaking new game series. Writer Kris Osk has pushed the envelope with several of his character concepts and card stats, but it still clearly belongs in the COTG genre. I like that. Meanwhile, Mark Ashby will be writing the next edition in the CPC saga which will be released in October. The latest GWF and CPC game editions are usually released at the same time in July at GalactiCon. I think this new approach will serve Mark better as the CPC will have the spotlight all to itself. Mark's intriguing storylines have had a loyal following for years. Years ago I was reluctant to share COTG with anyone. I considered it my baby and felt uncomfortable with other creators "in my zone." Well, it just took getting used to. I enjoy working with creative folks like Mark and Kris. Our next COTG release is for our flagship series, the GWF. Subversion 2121 is coming on July 8 at GalactiCon. It'll feature one of the most anticipated newcomers of all time---MONOLITH! His story will shock you. You'll be stunned at how Epoch and the Master Planners conceived MONOLITH in such a bold and innovative manner. There's more! The GWF will keep moving towards the exploration of some wrestler's deepest insecurities and hidden motives (hence the subversion title). Far from the cosmic battles of the past or the sci-fi/fantasy themes of aCe, the GWF will be grounded in a gritty reality, nestled in dark corners where people aren't sure who is friend or foe. Who would take advantage of a teammate? Who would pretend to be something they're not? The answers are coming in Subversion 2121! Sound intriguing? Well, watch for teasers in the next few monthes leading up to the big release! And if you hear anything under your bed at night, you better worry. If it's MONOLITH he'll lift the bed right off the ground with you in it! --March 10, 2006 Great news! Artist Scott Rosema and his wonderful wife, Susie, will be coming to GalactiCon on July 8-9! I can't think of a better special guest for this con, especially with PROMOTER MADNESS as the Big Event. Loyal promoters will be able to pay Scott to draw their own characters. In fact, some lucky winners of the PROMOTER MADNESS lottery will even be able to begin designing their character for the PROMOTER MADNESS game edition that will follow later in the year! Scott and Susie will be coming from Muskegon, Michigan and they're looking forward to meeting our loyal game fans. Scott is a versatile artist who has been in the comic book industry for many years. He's drawn Scimitar and Plethador for COTG as well as being the main artist on LEGENDS FEVER (just released!). Scott's art for FEVER is so outstanding that I hope you'll give him a pat on the back when you meet him in person at GalactiCon. Scott has wound up working for Filsinger Games due to the efforts of our incredible AST (Artist Scouting Team). Loyal promoter, Neal Nelson, arranged for Scott to work with us at the Motor City Con last year. In much the same way, Alex Filsinger introduced me to Sonny Strait some years ago in Columbus, Ohio. Where would we be without the AST? GalactiCon 2006 just keeps looking better and better. We'll never stop bringing you groundbreaking events and new ideas...we just don't know HOW to stop. Make your plans to come to Jamestown and be among friends on July 8-9. And save your money...we'll have so much good stuff at the con that you won't know which way to turn! --February 20, 2006 We've started to try to plan a convention schedule for this year and only one thing is certain---nothing is certain! It's a really difficult year for planning and many top conventions are taking place on the same weekend. For example on the weekend of May 19-21 there's the Motor City ComiCon and the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony in Latham, NY. To complicate matters further on August 13-15 there's GenCon in Indianapolis (the biggest game con in the country) and the Legends FanFest in Rockville, Maryland. Decisions, decisions. To make things even more uncertain, I'm thinking of cutting back on convention appearances due to a plethora of new activities. One particularly promising collaboration is still in the negotiations stage and if it bears fruit I'll be busy with yet another new project. Pretty mysterious, huh? I'll provide an update if I am able to reach an agreement and move forward. Plus, as yet unscheduled will be book signing appearances to promote The Dark Menace of the Universe. Those dates aren't planned out very far in advance.So keep watching our Convention Appearances page for the latest updates. I'd love to see you and chat wherever I wind up going! Of course, the Big Event is GalactiCon 2006 on July 8-9. That's something we can count on. Don't hesitate to make plans because PROMOTER MADNESS will blow you away! And keep watching for the release of aCe 2120: Reinforcement and Legends Fever. They are due for release later this month. As soon as we can provide a SPECIFIC date, we will! And it'll be worth it...believe me! --February 11, 2006 Have I got a lot on my mind lately? I guess so, seeing that this is my second Brain entry in two days! Everyone has heard of the expression, "Renaissance Man," which refers to a well-rounded person who acquires more than superficial knowledge about many different interests. It's hard to be a Renaissance Man today because we are pushed very hard to become specialists in order to be successful in the job market. This reminds me of one of my favorite putdowns of experts in the form of an anonymous quote: "An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until he eventually knows everything about nothing." As a dyed-in-the-wool Dark Menace, I've been able to escape this fate. I'm proud to be one of a growing minority who are trying to revive the concept of the Renaissance Man in our increasingly specialized age. At this site I am mainly known as a game creator and entrepreneur. At Jamestown Community College I am an Associate Professor. To anyone else who cares, I am also an author. And that's not all. I've still got plenty of energy to spread myself even thinner, and yet richer at the same time, by trying more new things. As I said in my book, life's a game, so why not play like it's supposed to be fun? As the central hub of our incredibly intricate universe, I've been able to move in many directions due to the talent and support of loyal promoters. I don't have the time to write the long overdue third edition of The GWF Files, but Tom Tutwiler and other loyalists have are busy working on it. That's great! I can't wait to contribute to this updated encyclopedia of the COTG universe. I can't tell you anymore at this time, but keep watching this site and the Discussion Board for updates! Then there's the creative contributions of homegrown talent like Mark Ashby (CPC games), Kris Osk (aCe games), Jeremy Su (card art) Tim Dalton (Legends of Wrestling), Chad Olson (Legends of Wrestling), Stu Lowry (Legends of Wrestling), John Krause (GWF Promoter newsletter), Kevin Knipe (Limited Edition color cards), Chris Ingersoll (Filsinger Games Discussion Board), Bryant Nowlin (online promotion and marketing), and others I've surely missed due to my overcrowded memory. Like a true grass roots phenomenon, the COTG and LOW universes continue to grow everyday, infiltrating the Internet and other forms of media. Outsiders are finding out that our crazy little community is really onto something...and has been for years! It's based on quality, friendship, loyalty, and all those things that bring a true sense of community to our universe. In fact, a loyal game fan who is earning his PhD in Psychology is planning to write a thesis on the COTG phenomenon. Man, we're so unique we're being researched and studied! Until we speak again, keep watching over your shoulder. The gang at Fed HQ are right behind you with all kinds of surprises in store in 2006! --January 23, 2006 Man, the excitement is really mounting for aCe 2120: Reinforcement! It's a cool concept isn't it? Everybody is waiting on pins and needles to see what's going on with GODSEND...one of my all-time favorite characters. Now you see why I wanted to produce Centa game editions so badly. The number of interesting characters and scenarios is astounding! And it helps to have a writer like Kris Osk at my side. Kris has done exactly what I wanted with the aCe brand, distinguishing it totally from the goings-on in the GWF and CPC, and yet obviously still belonging in the same gaming universe (in a manner of speaking). The aCe series is scheduled to be a three-parter ending with aCe 2121. After that, who knows? I'm sure you'll let us know what you think. For now, get psyched! aCe 2120: Reinforcement is due to be released in February at the same time as Legends Fever. I haven't even said anything about Legends Fever, but it'll rock too! For those of you ordering both game editions (and who in their right mind wouldn't?), they'll be mailed together. We'll keep updating you on our production schedule, so keep watching this site...as if you don't already! And be sure to visit the Discussion Board to share your comments and opinions with other loyal promoters! It's no fun unless YOU are there with us! Sign up and become a member today. --January 22, 2006 I'm pleased to announce that another excellent book has come across my desk at Fed HQ. It's a book written by old friend, Evan Ginzburg. Game fans will remember Evan from his appearance at GalactiCon 2004 with Johnny Valiant. He is the producer and editor of Wrestling Then and Now newsletter and manages several wrestlers. Evan has written an autobiography called Apartment 4B, Like in Brooklyn. God, how I love a good autobiography, mainly because the best ones offer some universal insights and concepts to ponder that stretch beyond the life of the author. Evan's book does just that. Evan grew up in Brooklyn in the 1960's and 1970's. He saw his neighborhood slowly evolve from a traditional ethnic immigrant neighborhood to a multi-racial neighborhood populated by Blacks and Hispanics. Apartment 4B is the story of a Jewish family adapting to these major changes. And adapting is the key word. Evan describes in graphic detail the pleasures and pains of these adjustments. From being beaten up regularly for any change in his pocket, to having his brand new bicycle stolen in broad daylight, to tales of murder, cheating, and degradation, it all seems like a painful and bitter life lesson. And yet the book is free from real rancor or hostility. Evan's world is a complex world where his new friendships were very fulfilling, from playing inner-city street games like Skully and stickball, to going to the latest showings of Bruce Lee movies, to identifying with James Brown as his hero, Evan has carved a romantic vision at the same time that his stories are frightening, dehumanizing, and sometimes downright revolting. The book is written in a short story format, making it easy to pick up and put down at the drop of a hat. Not that it's easy to put down. Evan's writing style is easily accessible with many humorous touches thrown in to offset the sometimes painful memories. As a child of the same time period, I can identify with Evan's stories, the main difference being that my family moved (ironically to a Jewish suburb) prior to the inner-city upheavals that the Ginzburg family endured. I saw the tip of the iceburg when I lived in East Cleveland in the 1960's. Evan's family stayed at Apartment 4B even when "white flight" saw many other families moving out. Wrestling fans will enjoy Evan's references to his love for professional wrestling beginning with Bruno Sammartino and many others. There's even a nice drawing of Baron Von Raschke by Rick Knox in the book. Maybe Rick would let us use it someday if we add the Baron to the Legends game lineup. I heartily recommend Apartment 4B, Like in Brooklyn. It's an easy read on a difficult subject. Ginzburg's love of life and pop culture shine through the tough times and his experiences represent a microcosm for the shifting template of American culture in the 1960's and 1970's. Take it from me, a big reader of memoirs, that this is worth picking up. The book is available now through mail order at: PO Box 640471 Oakland Gardens Station Flushing, NY 11364 for $14.95 and $2.50 postage and handling (Add $5 for overseas orders). --January 11, 2006 It's a quiet, relaxed day at Federation Headquarters and I thought I'd write a few words in that kind of mood rather than sharing news updates or discussing our new releases. We did some cleaning the other day at my home office and I'm beginning to see daylight when it comes to all the work that needs doing around here. I often talk to you about the Big Things we're working on (aCe 2120 and Legends 5 in particular), but here are some of the Small Moments that make me love what I'm doing: Game fan, Laurence Sharp, sent me a photo and letter. We receive a lot of fan mail at Fed HQ, usually informing us of match results and other happenings in people's feds (Victor Nicely and Pet Beck just sent along some interesting fed updates...great stuff!). Laurence is a Legends game fan that lives in Newmarket, Ontario, in Canada. Canada has always been home to some of the greatest wrestling fans on the planet as well as loyal supporters of COTG and LOW. What a great country! Laurence's favorite legend is Don Leo Jonathan, which goes to show that every legend in the game is somebody's favorite. At a convention I attended last year I met an S. D. Jones fanatic. It's impossible to predict. Anyway, thanks for sending the photo and thanks for your support, Laurence! You'll love the next Legends expansion! Talent abounds in our fan community, as I've documented in my book The Dark Menace of the Universe. A new example is the writing career of loyal promoter, Matt Dickendesher. Matt is a freelance writer and you can check out his latest article at Pro Hockey News.com. Best of luck with your writing, Matt! More talent and creativity: loyal promoter, Mark Vander Zanden, has sent along some ideas for a game he is working on. It looks great! I won't say any more about it right now, but I'm flattered that Mark would send me the game and ask me for my ideas and comments. I only wish I had been able to respond sooner. Keep moving forward, Mark! As always, I enjoy the Christmas cards sent by loyal promoters to me and my family. I wish I had the time to respond to them all, but for now I'd like to thank everyone who is so thoughtful. The cards remain on display in my office year round. Mark Ashby sent a wonderful card featuring a photo of his two son's, Nathan and Trevor. I cherish these reminders of the friends that I've made as a result of starting COTG and LOW. Wrestling legend, Jim Cornette, sent along a Christmas letter that included an update of his activities in the past year along with his funniest resolution: "Not to watch any freakin' wrestling unless at a Legends reunion and not to talk about wrestling with anyone under 50." That includes me, so I hope Jim makes an exception in my case when he sees me. Thanks for the card, Jim! These pleasant personal surprises and correspondences are a daily occurence at Fed HQ, but they usually don't seem worthy of mention, but, as they say, it's the little things that really count. I'm very thankful for these tokens of friendship and very thankful to have earned them in my relationship with loyal promoters. Here's to another great year together in 2006... --January 3, 2006 I'd like to wish a speedy recovery to wrestling legend,Ted DiBiase, who is at home recuperating after collapsing and being rushed to the hospital a few days ago while he was working at WWE headquarters. Thankfully, Ted seems to be okay. I was planning to visit with Ted and give him some copies of the playing card for Iron Mike DiBiase when he visited Jamestown for a Smackdown show on December 28, but our meeting will have to wait. The important thing is that he gets well soon. Best wishes, Ted, from all your fans who play COTG and LOW. Aloha from frigid Jamestown! It's pretty cold outside, but I'll tell you it's HOT inside at Fed HQ! But before I get into that, I thought I'd share some cool art from a student of mine at the college. His name is Alesandro Melendez and he's a pretty talented guy. When he doodles in my class I'm not offended because it's great doodling! After class on Wednesday he gave me a drawing from his notebook. Alesandro depicted me threatening to hit students...for some reason my students love it when I threaten them with physical violence! Gotta love the depiction of a student cowering in fear as I level my ominous threat. I evidently have some terribly unhealthy masochistic relationship with my classes, which at least befits a Dark Menace. Anyway, you can click on the drawing above to see a bigger version. Alesandro is interested in a career in cartooning and art and it's easy to see why if he can whip out stuff like that during my enthralling lectures (then again, maybe my lectures aren't so enthralling if people have that much time to do other things!). If you've tried to contact me lately, please accept my apologies for a tardy reply. I'm absolutely inundated with projects and things are busier than usual due to the simple fact that it's finals time and the end of the semester is always the busiest time of year. Combine that with the Christmas season and well... But don't think I've forgotten about Filsinger Games! I've been proofreading the cards and handbook for aCe 2120 and I'll tell you, Kris Osk is some kind of visionary! This new aCe edition will blow everyone away! Be sure to check out the January edition of GWF Promoter for an in-depth look at aCe 2120! I've also been proofreading the cards and handbook for Legends 5 and there's some sensational stuff here too! Old school wrestling fans will salivate over this new edition. Stu Lowry has written some very informative bios for the handbook and Chad Olson and Tim Dalton have done the usual superb job with the playing cards. Can't beat this team. Man, this is too much fun. Ultra busy, yes. But too much fun nonetheless. And we're doing it all for YOU. I hope you enjoy the new game editions as much as we enjoy creating them for you! And by the way, if you're on the North American continent, be sure to come to my book signing at Waldenbooks tomorrow in Lakewood, New York. It's not asking too much, is it? Here's some good news---old friend Jimmy Valiant has published his autobiography called Woo...Mercy Daddy! Welcome to my World. Here is part of the press release that the Boogie Woogie Man sent to me at Fed HQ: "Forty plus years in the making, this book will motivate and encourage all who read it as Jimmy takes examples of his personal and professional life and shows how to stay positive through the bad and often challenging times. Get an intimate glimpse into Valiant's personal life and his relationships with other wrestlers, friends, family and fans." "Woo...Mercy Daddy! is the wrestling book the world will be talking about. It's larger than life and as colorful as the Boogie Woogie Man himself. Jimmy has always done things his way, by being a little different from the rest. So take a walk on the wild side with Woo...Mercy Daddy! Welcome to My World." Sound interesting yet? There's still more. Jimmy has included some words about his involvement in our very own Legends of Wrestling card game! Thanks Jimmy. And this is perfect timing with Jimmy's playing card for the Boogie Woogie Man coming in our next Legends game edition in February. For more information about Woo...Mercy Daddy!, go here. Jimmy sure sounds like a Dark Menace doesn't he? Whoops, I lied. I said the N-FORCE cards would begin mailing today but they've been delayed until Monday. Gosh, the more you wait the more excited you'll be! Did you see that Northern Star newspaper article about my book? To see it you can go here. I enjoyed being interviewed since Northern Illinois University was my graduate school alma mater. I loved the headline: "Former NIU professor claims creative people are threats to society." That's an attention-grabber...a kind of sensational way to twist my main theme for the greatest effect. The writer of the article told me that there's talk of starting a Dark Menace Club at NIU. At the end of the article I'm quoted as saying: "If you start a Dark Menace club at NIU, I’ll totally come to give a speech." The fact is I would definitely arrange an appearance if a club is formed, but I don't think it's an exact quote. I mean, I totally don't talk like that. Still, I loved working with the NIU staff. With a Dark Menace Society at Jamestown Community College and one possibly starting at Northern Illinois University, we're polluting the minds of the young on college campuses everywhere! Higher education is no longer safe... Hey gang! I'm busier than ever...isn't that what you like to hear? I really don't know which way to turn, but here are some updates in case you're curious. N-FORCE cards will begin mailing by this Friday (Dec 2). We'll be looking over your emails (finally!) and you'll be receiving these really neat COTG playing cards for SCIMITAR and PLETHADOR or LOW cards for MIKE DIBIASE and BOB ORTON SR...or maybe all four! They're cool cards and I hope you'll enjoy the debut of artist Scott Rozema! You'll be seeing more of his work in the future too! Meanwhile, work in progress includes aCe REINFORCEMENT 2120 and LEGENDS 5. The creative team for aCe REINFORCEMENT is Kris Osk (creator) with drawings by Jeremy Su and Darryl Banks. Meanwhile on LEGENDS the creative team is Tim Dalton, Chad Olson, Stu Lowry, and Scott Rozema. Naturally I'm working with everyone as well. It's very exciting but also very time consuming! Look for both these editions to be released in February. There's so much going on with my book, THE DARK MENACE OF THE UNIVERSE, that's it's impossible to summarize here. We'll be posting stuff when we get around to it. A new article about the book appeared in the Northern Star, the student-run newspaper at Northern Illinois Unversity. In addition, a very positive review appeared in the Jamestown Post-Journal a few weeks ago. The book has struck a chord with some people and I'm getting calls and letters all the time...like I've got extra time! WWE Smackdown is coming to Jamestown for the first time on December 28...what a surprise that is! I'm planning on attending with my son and his friends. In fact, I may even call Ted DiBiase and see if he can get together with us if he's in town with the Smackdown crew. That way I can give him the playing card for IRON MIKE DIBIASE personally. Watch for us if you're tuning in that evening. Well, that's it for now. I wanted to check in so you won't think I've forgotten you. I'm very busy...I hope to get to the COTG Discussion Board soon to respond to questions and comments. If you're trying to reach me, keep in mind that I've foolishly overfilled my plate. But even when I seem to be missing in action, in actuality I'm busier with COTG and LOW than ever! Excelsior! I realize that's Stan Lee's line, but I thought I'd say it anyway. Oh dear. It looks like our N-FORCE promotion is working a little too well. Shannon at RPG.net has asked me to discourage any more promotional posts at RPG.net for COTG and LOW. I guess they're getting a bit overwhelmed with these posts and we certainly don't want a backlash from the gaming community. That would defeat the whole purpose of the N-FORCE effort, which is to expose people to the games. So there you have it! RPG.net is now off limits! Thanks. Good news...the new LEGENDS RINGSIDE COMPANION has been officially released and it's a real beauty! But don't take my word for it, check out the story at the Legends site! There's also card art there for MIKE DIBIASE. This Companion features many matches already included in several GWF Companions, but with wording changes and sometimes even minor facelifts to the special match rules. There are also new matches and charts, such as a Singapore Cane Match (courtesy of Chad Olson) and a Special Referee Chart, among others. As you already know, all these special matches are totally compatible with COTG, so this might be something you'll want. I know I'll be using it all the time when I play! Meanwhile the new N-FORCE LE cards are closer to being released as well. I anticipate mailing the cards out by the end of this month. Be sure to earn these neat playing cards by following the instructions at the N-FORCE page and when you send us email to let us know what you've done, BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND MAILING ADDRESS so we know where to send the cards! Thanks for spreading the word about our games! You are our best sales force! Please keep our stuff in mind for gifts for the holiday season. What better gift than one of our introductory box sets for COTG or LOW or for book readers, The Dark Menace of the Universe? We've got it all covered from games to books! Our goal is for this year to be our biggest year yet...and with your help we can do it! As you can see, this page got a minor facelift...just for the heck of it. A student at Jamestown Community College, Jeremy, has joined us at Fed HQ as a webmaster and all-around helper-outer. After trying some things out, Jeremy settled in on the photo at the top of the page which is from an early version of the cover of my book, The Dark Menace of the Universe. by graphic artist, Tom Richert. Classics 2074 is now back in stock. A lot of people have been asking us about it and it's finally here. This printing features black ink on the playing cards and handbook instead of the original blue ink. This is an important game edition as it represents the oldest official game edition for the GWF. And Brian Bendis' art is more impressive in black than in blue, in my opinion. A lot of it has to do with Brian's use of dark inks to support his film noir mood. Go to the online store if you are interested in purchasing Classics 2074. Also coming in November: N-FORCE playing cards (mentioned earlier) and the LEGENDS RINGSIDE COMPANION. We are also busy working on aCe 2120 and Legends 5. Stay tuned! Go to the bottom of this page for a link to archives of previous "Brain" postings. And tell everyone you know to protect themselves while they still can...Filsinger Games madness is running amok! As I said last time, I'm not responding to any N-FORCE inquiries yet. We've been swamped with emails with web sites to check and we don't have time to check them right now. Keep sending them along, we'll get to them in a couple weeks! When the LE cards are produced for SCIMITAR (GWF) and PLETHADOR (GWF) and BOB ORTON SR. (LWF) and MIKE DIBIASE (LWF), then we'll check all the emails so we can mail the cards to deserving promoters. What we want to see is the web swamped with info about our wonderful games! We want to spread the word about COTG and LOW...and who better than loyal game players to spread the gospel? We hope to see more sites come up on search engines for key words like "Champions of the Galaxy" and "Legends of Wrestling" to say nothing of "Filsinger Games." And by the way, have you noticed our latest ad in Pro Wrestling Illustrated this month? We're hotter than ever. Thanks for your patience regarding the N-FORCE. Right now all our energy is being taken producing the four cards...and wait till you see the art by newcomer, Scott Rozema! What a versatile guy! Also in the works: Legends 5 and aCe 2120. Subscribers should see the latest issue of GWF Promoter starting on Monday, October 31. And then there's the Legends Ringside Companion, also due in November. The galaxy is ours for the taking! Help us spread the word with the N-FORCE...you'll want to be on the winning side when our takeover is complete! I'm pleased to say that we're being inundated with emails from loyal promoters about STAR WARRIOR'S N-FORCE. Many people are already doing all kinds of promoting of Champions of the Galaxy on the internet in order to earn Limited Edition cards for PLETHADOR and SCIMITAR. Fear not if you don't get a reply from us in the near future. The cards aren't produced yet anyway. We'll read the emails as soon as we can to verify the fantastic work everyone is doing to ensure that GWF mania reigns supreme on the internet! Keep watching...the LEGENDS N-FORCE is coming soon too. And our goal is to release all four Limited Edition cards (COTG and LOW) at the same time next month. Thanks for helping us spread the madness! And look for more info about PLETHADOR and SCIMITAR in the pages of GWF Promoter! After 20 years of success and counting (last year was our best ever), we're taking no prisoners from here on...and YOU'RE part of the juggernaut! John Krause is busy putting together GWF Promoter #81 which will be mailed to subscribers at the end of this month. It'll feature all kinds of cool exclusives, one of which is sneak preview art for SCIMITAR. Who is SCIMITAR you might ask? He's a new member of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy! His Limited Edition playing card will ONLY be available in our newest and greatest promotion: STAR WARRIOR'S N-FORCE! It'll be your chance to receive two GWF cards and two Legends cards for free! There's no money involved...you just have to work for them! And it's great because you'll be spreading the word on the internet about Filsinger Games---a patriotic thing to do just by itself. GWF Promoter #81 will feature cover art for SCIMITAR as well as his GWF story. There's also PLETHADOR, a new AniMan. To be honest, neither SCIMITAR or PLETHADOR are championship caliber wrestlers. They'll add some interesting playing cards and storylines to the GWF while giving you some enhancement talent for your fed. Wait till you see PLETHADOR's card! He better get off to a great start or he's in big trouble! Can you guess why? SCIMITAR's strength is that he's a good tag wrestler...who will you team him with in your fed? PLETHADOR brings an unusual playing card to the game, with stats that will make his matches interesting to say the least! Both cards will go up in value in the collector's market due to being the only two N-FORCE LE cards ever released. On another topic, we're all pleased here at Fed HQ to see The Dark Menace of the Universe offered at amazon.com. We're hoping this book will help promote Champions of the Galaxy, which is never a bad thing! If you liked the book, and we know many of you did, please post a review so that we can create a firestorm of excitement! Remember, at amazon the visitors will usually be general readers, not necessarily game fans. While the book has many themes, if you post a review it's probably a good idea to focus on creativity and individuality to say nothing of getting started in the game business in general. More good news: You can use the amazon.com review as credit for STAR WARRIOR'S N-FORCE, hence helping yourself earn the new playing cards due in November! Why wait? It's a great deal for everybody! Keep watching this site and be sure to check out GWF Promoter #81 for more updates! John Krause is doing a great job with the game's official newsletter! The quieter it might seem here at Fed HQ, the busier we are. You'll see next month and in the months ahead. COTG and LOW promoters are the greatest game fans anywhere! But wait...you already knew that. Want to explore more of the unfathonable mysteries of Tom's Brain? Then go to Tom's Brain Archives!

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