ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 30, 1995                   TAG: 9507280030
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: G-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BLACKSBURG COMPANY FINDS FANTASY IN WWII

While card games such as Magic and Star Trek are taking players to strange new worlds to meet strange new creatures, a Blacksburg game manufacturer is returning to Earth's recent past for its debut on the collectible card market.

In October, Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment will introduce "The Last Crusade," a game based on World War II, said Charles Ryan, company president.

The game, which will retail for $9 a deck, will feature authentic World War II photos on the cards, Ryan said. The company is targeting a college-age and older audience.

"The Last Crusade" is Chameleon's first foray into collectible card games. The company, which now distributes internationally, started out four years ago making hobby games. It later expanded into role-playing and historical games.

Chameleon first considered launching a collectible card game in April, following the Game Manufacturers Association's spring trade show, Ryan said. The idea for the World War II game was developed with the help of a free-lance designer.

The game will go to press the second week in August, Ryan said. Unlike many games and toys, which are mass-produced and then shipped to stores, "The Last Crusade" will be printed based on orders. Not all orders have come in, so the company does not know how large the initial printing will be.

The decision to launch a collectible card game was a relatively expensive one for Chameleon. The company is spending more than $100,000 on "The Last Crusade," Ryan said. Almost half of the cost covers collating the collectible cards into random, yet playable, decks.

But the investment could pay off for the small company. Lee Cerny, executive director of the Game Manufacturers Association, said a historical game like "The Last Crusade" should be able to find its own niche in the collectible card market and should not have to worry about competing with giants like Magic.

"The Last Crusade" likely will be sold in bookstores and computer software stores, as well as through card shops, Ryan said. 


 by CNB