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3/26
3/25
3/21
3/18
31 FRIDAY - MARCH 1972
GOOD FRIDAY - 91ST DAY - 275 DAYS TO COME

Herb Hochstetter here for lunch.
Told him about Felicia. No problem; he certainly doesn't want to interfere with anything that is hers.
Herb was connected with Transogram's TAG line. One of the things he did was WORD (see '68 [1968]). He tried, without success, to try to get them to do a whole line of p. & p. games. And he has been for them ever since.
Herb had something to do with CHUTZPAH. (I don't remember the details, but he made little on it although it sold over 150,000 - in how long?)
Herb has been trying to buy JOTTO for several years but the owner, a real estate dealer, won't sell even tho he does little with it.
Herb is trying hard to get Bob Hallowell to redo NINE OF SWORDS with the swords unassembled. I suggested including the rules. (This also came up in the meeting yesterday).
Herb prepared a 400 page report from on adult games for M.B. [Milton Bradley] He was paid in 5 figures but spent so much on surveys and other expenses that he barely broke even.
He told them to definitely stay in the toy departments rather than trying for the stationery stores. His survey shows that most people think of toy stores for games, even adult. Also most are bought by women.
In this connection he learned that 3M is trying hard to move into the toy stores, and are succeeding. They still insist on a price fixing agreement. Herb thinks that 3M sales should double in the next year or two.
Herb suggested some game ideas for me to work on. I told him of the work load that I am under and he said that when I'm out from under I should call him. And the solitaire p. & p. games are first priority.
Herb's game ideas:
PLAYHOB - a game where you can get rid of aggressions by breaking pieces.
The SHUFFLEBOARD variation. Each player has a quarter and there is nickle which each player, in turn, can hit with his quarter (snapping it with his finger). Object to get the nickle into the opponent's goal space. He suggested other spaces to add variety. I thought that pcs. [pieces] should be included rather than depending on players to supply their own coins. He figures to give Bob Hallowell - he'd like to have him succeed - but if not will show it to others.
He suggested a GAME where players set up some kind of a "military" layout. Then the players can look at each other's layout for a time determined by a gadget. Then, possibly, some changes, within set limits, can be made. Both offensive and defensive positioning should be involved.
I suggested that as a "timing gadget" the first player to decide he wants to cover his layout does. The other player then covers as fast as he can.
(cont. on 3/26)