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August 1977 - Friday 19
231st day - 134 days to come

To "Old Bethpage Restoration." In "General Store" store saw two games & the one in charge let me look at them. HOCUS POCUS - no rules, but all it was was pictures of different heads sliced into three pcs. [pieces], to be put together in different ways. GAME OF THE CITY TRAVELER - each player, except the "reader," is a different "profession" and has a number of cards each giving an object connected with the profession. The reader reads a story and when he comes to a blank he points to one of the players who must immediately read off one of his cards, or suffer a penalty. (Rough idea.)
In gift shop saw NINETEENTH CENTURY GAMES & SPORTING GOODS - which is an 1886 catalog of "Peck & Snyder" (Pyne Press-Princeton 1971). Aside from cards and other standards, there were only two pages of games. The most interesting was THE MONOPOLIST, which was on a board with two other games. They describe it as a struggle between capitol and labor, to become the new monopolist. The board seems to be a single path in a circle.

Call from Pat Leonard. They can get Jack Ford and an associate William Randolph Hearst, 3rd, for the Pablo Guzman show at 4 Sunday, so they want me at 3. Told her that I wasn't thrilled with having to call people to change the time - but I understood that she didn't have a choice.
Called to tell Claude. Not in and spoke to Raymond - who heard me last week. Called and told Annette Laurence. They also heard me last week.
(All said that I sounded O.K.)

(cont. from 8/20) [8/20]

I looked at SPHINX which Ronnie also bought at Games Gallery. I asked Ronnie to get me repros [reproductions] of the rules.
Ronnie told me more about his visit to Ned Strongin (Audrey waited outside). Strongin placed TRESPASS (which had been test marketed together with MASTERMIND and HANIBAL by P. in the U.S.) in England. The royalties for last year were £40. His idea of a game that will sell is CONNECT 4. He told Ronnie that what is important in a game is the concept, not the play. If Ronnie gets a good concept he shouldn't waste time developing it. Just bring it in and Strongin can get Wald Amberstone to work it out. Strongin hates games. René Soriana said he loves games - but only to watch, not to play. Strongin asked Ronnie if he had dealt with anyone else. Ronnie told him Felicia and Strongin didn't want to be compared with her - he is a developer.
After his visit to Strongin they went to the Games Gallery. As well as buying the two games, Ronnie learned from John Stephenson that he is probably going to be putting out a strategy GAME, with an initial run of about 3,000. He'd like to have Ronnie put up the money to put out on or more of his games. Using the same size box, and other standardization will cut down the costs. Ronnie didn't buy. Ronnie showed John his PROSPECTORS LIMITED (but he didn't show it to Strongin). John didn't think it was strategic enough, the moves should be by choice rather than by die throw (which was the way Ronnie orig-
(cont. on 8/18)