Gemstone’s newest addition to their ever-expanding lineup of “How To” books, The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Tabletop Games, has officially made its way to the printer. The book takes an in-depth look at the history of board games, tabletop role-playing games, card games, and much more, with features on everything from classic board games to contemporary RPGs. The guide also includes interviews with many industry veterans as well as collectors from all walks of life.
The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Tabletop Games has been headed by Gemstone Assistant Editor Carrie Wood, in conjunction with Game Trade Media Production Manager Richard Ankney. Wood previously penned The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Video Games as well as The Overstreet Guide to Cosplay; Ankney regularly hosts streaming shows such as Building Character and Painting Happy Lil’ Minis for Game Trade Media.
“It’s always anxiety-inducing when a book goes to the printer, because that means that nothing more can be done to it,” Wood said. “I’ve always been somewhat of a perfectionist, and we were making little tweaks and adjustments to things minutes before it was sent off, but I’m really excited that it’s finally done! I guess the fact that we found nothing more to change means that the book is as perfect as it’s going to get. I’m real happy with the end result.”
Many notable industry icons were interviewed for the book to give their thoughts on the hobby and its collectability, including Wizards of the Coast founder and Gen Con owner Peter Adkison, legendary Dungeons & Dragons artist Larry Elmore, and Critical Role host Matthew Mercer. Renegade Game Studios President Scott Gaeta also wrote the foreword for the book.
“The support from the industry itself has been awesome,” Wood said. “The vibe that we’ve been getting so far is that this book is coming exactly at the right time for the hobby, so I’m looking forward to hearing some positive feedback once people actually have it in-hand.”
The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Tabletop Games can be ordered through Diamond’s PREVIEWS catalog or through Gemstone’s website. The book is expected to arrive on store shelves on June 6, 2018, though Ankney and Wood will also both be at Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio, on June 13-17, selling and signing the book at the show.
