History of the Nuclear War Card Game's Success

The game was recognized as a potential Classic in the early 1970’s by Rick Loomis, owner and founder of Flying Buffalo, Inc. located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rick sought me out after he created a serious board game called "Nuclear Destruction" and unveiled it to the public at a trade show/game convention. Several different people visited his booth inquiring about replacement decks for the game! They had mistakenly thought he was now selling my "Nuclear War Card Game"! Rick was aware of my quirky card game and he knew it was out of print (I essentially abandoned it after about 4 years, when I realized I was making about 5 cents an hour negative for my efforts). Rick (nor I) ever realized people liked playing it so much that they actually wore out the decks! That was unheard of - and to Rick that meant "potential winner"!

Loomis decided to trace me down and see if he could license the game from me to sell it under the Flying Buffalo, Inc. name. After searching me out, Rick acquired the exclusive licensing rights in 1972. Through Rick’s efforts "Nuclear War" became Flying Buffalo’s best selling game. AND - it has held this title now for a couple of decades - WOW! (You can read more on my friend's Rick Loomis and artist Steve Crompton a few pages later.)

Rick's FBI (Flying Buffalo, Inc.) Web Site also tells the "true story" of what he went through to find me.
Rick knew he finally had the right person, when the phone answering machine had a Count Dracula voice announcing to the caller that "Count Von Malewicki vass out of ze castle at ze moment, so pleeease leave your name, phone number, and blooood type after ze beep" - all with Bach's Toccata in D playing in the background (cool ominous organ music used in the old Boris Karloff Frankenstien movies)!

To address the ever increasing weapon technology obsolescence of the 1965 game, Rick Loomis and his team created and published the first expansion/update version called Nuclear Escalation in 1982. This was followed by a second expansion/update version called Nuclear Proliferation in 1992. Nuclear War Booster Packs, consisting of an entire set new bonus cards sold in packs of eight cards at random were published in 1995.
The new versions feature current, if not advanced Sci-Fi technology, such as: Stealth bombers and fighters; B-1and B-2 bombers; Cruise missiles; Scud missiles; Patriot anti-missiles; Submarines; Computer Viruses; Klodzilla; Super Virus; Son of Supergerm; Spies; Saboteurs; Orbiting space launch platforms; Protected Domed cities; UFO technology: and even (gasp) Censorship power against the Propaganda cards! (See the next page to see all the awards Nuclear War and its expansion sets have won.)

EVOLUTION OF THE NUCLEAR WAR GAME AND DERIVATIVES

Nuclear Proliferation appeared in 1992 after the 1982 Nuclear Escalation cards were starting to also get obsolete relative to what was going on in the REAL world! (Note: cartoonized B-2 Stealth Bomber cover art)	Booster Packs appeared in 1995. Each pack has eight random samples taken from an all new series of cards.

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