Ah, October! The season is upon us to celebrate all things autumn.  Hailing from Vermont originally, I have a special place in my heart for the month of October; temperatures finally begin to cool heralding the last chance to get a maple creamee, pumpkin carving contests abound as foliage season winds down, and just around the corner is that most awesome of holidays – Halloween!

This October is special for another reason as well; you hold in your hands the 200^th issue of Game Trade Magazine.

Indeed! It’s been sixteen years in the making and we here in the GTM Bullpen are tickled pink (or should that be orange?) to share this fantastic milestone with you, our readers. 

I would also like to say how very excited it is to be a part of this achievement.  By the time you see these words it will almost be time to celebrate my first year as editor here at Game Trade Magazine. It is a genuine privilege and honor to be a part of this special anniversary. 

I hope that you have all enjoyed some of the changes and additions we’ve made to Game Trade Magazine in the past year.  For my part, it’s tough to not be proud of all that has been accomplished! Not only has GTM grown in size and popularity, we’ve also celebrated our largest issue yet (96-pages!), presented our first article from a 12-year old contributor, and added more insightful game reviews and exclusive features such as ‘Tricks of the Game Trade’.  And this is only the beginning!

But this isn’t meant to be a self-congratulatory puff-piece! Sixteen years of hard work have gone into this moment and we’d like to thank all of the incredible people GTM has associated with:

Our sincerest gratitude goes out to all of the manufacturers we’ve worked with over the years.  On behalf of the magazine’s staff, it’s been an incredible honor and we’re looking forward to many more exciting (and crazy!) collaborations in the years to come! 

We’d also like to thank all of the retailers out there on the front lines of this dynamic industry.  The friendly local game store (FLGS), perhaps once an oddity in the local marketplace, has become a vital staple to growing neighborhoods worldwide.  Thank you all for providing everyone (including yours truly!) with a place to buy and play all of the cool games we cherish so much. 

We would like to express our gratitude to our readers.  Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or are just joining us now, your support and interest means the world to us.  As you read through these pages we encourage you to reflect on all of the games you’ve enjoyed these last sixteen years; we’re confident you will see something you like in every issue of GTM!

Last, and certainly not least, I would like to thank all of the GTM staff, past and present, for their contributions to Game Trade Magazine over the years.  Since the very first issue, the GTM Bullpen has worked tirelessly to produce this magazine each and every month, and I am honored to be a part of their ongoing endeavor to inform and inspire gamers worldwide. 

It is my privilege to dedicate this issue to all of you.  Let’s do this again with issue #300!

Jerome is one of those lucky individuals who genuinely loves what he does for a living, even if he's mostly making it up as he goes. When not stopping the presses, herding cats, or playing games, he like to take it easy with a cup of good coffee, preferably with honey.