The Game Stork

Oh Blog... How I have forsaken thee.  I am so sorry that I've neglected you. I'll make it up to you I swear.  Chocolates? Flowers? you're still angry?  Its not like I wanted to ignore you- It is just that I've been busy.

I mean last time we was together- it was magic. But a man has to do what a man has to do. For me that meant going to ConnCon, Origins, Dicetower Con, Gencon, and DragonCon.  And there was that little piece of debauchery Trashfest South 4.  But I can't go into that here...the children might be reading.

I've got to say..in all the cons in all the world...one thing rang true. Board gaming rocks and is on the rise. The hobby is a lot different than it was  10 years ago.

But listen Baby, I've got great news. You an me, we're going to have a game soon. That right. Nothing Personal is coming to Kickstarter.  and it is beautiful baby. You're going to love it.  I know how you feel about games with lots of player interaction- and its got that in spades. I think you're going to be real proud of how your little game gets people fired up.  Not only that, but some of the rewards are pretty snazzy with classic gangsters and game designers gangster packs.

So whaddya say Blog? will you take me back? I promise it will be me and you babe. We'll never have to part ways again...

Thunder Road - the Awesomest Game of Awesome Awesomeness

Yes Thunder Road is in a word: Awesome.   But before I get to that, let me tell you about a little metagame that I play inside my head.  I like to transform grown men and women into shrieking 12 year olds- just. like. me.

It always goes down the same way.  I pull out Thunder Road with its glorious tomatoe red, avocado green, grey and dusty tan cars and innocently ask a newcomer if they've played before.  No? Here I'll show you. It only takes 15-20 minutes...

The rules take only moments to explain and I secretly smile to myself as a look of disdain passes over their face when I tell them it is roll and move.  Many are ready to leave at that point but the little plastic wrecked cars and choppers  piqué their curiosity just long enough for them to pick up the dice.

....And then I've got them,  They don't even realize its happening. The cars start to cluster together as everyone tries to get into a position that will let them take the lead. No one is snickering now- they're too busy grabbing for the dice and trying to break from the pack.

BUDDDA-  BUDDDA-  BUDDDA-  I pull out my chopper and fly it over the lead opponents car. I park it squarely in front of it and he looks at with disbelief and I reach for the attack dice.   I explain that making the chopper and machine gun noises always ensure a good roll. KABOOM!  There goes his lead car- Proof positive that I was right.

From then on I sit back and watch the regression as they start to get into it.  Someone makes vrooming noises as they try to ram me off the highway. Another starts up with Tatatatata of machine guns and throws the dice abandon. Grown men and women are jumping up because their little plastic car got wrecked.

And more than one gamer has challenged me to a rematch after I have left them smoldering wreckage.

So there you have it: the secret game I play in my head which is playing with other people’s heads.

The New Breed of Publisher

"There is a new breed of publisher partner...an' this town aint big enough for the both of us..."

Well there might be and there might not. In some circles it has lead to a great deal of speculation on what the long term effects it might have on gaming.  If you've not been following the board gaming trends, let me catch you up to speed (a bit- because it is starting to get complicated)

So I'm talking about the small group of publishers who have banded together to help support each other. They have their roots in Kickstarter even though some of them predate that phenomenon.

Tasty Minstrel, CleverMojo, 5th street games, GozerGames, DicehatemeGames, CrashGames, Nevermore, and a slew of others have had one or two successes on Kickstarter and now are poised to continue the momentum with more releases. 

There is a whole progression to the process as well. Once a designer goes through the work it takes to track down artists and graphics designers and works out the details of printing and distribution, the groundwork is set for follow up games.

There are podcasts now solely dedicated to the KS board gaming. In Funding the dream (http://www.thegamewhisperer.com/) The Gamewhisperer has begun exploring the impact of KS on the game community and how it is going to change the dynamics of what kinds of games make it to the market and how it will impact established publishers.

Right now there are two schools of thought.  Some companies like Eagle games have begun using KS as an ancillory way to get some of their games to the market. In many cases, these games would (or perhaps already have) been published but the company can use KS as direct marketing  for the public.

Another company GameSalute, is offering a full pakage that takes all the work out of the learning curve that comes with KS and facilitates getting the game to the market. In this case they operate much like a traditional publisher but are contingent on a successful KS campaign.

There is a lot of speculation about what the long term impact of crowd funded games will have on the market. but I'll have to save that for a whole other blog post...

Capo blind playtests

Wow this has moved fast.  A last October Tom contacted me with his idea. For two weeks straight I spent every moment on it and then spent another month play testing and making tweaks.
When I sent my version of Capo to Tom, I was sure we had a strong game. Then Tom took it and made it even better. I was sure it there was little that could be done to make it an even better game.

I was dead wrong.  After the first round of blind play tests there was a whole slew of things they brought up to tweak the game here and there. I was so very impressed with the playtestesters. The really brought the game to a new level.

On group involving Bob Aarhous, left incredibly detailed notes. Some of it was so meticulous that it didn't even occur to me about what happens when X affects Y.  But the bottom line is that they really really took a hard look at the game and made it better.

Another group send a recording of their thoughts afterward. That was a brilliant idea because you can convey some things that are lost in writing and that everything is immediate impressions.

The bottom line is that Tom and I are so very grateful at everyone who helped out. YOU GUYS ROCK!!
If I can find a master list of participants I'm going to post it here- or better yet, just give me a shout out by replying here or posting it on the geek.

a Glimpse of the Gaming Industry

Zev had mentioned that he was coming to town to do a show. Naturally I strong armed him into hanging out and playing games the night before and the following thursday we headed to downtown Smyrna to this distribution show hosted by GST Distribution.  I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but I had a pretty good idea that we would spend a lot of time talking and gaming- two things I excel at. So when  we got to the show I was pretty excited to skip work and get ready to demo.

I hadn't been to downtown Smyrna in a while but it looks to be an up and coming  place with lots of newer buildings, planned communities and trendy little bistros.  I guess I was expecting something more 'old south' meets Alpharetta.  The event center GST had rented out was a sprawling building and part of a larger plan.

We got there early but Zev had no set up time...He unpacked six games and set them on the table. Bam! Done. Richard Launius had brought few other Zman games from his collection but with Zev's.

I was all set to demo games but a distributors meeting is not what I expected at all. The bulk of people there only wanted a short overview of the game and was more interested in price point and salability. Of course they were! I just expected that at least *some* of them might want to play through a few games.

In the end I resigned myself to socializing. I ended up spending a good deal of time talking with Stefan from Asmodee where in he confided in me that Zev told me "I was a troublemaker who caused all kind of shit and should be avoided."  While that is completely true - it is also a case of mistaken identity.  I am a troublemaker- but not for Zev or Stefan. At least not yet....

I also got to talk a bit with a bunch of other really interesting people John form Alderac and the sales team from FFG and the whole day was quite fun. We ended up that evening at a little cafe and closed the night down over beers.

I am hopeful that GST does the event again this year. Last year was the bomb!  Thanks GST and Zev for taking me!

"Dirty Dozen" Does Fantasy

So we've started a 'dirty dozen fantasy campaign. The campaign and so far it has been a ton a fun. Characters start with a back stories that somehow link them to everyone else in the party and leave plot hooks for the GM to use.

Our intrepid party:

(Me- Steve) Jango Blake: Halfling conman, thief and general ne'erdo well.  Jango grew up on the backstreets of the capitol city and spent his time grifting from one job to another. Although known to the thieves guild, the midnighters (assassins guild), and several other criminal organizations, he has managed to skirt direct conflict with any of them...until now.

(AaronH) Barka: Former Kings Champion sentenced to the role of executioner after a misfortunate 'accident' during a contest Shortly thereafter he was forced to flee when after executing the wrong man. Jango helped him escape the city and they have been travelling companions ever since. He wants nothing more than to regain his honor and rank though it seems that fate conspires against him.

(Dan ) Edgar: a necromancer who under the guise of a mortician and collector convinced Jango to help him smuggle out the body of the high priest of a death cult. Things did not go as smoothly as they had hoped and only by hiding in the sarcophagi and being carried out did they manage to get clear of the temple. Though congenial and seemingly harmless he has shown great power as a  necromancer and has lead the party down a dark path indeed.

(Frank) Willikins: Is Edgars faithful manservant. Over time it has become apparent that in addition to being a capable and handy butler, Willikins is also a skilled and deadly assassin.  Even more disturbing is that he never looses his composure whether serving tea amidst a raging stormy sea or single handedly slaughtering a half dozen men. 

Averies: The New Unit of Fun

According to Matt Thrower, The unit of measuring fun is the #Averies. Thrower is widely recognized as being a well spoken and accomplished writer and  game enthusiast - So who am I to gainsay him?

It should be noted that it is very difficult to convey sarcasim over the internet so therefore I'm taking his comment at face value. 

Therefore  0 #averies = complete lack of fun..ie Riccochet Robot, Factory Fun, Caylus
100 #averies = Estatic fun bordering on gaming nirvana ..Thunder Road, Pit, Cosmic Encounter

It is about time someone set a standard measurement for fun...