Game News

Dale Yu: Lots of reprints / Update on teaching the kids Dominion

Boardgame News - 0 sec ago

Busy week at home this week – well, mostly it is distraction due to March Madness.  Good thing my column isn’t on Thursdays, or this wouldn’t be written at all!  Anyways, before I get back to my basketball preparations – I’d like to talk a bit about the rash of reprints / new editions that have come out in the past few months (or soon to come out)!  I’m quite excited at these new versions of older games.  Some of the games are “classics” that are getting a new print run to hopefully extend the life of the game, while other reprints are giving some lesser known gems a chance to shine in the mainstream.

Classics

En Garde – the classic fencing card game by Dr. Knizia has been re-done by Gryphon Games.  The first release of this game was in 1993, and it was getting hard to find on the secondary market.  The new release has beautiful art, and two nice pewter fencing figures to boot.  This is a great little card game with three different versions of play to keep everyone interested.

Code 777 – this classic deduction game by Robert Abbott and Alex Randolph took on almost a “grail” status due to its relative unavailability.  A few years ago, I saw a copy of this game in shrink go for $125.  The quality of the production remains to be seen as Stronghold is a new company, but with Kevin Nesbitt as part of the leadership group, I’m fairly certain that the quality will be high.

Borderlands – Fantasy Flight acquired the rights to this classic game about 3 years ago, and though there hasn’t been much news made public about it – there appears to be a growing rumor stream that FFG will come out with this one in 2010.  This always was the game I pushed to play when others wanted to play Diplomacy because it still placed a high value on negotiation without causing people to hate each other for months afterwards.

Big City – When this game went out of print, suddenly there were people everywhere looking for it.  This more modern version of Metropolis is a great strategic game of urban planning.  Valley Games has announced a 4Q 2010 release of their reprint - and it appears to be anticipated by many folks out there who are looking for a chance to play this gem from the late Franz-Benno Delonge.

Newer Games

#58 (Age of Scheme) – Samarkand: Routes to Riches – though there was certainly some debate over the subtitle of the original game – this David V.H. Peters game is incredibly complex for the 45 minutes it takes to play.  The original version possibly had fewer than 100 copies made.  Queen Games acquired the rights to the game, and has plans to have their version available by Spiel 2010.  I have had a chance to play the new version, and I must say that it has been improved and made a bit more accessible to the general gamer (mostly a simplification of the mathematical calculations that one needs to mentally do).  I believe that this has a chance to do very well in the mainstream market come the fall.

Baltimore and Ohio – Another Winsome title which has been picked up by Eagle Games for publication later this year.  B&O is a no-luck auction game which was part of the 2009 Essen Set.  I’ll be curious to see if the game undergoes any further development.  The two games that I’ve played so far each ran at least two hours, and I don’t know if that length of game is something the modern market is looking for.  But I hope that it is!  Because it’s a wonderfully done game, and with a graphic update – it should appeal to those looking for a challenging economic game. 

Factory Fun – Zman is going to reprint this great little puzzle game originally done by Cwali.  Like most of the Cwali games, the initial print run was fairly small, and once sold out – no more copies were to be made.  Now everyone will have the change to struggle over how to connect their different goo machines together.

Filipino Fruit Market - this wonderful card game (well, actually two card games) is being re-done this year by Indie Board and Cards.  I’m actually trying to get my review of this done for next week - so more details then!

Again, I think it is great that all of these games (and many others that I don’t have the time or space to mention here) are getting another chance to see the light of day.  I certainly know that there are many gamers that took the incredible time and effort needed to make their own copy of these hard-to-find games, but I think that most gamers will be more likely to purchase a well done, professionally produced version of the game.  And, I hope that these games are commercial successes as this will possibly spur on other companies to look at reprinting other games that deserve a chance for a wider audience.

Update on teaching Dominion to the kids

Well, last week I spoke a bit on my plan on teaching Dominion to the kids.  I must say that so far, their aptitude for picking up the game has far exceeded my expectations.  Of course, it probably helps that they have each watched at least 200 games as I’ve been playtesting at home over the past 2 years!

The kids learned the basic rules very well.  Again, I have no idea how much they had absorbed from simply watching the adults play.  But, we started out with 12 cards decks – 7 coppers, 3 estates, a smithy on top and a village on bottom.  The Supply was set up for a regular game – and I just let the kids take about 7 or 8 turns going thru the A/B/C progression.  By seeding their decks with the action cards, the kids got a feel for how to play an action (the Smithy) on the first turn.  The Village on the second draw let me show them how/when to shuffle and to show them that they might not be able to play all the Actions (if they had no other actions in their hand).  We did this a few times until the kids were proficient at the three phases of each turn.  I took the time at this step to make sure they understood where to place cards just purchased (the discard pile) as well as the appropriate time to shuffle their deck (only when they needed to draw a new card).

After that, we spent a little time going over the 10 Action cards recommended for a starting player.  I again gave them starting decks and seeded them with 2 different Action cards, and then had them play a few rounds with those cards.  Giving them a chance to practice the Actions a few times helped them quickly learn the abilities of the card and to remember them.  I also managed to sneak in a few other cards (Feast, Laboratory, and Festival) along the way.

Once I felt that they were comfortable with the Action cards, we moved on to a “full” game.  Well, not quite full – right now they are playing with only 6 cards in each Kingdom card pile and 8 in each Victory card pile.  I figured that this would give them enough chance to try to buy different cards while ending the game in a shorter time period (always with 3 piles thus far).  I have actually tried to not give them any advice on what cards to buy as I wanted them to develop their own strategies, and within about 5 games, both of the boys have learned to buy a few Silvers at the start of the game so they don’t slow down later on.  (Way to go kids!).  They’re not quite good at knowing when to switch over from deck development to victory point gathering quite yet, but they improve with each game.

The kids have improved to the point where they can play on their own – and I think the highest testament to their ability is that they have managed to teach two other 8 year olds in the neighborhood how to play – without my help.  I think that I’ll likely leave them with the smaller pile sizes for a while longer, and take this chance to introduce them to the other 12 cards that they haven’t seen yet.  Once they are comfortable with all the cards, I’ll likely move them onto full 10 card stacks.

But, as a father (and developer of the game), I’ve been really proud at how the kids have taken to Dominion – once they were interested in learning it.  I feel good that I didn’t try to force it on them in the past because they’ve managed to learn it on their own terms, and hopefully it’s a game that they will continue to play through the summer!

So – it’s time for me to burrow into my basketball cocoon… Games start tomorrow at noon!
Go Vanderbilt Commodores – men play Thursday 2:30pm against Murray State, the women play Sunday 12:11pm against DePaul – played here in Cincinnati!  And I’m still pulling for the Cincinnati Bearcats in the NIT.  Game tonight at 7pm – hopefully I’ll be at the game!

Until your next appointment,
The Gaming Doctor

Categories: Game News

Four New & Newish Titles Coming from Minion Games

Boardgame News - 0 sec ago

In 2009, U.S. publisher Minion Games released three titles in print and play versions – Those Pesky Humans! (reviewed on BGN), Legitimacy, and Sturgeon. Minion’s James Mathe now says that print versions of these games, which had always been planned, are underway and should be available by July 2010. At the same time, Minion will release a new card game called Nile. Here are summaries of those four games:

• Legitimacy, by Chuck Whelon – The king is dead, and you and your fellow players all want to claim what you think is your rightful place on the throne. Play it straight or trick the other crown claimants to fight for power. (2-6 players, 30 minutes)

• Those Pesky Humans!, by James Mathe and Clay Gardner – In general, players are monsters who want to keep humans from invading their dungeon and making off with their gems. In addition to a solitaire game, TPH can be played with one player taking on the role of the humans and pitting him against one or more monsters (i.e., the other players). (1-4 players, ages 13+, 60-90 minutes)

• Sturgeon, by Russ Brown – In this card game players want to stock their portion of the lake with fish, then play larger fish to “eat” those fish, eventually working their way up to catching sturgeon, as the first player to capture two sturgeon wins. Special action cards let you dip into an opponent’s area, set up barriers to protect your stock, and more. (2-5 players, ages 10+)

• Nile, by Daniel Callister and James Mathe – A card game set in Eygpt in which players draft cards representing resources, then try to profit from floods. (2-5 players, ages 8+, 30 minutes)

Categories: Game News

Study: Social Gamers Will Pimp Themselves for Virtual Money

Boardgame News - 33 min 56 sec ago

In early March 2010, I posted a video of Carnegie Mellon University professor Jesse Schell in which he talked about unexpected gaming successes – Club Penguin, Farmville, Wii Fit – and how he expects gaming to become even more integrated into everyday life in the future. Part of his prediction involves players watching ads or otherwise letting companies market to them in exchange for points, credits or some other type of gamerly interaction. With that in mind, here’s part of a press release on just that subject:

While most game developers struggle to monetize even three percent of their users through direct payments for virtual currency, new numbers released today by Offerpal Media at the Game Developers Conference show that alternative payment methods enable developers to monetize significantly larger portions of their user base. Derived from a study conducted by comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, as well as from Offerpal’s own network-wide monetization performance, the numbers verify that social gamers are enthusiastic about alternative, or indirect, payment methods as a way to earn virtual currency for free rather than having to pay for it directly.

According to the comScore study, 53.3% of the total respondents reported that they would be “very likely” to complete a marketing action such as filling out a survey, watching a video, shopping at online retailers or signing up for a subscription in order to get points for the games they play on leading social networks. By comparison, only 22.8% of the respondents reported that they would be willing and are able to buy the points using cash payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, bank transfers or mobile billing.

Categories: Game News

Mystery Rummy # 1 Review

The Dice Tower - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:36am

Mystery Rummy # 1 Review
Tom Vasel reviews Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper, # 1 To buy the game, go to tinyurl.com For more reviews and videos, go to www.thedicetower.com From: thedicetower Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 08:57 More in Entertainment

Categories: Game News

Second Look—Kachina

Purple Pawn - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:33am

Kachina, from Bucephalus Games, is a deceptively simple game with a lot more to it than an initial reading of the rules would indicate. Placing numbered tiles one-at-a-time in crossword-like arrangements, players score points (one for each tile in the row or column) when the tile they place is the highest numbered in that column or row. Of the tiles (numbered 1 through 8), though, those with numbers 1 to 6 also have special powers. For example, when placed on the board, the value of the Wolf (number 4) is equal to the sum of all the Wolf tiles in the row or column. The Eagle (number 5) can be played on top of another tile already on the board, even covering one of a higher number. And the Hummingbird (number 2) dominates any row or column when in position at both ends.

This combination, while pretty straightforward, can yield a very engaging experience. I started my first game expecting something quick and easy but ended up spending the next 45 minutes in a fair degree of concentration. It’s one of those games where you can get so involved in setting up your own moves, that you neglect to notice killer moves set up by your opponents. I’m ready to play some more!

I do have one small complaint, and that is with one part of the game’s components. On the one hand, the tiles are solid, with nice artwork, and the game comes with thick cardboard reference cards to remind players of each tile’s special powers. On the other hand, the pieces used for keeping score are a little difficult to track visually. The colors on the scoring markers don’t stand out very well, and the score board has a number-track lined-up in such a way that it’s difficult to read. Still, I wouldn’t consider this a major issue and it’s easy to work around. Also, Bucephalus has told me that they recognize the problem and already have plans to correct it in the next printing.

While Kachina is clearly an abstract strategy game, I also very much appreciated Bucephalus’ choice for the little theme that is there. The company could easily have gone with something standard, like medieval knights. Instead, the game is about Hopi spirits and the power struggles among them. I doubt you’ll find that subject matter already covered by another game on your shelf.

A copy of Kachina was provided to me for free by Bucephalus Games.

Categories: Game News

Turandot Review

The Dice Tower - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:33am

Turandot Review
Tom Vasel reviews Turandot from DV Games To buy the game, go to tinyurl.com For more reviews and videos, go to www.thedicetower.com From: thedicetower Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 07:33 More in Entertainment

Categories: Game News

Glenn's Gallery Review

The Dice Tower - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:28am

Glenn's Gallery Review
Tom Vasel reviews Glenn's Gallery To buy the game, go to tinyurl.com For more videos and reviews, check out www.thedicetower.com From: thedicetower Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 09:04 More in Entertainment

Categories: Game News

Igor: The Monster Making Game review

The Dice Tower - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:24am

Igor: The Monster Making Game review
Tom Vasel reviews Igor: the Monster Making Game To buy the game, go to tinyurl.com For more videos and reviews, go to www.thedicetower.com From: thedicetower Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 04:34 More in Entertainment

Categories: Game News

Igor: The Monster Making Game review

The Dice Tower - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:12am

Igor: The Monster Making Game review
Tom Vasel reviews Igor: the Monster Making Game. To buy the game, go to tinyurl.com For more videos and reviews, check out www.thedicetower.com From: thedicetower Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 06:38 More in Entertainment

Categories: Game News

Taktika Returning to Print from Z-Man Games

Boardgame News - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 2:00am

Designer Ian Cooper published Taktika under the Gizmet Gameworks label that he shares with Marc Majcher, and the game has popped in and out of print since its debut in 2007 as Cooper assembled copies himself.

Now Z-Man Games has added Taktika to its already packed 2010 release schedule. For a description of the game, let’s turn to Mary Prasad’s summary from her 2008 article on flicking games – that is, games in which you flick the pieces with your fingers or thumb to make them move:

This is a two-player game in which each player has an army of 10 brown or natural wood wooden disks. Each army is composed of three different units: four infantry, four archers, and two cavalry, and each unit type moves and “kills” in a different manner. The table top forms the battlefield. The winner is the player who “kills” six of his opponent’s units. Four special disks are included for optional scenarios.

No release date was announced for the new version from Z-Man Games. This game has been added to Gone Cardboard.

Categories: Game News

Catalyst detail financial irregularities

Tabletop Gaming News - Wed, 03/17/2010 - 12:16am

Catalyst Game Labs has announced some financial irregularities that were recently discovered. From their website: Catalyst Game Labs recently completed a detailed financial review of the company. We learned that over the past several years the company has achieved dramatic growth in terms of demand, increased total revenues and strong sales with an increasing market share in [...]

Categories: Game News

Contemptible Little Armies now at Brigade Games

Tabletop Gaming News - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:57pm

Brigade Games are now selling copies of the Contemptible Little Armies (WW1 era) 3rd Edition rules. From their website: Contemptible Little Armies 3rd edition is a set of skirmish rules for use with 28mm miniatures. The third edition of the rulebook has been reorganized with a Table of Contents and color photos added. Some changes have been [...]

Categories: Game News

New Claustrophobia scenarios posted

Tabletop Gaming News - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:50pm

Asmodee have posted three new scenarios for their Claustrophobia boardgame. From their website: You wanted more Claustrophobia scenarios, so we’ve cooked up 3 new ones. Here are 3 new scenarios that will keep you exploring ‘till the wee hours of the morning. Each scenario is from a different designer (Ludovic Rivoal, Alex Doway, and CROC),which gives each one it’s [...]

Categories: Game News

Catalyst in Trouble?

Purple Pawn - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:50pm

There’s a lot of rumor and speculation floating on the interwebs tonight that Catalyst Game Labs, makers of the Shadowrun, Battletech and Cthulhutech game lines, is in quite a bit of trouble. We’re not going to speculate on what is actually going on, but here’s what we’ve been able to put together from various freelancers and others associated with Catalyst:

• Adam Jury (confirmed on his blog and Twitter) and Jennifer Harding (confirmed on Dumpshock) have left Catalyst
• Jennifer has stated publicly: “However, I will state that on Monday, March 15th, I resigned from working as CGL’s bookkeeper and office manager, due to a conflict involving my personal ethics. The Operations Manager resigned the week before that, for similar personal reasons.” (we assume that the operations manager referenced is David Stansel-Garner, though this is unconfirmed)
• Some freelancers have indicated that payments are running behind, though others have current accounts (this could be nothing – inconsistency in the timeliness of payments is not uncommon for small businesses that rely on freelancers)
• Conversation on the ClassicBattletech forum seems to be non-existent (some threads on the topic have been removed), but a few of the Catalyst folks are talking on the Dumpshock forums
• As a reminder, ShadowRun and Battletech are both actually owned by Topps, Cthulhutech is owned by Wildfire and Eclipse Phase is owned by Posthuman Studios
• Jason Hardy (line developer for Shadowrun) has indicated that a release from management should be forthcoming shortly and has asked people to avoid speculation

To be clear, there was a fair bit of debate on our internal discussion list as to whether we should even post this item. That said, there’s so much speculation going on and we’re such big fans of the work the company has done (I mean, seriously, have you seen the Shadowrun 20th Anniversary Edition? It’s gorgeous!) that we wanted to be up front and only print what we’ve got from first hand, reliable sources and hopefully bring a bit of calm to the situation (we have also sent a request for comment directly to Catalyst). I for one am hopeful that things are being blown out of proportion and that Catalyst will continue putting out more of the high quality products we’ve seen over the last few years.

Categories: Game News

Descent: Journeys in the Dark FAQ updated

Tabletop Gaming News - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:49pm

Fantasy Flight Games have posted an updated FAQ (PDF link) for their Descent: Journeys in the Dark game.

Categories: Game News

Incursion MI-13 greens and beta rules

Tabletop Gaming News - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 9:48pm

Grindhouse Games have posted photos of the greens for their upcoming MI-13 models for Incursion and Secrets of the Third Reich. As well, they have posted a PDF with the rules for using these models in Incursion.

Categories: Game News

A Magnificent Gaming Destination, That Fits In Your Pocket

Fantasy Flight Games - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 7:12pm

Follow the FFG Event Center on Twitter!

  If you live anywhere near Minnesota’s Twin Cities and you’re looking for information on the most exciting gaming...

Categories: Game News

A Treasure from the Deep

Fantasy Flight Games - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 7:00pm

The FAQ for Descent: Journeys in the Dark has been updated

Beneath heavy stone and fetid earth, in grimy caves and echoing caverns far below the surface, a horde of fearsome creatures lie in wait for Terrinoth’s mightiest heroes. So it has been for age on age, since times now lost in antiquity.

Bring light to the dark corners of the dungeons of Terrinoth with the

Categories: Game News

And the Winner Is…

Purple Pawn - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 6:54pm

Shanya Almafeta!

That’s right. Shanya has won our awesome Read an RPG in Public prize pack!

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our largest contest yet. We’d also like to thank all the companies that provided products to go into the prize pack.

Shanya, please let us know your information so we can get those prizes out to you!

Categories: Game News

Media Watch: Game based on King Philip’s War angers Native Americans

Boardgame News - Tue, 03/16/2010 - 5:00pm

From The Providence Journal:

A new board game that pits 17th-century Colonists against New England’s Indian tribes is sparking a 21st-century skirmish between the publisher and Native American leaders.

The game, called King Philip’s War, allows players to defeat Colonial or Indian forces in “a momentous example of New England frontier savagery,” says Multi-Man Publishing, a military game company in Millersville, Md.

That quote comes from the opening paragraph of Multiman’s webpage for King Philip’s War, which is designed by John Poniske, and the full paragraph makes clear that the “savagery” took place on both sides of the battle:

King Philip’s War 1675-1676 was a momentous example of New England frontier savagery. A loose coalition of angry tribes inspired by King Philip (the Wampanoag sachem, Metacomet) burned and sacked settlements throughout the colonies of Massachusettes, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the then separate colony of Plymouth. Ultimately, more than 2600 Colonials were captured or killed. Twelve Colonial settlements were completely destroyed and six more heavily damaged. Boston itself very nearly came under attack. At the same time, countless Indian villages were burned and 6000 Indians were slain or captured, and sold into slavery. In all, 1,200 homes were burned, and vast stores of food destroyed. Metacomet himself was eventually ambushed, beheaded, and quartered.

For more details about King Philip’s War – which is currently in preorder status – visit the Multiman page linked to above.

Categories: Game News