Kickstarter Weekly - Aug. 30, 2013

Well, our little experiment last week resulted in a much different outcome than we thought it would. Thanks again everyone for the feedback! We're back to normal for now, until we decide to rock the boat again! Speaking of new things, you may have missed it yesterday, (we had a little hiccup with our email delivery system!) but we have officially launched the Theology of Games podcast! You can find it on iTunes by following this link RIGHT HERE!!! We're very excited about this, and would love any and all feedback!

Anyway, there's lots of stuff going down on Kickstarter this week, so let's jump in!

Fantasy Frontier - Gamelyn Games

We're really excited for this one! Gamelyn Games, which brought us Dungeon Heroes, is bringing us this worker- and tile-placement game that has players exploring a new frontier in steampunky dirigibles! Check back soon for an interview with Michael about this, and all things Gamelyn Games! The campaign is chugging along and is about 20% funded after just 24 hours.

A pledge of $45 gets you in on a copy of the game, and you can check out the campaign, right here!

The Cards of Cthulhu - Dan Verssen Games

Yep, it's another Cthulhu themed game. This time featuring a solitaire to 4-player system, </begin obligatory Cthulhu game description> players take on the roles of investigators trying to save the world from eternal torment, from the elder gods. </end obligatory Cthulhu game description>. The game system looks interesting on this one, and they've blown past their funding goal within the first 24 hours.

They've unlocked a lot of stretch goals and a $30 pledge gets you in on the fun, and you can check out the campaign, right here!

Infamy - Mercury Games Inc.

This is Mercury Games' sophomore Kickstarter voyage after a successful first go-around. Infamy is a bidding-based game set in a cyberpunk realm,

$45 gets you a copy of the game and they're limiting the amount of pledges to 2,000, although it doesn't seem yet that their going to be turning folks away. You can check out the campaign, right here.

Burning Suns - Sun Tzu Games

It's really hard to tell a whole lot about the game play of this from the main video on the campaign. But check out those sweet die-ships! The game looks to be just the beginning of what will expand into something larger if they get the chance to bring it to market.

For a pledge of 45 pounds (About $69 usd) you get the entire game, plus anything else that is unlocked during the campaign. Speaking of which you can check it out here!

Funded!

A few campaigns have closed recently...

Templar the Secret Treasures - Queen Games

So you're basically hiding treasure in an Abbey and trying to keep it safe. Looks like a fun game, but you're going to have to wait until it hits the shelves! You can take a look at the campaign, right here!

A Duel Betwixt Us - Game Salute

The game was 624% funded. Yeah I'd say that was successful! We're pretty excited about this one. You can check out the campaign here, and our interview with co-designer Laurence Honderick too!

Whaaa happened?

Privateer - Ensignia Games

For some reason unbeknownst to us the campaign for Privateer has been canceled by Ensignia Games. This is a shame because the game looks great. We've reached out to Ensignia to see if they have any plans to relaunch the campaign. (The first one was doing great, just about $4,000 short of the goal with over 3 weeks left!) We're really hoping that we see this one re-launch soon!

That's it for now! Is there something cool you're backing that we missed? (I wouldn't doubt it!) Let us know!

Thanks so much for reading, please take a few seconds and subscribe to the blog over on the right. And look us up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube! And don't forget the brand-spanking new podcast! Just click this little ol' link here to find that!!

Kickstarter Weekly - A New Look!

Hey it's Friday and that means... Well, here at TOG that could mean just about anything. But for this particular Friday it means we're bringing you another edition of Kickstarter Weekly!

This week, isn't just any old Kickstarter Weekly, it's a special trial run at a video version of our world famous Kickstarter Weekly! Ok, maybe "world famous" is a stretch, but KSW has become a staple around here, and so as we've expanded our reach into other mediums we thought we'd try this on for size! So, here it is Kickstarter Weekly! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Y2uqY_K0U&w=420&h=315]

Belle of the Ball

Fleet - Arctic Bounty

Havoc & Hijinks

Incredible Expeditions

A Duel Betwixt Us

King's Forge

The King's Armory

Let us know what you think of the new format! We'd love your feedback!

Thanks for reading and watching, please don't forget to subscribe to the blog and the YouTube channel! And check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

An Interview With A Duel Betwixt Us Designer Laurence Honderick

For today's interview we're joined by Laurence Honderick, who co-designed A Duel Betwixt Us, a unique card game up on Kickstarter right now! As our baby gift to the Royal Couple, I've left in all of his charming and superfluous British "u's." Laurence, thanks for taking some time to chat about A Duel Betwixt Us!

Before we talk about the game, tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Margate, Florida. I spent a lot of time on boats when I was younger and over the years I’ve survived a few shipwrecks. I went to art school but left early to co-found a technology startup, which moved me all over the States but eventually landed me in London.  After the company went bust, I began freelancing as a motion graphics designer, and now work full-time at a London agency creating motion graphics for television broadcast (mostly on the BBC). I never have enough time, but I do have a wonderfully supportive wife who I couldn’t do all of this stuff without.

How did you get into gaming in the first place?

The original idea-man behind the game (Rob Fitzpatrick) turned me on to Magic when we were in grade school, and hobby descended quickly into obsession. I have so many memories of us deckbuilding  in the middle of a bedroom where cards covered every visible inch of the floor...  We never really stopped playing MTG—we still do drafts occasionally and my highschool deck is proudly displayed in a place of honour in my living room.

So your new game is A Duel Betwixt Us: Tell us a little bit about it; what sets it apart from other 2-player combat card games?

Mechanically, the most unique thing is that you build your weapons and armour piece-by-piece for a specific outcome when you take it into combat, but the absurdist sense of humour which permeates the game as well as the super-stylised look and feel also go a long way in setting it apart.

You and your co-designer have known each other since you were infants... Tell us that story!

Actually, our friendship pre-dates infancy.  Our mothers met in Pregnacize class when we were in the womb (I believe Rob’s mom was actually the instructor).  He was born several months earlier, and when I followed, I think they just chucked me in the pen alongside him.  All of my earliest memories of friendship revolve around him, and we were definitely each other’s biggest cultural influences growing up.

What are some of the challenges you encountered codesigning a game?

Getting our schedules to line up was a real issue—we’re both consumed by our different careers in different ways, and free time to work on something as huge as this is hard to find as individuals, let alone as a pair.  Consequently, a lot of stuff had to be divided up and designated to one person or the other, so most of our time together which wasn’t spent playtesting was taken up by talking about stuff we’d done (or were going to do) while apart.

How did you land on the gentlemen’s duel theme for the game?

Rob had originally pitched the idea to me as a series of duels between medieval knights, but we ultimately thought it would be funnier to set such absurd acts of violence in a time where people considered themselves truly proper and manners & etiquette ruled supreme.  With knights who lived in more barbaric times it was maybe just a little too believable to be absurd.  Also, I could do funnier moustaches with a 19th century theme, which was a major plus.

Not a question, but I would just like to say that your Kickstarter video is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It also sounded like I was watching an episode of Danger Mouse, so thank you for bringing back fond memories.

Ha!  Thanks so much.  It was a labour of love, that video. It warms me to hear that it evoked memories of such a spectacular property!  The voiceover, which no doubt cued that particular connection, was performed by my brother Charlie, who was himself a Danger Mouse fan as a kid.

Is A Duel Betwixt Us your first attempt at game design, or are there others we should be getting to the table?

Rob and I had been prototyping games of one kind or another since college, but ADBU was the first one which really, really clicked enough for us to follow through.  It’s a huge amount of work to put together a game like this, and this was definitely the first which really deserved all of that love, time and energy.

What can you tell us about your plans for the future of A Duel Betwixt Us? Will there be expansions down the line?

Ultimately that will depend on how the kickstarter does, but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought up one or two neat expansion themes.  Time will tell!

How would I keep a codpiece of solid gold from falling down constantly? Wouldn’t it be incredibly heavy? Wouldn’t I be so distracted by trying to keep it where it belongs that I’d be vulnerable to a dastardly fish-slap from my opponent?!

Surely you aren’t suggesting that you aren’t MAN enough for a SOLID GOLD CODPIECE?!

What’s your favorite thing about A Duel Betwixt Us?

Honestly, at this point my favourite thing about the game is the community of people who have come out to support us since we launched the video.  We’ve had so many great suggestions, questions, comments and well-wishes from backers who one week ago never even knew we existed... I’m so incredibly thankful for everything they’ve brought to the experience, I’d have difficulty verbalizing my gratitude.

What are your five favorite games right now?

Because of how demanding of my schedule the development of ADBU was, I haven’t had enough time to play many other games over the last couple of years, but Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Gloom would be my favourite at the moment:  Settlers for its balance, Dominion for its strategy, and Gloom for its humour.

Five Questions/One-Word Answers (Or a very short phrase, but seriously, don’t push us on this because we’ve had a long week...)

Weapon of choice in a real-life duel?

fisticuffs

Favorite mustache style?

handlebar

Favorite mustard style?

spicy french

Favorite song from the Labyrinth soundtrack?

Chilly Down

Favorite fictional character?

either Jack Crabb from Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man, or Thomas Cromwell from Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall novels.

Thanks so much for joining us, Laurence! You can check out the Kickstarter for A Duel Betwixt us right here!

And thank you for reading!

Kickstarter Weekly—August 1, 2013

Well it's Thursday and you know what that means... It's not yet Friday. But never fear because we're here with another installment of Kickstarter Weekly, the place where we make our recommendations and let you know what's a poppin' over on Kickstarter. Let's jump in, shall we?

King's Forge - Clever Mojo Games

Go back this project! We have both played the prototype (and will be posting our written AND video Double-Take on it soon!). This dice-builder offers up lots of great decision making moments, a bit of a take that element, and lots of ways to tweak your dice rolls. It's super easy to learn, play and teach. A pledge of $39 gets you a copy of this game and it's money well spent! Check out the full campaign here!

A Duel Betwixt Us - Game Salute

This nifty little 2-player dueling card game takes card dueling into the realm of an old-timey gentlemen's duel. Loaded with lots of humor and jest, the one looks like a lot of fun! In just about 24 hours the campaign is over 60% funded, so you can bet there's going to be all kinds of stretch goaly goodness coming for this one! A $35 pledge gets you the game shipped to your door in the US and UK! We'll be interviewing the game's co-designer Laurence Honderick next week so stay tuned for that! You can check out the campaign here, and be sure to watch the entertaining and informative video on this one!

Giant Meeples - Gamelyn Game

Gamelyn Games founder Michael Coe has found a great niche with these awesome, sturdy, and just super-cool-to-look-at meeples. They were introduced to the gaming world through Dungeon Heroes, and since then Gamelyn has been releasing different sets of meeples for gamers to use, give to kids to play with, use in story telling, or display proudly. The latest installment in this line is a set of GIANT MEEPLES! These things look great, could be used as a set of book ends, or a centerpiece in your medieval dinner party, or... well you can decide. You can pledge $12 and get one, or $40 and get 5, and there are dozens of them to choose from! Check out the campaign right here!

Click-Clack Lumberjack - Mayday Games

Also known as Toc Toc Woodman 2.0. Click-Clack Lumberjack is a dexterity game that puts a dangerous weapon in your children's hands. Ok, it's a plastic axe, but to my children I'm sure it would be a ninja ax, or a bat-ax or something to wield in a quest to eradicate evil... Anyway, there's this plastic tree and you're trying to knock the bark off of it without knocking the wood off of it. Bark scores points, wood scores negative points. An interesting pledge level of $17 gets you the game shipped in a flat rate box and the game box is collapsed to make everything fit. If you want it uncollapsed you can pay an extra $5 and get it shipped that way. Check out the full campaign here!

Dungeon Attack! - Attack Dice Games

Attack Dice, creators of the dice roller When Zombies Attack! are back at it with a dungeon themed dice-apalooza! Dungeon Attack! Looks like a game that takes a straight-forward dice roller and adds some depth and tweaks the scoring mechanism a little. I (Jeremiah) loved When Zombies Attack—it's a filler that comes out quite frequently with my group and is way better than Steve Jackson's Zombie Dice (which is basically a zombie-themed Farkle). This campaign is already funded and there are some sweet stretch goals in the future for backers! $20 gets you in on a copy of the game for this one and it looks well worth it if you're into rolling dice! Check out the full campaign here!

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