Origins 2013 Recap

Another Origins has come and gone. I was only able to attend Saturday, but all the vendors said that traffic was up significantly from last year. Apparently, the dates matter. This year I got to take my daughter, Isabel (of Tiger Stripes fame). She got to meet lots of great folks.

One of the highlights was a demo game of King of Tokyo. Isabel managed to get about 12 points, then she acquired the card where you get 9 points for rolling one of each thing. Then she got the card that lets you change one die. And then she rolled one away from a straight for the win! A space penguin is on its way to her in the mail, compliments of Iello. We later bought the game and also got a nifty promo pack of extra cards. Sweet!

I got to talk shop with several publishers. I also got some design work done with Jason Kotarski (The Great Heartland Hauling Co.) on a new mini-game. More on this in future posts . . .

I got a copy of the mini-expansion for Kingdom of Solomon called Chronicles of the King, co-designed with Daniel McDairmant. It looks nice! Minion Games had several demos of KoS going during the show. AEG has many demos of Courtier going as well.

In other news, have I mentioned that I have a new Tempest game coming in time for Essen this year? Because that's happening. :)

A nice time was had by all. Isabel was amazed by how fast it flew by. Now to get to work designing more games!

Catching Up

My apologies for the long delay. Life has happened in a BIG way. First of all, our son Isaac was born on May 1st! That brings our kid total to FIVE. Mommy and baby are both doing quite well. He got his pacifier last night, and he loves it. And we love him not fussing as much. :)

 Second, we FINALLY closed on the sale of our house! Now, we just need another small miracle to find the perfect new house to buy. In the meantime, our rental house is proving to be cozy enough for us all. For future reference, I don't recommend moving and having a baby 2 days apart.

 As you might imagine, my game-playing and -making have taken a backseat for several weeks. But things have been slowly moving ahead on a number of fronts. Family Vacation did not make its funding goal on Kickstater. It seems that we missed our audience on this one. However, Jim at Jolly Roger Games is determined to fund the game through other means--if/when he can score a few wins on other projects. The saga continues.

 I am nearing completion of a design to be included in the upcoming Princess Bride mini-game collection from Game Salute. This game features card drafting, a la 7 Wonders, but with a reduced playing time (10 minutes) and some new twists and turns. Players will be making a miracle pill/potion for the Man in Black. They will need to collect and combine the right ingredients to succeed, occasionally having to destroy old cards to get new ones.

SR Sneak Peek!

Skyway Robbery and Tiger Stripes (by Isabel) are heading toward Kickstarter campaigns in the coming weeks/months. I've seen just a bit of the art, and both games are going to look amazing!

 Also, I found out yesterday that AEG will be producing my next Tempest game in time for Essen--IF the crazy amount of work can get done in the short time frame. I'm probably not allowed to say too much more about this one . . . If you would be interested in helping to playtest it, send me a message. We'd love some extra help!

One more important item to mention. A few weeks ago I was contacted by Daniel McDairmant, a Kingdom of Solomon fan, about a possible mini-expansion. In just a few weeks, we (and the folks from Minion Games) hammered out a great new set of cards to make the game even more exciting! The best part is, you can buy a copy today! Check out Chronicles of the King.

Right now I'm planning to attend Origins, but only on Saturday. Even this small trip is on shaky ground, but I hope it works out. Here's to hoping things settle back down for us in the coming weeks--or that we find an awesome place to call home and THEN settle down.

The Family Vacation Kickstarter Postmortem

With less than 24 hours to go and just over 100 backers, the Family Vacation Kickstarter is on track to come up short of our $12,000 goal. As Jim Dietz mentioned in the latest project update, we are looking for some advice on our upcoming relaunch.

Let me just say this right here: Thanks so much to all those who have backed this project, even when things started looking down. The support of so many family and friends, not to mention quite a few complete strangers, feels really great and makes me want to keep fighting for this game.

As we look at our options going forward, we need to face some hard truths. Certainly, a number of factors contributed to this outcome. We've got a pretty big list going and another list of more things to do better next time, but we'd like to hear from you. If you backed Family Vacation, or even (especially?) if you didn't, how do you think we can be more effective?

In service of this goal, please take a moment and participate in the four short survey questions to the right. Also, please add details or other ideas in the comments. Thank you so much for your investment in this project!

Family Vacation Needs YOU

Well, folks--it's crunch time. With about 20 days to go, Family Vacation needs your help. We currently have over 50 backers, but we need quite a few more. This game is turning out to be a bit of a hard sell for the alphagamers on Kickstarter and BoardGameGeek. Some of them don't even have kids! Also, many people will not jump in until they know it will be successful.

So it's going to be up to us--people with families and/or people who enjoy lighter, casual games from time to time. Here's what I need you to do:

1. Pledge - $30 is a very reasonable price for one night of family fun (or casual fun with friends), let alone the many nights you will enjoy this game. This game would also make a great birthday or Christmas gift. Get your shopping done early! The sooner you join us, the sooner others will follow.

2. Share - There are probably many people among your acquaintances who would enjoy this game. The problem is, they will never hear about it! You can change that. Post a link to the KS page on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as other social media sites.

3. Thumb - We can't overemphasize the impact of BoardGameGeek. It's the premier board game website. I need you to visit the Family Vacation page and give a thumbs up to as many items as possible--especially images.

4. Promote - Do you have a blog? Consider adding a small widget or link to your site. (Click the "< > Embed" button right under the project video on KS.) Mention us in a news post. Have some favorite blogs? Ask them to mention us, too. We may need to enlist some mom and homeschool blogs to get to the finish line.

Your help is crucial to our success. Family Vacation isn't just some throwaway filler, it's a special game that truly is a joy to play. Thanks in advance for anything you can do to help make this game a reality. And a special thanks to all those who've already backed us. Wish us good luck!

Kickstarter Launches!

It's finally launched! The Family Vacation Kickstarter is now underway! Please help us spread the word. Thanks!

Family Vacation Kickstarter Tonight!

Just a quick note: Our Family Vacation kickstarter campaign will begin sometime tonight! Stay tuned for more info.

Courtier: A Pronunciation Guide

Yesterday, I finally received my Tempest games from AEG, including six copies of Courtier. In honor of this joyous occasion, I offer you this short pronunciation guide.

So how does one pronounce the name of my new game? I've heard several variations, some more humorous than others. By the way, this can also stand in as a sort of psychological evaluation. Enjoy.

1. COUR - tee - ay
This first pronunciation comes up rather frequently. I imagine the people favoring this version have had some experience with foreign languages (maybe an excessive amount of French in high school or early exposure to Latin, etc.). Something about this version gives the vague sense of someone trying too hard, in the tradition of the classic overachiever. It might also indicate a flare of snobbishness for good measure (sounds a lot like Cartier, right?).

2. COUR - tee - AY
Closely related to number one, this pronunciation is the verbal equivalent to extending one's pinky finger whilst drinking tea. It is also favored by people who are pretending to belong to the first group, but clearly do not.

3. cour - tee - AIR
I imagine one must bow and gesture graciously with the hands while using this pronunciation. This variation belongs to the elegant scoundrel type. If you hear someone inviting your wife or daughter to play a game of "cour - tee - AIR", get them away from this handsomely-roguish (but unscrupulous) person post haste.

4. cour - TEER
This pronunciation cannot help but induce stifled laughter in those who hear it. If "COUR - tee -ay" is all high-brow pretension, "cour - TEER" is undiluted comedy (intended or otherwise). Normally, one would be tempted to question such a person's level of intelligence. However, in the case of Ryan Metzler, I am quite assured of his deliberate use of this variation for the purpose of irony. Well played.

5. COUR - tee - ur
Finally, we examine the most humble, yet tasteful, version of the word. Those who employ this pronunciation exude common sense and tact. Their levelheadedness and tireless devotion to upright culture marks them as the guiding lights of civilized society. Also, they happen to be correct, according to Merriam-Webster.

So there you have it. How do you pronounce Courtier?