Origins 2012 is right around the corner--just two weeks away! This year I'll be there from Thursday until Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones. Here's my to-do list for the con:
Objective #1 - Talk to publishers about my current prototypes. I will be bringing 4-5 unpublished games with me this year. I just had a nice session playing one of them tonight.
Objective #2 - Spend some time at the Jolly Roger Games booth showing off Family Vacation. The art continues to lag on this one. The working prototype will look very similar to the one I had displayed last year. Maybe next year we'll have it printed and available for purchase . . .
Objective #3 - Spend a bit of time at the Minion Games booth talking about Kingdom of Solomon. We got another nice review today.
Objective #4 - Meet other designers and cross-pollinate. The less said about this the better . . .
Objective #5 - Meet Wil Wheaton! He is supposed to be at the con and he likes Revolution! We'll see how it turns out.
Objective #6 - Buy one or two new games. Play two or three new games.
If you are heading to Origins, let me know. For sure, stop by the Board Room and say hi. It should be a great time!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Gaming with Introverts
I just finished reading a great book on this subject called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.The author delves into the current scientific literature, mostly neurobiology and psychology, to explore the upside of being an introvert (or learning from them if you're not one). By the way, yes, I am an introvert. I'll pause for your to recover and compose yourself after reading such a shocking revelation.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Catching Up
Last week was an absolute blur. We got an offer on our house, looked at houses, put in a new kitchen floor, had the offer retracted and have now been working through additional logistics and house-prepping. What a nerve-racking process!
Despite all this, I've managed a little game-related activity. Isabel and I attended the Axis & Allies Spring Gathering here in Cincinnati. Usually this venue features other games besides Axis & Allies. And other people who are between games and want to play something shorter. Not so much this time. I showed some prototypes around and snagged another playtester, but I didn't actually get anything played except 7 Wonders and a poorly-explained game of Munchkin--my first and probably last time playing it.
In other news, I've been seeing bits and pieces from my upcoming AEG release, Courtier. Go to the BGG entry and become a fan today! Here is a sneak peek at the board, posted on Twitter by Todd Rowland:
Also, I've just heard about an interesting deal involving Kingdom of Solomon and possible foreign language versions/distribution. It will be really cool to finally turn a profit on that one . . .
FYI, I'm still finalizing plans for Origins. Anyone have half a hotel room to spare?
Despite all this, I've managed a little game-related activity. Isabel and I attended the Axis & Allies Spring Gathering here in Cincinnati. Usually this venue features other games besides Axis & Allies. And other people who are between games and want to play something shorter. Not so much this time. I showed some prototypes around and snagged another playtester, but I didn't actually get anything played except 7 Wonders and a poorly-explained game of Munchkin--my first and probably last time playing it.
In other news, I've been seeing bits and pieces from my upcoming AEG release, Courtier. Go to the BGG entry and become a fan today! Here is a sneak peek at the board, posted on Twitter by Todd Rowland:
Also, I've just heard about an interesting deal involving Kingdom of Solomon and possible foreign language versions/distribution. It will be really cool to finally turn a profit on that one . . .
FYI, I'm still finalizing plans for Origins. Anyone have half a hotel room to spare?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter
WARNING: This post does not contain any game-related content. Since it's Easter, I thought I'd post something concerning the Resurrection for those who may be curious.
Five Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
1. The Roman executioners certified His death. His friends also agreed that He was dead. Jesus was buried in a sealed tomb guarded by soldiers.
2. The empty tomb was discovered by women. This fact would have been embarrassing to the patriarchal culture of the day and would have been changed/skipped in a fictional version.
3. The disciples went from hiding behind a locked door to openly and boldly proclaiming the risen Messiah, eventually suffering death for their belief in Jesus.
4. The Jewish authorities could have squelched the fledgeling Christian movement by producing the body of Jesus. They do not even attempt to produce a fake body, let alone the real one. They did pay the soldiers to lie about falling asleep at the tomb.
5. Over 500 people saw the risen Jesus. The earliest manuscripts of the Gospels date back to within 30-50 years of Jesus' crucifixion. Eye-witnesses were still living at this time and could have corrected a false version of events. Non-biblical historians from that time verify much of the factual information found in the Gospel accounts.
Those are just a few reasons why I believe in the Resurrection. Thanks for taking the time to read them! Game-related posts will resume shortly.
Five Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
1. The Roman executioners certified His death. His friends also agreed that He was dead. Jesus was buried in a sealed tomb guarded by soldiers.
2. The empty tomb was discovered by women. This fact would have been embarrassing to the patriarchal culture of the day and would have been changed/skipped in a fictional version.
3. The disciples went from hiding behind a locked door to openly and boldly proclaiming the risen Messiah, eventually suffering death for their belief in Jesus.
4. The Jewish authorities could have squelched the fledgeling Christian movement by producing the body of Jesus. They do not even attempt to produce a fake body, let alone the real one. They did pay the soldiers to lie about falling asleep at the tomb.
5. Over 500 people saw the risen Jesus. The earliest manuscripts of the Gospels date back to within 30-50 years of Jesus' crucifixion. Eye-witnesses were still living at this time and could have corrected a false version of events. Non-biblical historians from that time verify much of the factual information found in the Gospel accounts.
Those are just a few reasons why I believe in the Resurrection. Thanks for taking the time to read them! Game-related posts will resume shortly.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tempest Revealed
Finally I can talk about one of my secrets: Tempest from AEG. My new game (tentatively called Courtier at the moment) was mentioned on BGN
today along with the other two more finished games in the series. I'm
actually supposed to be writing some articles about the design process,
so lots more on this later. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Interview
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Secrets . . .
As I mentioned on Twitter this morning, I am currently in possession of a number of cool secrets about upcoming games. I will now attempt to discuss these secrets without revealing them. :)
1. I recently worked on some new Wizkids projects, some of which made me very excited. Unfortunately, my designs were not selected. :( But it was still a positive experience and lots of fun. Also, the NDA agreement I signed with them would diminish my fortunes significantly (something approximating indentured servitude) if I spilled any of their beans.
2. I recently signed a new contract with AEG. It turns out that one of my games fits their upcoming product line. If you've ever played my game called Henry the Great, that will give you a good idea of what's coming. Except the theme has changed somewhat and the mechanics have been super-charged. If you don't recognize that game, you'll have to wait until the announcement and my series of articles on the subject! The final testing should be happening sometime in the near future on the secret AEG playtesting forums. Also, I might actually get paid for this one . . .
3. The art for Family Vacation is coming along very slowly. But what I've seen looks really good! Maybe I'll post some of these sketches in a few weeks . . . if more art gets finished. Jacob Walker is the artist for this project. We're currently aiming to have a finished (or nearly finished), fully-playable prototype on display at Origins. We will be launching the Kickstarter for this game around this time, if not sooner.
4. Yesterday I got some Revolution!-related news. I sent them a few new ideas and one is currently being explored. I think it could be very awesome! If you were at the Revolution! tournament the other night, you might have gotten a little sneak peek. So just pretend you didn't see that. :)
5. Finally, I'm currently in the final stages of development for a new game that's been cooking since the summer of 2010. It's really starting to take shape and come together. Rough edges are being smoothed and shine is being applied. To assist me with this crucial phase, I've been quietly recruiting a team of elite playtesters and set up my own super-secret forum. If you would like to be considered for this team (to work on this and future projects in exchange for glory and swag), sent me an email.
One last bit of non-secret news. The next big shipment of Kingdom of Solomon should be in transit and arrive sometime in March. We've had some really good reviews so far. This one by Ender on BGG is probably the best. Happy gaming!
1. I recently worked on some new Wizkids projects, some of which made me very excited. Unfortunately, my designs were not selected. :( But it was still a positive experience and lots of fun. Also, the NDA agreement I signed with them would diminish my fortunes significantly (something approximating indentured servitude) if I spilled any of their beans.
2. I recently signed a new contract with AEG. It turns out that one of my games fits their upcoming product line. If you've ever played my game called Henry the Great, that will give you a good idea of what's coming. Except the theme has changed somewhat and the mechanics have been super-charged. If you don't recognize that game, you'll have to wait until the announcement and my series of articles on the subject! The final testing should be happening sometime in the near future on the secret AEG playtesting forums. Also, I might actually get paid for this one . . .
3. The art for Family Vacation is coming along very slowly. But what I've seen looks really good! Maybe I'll post some of these sketches in a few weeks . . . if more art gets finished. Jacob Walker is the artist for this project. We're currently aiming to have a finished (or nearly finished), fully-playable prototype on display at Origins. We will be launching the Kickstarter for this game around this time, if not sooner.
4. Yesterday I got some Revolution!-related news. I sent them a few new ideas and one is currently being explored. I think it could be very awesome! If you were at the Revolution! tournament the other night, you might have gotten a little sneak peek. So just pretend you didn't see that. :)
5. Finally, I'm currently in the final stages of development for a new game that's been cooking since the summer of 2010. It's really starting to take shape and come together. Rough edges are being smoothed and shine is being applied. To assist me with this crucial phase, I've been quietly recruiting a team of elite playtesters and set up my own super-secret forum. If you would like to be considered for this team (to work on this and future projects in exchange for glory and swag), sent me an email.
One last bit of non-secret news. The next big shipment of Kingdom of Solomon should be in transit and arrive sometime in March. We've had some really good reviews so far. This one by Ender on BGG is probably the best. Happy gaming!
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