Cincinnati Comic Con

I got to attend the second annual Cincinnati Comic Con this year at Duke Energy Center. Unfortunately, I only got to be there until noon, and my few pictures of the event were somehow erased from my camera (must have been that faulty restraining bolt). It seemed like lots of people were there--more than last year (when it was at the Cintas Center). The gaming area, sponsored by Yottaquest, was slightly easier to find, though still a bit out of the way. But it was much bigger, so that was good.

I got to show Kingdom of Solomon, Tiger Stripes and Revolution!, running one actual demo of the latter before I had to go. I was able to get one of the Yottaquest guys (Scott) to help demo for the rest of the day, but I haven't heard how this went yet. Also, I got to meet Katie Cook and see lots of cool comic-related stuff in the main hall. If you missed it, you should definitely think about stopping by next year!

Tweaking the Temple

Just days (hours) before the final printing, we have decided to make one final adjustment to Kingdom of Solomon. The Temple will now have six extra spaces to fill. During our demos at GenCon, we ran into a few people who got carried away with building the Temple even against their own interests. Just because it was there. This led to a shorter-than-expected game and an unsatisfying experience for all.

A quick recap: The game ends on the round when either all eleven building sites are filled, or when one player places all five of his buildings, or when the Temple is completed. Having the most Temple Tokens (gained by helping the build sections of the Temple) also gives a player control of the High Priest and 20 VP at the end. So rushing to complete the Temple might seem attractive, but is usually not best way to score points.

I'm still convinced that players would never repeat this mistake in subsequent games, but in this world of thousands of new games, one play might be all my game gets at some tables. Therefore, we added more spaces. Now even all the players working together cannot complete the Temple in fewer than four turns and are far more likely to have a "full" game experience.  This change will not necessarily add any extra length to the game, as the other two end triggers remain unchanged. Playing time will still normally fall into the 60-90 minutes range.

Also, checkout the new BGG microbadge!

One final note: If you will be attending Essen 2011 and would like to preorder KoS and pick it up at the show, use the code PICKUP11 at checkout and you will not be charged for shipping. The current preorder price is $44.99! Visit Minion Games for more details.

Games For Sale

I currently have some interesting eBay auctions going. If you're looking for a few more games at great prices, you might want to check them out. Thanks!

Hansa Teutonica, Alien Frontiers (crazy to be selling), Mousquetaires du Roy, and Chicago Express Narrow Gauge & Erie Expansion. Some of these are really great games, but space must be cleared and funds must be raised!

Also of interest: Dice Hate Me has started up their Carnival Kickstarter today. They may actually make their goal on the first day! Definitely worth a look!

Gateway Games and the Gamerati Tour

Last night I attended the Gamerati Tour event at Gateway Games. Ed Healy had visited Yottaquest that morning, and he was pretty jet-lagged (car-lagged?) from his epic trek. Even so, he seemed to enjoy playing my game and interacting with the other people. The turn-out was fantastic--lots of players and lots of industry people! I got to run three demos of Kingdom of Solomon and even sign two copies of Revolution! (one of which was purchased during the event). Other games played included The Resistance, Ticket to Ride and Mesopotamia. And some RPG action. Here are a few pics:

GenCon Photo Wrap-Up

I made it back today from a great trip to GenCon 2011! I spent two fun-filled days working the Minion Games booth and the exhibit hall and demoing Kingdom of Solomon. The latest word is that it will be available at Essen (October) and shipped to the US soon after. Unless things come together just right (or wrong) . . .

I had some really exciting success with pitching several of my new prototypes. More news on that score to follow in the coming weeks. I also bought the 7 Wonders: Leaders expansion. We played this afternoon and had a blast! 

Here are a few picks from the show:

 

This is one of my "biggest" fans.

This is our booth, just chock-full of newly- and soon-to-be-released games and designers. I like it better when people don't look at the camera.

Some of the great (and odd) art at the show.

I finally got to meet THE Steve Jackson! He is pictured here with his trusty Bottle of Quenching.

Here I am with Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer of The Dice Tower Podcast. If you don't already listen, you should! Very cool guys . . .

Thursday evening I got to have dinner with some very special Kickstarter supporters, Jed and Ashley. They really helped us out with our funding--thanks, guys! And they're also very cool people.

Vader was in the house.

 

The softer side of Vader.

One of the biggest games at the show was Fantasy Flight's new Star Wars game, X-Wing, coming next year. Looks pretty neat--you move and fire just like in the movie!

Friday, Jed and Ashley got to play their first game of KoS, along with two other guys. All the demos seemed to go very well--we had no trouble finding extra players when needed!

This game featured the highest KoS score of the con: 171! I watched him do it, and I still don't quite understand how he pulled that off. Well done, sir.

 

 

So, that's just a sliver of my experiences this year at GenCon. Thanks to all the folks who played a demo of KoS--it was a lot of fun!

Preparing for GenCon

I've been frantically printing, gluing and cutting in anticipation of GenCon 2011. Meetings and demos have been scheduled, plans have been made, cars and hotel rooms have been borrowed. I plan to be at the con all Thursday and Friday, mainly working the Minion Games booth (#1352). Please stop in and take a look at Kingdom of Solomon. An improved demo copy will be on display. You will also be able to sign up for a full demo at various times. I even made a custom KoS T-shirt! Stop by and say hi!

I'll also be hunting down more publishers with my bag-o-prototypes. Wish me luck!

Gateway Games Grand Opening

Tonight I attended the grand opening of a new game store in Cincinnati: Gateway Games & More. It's a small store, but it's tidy and sharp-looking. I got run a few nice demos and meet lots of new people. Here is a shot of my setup:

We played two 5-player games of Revolution! with the Palace expansion. Everybody seems really into it. I also got to play about five games of Tiger Stripes with the kid from the next store over. If only his mom had been there, I'd have closed that sale . . .

 

Here's one of the more interesting patrons. I'm about 40% sure there was a costume contest going on during the grand opening. Sometimes it's hard to tell with this crowd--but I love 'em.

Several other were being played during my few hours at the store. Thanks to Todd (the owner) for letting me come and demo/pass out flyers. He sold his only copy of Revolution! and I got to sign it. :) It's amazing to me how many people have still never heard of Revolution! but end up really enjoying it. I need to hire Randy to make another nation-wide tour . . .