Deep Space Lies (An Interview with Joey Vigour)

You might have heard some of the buzz about Chaosmos, an exciting new game that's rich in both story and interaction.  Joey Vigour and his team at Mirror Box Games successfully launched their Kickstarter for Chaosmos and are already over a third of the way to their goal within the first 24 hours!  Joey kindly took some time away from his hectic launch schedule to answer some questions about his "Dream Project".

To Coin an Age (an interview with Adam McIver)

There's no doubt about it: microgames are in right now. And the innest one of the last two weeks has been Coin Age, a small game played with a single card and pocket change. Coin Age is currently on Kickstarter with a pay-what-you-want campaign managed by Tasty Minstrel Games. The game has appeared at the top of Board Game Geek's hotness for several days in a row and has already blown past all of its stretch goals, netting backers several maps (including one made of credit card plastic) and additional benefits. We had the chance to interview Adam McIver, the game's designer.

Kings in Israel (an interview with Lance Hill)

Based on the selection available, making an original board game based on events from the Bible is tough. Making a good game based on events from the Bible? Even tougher.

Lance Hill is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter for his new board game project, Kings of Israel. He has already passed his funding goal with almost two weeks left to go. We had a chance to interview him about his game.

Bird Herding (A Preview of Emu Ranchers)

Emus are a cranky lot.  You’d probably be, too, if you were a flightless bird.  I mean, as some unfortunate evolutionary defect, not only do they pine away their days jealously watching their aviary brethren soar high, like nature intended, but now humans want to herd and pen them, like common cattle.  Why?  I don’t know.  There’s not much meat upon them.  And they’re ugly.  Must be for the feathers.

[Ed. note: This is a preview of a non-final, non-production prototype of the game. Our opinions reflect that of the game at the time we played it; the final product may feature some slight variation in game play, art, and components.]

Perfect Perjury (A Preview of Lie Your Face Off)

Dad always said, “Honesty is the best policy.”  Yeah, right!  It’s time to take off those rose-colored glasses and break out a game that represents what advertisers, politicians, and car salesmen know really spins the world on its axis:  a good, old-fashioned lie!  I’m not just talking about stretching the truth or telling a little white fib.  No, I mean spinning an incredible doozy of a tall tale.  When your parents are on the prowl accusing you of all manner of shenanigans, you need a story and you need to stick to it!

[Ed. note: This is a preview of a non-final, non-production prototype of the game. Our opinions reflect that of the game at the time we played it; the final product may feature some slight variation in game play, art, and components.]

Wizards Gone Wild (A Preview of Keep the Crown)

The king, in his noble wisdom and generosity, has opened the royal treasury for all to partake in the abundance!  But like most things that sound too good to be true, there is a catch.  You may only take treasure in certain amounts and in a particular order.  Are you smart enough to sort through the jumbled cache before the other commoners beat you to the best riches?  Eh, if not, you can always resort to a little magic and even some old-fashioned sneakiness!

[Ed. note: This is a preview of a non-final, non-production prototype of the game. Our opinions reflect that of the game at the time we played it; the final product may feature some slight variation in game play, art, and components.]

The Suns Are On Fire (An Interview with Emil Larsen)

This boxcover, as well as all other art and components pictured
are not final and subject to change

If you're like me, few things sound better than setting aside a good chunk of time to explore the galaxy, expand your galactic empire, exploit the resources of dozens of planets, and exterminate your enemies in epic space combat between massive fleets of ships. With some fantastic entires in the genre of 4x space exploration - Twilight Imperium being one of my favorite games of all time, and the popular Eclipse attempting to bridge the divide between thematic gamers and eurogamers alike.

So the prospect of a new 4x sci-fi game is an intriguing one.  But is Burning Suns, a new game on Kickstarter, going to fill a gap in styles of 4x games, or is it just noise beneath the games we already have?  The task of creating a great 4x game, given the scale and complexity in the very nature of such games, is a daunting one.

I had a chance to "sit down" at least virtually with game designer Emil Larsen and talk about his new game.  Hit the interview after the break and visit the kickstarter page here and judge for yourself whether Burning Suns is worth backing.

Kicking Back (a guide to using Kickstarter)

No subject has caused me to start, stop, and delete more posts than Kickstarter. Perhaps because it's a hot-button topic in the gaming world at the moment, or maybe because of backer remorse or joy, I've not felt the distance necessary to adequately consider Kickstarter...until now.

So what is this guide?

This guide is advice on using Kickstarter from the perspective of 1) a game reviewer and news finder who sees a lot of Kickstarter games and campaigns; 2) a modest Kickstarter backer (17 projects backed/9 received/0 currently late), with all the joys and sorrows attendant to this role; 3) an employee of a traditional book publisher and a staunch supporter of editorial gatekeepers; and 4) a thrifty person with a limited gaming budget who works a regular job and feels the results of bad purchasing decisions keenly. In other words, I would describe myself as a cautious observer and occasional participant in Kickstarter.

This guide is divided in two and is one gamer's advice to two segments of Kickstarters: 1) gamers who are considering backing projects on Kickstarter, and 2) designers and publishers who use Kickstarter and would like the money in my pocket to be transferred to theirs. Again, this is one gamer's perspective and doesn't even reflect the views of all the writers on this site. Take it for what you will. (And if you want to read a fantastic series about Kickstarter that's aimed primarily at content producers, I can't recommend Stonemaier Games' Kickstarter Lessons enough.)

On to the guide!

Rock 'n Throw (An Interview with Jeremy Burnham)

Jeremy Burnham is a freshman designer whose first major game, the unique deck-builder

Stack & Attack, is currently seeking support on Kickstarter.  With an analytically-minded background and as a new family man, Jeremy has eye for kid- and family-friendly gaming in hopes to hook new and casual players into the hobby.  We here at iSlaytheDragon appreciate Jeremy taking the time from what must be a whirlwind schedule with his first crowd-funding campaign to sit down for a few questions.

They're Giving You a Number and Taking Away Your Name (a preview of The Agents)

The Agents is a card game currently on Kickstarter with an interesting mechanism, what the designer calls "double-edged cards." The game smashed its funding goal early on and is currently over $200,000, with four more days in its campaign. I had a chance to try the game. Is it for you?

Check out my impressions below!

[Note: all components are prototype components and do not reflect the final product (though the art, I believe, will be the same). Also, please forgive the slight blurriness. That's not an Instagram filter; I think my camera is on its way out.]

Fire at Will! (An interview with Steve Wood)

Space a dangerous place.  At least, it always seems to be in the future.  Perhaps we just love imagining massive, well-armed ships floating around out there, and we need to imagine some way to put them to good use.

Gunship: First Strike is a board game that gives you a chance to customize one of those massive ships and pit it against your opponent in a deadly space battle.

The game was previously on Kickstarter and became a success.  Now it's getting an expansion that promises to add a whole lot more to the Gunship universe.  We had a chance to interview the designer , Steve Wood, about the game and the upcoming expansion, so check it out below and then visit the Kickstarter page to help the project succeed!

Hitch your Way to Victory! (An Interview with Luca Caltabiano)

There are games with tightly wound mechanisms about building a microscopic economic system efficiently to score points faster than the other players in order to win.  And then there are games in which players attack each other wildly, hinder each other at every step, make deals and betray them, and hope that with a little skill and some luck sprinkled on top, they'll finish on top.

CarmaRace is definitely the latter.  It's a frantic racing game with a lot of "take that" elements that promises to be easy to learn, quick to play, and very customizable.  This game is now on kickstarter and we had a chance to talk with the designer, Luca Caltabino, to give you a better idea of what this game is all about.  Enjoy!

News Bits: 8/5/2013

Lots of news this week, including a development from last week's story. Now, the NEWS:

The publisher that saved Atlantic City from doom [Link] After all the hubbub I mentioned in last week's news about the failed Doom That Came to Atlantic City Kickstarter campaign, Cryptozoic has announced that they will produce the game--and provide a copy free of charge to backers. This is most certainly a gracious move on the company's part. It's also a brilliant PR coup. Still, let's not forget what this costs the company: after all, they don't receive the Kickstarter funds to print the game, and they're starting off in the red for both producing the game and giving out free copies. I hope this doesn't become the norm (failed Kickstarter campaign? Don't worry--someone will bail you out), but Cryptozoic does deserve major kudos for this.

News Bits: 7/29/2013

The big news this week was a failed Kickstarter campaign and the discussion surrounding it. But there's more than that. Here is the NEWS:

Fred Hicks discusses the Doom That Came to Atlantic City Kickstarter campaign [Link] Kickstarter for board games is coming out of its infancy into the shaky years of adolescence. This kind of scenario (along with many, many, many others) has with good reason made many people wary of using the platform. I know there's a lot of idealism surrounding Kickstarter, about it being used to fund people's dreams, but really, I think Hicks's advice is on the money. And because there is no great way to test first-time campaigners (to see if they're overreaching), and since I've had several less than stellar experiences myself, I'm much more likely to use my money to fund Kickstarter veterans. Against the spirit of the service? Perhaps, but less risk. (Also, the game's designer responded here. Designer/publisher relationships are complicated, to say the least.)

Hogs Gone Wild! (An Interview with Kevin Kulp)

Kevin Kulp is your average game designer – full-time job and family man working in one half of the brain, designing games in the other half.  While having tinkered with designs for years, and taken courses on the subject in college, Kevin’s first published design, PigPen, is currently on Kickstarter.  You can also find him on Twitter @TheKevinKulp.  As he’s been up to his eyeballs in mud with his Kickstarter launch, we really appreciate Kevin taking the time to discuss his recent venture here at iSlaytheDragon.

News Bits: 7/1/2013

As we approach GenCon, there seems to be more and more NEWS available:

Z-Man unveils scenarios for Pandemic [Link] This is an excellent way to increase the mileage of an already great and oft-played game. I hope they continue! (Also, check out the new Pandemic insert that will be available in the reprint of On the Brink.)

Monster Mash (An Interview with Benjamin Radford)

Benjamin Radford is one of the world’s few science-based, paranormal investigators, and has done first-hand research into mysterious phenomena in sixteen countries on four continents including psychics, ghosts, exorcisms, miracles, Bigfoot, stigmata, lake monsters, UFO sightings, reincarnation, and crop circles. He is an editor for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, has authored six books, and has written articles and/or appeared on television for Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic, Learning Channel, BBC, and CNN, among many others. His latest project draws upon his vast experience in studying the fact and folklore of monster myths around the globe – a fascinatingly unique board game now seeking funding on Kickstarter: Undead Apocalypse: War of the Damned. As you might expect, messin’ with Sasquatch is a full-time gig, so we really appreciate Ben’s time in sitting down to discuss his recent venture.

News Bits: 5/20/2013

News, news, newsworthy news:

Mayfair Games sponsors GenCon guest of honor Walter Koenig [Link] Presumably so you'll buy Star Trek Catan. Still, who doesn't love Chekov?

News Bits: 5/13/2013

Another week packed with NEWS:

IELLO hosts King of Tokyo championship [Link] This is your chance to prove if you are, in fact, the King of Tokyo. Regional qualifiers with a final tournament at this year's GenCon. I'm not enamored of this game, but @Futurewolfie likes it quite a bit.

Press Release: It's Time to Build a Better Dystopia

I received the following press release from Stonemaier Games:

New game from the creators of Viticulture launching on Kickstarter on May 15 

Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone, creators of the Kickstarter hit Viticulture: The Strategic Game of Winemaking, are returning to Kickstarter to seek funding for their new game, Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia. Game lovers familiar with the dice in Alien Frontiers and the worker-placement/removal mechanics in The Manhattan Project and Tzolk’in will feel right at home in Euphoria.

Euphoria has been blind playtested by over 60 people across the world, and it will launch on Kickstarter with the full art and design complete. The Kickstarter campaign will feature free shipping to individuals in the US, Canada, and the European Union, as well as free bulk shipping to a limited number of backers in Asia and Australia. Just like with Viticulture (which has already been delivered to many backers early, with all other backers due to receive their games as promised in May), Euphoria comes with a money-back guarantee to all Kickstarter backers. 

About the game:
The world as we know it has ended, and in its place the city of Euphoria has risen. Believing that a new world order is necessary to prevent another apocalypse, the Euphorian elite not only erect physical walls around the city, but also metaphysical walls around the minds of the citizens. Gone are personal freedoms; gone is knowledge of the past. All that matters is the future. 

In Euphoria, you lead a team of workers (dice) and recruits (cards) to claim ownership of the dystopian world. You will generate commodities, dig tunnels to infiltrate opposing areas, construct markets, collect artifacts, strengthen allegiances, and fulfill secret agendas, all while trying to keep your morale high and your knowledge (represented by the numbers on the dice) as low as possible so your workers don’t discover they’re in a dystopia. 

What are you willing to sacrifice in the present to make the future better than the past? Find out in Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia. 

Number of players: 2-5 (adding a 6th player is one of the many Kickstarter stretch goals)
Time required: 60 min
Recommended ages: 13+ 

Stonemaier Games website: www.stonemaiergames.com
Euphoria art gallery: http://www.stonemaiergames.com/gallery/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StonemaierGames
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jameystegmaier

***UPDATE: Euphoria has launched on Kickstarter and has already tripled its funding. Check it out!