Tag Archives: Kickstarter

Where Does the Time Go?

Brandon: Where does the time go? Well, teaching two music classes at the end of the school year, doctors appointments for the kids, family trips, new job coming up. It goes a lot of places. Looking back through the site, it’s been since February that I’ve posted here. Last time I posted it was about a Kickstarter by Jim Pinto and today is no different. Well, maybe a little. I’m going to ramble a bit and then give you the details.

What have I had time for that was not required of me? D&D. I’ve posted a lot about it’s impact on me here, here, and here. Dungeons and Dragons has also effected my family’s lives in other ways.  We are now painting minis and loving it. I may post more about that separately. Part of the point I’m getting to is that we have been busy and stressed. Gaming and it’s side activities have helped keep us focused. The last week of school we gamed every night and it was amazing.

Most of the rambling is done. Just one more point and then onto what I want to share. There is a lot going on in the world and gaming can be a way for us to come together and reset for awhile. So, I have two requests/suggestions.

First, donate to your local food charity. Mine is The Oregon Food Bank and I also donate to No Kid Hungry. Why? Because people need food and if you can help, you should. Second, you should back Jim Pinto’s newest Kickstarter, House of Keys. 

House of Keys is the first glimpse into a rich, new fantasy world — Iron Medusa. This world spins new legends and folklore while remaining rooted in Eastern European cultures. Here adventure finds you. House of Keys introduces that world through the lens of a doomed mansion infested with loathsome spirits where trapped adventurers have turned against one another in a fight for survival.

House of Keys focuses on psychological horror.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/218255739/house-of-keys-both-praxis-and-protocol-squared-edi

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Protocol Fantasy Game Omnibus

Oh my! Jim Pinto of Postworld Games is up to something really good. We’ve covered Jim’s games before and have even spoken to him a few times here. Now he has the Protocol Fantasy Game Omnibus Kickstarter up.

From the Kickstarter:

The Kickstarter includes 15 fantasy games in one book, all using the same framework and rules. Five of these games have never been seen before, one of which will only ever be available in this book.

Stretch goals ensure that backers of this project receive additional free games, including the potential for more fantasy games in this book.

This is the perfect introduction to the Protocol game system. Players get 15 different games to start with, including fully explained rules, instead of the brushstroke guidelines in the $3 pdfs.

What we can tell you is that you definitely get your money’s worth when you back one of Postworld Games’ Kickstarters. Jim’s Kickstarters almost always go above and beyond their goals and so you get stretch goals galore!

A little more about the Protocol system:

The Protocol Game system is an elegant way of playing through a story without a gamemaster, in just a matter of two to three hours. Each game uses the same core principles of scene framing, while creating very different experiences through the use of roles, goals, relationships, and world building questions.

The alchemy behind why Protocol works is so simple.

Players take turns as directors, drawing poker cards to determine the scene’s focus and type. There are no dice. Everything is resolved with drama points and a single deck of poker cards.

Take a look and see if this is up your alley.

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Podcast Ep 14: Black Monk Kickstarter

In this episode: Brandon speaks with Jim Pinto of Postworld Games about his new Kickstarter(Black Monk) Blade Runner, Baby Driver, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

Black Monk Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/218255…axis-black-monk

Gondola at Big Kid Games: www.playbigkidgames.com/gondola

Postworld Games at DriveThru RPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/513…t-world-games/

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Spaghetti & Meeples Looks At TableFlip!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1815654291/tableflip-an-anger-managementgame

http://gnorkgames.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GnorkGames/

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Vers: The Rap Game

Brandon: Recently Tarehna had her students study Athens and then rap about it. Not long after she ran into Vers: The Rap Game on Kickstarter. This looks like a fun game that will push me out of my comfort zone. I am not one to rap in front of people, or alone for that matter. That fear, however, has not stopped me from backing Vers. I am really excited about this game. It also has beautiful art. Take a look and see if it’s not something you might be interested in.

Founded by Jerry Spatch, a Boston Freestyle Rapper and a current entrepreneurship student at Northeastern University. Spatch Games is a winner of Northeastern’s Husky Start-up Challenge and was featured in Bostinno magazine as an up-and-coming start-up. Vers: The Rap Game is a product of Spatch Games.

Vers was created to break down what you know about rapping and make it for people everywhere.

“I was tired of people in university saying I shouldn’t rap because it was unprofessional. Everywhere I went, when people heard about rap they’d think of a bunch of things that it wasn’t. So I made the game and it’s fun and silly and everyone can play it.”

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/915746399/vers-the-rap-game

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Tiny Sword Tactics

Brandon: Good morning! Is it morning? I can’t even tell anymore; with the student teaching and having to set our clocks back an hour, and the election for the President of the USA. Happy election day! Where was I? Coffee! No. I mean, yes. Of course yes. Because, well, coffee. Right?

But, no, because Tiny Sword Tactics. Tiny Swords Tactics is an interesting game and I’m not really sure how to classify it. Is it a tile laying game? Technically. You do lay tiles down. You also move these tiles. Is it a fighting game? Absolutely. Is it an elimination game? Yes! Unless you don’t really want it to be. Well, it is regardless, but you can still give those who are eliminated purpose….

Let’s back up. You start with a Heart Of the Fight tile and then everyone takes turns laying down tiles from their team that they chose until all their tiles are down. Hold on. Let me set this up for you.

All setup and ready to go. Also, coffee.

All setup and ready to go. Also, coffee.

In this picture you can see how the game gets set up. You will notice that the tiles must touch sides. There’s no diagonal tile touching here! But now what? Hold on. Coffee. Mmmmmm, coffee.

img_1876

rock, paper, scissors

Now you take turns moving, flipping, or fighting. Why? To kick your friends off the table, defeat their team, and win! Moving allows your team to run away from someone who might defeat them or even allow you to push someone else’s tiles along or even out of the game. Flipping tiles can limit or expand a tile’s actions. Fighting, well, is fighting. You defeat a tile or you lose a fight. Fights are mostly simple affairs that play out as rock, paper, scissors. I say mostly, because there are also damage tokens that come in to play based on how the battle goes. A player wins by having the only remaining tiles.

That brings us to player elimination. You can play that way, but there is also a variant where eliminated players get to move the Heart Of The Fight Tile. It’s a great way to mess with everyone who destroyed your team.

What is it like to play this game? Hold on. More coffee.

OK, this game has a lot of strategy and a lot of making plans only to have them immediately thwarted. Think of four way chess. Now think of four way chess where the battles aren’t as easy as rook takes pawn. Now add in fun retro 16 bit graphics.

Look at the graphics on these captain tiles.

Look at the graphics on these captain tiles.

Tiny Sword Tactics is a lot of fun and has a great look. We really enjoyed playing. You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, aren’t you. Go ahead and get your own cup of coffee. I’ll wait. Just know that it’s not so much a shoe as it is a flip flop.

Does this game look great? Is it fun? Is there good player interaction? YES! There is, however the issue of player elimination. Sure, you can use the variant where the eliminated player messes with those still in the game, but it’s not as long lasting in the fun dept. as one might hope.

I forgot to mention something fairly important. Tiny Sword Tactics is currently on Kickstarter. As of the publishing of this review they have 10 days to go. $30 gets you a full version of the game. It seems a little high, but this is a kickstarter and with the total amount they are looking for I get the sense they’re trying to actually kickstart a business and not just create pre-orders.

So, my two concerns are player elimination and the price. That being said I still play Axis and Allies (hello mega player elimination) and I really want this game to make it. Tiny Sword Tactics looks good and plays well. Definitely check it out!

Here’s a link for you: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/637771097/tiny-swords-tactics

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PWNs is Back!

We looked at PWNs originally here. Their first Kickstarter didn’t fund, but they are back and ready to move forward. It was a game that Brandon didn’t really want to like at first, but he wound up really enjoying it. Take a look at their new Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/awrygames/pwns-a-game-of-strategic-mayhem-0

 

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King of Storms Kickstarter

Brandon: We have featured Jim Pinto a few times and one of the things I really enjoy about his Kickstarters is that they always have something different and exciting to offer. The $1 RPG campaign was  completely open and none of us backers knew where it would end up. Well, Jim has a new Kickstarter up and it’s centered around the Praxis game system. Praxis is a GMless system where the players tell the story and are semi-competitive. It has already reached its funding, but the more funding it gets the more stretch goals open and the more games that get opened.

You can listen to Jim and myself talk about Praxis and King of Storms in the podcast below. Go check out this Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/218255739/king-of-storms/description

 

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Battle Of The Bands Kickstarter

You may remember that we interviewed Dan Smith about his Battle of the Bands game. If you missed it or want to reread it you can do that here. Then you should go check out the Kickstarter. It has already funded so you are good to go there. As of the posting of this…post, there are 13 days left.

Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/150522358/battle-of-the-bands-the-deluxe-edition-card-game

 

 

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Podcast Ep 11″

Brandon comes out in favor of the new Ghostbusters movie and Jim tries to hug a Millennial, oh, and we talk about games too!
GMS Podcasts: www.gmsmagazine.com/podcasts
Gondola: www.kickstarter.com/projects/bigkidgames/gondola
Pinto Central: postworldgames.com/

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