Tag Archives: tabletop

100 AD by SoulJAR Games-Kickstarter

We’ve mentioned SoulJAR Games in our GameStorm 17 Special and had the opportunity to interview them here. SoulJAR now has a new game on Kickstarter: 100 AD. They were playtesting it on a back table at GameStorm 17 and I was really intrigued then. Politics and corruption abound. Take a look. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/souljargames/100-ad

100 AD

FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

Tiny Epic Galaxies Unboxing

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coe/tiny-epic-galaxies-the-universe-in-your-pocket

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coe/tiny-epic-kingdoms

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coe/tiny-epic-defenders

FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

Interview with Souljar Games

Today we are joined by SoulJar Games. We first ran into them at Gamestorm 17. We were immediately impressed by Alyssa’s knit beholder hat and then by their games, Torn Armor and Dice Crawl. You can see Brandon talking about them here and look for a review of Dice Crawl soon(ish). Be sure to visit them at http://souljargames.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/SoulJAR.Games


SoulJar

How did Souljar games come about?

We were a group of friends and industry developers who met through the wonderful means of social media. Once we encountered each other and started to talk, we knew that we had to produce something together.

What does the name mean?

HA! The truth is, we just wanted to tap into the soul of gaming: the fun, the enjoyment, the friends around the table, all sharing in the soul of what it means to play. The name was accidental, but driven by that spirit,

How did the three of you come together? 

Facebook. I’d like to elaborate on that further, but the simple truth is that via the social channel of Facebook we met and were able to experience each other’s views on gaming. and design.

What do each of you bring to the team?

Jim brings great game design, Jack brings stunning attention to detail and a insurmountable ability to bring red tape together, and Natalya just loves the spirit of social networking. Great games, designed and built by the best companies, delivered to your for your learned and respected consideration.

What are the challenges in having your creative team spread out? 

Communication and understanding; what everyone is doing, where they are at, and bringing the mutli-faceted parts of game design together … and to your mail box … in a manner that is clear and understood by the entire team. This is a big question in many ways. Jim does an excellent job of creating a new game with wholly new mechanics, but then he doesn’t necessarily know where we’re at with the promotion of the same game, or gathering of component quotes, unless we make a strong attempt to communication these facts to each other. And that’s really the greatest challenge: clear communication.

What is the design process like for SoulJar?

Jim dreams up a game – I’m not entirely sure how he does it – and he pitches it to the team during our next meeting. if we like the idea – and we typically do – we then get a draft set of rules and pieces from him. jack and I play the game through with friend, and at the same time jim is playing with his friends, and together we hash out any tweaks, adjustments, and changes that need to occur. Over a series of months we hash out the draft rules, bring in industry experts, give them a play test, and gather their feedback. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the final game form has had much input and the creative feedback of 24×7 gaming professionals, so by the time we’re ready to crowd fund a game, we know that it’s the best that it can be.

What challenges do you run into as an indie game company?

Figuring things out that the big boys already figured out years ago. Shipping to Australia and New Zealand I think is the biggest one right now =D

Dice Crawl

What lead to the creation of Dice Crawl?

The desire for a family orientated, competitive game, inspired by the dungeon crawl classics.

You ran a very successful Kickstarter campaign for Torn Armor. What was that like?

Stressful, but also rewarding. Crowd funding is an artform and the epitome of social interaction, but with hourly feedback when you are getting it right or wrong. There were great highs, but terrible lows. It is a psychological experience more terrifying than going against Cthulhu.
Torn Armor
What lead to the design of Torn Armor?
A desire to bring about a quick to learn, low cost, skirmish based game. I love wargaming and I think that it could have a broader audience, but cost, time, and play-area holds a lot of people back. We wanted to design something that was extensible, but also provided an introduction into a much larger genre.

Any plans to revisit Gondola?

Yes, absolutely. Gondola is a great, family orientated game; who doesn’t like the prospect of racing a gondola through the canals of Venice?

What are your hopes, dreams, and goals for SoulJar?

To provide entertaining and unique gaming experiences.

What’s on the horizon for SoulJar?

100 AD; a politically driven games in the Roman Empire.

What’s the best gaming experience you have had?

Honestly, any gaming experience in which you come away smiling, happy, content, and having bonded even more strongly with your friends … that’s the best gaming experience. If we had to choose -as a team – then it would have to be Geekdad playtesting 100AD with us … and wanting to play through to the end .. and winning .. with lots of smack talk along the way. We lost … but it was glorious.

100 A.D.

What lead you to design games?

The joy of games and wanting to give a new and unique gaming experience to the gaming audience.

What do you want people to come away with after playing a SoulJar game?

Simple to learn, deceptively deep, lots of options, fun to trounce the whole family into the dirt.

What keeps bringing you back to board/tabletop/rpg games?

Friends, family, fun.

FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

Podcast Ep 5: Labor Day and Worker Placement Games

Wow! It has been awhile since we’ve had a podcast for you. Here you go! Enjoy a little history on Labor Day in the USA and a discussion of worker placement games.

 

FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse

Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/subquark/mint-tin-mini-apocalypse

The rules as on BoardGameGeek:

A simultaneous 2 player game of surviving the apocalypse all in 5 to 10 minutes.

It’s a nice day in Meepleton. You & friends are enjoying the day without a care in the world . . .
BOOM! Transformers blow, cars crash, people fall to the ground unconscious. Phew! You’re wobbly but okay.
RAWR! Nearby a giant, heinous monster wreaks havoc!
Get your friends to the school’s forgotten fallout shelter.

Game Setup

Dump out tin, choose a color, place 4 meeps laying down & 1 standing on your side of tin.
Grab matching dice.
Tin is the Fallout Shelter (FoS).
Stand monster a few inches from FoS with green die behind it, 6 facing up.
Place 2 white supply boxes between the FoS & nefarious monster.

Game Play
Get your meeps to their feet, stay on yours, secure the FoS, get 1 supply box & seal the FoS!
Your actions are on 7s & you need 1 standing meep to help your single meeps or to knock down others.
FoS holds a max of 7 meeps.
Start game & roll your dice. Standard game is simultaneous rolling, not turn-based.
On a 7 you can:

  • Stand 1 meep (if none standing)
  • Help 1 meep to its feet
  • Help 1 standing meep into FoS
  • Knock down 1 standing opponent
  • Toss 1 opponent out of FoS (you need 1 in) BUT place them standing up outside FoS
  • Send out RECON PAIR from the FoS to get 1 supply box
  • Stand 1 knocked down meep in RECON PAIR
  • Knock down 1 meep in RECON PAIR
  • Drag 1 supply box into FoS with standing RECON PAIR
  • Seal FoS – Close lid with at least 4 of your meeps in & 1 supply box for the WIN!

What about the monster?

Three game modes – Decide before you start: UHOH or OMG or CRA-CRA!

  • UHOH activates monster die as soon as a supply box gets into the FoS. This is standard play. Once activated, player rolling doubles of monster die’s face-up number has to turn monster die down 1. A double 6 turns monster die to 5, a double 5 turns it to 4 & so on. When monster die is on 1, snake eyes (double 1s) ends game. Monster gets in FoS & eats you! BUT . . . either player can be a hero by tossing 1 of their outside standing meeps onto monster die! That meep is forever gone (but not forgotten). However, next double 1s ends the game unless another jumps on. Sacrificing a meep doesn’t need a 7 & can be done in or out of FoS but only when monster die is on 1.
  • OMG mode activates monster die when the game starts. Faster game but it sucks to be human.
FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

Interview with Will Stateczny on Monkeys Need Love Too

Today we are joined by Will Stateczny of Topwise Games to discuss his recently Kickstarter-funded game Monkeys Need Love Too. In the interest of full disclosure I did back this Kickstarter.


MNLT Card Back

You mention in your Kickstarter video that games like Munchkin and Killer Bunnies inspired you to make Monkeys Need Love Too. What made you choose the theme?

If I remember right (it’s been 7 years since MNLT was first created), I believe it was just purely from my imagination.  A lot of the times my best ideas come when I’m not even thinking about them.  I like to think of myself as a very creative and imaginative person.

How did you get connected with artist Rick Menard(artist for Monkeys Need Love Too)?

I actually found Rick Menard on a website called Freelanced.com.  It’s a site where you submit a job, people with those trade skills offer their services for the job, and you then choose who you’d like to work with.  Rick was one of about 25 illustrators/artists who submitted their services.  I visited his website and found his previous illustrations to be right in line with what I had envisioned in my head.

What was the Kickstarter process like for you?

I would say it was a grind.  The only reason I say that was that I had to work the entire length of the campaign to get every single backer.  I unfortunately didn’t have the luxury of getting my name out via conventions as most game companies do before firing off their Kickstarter.  So because of that, I was up late almost every night working social media and searching for new avenues of advertising and backer acquisition.

Will you use it again?

I will definitely use Kickstarter again, but I plan on building up my company’s name a little better before I do so I have a somewhat easier campaign next go around.

3-layer cards

What are your hopes for Monkeys Need Love Too now that your Kickstarter is funded?

I think my hopes for Monkeys Need Love Too, or any game that I plan to put out for that matter, will always be the same.  I would love for it to be that one that just takes off like wildfire and gains popularity at an exponential rate.  I got word from a lot of people at the last convention I attended, including the convention manager, that they heard nothing but good things from those that had visited the booth.  That gives me great encouragement that I’m doing something right.

I know you don’t want to reveal to much about your next project, A Bad Day For Donuts, but it looks like it will be a board game…? What made you want to do a board game instead of another card game?

I didn’t want to limit myself to just one type of game.  When you limit yourself, you reduce your potential customer base.  As of now, the only common theme that all our games will have is that they are intended to make you laugh, whether it be by the flavor text, the artwork, or just how the game is played.  Aside from that, I don’t plan on restricting myself to one specific type of game.

Where did you come up with the name “Topwise” and what are your hopes for Topwise Games?

Topwise comes from growing up watching the Simpsons.  Most Simpson fans will know exactly what I’m talking about and where the reference comes from.  My hopes for Topwise Games are to become a self-sustainable gaming company.  Right now my day job is a great one and it pays the bills, but I’m a gamer at heart and would love to both design and sell games full time while also having more free time to spend with my family and get a good night’s rest each night.

Other than Munchkin and Killer Bunnies, what games inspire you?

Fluxx has been a good one lately.  What The Food?!? is actually a fan favorite right now in my household.  Carcassonne is one that my wife and I like to play together.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  The range of games is actually quite large.  My friends and I are avid MTG and D&D gamers when we can get together.  I’ve also built my own crokinole board to play on and plan on making a carrom board and wall-mounted chess board before the year is over.  You have to have a wide range of games to play if you want to create games yourself.  And it’s not only just about what games you play, but also about the variety of people you play with.  You can play a game a hundred times with one person and then learn something completely new as soon as a new player sits down.

2-layer cards


What do you think makes a good game?

In my opinion, the main component to a good game is if everyone walks away happy.  If you’ve achieved that goal, you’ve got a winner.  You’ve also got to keep the game flowing.  I have many friends who can’t stay focused on a game if they aren’t constantly involved.  It was a lot easier to stay focused when everyone didn’t have a smartphone that they needed to check every 10 seconds.  That’s why I’m not a big fan of playing games where you’re constantly having to reference something in the rulebook.  It just slows down the pace of the game.

What do you look for in a gaming experience?

Again I’m looking for a game where I can walk away happy, whether it be by winning the game or by having a good time with the people I’m playing with.

What games are you playing right now and what games are you excited about?

I’m currently playing my game (of course), What The Food!?!, Magic, D&D, Tichu, and a few others on a regular basis.  I’ve got about 10 kickstarter games that I’m backing that are still live, and another 24 that have successfully funded that I can’t wait to play.  One of the live ones that I’m psyched about is Dumpster Brawl by my good friend Dave Killingsworth.  I got to play this one night up at WaCon and it was a pretty cool game.

If you were a monkey, what kind of monkey would you be?

I would probably be one of the super tiny monkeys that you can get as a house pet.  They always amuse me when I see them at the zoo and they seem very entertaining when you see them on tv.  Plus you never know exactly what they’re thinking.  I think I possess that similar trait.


The Kickstarter for Monkeys Need Love Too is over, but you can preorder your own copy at http://www.topwisegames.com/online-store/

Simpsons Rubix Cube from Jack Stocker on Vimeo.

FacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather