What’s in the neuuuuuuuuuws?
First up a couple of Kickstarter projects from Status Games and Eagle/Gryphon Games. Kickstarter is becoming increasing popular among mainstream publishers as a way to ensure that a game achieves the minimum number of buyers to make the initial print run economically viable. Lets take a look at what these two companies are offering:
Pizza Theory – Gryphon/Eagle Games
On October 31st Gryphon games launched Pizza Theory on Kickstarter.com, the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Pizza Theory is a game designed by Brian and Greg Powers for 2-3 players that mixes strategic decisions with everyone’s favorite food…PIZZA! Playable by ages six and up, at its core Pizza Theory is a short (10-15 minutes) yet focused strategy game in which players try to outwit their opponents to gain control of the pizza. The art for Pizza Theory was done by the very talented Charlie Bink (Railways Through Time, Botswana, Charon, SWAT).
The Kickstarter project offers a number of exciting rewards including free shipping and a playtesters’ advance copy of the Pizza Theory Anchovy Expansion.
In Pizza Theory each player controls one of three colors of pizza toppings (red, green, and white) and attempts to get all of their color toppings on the board before the other players. The number of toppings they have increases by gaining the majority in any slice. Slices are created by each player simultaneously “cutting” the pizza, thus dividing the pizza into six sections. Play continues until one player wins by getting all 16 of their toppings on the board!
The Anchovy Expansion adds a twist by introducing the anchovy topping. The anchovy topping acts like another player. Players will not only have to battle each other, but they also need to work together to prevent the pizza from being taken over by anchovies!
DiceAFARI – Stratus Games
DiceAFARI (dice + safari) takes players on a photo safari adventure that not only has an endearing theme, but is also strategic, interactive, and lots of fun. The mechanics are a unique combination of dice-rolling, two types of area control, and set collection.
In DiceAFARI, players create animal-shaped maps using Safari Tiles, which represent various African terrains. On each turn, the current player rolls custom dice to select a route to visit during the safari, then takes a photo of one of the exotic animals found in the area. After all of the areas on the map have been visited, points are scored for the best sets of photographs taken and the areas most recently visited.
DiceAFARI should be up on Kickstarter this week and as always with Stratus Games keep a keen eye on their website for excellent preview and how to play videos.
Dragonmeet 26th November
The UK Gaming Media Network, led by Paco from G*M*S Magazine and Michael from the Little Metal Dog Show, will be attending Dragonmeet in London on the 26th of this month, Also in attendance will be the UKGMN’s own Rob Harris from Playtest who will be there with his dedicated group of play testers to try out new games from far and wide.
More information about the con can be found at the Dragonmeet Website. I’m so jealous that I wont get to be there! If you’re going, have fun and let us know what you thought of the convention in the UK Gaming Media Network Guild.
Hide and Seek – The Show Must Go On on iOS
I don’t normally plug iOS games as I dont have an iPhone, but Hide and Seek contacted me about this new title a while ago and as it is about putting on a theatre show, (my day job being a theatre technician), it got me intrigued.
So, why not check out their website and give the game a try, if you have one of these new fangled iPhone thingies.
Eyeknow iOS Game from Wiggles 3D
The guys at Wiggles were very excited to tell us about their latest outing on the iPad.
Our Eye Know game now has an iPad app. It’s free, was launched Oct. 1 and is now available at the iPad App Store. What’s interesting about the application is its dynamic computer animations.
We also released an Eye Know 100-card Booster Pack this Fall, which includes 100 new images and 300 new questions!
The new app is a companion product to the Mensa Select-winning Eye Know board game. This free application features over 150 new images in eight different animations. The app presents players with blurred, scrambled and swirled pictures that slowly shift into crisp images of many different subjects including people, animals, symbols and more. The quicker you guess the correct image, the more points you receive!
The original Eye Know board game is a visual trivia betting game. It combines a vast array of images from abacus to zebras, the Grand Canyon to Princess Diana and trivia questions in a game that is fun and engaging by allowing players to select images they know. The app adds extra turns for each player—five turns from the printed question cards and two turns from the iPad.
The free application can be downloaded at the App Store on iPads.
Out This Week
And finally a word from our friends over at Board Game Guru, take it away Paul.
Hi,
More Essen releases are arriving today and some restocks
From Stronghold games we have ‘Core Worlds’, another deck builder, this follows ‘Eminent Domain’ into space but this time players are barbarian races conquering worlds as the progress to the Core Worlds of the empire which they are destroying
‘Outpost’ is a lavish reproduction of the 1991 classic.
‘Sake and Samurai’ is a light hearted game of attempting to become the most drunk Samurai whilst avoiding the inevitable pitfalls of drinking to excess
‘The Forgotten Planet’ is a mining race game set in a science fiction setting
Arriving tomorrow are (most of) the Zman Essen releases
‘Palenque’ is an area majority game set in central America.
‘Dark Minions’ is a dice rolling game where players can indulge their dark side by plundering and looting humanities creations
‘Quest : A time of heroes’ gets and English language release – its a gentle roll playing game that’s been popular on the continent
‘Undermining’ is a pick up and deliver game in a science fiction setting
‘Lifeboats’ is a a negotiation game, originally published in 1993
My pick of the week is ‘Fame and Fortune’ – the first expansion for ‘Civilization : The board game’ – I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at Essen and this adds some chromatic wonderfulness to one of my favourite games of 2010. There are four new civilizations, parts for a fifth player, new tech and culture cards, new ways to spend coins and now individual great people.
‘Super Dungeon Explore’ is a dungeon crawler set in a Japenese console world
‘Penny Arcade’ is a deck building game
The King’s Landing expansion for ‘A Game of Thrones Living card game’ of six Chapter packs has been reprinted in the 60 card fomat – these include ‘A time of Trials’ ‘The Battle of Blackwater bay’, ‘City of Secrets’ , ‘Secrets and Spies’. ‘Tales of the Red keep’ and ‘The Tower of the Hand’
Two new Fantasy Flight Print and play expansions arrive tomorrow
‘The Silver tablet’ is a new scenario for Mansions of Madness and there is a new scenario,’ The massing at Osgiliath’ for ‘Lord of the Rings The Card game’
‘Ant Assault’ is filler from Mongoose publishing
Restocks arriving today include ‘Quarriors’ , ‘Last will’ , ‘City Tycoon, ‘Pret a Porter,’ and ‘Upon a Salty Ocean’
A lot of gamers have asked about a release date for ‘Eclipse’ – I believe its late November and I will make it available for pre-order as soon as I have a price and confirmed date. I have now played the game four times and its my favourite game of 2011.
Happy gaming
Paul
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