Originally posted by Newjak
I've heard about Will Wheaton's games. I need to watch those videos.Speaking of Kickstarters have you had the chance to play Zombicide?
Nope, sorry. Looked it up quickly, though, and apparently it's not available for less than about $60. So it's definitely not a cheap game, though the components look cool.
Among my recent plays (most of them for the first time):
Smallworld
The Red Dragon Inn
Werewolves of Miller's Hollow
Ticket to Ride
Abyss
Terra Mystica
Coup
7 Wonders
Quelf
Racko
Suspend
I enjoyed all but a couple. Terra Mystica, while near the pinnacle of complex Euro-games, isn't my cup of tea. Not enough interesting player interaction, and it sacrifices theme for number crunching strategy. I like strategic depth, but not at the expense of feeling like I'm playing a game. It would get better with subsequent plays. But I have better things to do with two hours.
Racko is dated. Not terrible, but also not good.
A few will end up in my collection eventually - Smallworld, Red Dragon, Werewolves, and Ticket. I recommend them all. I liked the rest to varying degrees, but likely won't purchase them.
Originally posted by Newjak
Oh no it is not cheap but it is a great co-op game!
👆
Originally posted by Digi
BumpI've been playing all kinds of things, both at parties, smaller gatherings, and the weekly game night at my local shop. It's been good times.
I've also slowly started following trends in Kickstarter games, some of which are successful (and many of which aren't). There are certain types of games that can be produced for far less than others. With the right marketing, reasonable costs, and engaging concept, you can make bank on a game. I don't necessarily have a marketable concept, but the possibility of it intrigues me. I have the requisite marketing knowledge, and really good contacts in the production industry. It's probably something I could pull off with the right idea.
I've also discovered a great web series, Wil Wheaton's Tabletop:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F80C7D2DC8D9B6CReally fun, and a great way to learn about cool games.
Some of my friends are actually doing the whole making a board game thing. Not kickstarting it yet want to have more people test the early prototype before trying to kickstart the full thing to get it manufactured and stuff.
Originally posted by Lek Kuen
Some of my friends are actually doing the whole making a board game thing. Not kickstarting it yet want to have more people test the early prototype before trying to kickstart the full thing to get it manufactured and stuff.
Well yeah, you playtest and such prior to launching anything big. But, for example, I had a friend who had a Kickstarter for a board game, but it was a massive game with a lot of detailed figures, dice, etc. They didn't make it, not because it wasn't marketed well, but because the cost for production was so high.
Conversely, many I've seen that succeed have a clever premise but simplistic design. Like, it'll just be cards with black & white designs. Not as visually interesting, sure, but if it's the difference between your Kickstarter needing $10K as opposed to $60K, that could be the only factor that matters in success. Then you at least have some capital to improve the game in subsequent printings or expansions.
Recently played Redneck Life (zero strategy but hilarious), Tsuro of the Seas (a nice mid-length abstract game with beautiful components), and played some more of One Night Ultimate Werewolf, which is probably my favorite party and/or large group game, period.
I also designed a game (a card game) and ordered some professional quality cards with the designs/text for the game, so I can play with friends. My recent musings on Kickstarters had me brainstorming a bunch. It might be terrible or imbalanced, or exciting and fun, but I'm excited to find out either way. I don't anticipate trying to Kickstart it, but if I learn enough about the process, something like that isn't beyond possibility, so I may start doing research on it.
I'm making my own game.
I've ordered a cheap prototype, and will be having it playtested in months to come, and likely making numerous changes and tweaks. My eventual goal is to market the game heavily through gaming sites, reviews, etc. and start a modest Kickstarter to fund an initial printing of the game. There are minimum orders for any production company, but there are economical-but-professional routes where I could envision being able to print 100 copies for, say, $2500. Anything I make past that will just be cheaper production, and thus additional profits as well as more sales.
Most Kickstarters fail. I hold no delusions. But I also don't want to create something without at least trying to monetize it in the process, and the risk involved with Kickstarter is minimal.
Eventually, I'll be making a free downloadable version of the game available through Board Game Geek. It'll be artistically bare compared to the full version, but will be fully playable. That may not be for several months or even year (though I hope not), but I'll post it when it's made available.
Originally posted by Lek Kuen
What sort of game? A more fleshed out version of the card game mentioned earlier?
Yes.
The whole thing started as a thought experiment after researching numerous Kickstarters, so it's a natural progression. I've playtested it a couple times already and received feedback from fellow gamers, which revealed some fundamental flaws. Not enough to sink the game, which was still fun, but I've made some changes and additions that correct the issues. Tweaking will still happen, but the biggest issues have been accounted for.
I'm PMing you a description. It's still a work in progress, so I'm a bit reluctant to post specifics just yet. There are elements of bluffing and deduction, and variable player powers. It's chaotic enough that it probably qualifies as a party game, but there are elements of strategy as well.
Originally posted by Bardock42
That is loser talk. "Yes, the participation medal is half the fun"
"Loser talk"? Just what does that mean exactly, dude? Because someone enjoys doing something intellectually stimulating with their free time they are "losers"? LOL. I guess watching sports all the damn time or drinking beer until you get ****faced is your idea of a "winner", huh?
Originally posted by Star428
"Loser talk"? Just what does that mean exactly, dude? Because someone enjoys doing something intellectually stimulating with their free time they are "losers"? LOL. I guess watching sports all the damn time or drinking beer until you get ****faced is your idea of a "winner", huh?
I'm pretty sure he was joking around. No one here on KMC is in a position to legitimately condescend toward others' hobbies.
Kickstarters are intense. I've been doing a lot of research on them, and it's a ton of work. Mind you, I never thought otherwise, but it's a different feeling once you actually wrap your mind around the process. Because you're essentially starting a business, and a lot of the same considerations have to go into it, including legal, financial, and logistical. Some of the risk is absorbed in the Kickstarter model, which is why it's better for many than launching a startup company. But it's not without some initial investment.
In any case, especially with an initial Kickstarter, it's at least a year-long process. My game is still being beta tested at a local game shop, so I'm not even in the early stages. But probably once the new year rolls around, I'll start the pre-launch stuff of setting up a business and establishing shipping models, creating a website and social media presence, contributing to and following numerous blogs and forums, etc.
- I just played Eldritch Horror, an incredibly involved game in the Lovecraft universe. My lone knock on it is how long it took. Apparently it's normally about 3 hours, and it was more like 4 with two of us learning it for the first time. But it had an incredibly strong theme, and was a tense, challenging co-op. I'm not even a fan of the Lovecraft mythos necessarily, but it was cool as hell. It may be in my top 10...which, granted, has been changing a ton in recent months as I play more and more things that interest me. If I could complete a session in 2 hours or so, I'd love everything about it.
- Right now that list looks something like this:
1. Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
2. Lords of Waterdeep
3. One Night Ultimate Werewolf
4. Stratego
5. Small World
6. Eldritch Horror
7. Castle Risk
8. Super Munchkin
9. Love Letter
10. Ticket to Ride
- I got to playtest my game in full for the first time. Still lots of kinks to work out, but it was a success with a group of 6 of us. Lots of fun was had. It was reassuring that I can turn it into something workable for larger audiences.
Bump.
I'm brainstorming for a game room (in my gf's and my new basement), and will shortly be joining the local board gaming scene in my new city. I have a robust list of games that I can't currently afford, but hope to have in the next year or two.
If anyone is on BGG and wants to add me as a Geek Buddy, PM me.
I keep having ideas for games. My latest is "Public Domain", a globe-hopping (or at least board-hopping, since the map might not actually be the Earth) semi-cooperative game where players can choose from teams of characters in the public domain - fictional or historical - with different abilities and stats. So, like, Captain Nemo and Zorro vs. Mother Goose and Nikola Tesla. That's really all I have so far, beyond some general musings on other co-ops like Arkham/Eldridge Horror and Forbidden Island. But it's fun to think about.
I do have a working prototype of my "first" game, not just a hodgepodge of ideas. It's gone through some testing, and I have some tweaking to do still, before more testing and a higher-quality prototype.