Perplext, LLC

BET ON IT!

Bring the excitement of the race track to your next game night!

by Jennifer Handy, Vice President, Perplext

Long Shot: The Dice Game started in development more than five years ago when Perplext sought to bring back some of the favorite aspects of the now out-of-print original board game Long Shot (Z-Man games, 2009) and add some exciting new twists.

In the original Long Shot, designer Chris Handy set out to make a familyfriendly racing game built around a single horse race with 10 horses. He captured the nature of a real horse race, with betting and cheering on horses, in a short amount of playing time. With Long Shot: The Dice Game, Chris and the team at Perplext developed a light strategy game for up to 8 players that provides interesting strategic choices and just enough luck that results in emotional outbursts of excitement.

The theme is intriguing to the casual gamer who approaches the game with a built-in understanding of the game’s goal, while the mechanics and embedded strategy wet the hobbyists palate for a party strategy game that accommodates a full game-night’s players. Wes Tomlin of Never Bored Gaming states it best: “From solo gaming, to a double date night, to a party, Long Shot: The Dice Game does a fantastic job keeping everyone at the table active and engaged in the game!”

The original game lent intriguing possibilities, and as “roll & write” style gameplay was becoming popular, it became clear to Chris and the Perplext team that the style was a great direction in which to take a new version of the game. And so, Long Shot: The Dice Game took off out of the gate, and with help from the team at Brieger Creative, Perplext finished the game with compelling results. It delivers a modern, racing experience that “gives you the thrill of betting on actual horses, but throws in enough ways for you to manipulate the odds that it doesn’t feel like a complete gamble” (Jonathan Estis, Roll for Crit). And so the team’s intuition came to fruition when Brody Sheard from Meeple Mountain said, “Long Shot: The Dice Game will be one of the games mentioned when you hear someone say roll and write!”

It will also be one of the games retailers get asked about from new and existing patrons as participation and support for the wildly successful KickStarter campaign ripples in the market. And as a result of the campaign, Perplext also added several additional horse card sets and components, giving the game even more compelling reasons for gamers to revisit the title regularly.

Some exciting features of Long Shot: The Dice Game: • A short playing time of 25 minutes! • Clever “Roll & Write & Erase” gameplay! • Actions and betting while the race is on! • Multiple horse card sets, making each race exciting and unique! • Accommodating eight players and including a solo mode! • Small, portable box! • Full-color wooden horse tokens!

Perplext’s line of “Roland Wright” breaks new ground and expands the possibilities of the “roll & write” genre with each new title. Long Shot: The Dice Game is certainly no exception!

Long Shot: The Dice Game is available April 2022.

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Monica Rasso

Director Media & Events Membership Group monica.rasso@gama.org

Currently located in Columbia, South Carolina, Monica owns Tabletop Enterprises, LLC, (GameConHQ.com) which houses all of her gaming endeavors including: Meeples at Sea (a board gaming cruise company), TantrumCon, Proto ATL, and Game & Party Con. She also owns and manages scrapbooking retreats through her company, Super Scrappers.

Monica holds a BSBA degree in finance from the University of West Florida. Her professional career outside of the gaming world has been in financial compliance, audit and investigations. She’s moved every three years of her life, living in many states including: New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Utah, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Germany (and she speaks a little German, landing her fun jobs working at Essen Spiel).

Monica has two sons, ages 13 and 16, and has raised them properly in a gaming household! She plays semiweekly with her online Call of Cthulhu group and runs a local board game group through Meetup.com called “Soda City Gamers.” She prefers challenging, competitive games with worker placement or Euro aspects. She has dabbled in game design, but has found her place very happily in creating fun events that promote synergy and connection between gamers, designers, publishers, and store owners. She believes gaming events are magical. They bring people together and create smiles.

Tell us about your first job in the tabletop industry?

For many years, my experience in the tabletop industry was through volunteer work. I began volunteering in the board game library at the Dice Tower convention in Orlando, at its first convention about 12 years ago. From there, my interest in gaming events grew quickly, and a friend of mine paid me to be his general manager at Nexus Game Fair in Milwaukee. I then met the Tantrum House group at MegaMooseCon in South Carolina, and proposed that we create a convention together.

We started a business called TantrumCon. I had also been working as the “Cruise Director” for CrusieCon. A few years later ... I now own Meeples at Sea and CrusieCon board game cruises!

What prompted you to run for the GAMA board?

I didn’t think there was a place for me as an Events Manager at GAMA. I felt it was retail and publisher centered. With the announcement of the reorganization of membership groups, I was super excited about the change! I was confident that this would be a great opportunity for us event managers to share resources, ideas and network, and I knew I wanted to be a part of this.

With the combined groups of Media and Events, I was confident

Monica Rasso

that I could start some resources rolling for my media friends until we could elect a media representative to partner with me in March 2022.

What do you hope to accomplish at GAMA this year?

I’d like to communicate my vision for the Events members, and be open to listening to the needs of our Media members. I plan to utilize many of the resources that GAMA has built, and those that we, as a group, are planning to create. Spacial Chat (already in place) will be a great way to network. Town-hall meetings will be useful in gathering members and ideas. Surveys will be needed, and a monthly email to GAMA members in the Media & Events group is absolutely on my radar.

What challenges and/or opportunities do you see for the membership you are representing?

My group is made up of smart, creative people who are very important to the industry. However 90 percent of us are doing this secondary to a full-time job elsewhere. So, one barrier for my group is the cost of a $300 voting membership. Some media personalities make little to no profit when considering the cost of websites, equipment, travel and expenses. Many have described their work as a “labor of love.” For the Events members, we can be very regional-minded, with many running only one event in their spare time. I want potential members to know that we are aware of all of this and have some temporary solutions to the financial barrier. People may consider a Communicating Membership for just $100: https://www.gama.org/ page/communicating

What’s your best advice for someone entering the industry?

Know that you have support. There are so many helpful, kind, smart people in this industry. Being a member of a group like GAMA can help provide networking opportunities and support.

What games have delighted you recently?

The Moonshell and Vivid Kickstarter games just arrived at my house this week. I’m excited to try them both! I’ve been playing a few of my favorite games such as Spartacus, Blood Rage, and Cyclades recently. Star Trek Ascendency and Calico hit the table this month also!