Game Nite Magazine issue # 2

Game Nite

Issue # 2

the magazine of tabletop gaming

ee r F

y Pla d n e! t a nsid n i Pr me I Ga

GAME REVIEWS REINER KNIZIA INTERVIEW PT. 1

JAMES ERNEST CHEAPASS GAMES

“THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN GAME” FILM

“THE ART OF GAME DESIGN” 2ND EDITION

AND MORE!

IN THIS ISSUE:

FILM REVIEW 30

REVIEWS 06

Tile Chess

12

Cards of Cthulhu

22

Samurai Spirit

32

Golem Arcana

Solitaire to 4 players.

Hi-Tech Miniatures Game.

42

Sutakku

50

Timeline

44

Franz Vohwinkel

52

Variation

57

Prototypes

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INTERVIEWS James Ernest

Carcassonne app.

Variation in Game Design.

Minding your A, B, P’s.

The Art of Game Design Second edition book and cards.

MINIATURES

Educational Fun.

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20

A Push Your Luck Dice Game.

Reiner Knizia

Bridging the Gap.

BOOK REVIEW

A New Classic Pub Game.

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08

GAME DESIGN

Antoine Bauza Co-op.

Pairs

Documentary or Tutorial?

TECH

Chess meets Hive?

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The Next Great American Game

Mark Copplestone Sculptor to sculptor interview.

CONTRIBUTORS

Legendary Game Designer.

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Game Nite Contributors

PRINT AND PLAY

Designer/Publisher.

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Artist.

Pairs Cheapass Games PnP.

NEXT ISSUE

HISTORY 04

Boardgame History

Ancient Egypt.

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Issue #3 Preview Preliminary cover to issue #3.

FROM THE GAMING TABLE

Game Nite ISSUE # 2

W

ow… I’m stunned at the response that we received for

our first issue! I’d like to thank everyone for all of their kind words and support.

I’d also like to thank Dr. Reiner Knizia, James Ernest, Mark Copplestone and Franz Vohwinkel for taking the time to be interviewed. Not surprisingly, they have a lot of interesting things to say.

We have several new contributors for this issue. I’d like to salute John Anthony Gulla for Part One of his History of Boardgames, John Andrews for his comparison of the Carcassonne app to the actual board game, Bill Braun’s review of Golem Arcana - as well as his accompanying photographs, and for Games Precipice (Matt Pavlovich and Alex Harkey) for their awesome article on Variation in Game Design.

We are grateful to James Ernest, for providing our readers with a full color copy of his game “Pairs”. This is a fun little game that hits our game table every week. Give it a try!

For writers and photographers who are interested in contributing to the magazine, please turn to our Contributors section of the magazine to see what we are currently looking for.

Thank you, once again, for making the first issue such a success! I hope that you will enjoy this one as well, as we strive to make each issue better than the last.

Editor in Chief/Publisher: Serge Pierro Editor: Eric Devlin Contributing Writers: Dan Fokine Bill Braun John Andrews Alex Harkey Matt Pavlovich John Anthony Gulla Photographers: Serge Pierro Bill Braun Visit us on Facebook:

Serge Pierro

www.facebook.com/GameNiteMagazine visit us at:

Editor in Chief

editor@gamenitemagazine.com

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Cover Photograph by Serge Pierro.

Inn Fighting ©Wizards of the Coast

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History

The History of Tabletop Games

By John Anthony Gulla

Part One - Egypt

U

SA, March, 2015: Chances are that if you’ve endeavored to read this article, you are already a part of the bona fide “renaissance” that the board game hobby is currently experiencing. Dubbed by some as a “Golden Age of Board Games,” the previous 15 to 25 years (approx.) have reinvigorated tabletop gaming for a great many people, bringing more and more gamers, designers, and companies into the hobby who are producing and playing more games than at any point in the history of humankind… and that is saying something, because tabletop games have existed since the beginning of recorded history!

With exactly that thought in mind, it seems prudent that we dive into the deep end of history together, moving on a journey through the tabletops of time, and highlighting what we know about boards games throughout antiquity, including their origins in wellknown cultures, who played them, how they worked, and which games have stood out in particular (with, perhaps, some theories as to why).

EGYPT, c. 3100 B.C. I’d venture that most hobby gamers are already quite familiar with Ancient Eqypt as the first known civilization bearing evidence of having created and played board games heavily as a people, in addition to the most popular example of an Ancient Egpytian board game, Senet. Still, there are some interesting details about Senet that are lesser known, including the fact that we really don’t know the actual rules of the game!

Since the discovery of a Senet table and pieces (with many others being discovered after as well), scholars and

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gamers alike have merely guessed at both its purpose (i.e., that it is simply a tabletop game of some kind) and how it was actually played, using existing knowledge of Egyptian culture, contextual evidence such as wall paintings/ inscriptions, and an understanding of later tabletop games that share some similarities (and of which we know more about for certain). Even the name Senet itself involves a small amount of speculation garnered from context since, in Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, it is referred to without vowels only as “Snt.” While some details about Senet will be forever lost to history, there are some important things we do know about it for certain, including the probable conclusion that this game actually had a rich and significant theme and that it was most likely a 2-player only game. The name Senet is loosely translated as a verb “to pass,” meaning the passing of an individual from life into the afterlife—not surprising since we are all well aware of how much time the Ancient Egyptians spent focusing on what became of someone after death. The game features a 30- square grid, with some specially marked squares, with the spaces seemingly signifying the journey through life and after death. Movement on these spaces was determined first by using throwing sticks, a randomization mechanic that predates dice. Throwing sticks were made to have one side of a flat or flattened stick colored darkly and the other light (or natural). On their turn, a player would throw a certain amount of these sticks to the table in a random fashion and see how many dark sides landed face up, thereby determining how many spaces they could move their pieces. The goal was likely to be the first to finish this journey with your multiple pawns before the other player did. Yes, my fellow game enthusiasts, this may well be the first ever roll-and-move game, so you have the Ancient Egyptians to blame for that. Though roll-and-move may be less popular in today’s gaming world, it seems that it was all the rage in Ancient Egypt (you know, “cult of the new,” and all), having been played by Pharaohs and slaves alike.

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photo: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund - Creative Commons

Elaborate and well-made Senet game tables were found in King Tut’s tomb, while makeshift, scribbled wooden Senet boards have been found in shallow, unmarked graves in Egypt, making it a game that appears to have been popular in all segments of society.

Although Senet was perhaps the most popular game in Ancient Egypt, it was not, however, the only game in town…. Literally. Some slightly lesser known tabletop games from around the same era (and throughout later dynasties of Ancient Egypt) include, Mehen (mHn): a game played on a circular board depicting a coiled snake (in reference to the Egyptian Snake-deity, Mehen, who may be best known to us now as the snake who is seen coiled around the head of Ra) and a game which appears to have been the only multi-player game of the period; Aseb (also referred to as the Game of Twenty Squares): a game possibly

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related to Senet, since it was often found on the backside of a Senet game board and has similar features (but which much less is known); and finally, Hounds and Jackals (as it’s referred to in modernity): a peg-board style racing game, which may well be the earliest relative of Chutes and Ladders/Snakes and Ladders. While the above games were all created and played over the long period of time in which Ancient Egypt’s civilization persisted (~1000 years), it is nevertheless noteworthy that these games stayed with the culture for as long as they did and had an established importance to all within their wondrous society. Indeed, Senet is still played by gamers even today, as evidenced by both the many online versions available and the beautifully made gameboards created by modern gamers.

I hope you’ll join me next time, for part II of the series: The Games of Ancient Greece and Rome.

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Game Review

Tile Chess

By Serge Pierro

Chess meets Hive?

S

teve Jackson Games has a new printing available of their fascinating game, “Tile Chess”. This is a chess based game that can be played with 2-4 players, and it is played without a board!

“Tile Chess” was designed by Jason Wittman and developed by Steve Jackson (see issue #1 for our interview with Steve Jackson).

The game comes with four standard sets of chess tiles: Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, and each tile measures 1 1/2”. The tiles have a brilliantly designed bottom that allows players to press down on an edge and then lift the piece up without disturbing the surrounding pieces.

“Tile Chess” uses a concept called “The Unity Rule” which states that all of the pieces must end their turn adjacent to another piece.

This means that no piece or group of pieces can be separated from the group of other tiles. Players who are familiar with “Hive” will easily understand how this works.

One of the interesting aspects of the game is the setup. In turn each player places one of their tiles on the table, connecting it to a tile already on the table, either by touching “corner to corner” or “side to side”. Pieces may be placed in any order, however, the King tile must be placed last. This phase of the game is as strategic and interesting as the actual game play.

For the most part the pieces move the same as Chess. The major difference being that a Pawn can move one space in a “+” direction and can capture in a “x” direction. Some rules differences are: Players can move “over/through” their own pieces, but may not move over opponents pieces, except the Knight which moves the same as in standard Chess. Pieces may move over “empty” areas of the “grid”, but must be able to legally end their move attached to a piece. Some players will find playing on a large grid easier, as they can then trace the “line of sight” of the pieces.

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When you capture an opponent’s King, you take control of their remaining pieces. In our three player games, the “conqueror” had a two to one army advantage, where as in our four player games it seemed more balanced as the “conqueror” now had to fend off two other players. It appears to be balanced, but I’d have to play several dozen more games to get a better feel as to what can be expected.

“Tile Chess” takes chess to a whole new level. First of all, opening theory is thrown out the window. Players are on their own right from the start. After a few plays you will start to develop your own theories on how to set up, but with so many possible positions for both you and your opponent, it will be hard to settle into a “standard” position. This feels more like a war game as you have more control over where to place your pieces and the strategy that follows. I think that Bobby Fischer would have loved to have tried this game.

Players who are interested in chess variants and/or Hive will find this hitting the table often. Although it can be played as a two player game, it really shines with 3 or 4 players.

Designer: Jason Wittman Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Number of players: 2-4 Ages: 12+

Recommended

www.sjgames.com

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Tech

Bridging the Gap

By John Andrews

“Tabletop games like Carcassonne aren’t the same on smartphones and tablets – and they shouldn’t be.”

A

few months ago, I picked up the Android version of Carcassonne on sale. Since I work for an app development company, I’m probably more willing than most to experience tabletop games on mobile devices. The game went on my phone, a cheapo tablet from a few years ago, and my touchscreen laptop (via Android emulation software BlueStacks and Andy).

There’s still nothing that compares to friends gathering around a game board. But in some cases, tabletop games on mobile devices can offer some of the best of both worlds.

Single-player practice Jumping into a complicated game with experienced players can be daunting - especially if they’re the competitive type. Even if you know the rules, the intricacies of a game might only emerge when your supposed friend is doing victory dances on the table. slideshow of rules and illustrations, but after that quick Mobile games can offer prompts that make play progress primer, you can play against the computer. more smoothly.

Artificial intelligences in video games generally take Carcassonne displays a plus sign in a square in all one of two forms: the blithering idiot or the shameless the possible spots your current tile can be placed. It’s cheater. Sure, Deep Blue beat Gary Kasparov at chess impossible to make an illegal move. There’s even an nearly 20 years ago, but programming a truly challenging option that crosses out spaces that can never be filled.

AI is still incredibly difficult.

Some mobile games include fully interactive tutorials.

Many people learn by doing, so a guided tour of available moves and strategies jumpstarts a first-time player’s experience. Carcassonne opts for more basic

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There is value in playing against a pushover. A neophyte can learn the ropes of a complex game and gain confidence. Noting mistakes made by the AI helps a player avoid the same traps. Once the player has

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absorbed the fundamentals, they’re ready to bump up the difficulty setting. Or, you know, play with humans.

Will online games encourage shut-ins to become even more insular? Possibly. They also might spark a desire to meet up in person and leave the house more often. In Online multiplayer any case, even if it’s a different kind of connection than Whether your friends are geographically dispersed or hanging out in the flesh, they still offer that essential you just don’t have any enlightened enough to play with link. you, there are always opponents waiting for you in the cloud.

Portability Mobile devices are, tautologically, mobile. The Yes, tabletop games are social. That makes online play all distractions offered by the Internet are multitudinous, the more valuable. Old friendships can be maintained so why not spend that ten minutes waiting in line and even rekindled over long distances; people can meet polishing your tile-laying skills instead? like-minded souls even if they’re unable to travel.

Continued on next page>

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Tech (cont.)

Friends in tight spaces can start up a game any time.

Spreading out 72 tiles in the back seat of a hatchback on a road trip is asking for trouble, but passengers can easily pass around a tablet. You can fit dozens of games in your pocket rather than needing another cubic foot of tote bag for every title you want to cart around.

That portability does come with downsides. For one, you need a sufficient supply of power. Though you can certainly play on your smartphone during a blackout, it’s perhaps not the best use of limited battery capacity.

Slavish rules conformance House rules are a time-honored tradition of board gaming. Who hasn’t prayed for a dice roll that lands their dog/car/stupid little iron on Free Parking in Monopoly?

Most games don’t enjoy such universally accepted house rules as the Free Parking jackpot, though. Even that one is bound to raise the hackles of the real stickler in your group. (There’s always one.)

House rules for Carcassonne are easy to imagine: removing certain tiles; trading properties; retrieving You’re also limited by the size of your screen; zooming and scoring farmers once they’re boxed in; an endin and out helps, but you’re still squinting at small of-game bonus for longest road à la Settlers of Catan; graphics. This is where my 13-inch touchscreen laptop splitting points between owners of a resource instead of shines. Holographic 3D displays are still a few years winner-take-all or full points to everyone in a tie. The away. possibilities are endless. And the computer cares not one bit.

Automatic scoring Maybe figuring out exactly how many points each player Rare is the video game that allows adjustment of accrues, at every turn and at game’s end, is your favorite its governing rules. User preferences like musical part of the whole endeavor. accompaniment, player selection, and even difficulty are commonplace, but changing actual gameplay is hardly If, on the other hand, you’re a normal person, playing ever possible. the darn game is your main concern. The final score might not even matter much if you enjoy the experience, The technical reasons for that are obvious: it’s harder to the challenge, the camaraderie. code a game with adjustable rules than one where they’re set in stone. Even if you design a game with options like The mobile version of Carcassonne in particular is good “Cities are worth [ENTER NUMBER] points per tile” about showing exactly where your points are coming or “Allow meeple withdrawal without scoring [YES/ from. Cities, roads, and cloisters are highlighted as NO]?” the designer can never think of everything. they add to player scores, and the relevant meeples are animated. Outnumbered meeples shrink out of sight as On a more philosophical level, game designers finally they generate zero points. There’s even a summary in the have complete control over game rules when there’s a final tally screen showing total scores broken down by software program enforcing them. Why would they city, road, cloister, and field. want players upsetting the delicate balance they’ve created?

There’s nothing keeping people from ignoring the computer-tallied score, of course. Gaming may be Besides, if folks really want to change things up, they cutthroat, but honorable players can agree to set aside can pay for expansion packs. official scoring practices for their own private games.

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Game Review

The Cards of Cthulhu

By Serge Pierro

Sanity Saving Solitaire?

A

lthough primarily known as a war game company, Dan Verssen Games does offer some games that are not military based. The Cards of Cthulhu is one of those games, and there is a lot to like about it.

Upon opening the box, you are greeted with four separate boards that the game will be played on, a rule book, a help sheet, cards, coins and dice. The playing boards are made of a thick cardboard and are illustrated with Cthulhu inspired art. One thing to note, especially on the actual “Cthulhu� board, is that the backs of the cards when placed on the board tend to blend in, making it hard to see the card. The Help Sheet is a thin cardboard reference sheet that has all the essential rules on it for ease of play.

The glossy 24 page rulebook is excellent in its depth of coverage. Only 9 pages are the actual rules, with the other pages devoted to describing all the key cards, a sample game, and three Cthulhu short stories. Physically the cards are of decent quality and have appropriate artwork for the atmosphere of the game. The dice are engraved with a little Cthulhu head on each die face along with the number. As typical with red ink on a black die, it was hard to make out the number rolled unless the die was well lit in front of you. The best component in the box was easily the metal coins. With the look and feel of a United States penny these double sided coins have the number one raised above the surface, along with a Cthulhu head on each side. The only negative factor is that there are only ten coins. Although somewhat suitable for solo play (I did run out of coins during a couple of games) these are nowhere enough for 2-4 player games. We wound up using poker chips instead.

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Although listed as a 1-4 player game, the instructions are written for solitaire play and the 2-4 player rules are given as optional. The game play is somewhat similar for both, with the main difference being that in the solo game you have one Investigator that you control and in a multiplayer game you have more options available due to the other players Investigators being available. Both approaches have their plusses and minuses.

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At the start of the game you choose what Investigator you would like to use. Each player receives four experience in the form of the Cthulhu coins. You will be using the experience in various ways throughout the game, including buying spells, items, followers and other in game effects. The four Cult boards are laid out on the playing surface and the cards are shuffled into one deck and placed aside. Each turn four cards are turned over and put into play. Any Minions, Horrors, or Gates are

placed on the appropriate areas of the board. If you draw any Followers or Items, they are placed aside and you may purchase them for the price indicated on the card, or discarded for one coin. Each board has spaces for three Horrors who awaken when the stated number of Minions is reached. If a Horror is wakened, you have to do a sanity check. If you fail, you lose the game.

Fortunately there are several ways to avoid the sanity loss, but many of them are circumstantial and it is very Continued on next page>

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Game Review (Cont.) possible to lose on early turns with several gates in play.

After purchasing items and followers and checking to see if any Horrors have awaken, you can choose a Cult board to attack. There is a hierarchy to the attack structure. If there are only Minions, you can attack them. If there is an awakened Horror, you first have to attack and defeat it before attacking the Minions. To make matters worse, the Minions guard any Gates that come into play. So it is possible to face a Horror guarding his Minions while the Minions guard the Gate. This is problematic, since if five Minions are on a board at the end of your turn, they summon an Elder god and you lose the game.

The aforementioned Gates have the effect of having to draw an additional card from the deck for each different colored Gate in play. This can quickly overwhelm a player if they are not dealt with promptly. For players to win, they have to finish the game by going through the entire deck of cards and have four or less Minions on any board and while there are no Horrors that are awake. If there are any awakened Horrors, you have to first defeat them before winning the game.

This has become my “go to” solitaire game when I am looking to have a fun and challenging gaming experience. I like to play it without using the “Hurry” spell, which allows you to make an additional attack per turn, as this increase the challenge quite a bit and makes for a more satisfying victory when pulled off.

DVG should be commended for making a game that is equally enjoyable in both solitaire and multiplayer modes. Clearly their experience with solo war games has carried over into this offering. While the market is flooded with Cthulhu games, this clearly stands out as one of the more interesting offerings.

Designer: Ian Richard Publisher: Dan Verssen Games Number of players: 1-4 Mechanic: Hand Management Ages: 10+

Recommended www.dvg.com

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Interview Miniatures

Mark Copplestone Copplestone Castings UK

By Dan Fokine

I

recently had the chance to ‘sit down’ with Sculptor Mark Copplestone, of Copplestone Castings UK. Mark is kind of my hero. He’s been at the craft of sculpting minis for over three decades. His sculpts and his take on ‘the industry’ show an artist who is aware of the realities of his work as commercial, but also unrepentant in his pursuit of what fires his imagination. His ‘hand hewn’ freeform style and off beat pulp genres and ranges define, to me, the ‘sweet spot’ of ‘paintability’, utility, and creativity.

How did you get into this business?

What was the moment you realized you’d be a commercial artist/craftsman in this field?

When I was in my early teens I painted and converted a lot of Airfix figures, but then for the next 15 years other interests took over, the way they often do. By then I was a teacher and one day I was browsing a newsagent’s display when I saw the first issue of Wargames Illustrated.

It was full of pictures and it made it all look interesting and grown-up.

I discovered from the ads that there were a couple of wargame shops in Central London so with my interest

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re-ignited I went off and bought a few Minifigs ECW infantry. They didn’t quite match my vision so I just sat down and made my own pikemen and musketeers from Milliput, made some silicone moulds and drop cast them. After that I did freelance work, mostly for Dixon Miniatures, in the evenings after work until in around 1987 I saw that Games Workshop were advertising for full-time sculptors. I applied and they gave me a job.

What was the first thing you ever got paid to sculpt?

Mark Copplestone

Sculptor .

Grenadier

Heartbreaker

A small gang of fantasy thugs and ruffians for Nick Lund’s Chronicle Miniatures way back in 1981.

What were some of the companies you worked for?

Games Workshop

Chronicle, Dixon Miniatures, Games Workshop, Grenadier, Heartbreaker, Guernsey Foundry.

www.copplestonecastings.co.uk

How many years have you been at this?

Depends on how you define “this”.

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When I was little I was always making Plasticene figures so I could re-enact whatever film or book inspired me at the time, from Wind in the Willows to Zulu.

That would take me back more than 50 years, but as paid sculptor I suppose it’s been 33 years.

What made you decide to start your own company?

After the implosion of the Foundry project I thought life would be less stressful if I just did my own thing. and for a while I became obsessed with making a very

How long does it take you on average to produce a minia- stylizsed, black-and-white game of interwar revolution.

It’s a long way from mainstream gaming, I know. ture? 25mm and 10-15mm.

That’s the piece of string question. It depends on how elaborate it is, how clear the design is in my mind and whether it’s based on a metal mannequin etc etc. I’ve never been the fastest sculptor, but I used to be a lot faster than I am now. Pushing the putty around is only the final stage, especially with fantasy miniatures.

Nowadays it’s mostly about the will to do it.

Is what inspires you when you started the same as what inspires you today?

Probably. Maybe not. Not sure. I realize I’m becoming more and interested in stylized rather than scalemodelling approaches. I’ve always wanted to create tiny imaginary worlds inspired by films, books or art, but accurate little soldiers on realistic terrain just don’t appeal to me anymore. I can appreciate the skill but that style doesn’t fire my imagination. A couple of weeks ago I was looking at an exhibition at the V&A Museum of preliminary models of stage sets; some of them were stylised, some were intricate but they were rarely literal and they really made me think about alternative approaches to gaming terrain. Recently I came across the work of Gerd Arntz, the artist and graphic designer,

What has changed in the industry that you’ve noticed and does it affect your work?

Technically 3D computer sculpting and printing is and will change miniature design, both stylistically and in terms of accessibility. The analogue world of figure designers (as we used to be called) was a very small one. Not many people had the interest or ability to make appealing little models out of a bit of epoxy putty. Now there are a lot of good virtual 3D modelers who through the internet can draw on a virtual library for information and inspiration and easily collaborate with people anywhere in the world. I also think that online viewing of small figures blown up to many times their actual size is changing perceptions of what a good miniature is. There’s a “scaleless” quality to digital sculpting tends to create blander miniatures with lots of detail but less character. It’s as if graphic novels were all to become photorealistic.

Traditionally old-fashioned miniatures manufacture was a low-tech, relatively low-cost business where sculptor-manufacturers were common. Nowadays the prevalence of plastics and computer design has shifted Continued on next page>

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Miniatures Interview (Cont.) the balance towards people with capital who employ often unnamed sculptors. Good (and bad) ideas can be more easily turned into products and it will be the companies who make them that will be well-known, rather than the sculptors.

Who’s your favorite mini artist or mini game line?

Are you enjoying the smaller scale 15 mm and 10 mm lines and are you planning on sticking with these scales for a bit? Is it hard to transition between scales?

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with smaller scales.

Over the years ‘ve started on a few small-scale ranges that stalled: back in Grenadier days a 10mm Migration period range, then a SYW range at Foundry and more recently a Dutch Revolt range. I start and then lose faith in the project. On one hand I love the idea of pulling out a drawer in a map cabinet and revealing a whole miniature world with all its armies and terrain.

On the other hand I find sculpting and painting them a bit of a chore.

To be honest, I buy almost no miniatures and I don’t really keep up with what’s new. In general, though, I’d say that GW have consistently brought out characterful miniatures that work together in units and armies.

They’ve always had a great team of sculptors and artists, underpinned by the fantastic imagination of John Blanche. I think there’s no doubt that Alan and Michael Perry make the most fluent and naturalistic historical What makes you choose the lines and genres you do? For miniatures. Amongst recent fantasy miniatures I’m instance, the great Back of Beyond line. really impressed by Tre Manor’s work - aggressive figures in good poses with good anatomy.

I just follow my personal interests. A range might be sparked by something I’ve seen or read, but never really Who’s your favorite artist/sculptor in general? by any commercial imperative. Sometimes a range changes focus as it goes along. The Back of Beyond, for Big question. I visit galleries, buy art books and watch example, started in my mind as a Pulp skirmish range art documentaries and there’s always something new and inspired by Peter Hopkirk’s Setting the East Ablaze. interesting to see. The toy soldier part of me is always The title of the range itself was taken from a book drawn to the art of the Northern Renaissance: Durer, review in a Punch magazine from 1922. Typically the Brueghel and Patinir especially. All those little people, range changed direction as it went along, following my realistic details and strange landscapes are perfect food reading and becoming more centered on the Russian for the imagination. In sculpture I’d have to choose Civil War. the period from Rodin to Moore - just so many great sculptors exploring new ways of seeing and representing What are you currently working on? the human form.

What is your preferred medium?

I probably use Procreate (grey stuff) most, but sometimes I’ll use Green Stuff on its own or mixed with Milliput.

What would you say to someone thinking about starting the craft of miniature sculpting today?

Go to a life sculpture class, learn a digital sculpting program, and look outside the small world of wargames and fantasy miniatures for wider possibilities.

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I’m making some 10mm Elves and mean to start on my 15mm fantasy Romans as soon as I’ve properly decided what I want them to look like. I recently made a few 28mm fantasy characters for a North Star/Osprey project and I enjoyed making them so who knows what that might lead to. And running in the background I have a personal project, Little Interwars: a range of 30mm interwar toy soldiers representing imaginary countries and sculpted as if they had been made in the 1930’s. They’re rather like an interwar version of Aly Morrison’s Shiny Toy Soldiers, but inspired by Elastolin rather than CBG-Mignot.

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Book Review

The Art of Game Design

By Serge Pierro

Second Edition Book & Card Set

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ithin every field there is a publication that eventually gets referenced to as “the bible”. For those who have already read the first edition of Jesse Schell’s classic book, “The Art of Game Design”, they can already know why this book is considered by many to be the “bible” of Game Design. We will be taking a look at the Second Edition of the book and see if it still is worthy of this illustrious designation.

Having read the first edition and giving it five stars on Goodreads, I was curious to see how the Second Edition would compare with its predecessor. The first thing that you notice is that the book has been expanded from the 489 pages in the original edition to the current total of 555 pages. There are 13 new lenses (see below), bringing the number up to 113. Much of the material has been updated and some of the highlights of this edition include monetary models in the business section (Free to Play, etc.), a basic section on Kickstarter, and the rise of Facebook and other socially oriented games. Although the book provides excellent material for both board game and card game designers, it is still slanted towards video games, and even more so in this edition. However, many of the brilliant sections still remain, including the introduction to probability, which is a must read for aspiring game designers, especially if they are unfamiliar with the “theoretical” side of the subject matter. Another interesting aspect of the book is that Schell draws from

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many sources outside the game design circle and presents their approaches and intellectual studies, including those of architects and psychologists. There is a great deal of depth to the material and it would take far too many words and pages to highlight them all.

This is not a quick read. However, that is not to say that it is written in a dry manner, it is both engaging and thought provoking. You will read a paragraph or two and then close both the book and your eyes, and contemplate the material that you have just read. This is a book whose information is to be savored as you read it, not to be rushed through. Even after having read both the first and second editions of the book, I look forward to having the time to re-read it again in the future!

There are suggestions at the end of each chapter for even more resources for further exploration, including books and online resources. At the end of the book

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there is an Endnotes section that further expands on some of the previous material on a page by page basis. The three page Bibliography contains dozens of books for further study. This is a substantial book for someone looking to get serious about Game Design.

The Art of Game Design - A Deck Of Lenses The complete title of the book is “The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses”. For those who are unfamiliar with the phrase “A Book of Lenses”, this is Jesse Schell’s way of presenting the most important aspects of a chapter into a memorable summary for the use of either memorization or accessing it at a later date. There are 113 of these gems scattered throughout the book. To make them more accessible to both the Game Designer and his team, he has made them available separately as an oversized deck of 113 cards that come in their own storage box.

Each card measures 3 x 5 inches and the card stock is of decent quality, considering that the cards are not meant for excessive shuffling. Each card is laid out in a similar manner. In the upper left corner is the Lens number and the name of the Lens is centered at the top of the card. The card features an illustration which helps in the visualizing/memorizing of the Lens. There is a concise summary of the Lens in the middle of the card, followed by a series of questions that the designer should be asking themselves about their game. Simple, but very effective.

The only downside to the cards is that some information needed to left off. In the majority of cases this is fine, however, in the case of a card such as Lens #22, it states “On which levels of Maslow’s hierarchy is my game operating?”, which is all fine and good if you happen to know what he is referring to. In this case, Abraham Maslow was a Psychologist who wrote a paper on “A Theory of Human Motivation”, which is broken down into five “needs”. They are sufficiently explained in the book and includes a diagram. However, the card lists none of the “needs”, thus making the reader reach for their copy of “The Art of Game Design”

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and hunt down the Lens in the book to refresh their memory of the hierarchy… kind of defeating the purpose of having a handy set of cards for reference. Otherwise the cards are brilliant and are a joy to keep on your desk and pull one or more out and see how they relate to your current design. While doing this review, I was working on two prototypes that were greatly enhanced as I held them “up to the lenses” and saw them in a new light.

Author: Jesse Schell Publisher: CRC Press

Highly Recommended Game Nite

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Game Review

Samurai Spirit

By Serge Pierro

A Challenging Co-op Game

A

ntoine Bauza is known for having designed some excellent games, including: 7 Wonders, Hanabi, Tokaido, and Takenoko. Each of them are very different in both design and actual game play. With his latest design, Samurai Spirit, he returns to the realm of a difficult co-op game in the “spirit” of one his earlier games, “Ghost Stories”. Does it live up to the pedigree of the aforementioned games? Let’s find out.

Upon opening Samurai Spirit, the first surprise is that the box is a deeper version of the Kosmos two player game box size. It is nice to see a game that actually fits inside the box, instead of being lost in a vast amount of empty space. Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a nice, 11 page, color manual. The game board is also the size of the box and serves as a type of “lid” for the contents. The next thing to catch your eye is the large heavy cardboard character game boards that each of the players will use. These double sided boards are asymmetrically designed with each character having an ability in their Samurai mode and when flipped over, their Animal mode. These cards keep track of damage taken and and other relevant data. The 66 Raider cards are of decent quality and are broken down into 52 Plunderers, 7 Lieutenants, and 7 Bosses. The amount of these cards that are used in the game will be determined by the amount of players. Also included are seven wooden Samurai meeples that are used for tracking damage on the character boards. There are also various cardboard tokens that are used within the game.

is a game for players who are looking for a fun and interesting challenge.

The game setup is determined by how many players there are and the level of difficulty that you want to attempt. Be forewarned, this is not an easy game, and you will lose far more games than you will win. This

After setting up the game, each decide to take one of three actions. common, is to Fight. The player of the Raider deck and decides to

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player in turn will The first, and most takes the top card either Confront or

Defend against the Raider. If they choose to Confront, the card is placed to the right of their player board and the Samurai meeple is moved accordingly on the player board to reflect the damage taken by the attack. Any symbol (wound, fire, etc.) that is “exposed� on the right side of the player board takes effect at the start of that players next turn.

A player may instead choose to Defend against the Raider, that is, if the Raider has a Hat, Farm or Doll symbol on the card, the card is then placed on the left side of the player board opposite the relevant symbol.

Only one of each card symbol may be Defended against.

This is an important aspect of the game. Since you are most likely going to be facing 7 Raiders in a round, and Continued on next page>

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Game Review (Cont.) you have to try and Defend three attacks that match the symbols, otherwise grievous penalties apply. There is little room for error. Generally, you will want to fill those Defense slots as soon as possible, because if you don’t, you run the risk of Family members being removed, Farms burning or your character taking a wound. We played several games where a player was unable to fill up the left side of their board and the Family tokens were removed from the game, thus leading to a loss.

Another important action that can be taken is that of skipping your turn to give another player your support token. The support tokens all have useful abilities that another player can use on their turn, but must then return the token back to the owner at the beginning of the token owners next turn. However, they come at the cost of you not being able to use your turn to attack.

The last action you can take is to Pass. The most common reason to pass is if you go over your Kiai number (see below), you have no choice and must pass and burn a barricade or house. You are considered out of play for the rest of the round and any adverse Raider effects have no effect.

The Kiai number is a very important aspect of the game. While you are taking damage from the Raiders, you are trying to have an attack do EXACTLY the amount of damage neccessary to move your meeple to the last number on your player board. This triggers the characters Kiai effect, which is shown at the bottom of the board. This has two benefits. The first is that the the top card of your “damage stack” is removed and placed in the discard pile, and the second is that of the Kiai effect itself. Each character has a beneficial Kiai effect which will be greatly needed in any attempt to win the game.

Having your Samurai change into their “Animal Spirit” increases the amount of damage they may take and enhances their Kiai effect, however, it comes at the cost of having to take two wounds in order to change from Samurai to Animal. Once a character is in Animal spirit they will continue the game in this form and may not go back to being a Samurai. However, if they take two more wounds, they die and everyone loses the game.

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After the last Raider card has been drawn from the deck, the end of the round effects take place. Each Player board is checked to see if they Defended against the appropriate amount of Defenders. A penalty is given for each Samurai that has failed to meet the requirement. For each Farm, Hat or Doll that is not accounted for a corresponding penalty is applied.

Round two shuffles a number of Lieutenants equal to the number of players into the Raider deck. While in round three, the same number of Bosses are added.

Our group can routinely beat Pandemic and the majority of co-op games out there fairly easily. This one is different. The margin for error is slim and one mistake will hurt you. There is an element of luck present, as to which Raider cards you draw on your turn. Since you are generally going to see only 7 cards on your turn, it is often times difficult to Defend against the three cards needed. Yet, that is where the brilliance of this co-op design really shines. Players have to really work well together. There is an interesting amount of pregame strategy as players have to discuss which Samurais to choose for the game, what the seating arrangement is for the players, and during the game what support tokens to be given to a player, as well as other in game decisions. The game feels like you are amongst the seven samurai and attempting to hold off the hordes attacking the village.

This is yet another brilliant design by Antoine Bauza and for some reason it seems to have “slipped under the radar” of many gamers. This is something that needs to be rectified, as this is a top notch game that is well worth your time playing.

Designer: Antoine Bauza Publisher: FunForge Number of players: 1-7 Mechanic: Co-operative Ages: 9+

Highly Recommended http://www.funforge.fr

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Interview

Reiner Knizia Legendary Game Designer

By Serge Pierro

Do you have any siblings?

Yes, I have two younger sisters.

When I was young I would design games and play them with my sisters, did you do the same thing?

(Part One)

No I didn’t, we didn’t get on very well when we were Dr. Reiner Knizia needs no introduction. He has designed kids, and the age distance was my youngest sister is ten over 500 published games, including “Lord of the Rings” years younger than I am. and “Pickomino”, both of which have each sold over one million copies. He has been inducted into the Origins What was your first published game?

Gaming Hall of Fame and has long been considered the world’s top game designers.

In a way I was lucky, because when I decided that I wanted to really get serious about getting published, I went to the Fairs and I talked to publishers. I think I What was the first game that you can remember designing accidentally got it right - I talked to smaller publishers and one of them was Hans im Gluck? - they are not when you were younger? so small now (laughs) and they took one of my games.

As many of us players, we have played all the time since Then Hexagames, which has kind of morphed into we could think. It’s difficult to describe the real move Abacus, they took one of my games, and at the same from a, this is so to speak, “the free play and this is doing time I talked to one of the book publishers in Munich something” to “this is my first design”. But I remember and they decided that they wanted to publish a book it was aspects of lots of Monopoly money and then of all the game ideas which I had which you could play self produced/constructed money and freeform games with no other materials. So I had a good start, and had around this and then also relatively soon dice, boards, a relatively quick way in, once I got serious.

castles, knights, bridges and all these things. These were early designs which worked when you wanted it It has been said that “Tigris and Euphrates” is you to work, if you played the right way, otherwise it didn’t masterpiece. Do you conisder it your masterpiece? work. But these were my first experiences.

It always depends how you measure it. I think For a very long time I actually created the games just “Euphrates and Tigris” is certainly a great game of out of interest for playing and not with the intention which I am very proud of. There is also Ra. If you look of publishing them, and so that meant that when I at the games and think what’s new, and what have they went into a more concerted effort to publish games, I done, I find a number of them which I really like and had a very rich choice already of a lot of games in the which I appreciate what has developed in these games. background which had been well playtested and then So, I wouldn’t single one out, but certainly it is amongst needed to be, of course, produced in a way that you them. could market them.

Continued on next page>

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Interview (Cont.)

It’s great news that “Lost Cities” is going to be back in print Did your book “Dice Games Properly Explained” have in the United States! Are there any of your other games any influence on your designs for “Pickomino” or “Age of that are out of print that we can exptect to see reprinted? War”?

Now that Kosmos has their own subsidiary in the US, they launched “Lost Cities” the card game and the board game, and are actually being launched now at the New York Toy Fair, so it will be out this year, which is very nice, very good. “Taj Majal” will find its way back. We’ll have a “Heckmeck am” (Pickomino) mobile application soon. It’s not out of print and coming back, but it is something new, and getting into different territories there.

There are a lot of games that are not as well known which are picked up in the different markets. There’s a good balance between those games which are new and those that get published for the first time in the major market and a lot of games that are picked up in the secondary market. In markets which are not that big, but which are waking up to a lot of good games and though they pick the games which have been published from other territories and that’s a rich field to get these editions going again.

Is there any chance that you will be writing any other books, and more specifically, a book on Game Design?

I am currently in discussion with Blue Terrier Press to do a second of my game books. The other one is a secret plan which is not going to be realized so quickly.

It is something which needs to be done, so to speak, “putting the whole experience together”, it needs to be done with enough time that you are still within the business and yet also have the time to reflect on it, and you also have to have enough distance to be able to say a few truths which sometimes politically you need to wait until things have...

It sounds like maybe there’s a memoir coming out!

There’s no specific plans, but it’s something which eventually I will do, but probably in a very different and unexpected way from what people would look for. So, nothing to announce yet and nothing in the near future.

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Pickomino as”Marcato” is in the first book which was published in 1990. It is called “Marcato” there, it is essentially Pickomino, just that you have the numbers from one through six and not the worms in there, because you want to play that with normal dice. In the “Dice Games Properly Explained” book there is actually a complete “solution” for that game in there as well. In each different situation “I roll this and have so many dice” so that you can kind of optimize it. It doesn’t mean that you are going to win but that you are maximizing your chances.

How has your mathematical background influenced your game designs?

That’s a very good question. For me, first of all, game design is art. It is not a science, and that means if you look at the different artists or game designers, they all have got their own handwriting and their own approach.

Of course that is part of the personality which flows into the design and the creation process. I am a scientist by nature, and I am mathematician, and I probably see the world much more arithmetically, and in formulas, and trying to reduce everything back to the few laws and rules of which make the game. So it certainly influences the style of the games that I develop. Sometimes people call it abstract because I don’t have a separate rule for each individual little thing. Even so, I have a clear understanding what these things mean, maybe on a bit of a more transcendent level. It’s a handwriting which every artist has which I have as well, but I think there’s one also very important statement and that is we all have certain strengths and certain weaknesses. You have to be careful that you’re not using your strengths and try to solve everything with your strengths. I like very much a quote there from an Austrian psychologist actually, and he says “If all you have is a hammer, then everything in the world will soon look like a nail”, and that means you cannot calculate the fun in the games, mathematics can take you that far, and it’s more the self-conscious that influences it, but you cannot start making big mathematical models about game design.

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Are there any game designers, past or present, who have influenced your thought process on game design?

Nice! I can’t wait to see what you come up wtih!

It is in development, so it still could die. But it is very promising and I think that we have found a route.

There’s also the question whether someone else will be publishing something similar in half a year before I get it out, and so on. It is in the final stages of testing and I think we’ve found something. It is not an official announcement, you just put your finger into something and squeezed a little secret out of me, which I usually don’t say (laughter). But I think we have tried to find a new route into this, it is different, and it is not just another deck building game. That is something that I am interested in.

That’s not really so much the case. I mean, clearly when I go to the Fairs, and at the moment it is all the spring Fairs, I see nice products and say, “Hmmm, why did I not invent this one.... this is for this universe, and I think I have my share of games in the universe and people steal my ideas before I have them.” (laughter) Of course, this is on the funny side! (laughter) There are a number of good designs that I see that I say “ahh!” If it’s so easy, once you see it that you say “Okay, why didn’t I see this? This is so clear.” This is the best, and also the hardest design to get to this stage. Because if you don’t see it, why didn’t you see it? Because it’s not so simple. But, I’ve never really been driven by NEXT MONTH: Part Two of my interview with Dr. trying to be like somebody else, or try to say “I want Knizia, where he discusses: Publishers, the Hobby to really follow that”. In a way I’m inbred with this Market, Advice for aspiring game designers, and more! respect, because I’m trying to see what is going on in the market, but more on a superficial level, because the issue is, if I do many games I need to be knowledgable and I’ve learned that innovation gets stifled if you already know a solution of somebody else. When you design a game you have to take many decisions and many steps to “how do I solve this” etc. and once you have seen an auction mechanism, it is much harder to think of another auction mechanism. That is what I did with “Modern Art”. I spoiled it for everybody else. (laughter) And of course there is a whole mathematical theory about auction games and auction systems.

So what I am trying to do is to not to know solutions.

Of course the market trends I follow, I understand “drafting games”, “collectible card games” and “deck builders” and all these things, you can’t so to speak, can’t see them. But I’m trying to understand them from a more general level, rather than to see the individual solutions, so that when I go into this area that I’m not subconsciously copying, but creating.

You mentioned deckbuilders. That is something that I would love to see from you. Have you given any thought to a Deck Building game?

(Long Pause) I may have something for next year.

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http://reinerknizia.de/

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DVD Review

The Next Great American Game

By Serge Pierro

“Part Documentary and Part Tutorial”

game and why it is not suitable for the hobby market.

He doesn’t quite grasp yet that his game falls short in terms of the requirements for a publishable game within this market. Mathe sums it up nicely by saying that Randall has a 1980’s game that he is trying to get published in 2013.

As the film moves on from Gen Con, we see Randall picking up his medication. At this point we realize that his bipolar disorder is affecting his life and thought process. He even goes on to mention “matter-of-factly” that his current medication helped him from thinking about committing suicide.

Dan Yarrington takes Randall to the Game Salute warehouse and shows him thousands of boxes of games sitting on pallets. Dan then tells him about the process he Next Great American Game is a hard film to from the perspective of a publisher and dishes out more classify. On the one hand we have Randall Hoyt, excellent advice. Randall continues to not accept what a bipolar Associate Professor of Graphic Design, people are telling him. who is attempting to get his game published, and on the other hand, we are given a terrific insight into the Another interesting situation was where he was in a submission process for game designers. Is it a “human business meeting with the architectural company “Svigals + Partners” about a game Randall had developed interest” story or is it a tutorial? Or is it both? for them. “Talk/Listen” is a small dice game that he The film opens up with Randall Hoyt in his hotel had designed as a “work for hire project”. It proves room at Gen Con, putting together some last minute to be an interesting idea that shows that Randall has prototypes to be give out to prospective publishers on some potential to design something of interest, but his the floor of the convention. At this point we can see obsession with his game “Turnpike” is not allowing him how obsessive and determined he is by how he cuts and to try and create other designs that could possibly have assembles the prototypes, and how he is convinced that a more realistic chance of being published. he has the “Next Great American Game” in his hands.

The next stop is the Chicago Toy and Game Fair.

While confidence is a great thing, especially when fighting against the odds as in this case, he has gone into More industry insiders give him good advice as to what this with absolutely no knowledge of how the industry is wrong with his game. Curt Covert of “Smirk and Dagger Games” takes a copy to bring home with him works. to take a closer look at it. It’s amazing to see how many Randall meets up with his friend Paul and starts to people, and the quality of their positions, that Randall make the rounds. It is here where viewers get their first sees throughout the film. glimpse into the world that is Gen Con. It is worth His next stop is Mike Gray, the former Head of noting Randall’s naivety at this stage of the film. This is also his first exposure to serious criticism of his game. Acquisition for Hasbro. A very pleasant man, Mike He meets several industry personnel including Dan talks about how he would approach buying a game for Yarrington, Steve Jackson and James Mathe. All three Hasbro. He also gives Randall the very wise advice of give him excellent insight into what is wrong with his “You have to listen to what they are saying”.

T

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It appears that Randall is starting to listen. He is now thinking of re-theming the game in the hopes of getting it published. He eventually decides to re-theme the game as “Road Mage�. Interestingly enough, he comes up with some creative names for the re-themed cards, thus showing that there is clearly some talent there, but at times he seems to be suppressing any attempts for it to emerge.

the industry, and if you have any inkling about being a designer then these extra scenes are well worth the price to watch. The whole package should be perceived as purchasing a video tutorial or book. Well worth the time and money!

It seems that much has been said about the price of the film. If you are watching this film for the story, then that might or might not be justifiable, that all depends There are a lot of moments throughout the film where on what you are looking for and what you get out you feel compassion for Randall as a human being and from it. However, for the aspiring game designer there then there are other times where you just want to grab is a treasure trove of information handed out readily him and shake some sense into him. It is a strange film. throughout. Having industry icons tell him/you exactly Sad and disturbing at times and yet filled with so much what is needed to have a chance of getting published great advice that it has to be considered a must see for is well worth the price. Douglas Morse should be any aspiring game designer. commended on an excellent film.

In addition to the movie itself, there is an additional price tier that gives you access to interviews with industry giants such as Reiner Knizia, Klaus Teuber, Antoine Bauza, Richard Garfield, Steve Jackson, Matt Leacock, Bruno Faidutti, Alan Moon, and others! There is also a two part Publishers Roundtable and a tour of the Ludo game factory. These provide even more insight into

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Director: Douglas Morse Website: www.tabletopmovie.com

Highly Recommended

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Game Review

Golem Arcana

By Bill Braun

High Tech Boardgame.

I

t never ceases to amaze me the reactions I receive from non-board gamers when discussing the games that I own, the groups that I play with, and the experiences that I have. These conversations inevitably start with the assumption that I’m spending my time, huddled around a table, playing Monopoly, Risk, or Dungeons and Dragons. And while it’s true, each of those games have provided their share of fun and enjoyment over the years, the development efforts of well-established game designers, the raging success of Kickstarter, and the increased opportunities to marry cards and cardboard with technology and online functionality, has provided the board game industry with an evolutionary leap in design exploration.

Case in point – Golem Arcana.

Developed by Harebrained Schemes, most notable for their contributions to the Shadowrun universe, Golem Arcana is described as ‘a digitally enhanced miniatures board game that leverages the power of a smartphone or tablet to deliver an unprecedented and engaging experience.’ While an accurate, albeit limited, description of what the game has to offer, Golem Arcana extends far beyond that.

Designed as a head-to-head miniatures skirmish game, Golem Arcana accommodates for numerous scenarios and maps for two players. The six, double-sided, map tiles and two separate Golem factions (consisting of three miniatures each) that come packed in with the base game, provide a high level of content, gameplay variety, and replayability. But what makes Golem Arcana stand out from the countless other tactical miniatures games already on the market? What makes it different?

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For starters, the requirement of a free, downloadable App currently available for both iOS and Android.

Make no mistake, this App is not a companion to the Golem Arcana game. It is the game. Without it, all you’re left with are some artistically interesting game boards and quality painted and detailed miniatures. The Golem Arcana App is everything. It is the HAL 9000 to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Photo: Bill Braun

There was an initial shock in realizing that the inserted ‘game manual’ consisted of nothing more than a fictional recounting of the world of Eretsu, the war between the Durani empires, and the arcane war machines referred to as Golems. Although it was an enjoyable read that nicely sets the mood, there was still the lingering question how to play the game? This being a tactical miniatures game, surely there are specific rules to movement, line of sight, attack and defense, . . . just to name a few.

Therein lies the beauty, creativity, and forward thinking of Golem Arcana.

Tactical miniatures games often have a reputation for being rules heavy. Newcomers to the genre may be turned off by the complexity, fearing the intensity of the rules outweigh the overall fun factor. The developers at Harebrained Schemes have evaluated those concerns and implemented a solution through the utilization of an Continued on next page>

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Game Review (Cont.) intuitive and responsive smart phone or tablet interface.

Through the magic of technology (I call it witchcraft), players are able to enjoy a rich and rewarding board game, leaving behind the constant rules referencing and confusion that often accompanies games of this nature.

Learning to play Golem Arcana is as simple as being walked through the introductory scenario afforded by the instructional App. I own several board games that utilize companion Apps. Zombicide and Galaxy Defenders provide Apps that help track equipment, damage, and the levelling up of characters. The Sentinels of the Multiverse App takes much of the game’s finicky nature (tokens, tokens, tokens) and reduces it down to their electronic equivalent. While they help to more efficiently run the Photo: Bill Braun game and make for a slightly better experience, Golem Out of the box, Golem Arcana provides numerous Arcana has taken this idea several steps further. scenarios for two players to experience, and the developers at Harebrained Schemes have consistently By developing a Tabletop Digital Interface (TDI), the been updating its App to accommodate for the surge included Golem Arcana stylus ‘uses a tiny infrared in expansions. Gamers looking for a bit more creativity camera to read microcodes which are invisibly printed will appreciate the robust Scenario Builder that allows over the top of the icons and values of the figure’s bases for custom-built scenarios using any of the tiles you and over the terrain art of the board’s regions.’ Moving an own. In addition to creating a custom map, there is the individual Golem is as simple as tapping the Golem’s base opportunity to place deployment zones, control zones (or the included Golem-specific card) and secondarily and choose victory conditions, ranging from death tapping a location on one of the map tiles. The App match to king of the hill to a combination of the two. immediately responds with allowable movements based on terrain, distance, and obstructions. Combat is just As excited as I am for the future of Golem Arcana as seamless and easy. Select a Golem’s attack type and – support for Mac and PC laptops, scenarios target and the App instantaneously calculates every accommodating for more than two players, remote play necessary value behind the scenes. Are there line of – the notion of consistent and continued game updates sight issues? Is the attack ranged or melee? What about that takes into consideration game balance and the cover bonuses or other conditions that may prohibit the introduction of new game mechanics is what appeals success value? Everything is done for you. Every possible to me the most. Like any other game App available outcome is evaluated and addressed, leaving you with a for iOS and Android, player feedback is accounted for final ‘to hit’ percentage value. Let the App roll virtual through in-game updates sent remotely to each device. dice on your behalf, or roll the included 10-sided game New missions, better-balanced Golems, and additional dice and manually enter the result, it simply could not sources for arcane magic are limited only by the be any easier. In one swift calculation, Golem Arcana imagination of the developers at Harebrained Schemes. eliminates nearly every mechanic that can bog down an Not surprisingly, and with a fair amount of excitement, otherwise enjoyable miniatures game, allowing you to I see a great deal of life and creativity coming to Golem focus more on the strategy of combat, and significantly Arcana in the months and years to come. less on the mechanical demands of playing the game.

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Photo: Bill Braun

Although the base game undoubtedly provides hours of tactical enjoyment, the price of entry is slightly higher than the average. Starting at $80, this expense may turn away the more casual gamer. However, it should be noted that the base components – the detailed map tiles, fully painted miniatures, blue tooth stylus (batteries included), and assortment of Golem cards – are of a high quality. Several expansion packs for new Golem factions (generally three to a box) and an assortment of additional map tiles range in price from $35 and $25 respectively. By no means are they required to fully enjoy the experience. But, the speed at which they have been released, and the number of expansions already available, are certain to tempt the completionist in us all.

Golem Arcana has broken new ground in terms of board game mechanics, ease of use, and technological integration, and I couldn’t be happier or more excited.

The future of board games is changing, and the way gamers interact with one another – whether in the same room or miles apart – is taking on an entirely new meaning. While the theme and mechanics of Golem Arcana may not be for everyone, it is certainly worth closer inspection.

Designers:

Publisher: Number of Ages: 14+

Seth Johnson, Michael Mulvihill Brian Poel, Jordan Weisman Harebrained Schemes players: 2+

Recommended www.golemarcana.com

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Interview

James Ernest

“James Ernest is the creative force behind Cheapass Games. He has also done work for Wizards of the Coast, WizKids and Rio Grande Games.”

Cheapass Games

By Eric Devlin

It seems that Cheapass Games has always marched to the beat of it’s own drummer. You started out right after the market seemed to explode with “Magic: The Gathering”. With the proliferation of game stores and new money in the industry, many companies seemed to want to be the next Avalon Hill or Wizards of the Coast. Why did you choose to go in a more stripped down, streamlined direction?

cheaply, and embracing that cheapness was a brilliant combination of a good idea and my only choice.

You’ve pointed out part of the reason.

In the mid-1990s there was a real push towards slicker, more expensive products, in the mold of Magic and D&D and many other very expensive products. There was nearly nothing in the under-$10 range, so that seemed like a good range to exploit.

I started Cheapass Games mostly as an outlet for my own designs, so I don’t typically even look at submissions.

Once in a while something sneaks through the cracks.

I was personally tired of little companies that tried to look bigger than they were; two guys in a basement calling themselves “Amalgamated International Enterprises LLC.” So in terms of mindshare, I tried to keep Cheapass looking as small as possible.

Have there been any Cheapass Games where you weren’t involved in the design?

Nope. I’ve been lead designer on all but two of them. Tom Jolly was the lead designer on Light Speed, and Jim Geldmacher was the lead designer of Starbase Jeff.

James Ernest Designer/Publisher Pairs Kill Doctor Lucky

Give Me The Brain Unexploded Cow Get Lucky www.cheapass.com

But the main reason for the Cheapass Games business model was that I simply didn’t want to take a big financial risk.

I wanted to make a lot of games, very

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Hilariously, whenever someone tells me that their favorite game is one of those two, and I mention that I wasn’t the lead designer on that game, that person inevitably mentions that he also loves the other one.

Crowd funding has encouraged a proliferation of designers to produce their own games and go straight to the player. Do you believe that this has led to a change in expectations from the consumer?

I think the category of “consumer” has broadened thanks to Kickstarter, and with that comes a broader range of expectations. Some people treat Kickstarter as a preorder system, and they are looking for a deep discount on a new project. Some people treat it as a way to support their favorite artists or invest in their hobby, and they are more forgiving on notions of timing and pricing.

I don’t have any special insight into social media, but I can tell you how it has changed my day. I’m active on Twitter and Tumblr, and I post once in a while to Facebook, though most of those posts go into a black hole. Along with writing my newsletter and updating my website, I’m probably engaged with social media for 2 or 3 hours every day, making sure that people are in the loop.

The biggest change in expectations is predictability.

People know they are taking a chance on a game that might not be good. It’s hard to invest in a Kickstarter game based on its merits, because there aren’t always reviews. So customers have to rely on the publisher’s reputation instead.

Digital media in general have more or less eliminated any reason for small companies to buy print ads. I raise more awareness via the immediate marketing power of Kickstarter than I ever did with ads and articles in print magazines. Unfortunately that means there is a category of customer who is completely unaware of my existence.

Every now and then someone will say “Why wasn’t I told that Cheapass Games is back?” to which I have to reply “I tried!”

Ideally that makes publishers more accountable for their behavior; if you become a nuisance on Kickstarter you will have more trouble funding your next projects, even if they are good games. Conversely, it’s important to build a good reputation if you want your projects to do better.

Cheapass Games has 27 games on their website that people can download for free. That takes ‘cheap’ to a whole new level. How does the gaming community and Does Cheapass Games do any design for other companies? Cheapass Games both benefit from this?

Is that something you would be open to?

Actually, we have been giving away free games for 18 As an entity, Cheapass Games doesn’t do any game design; I do. Personally I have designed many, many games for other companies, like “Lords of Vegas” (Mayfair Games), “Pirates of the Spanish Main” (Wizkids), “Unspeakable Words” (Playroom), and “Gloria Mundi” (Rio Grande). In some of these cases, these games were outside the production capability of Cheapass Games.

In others, those companies approached me looking for design work. In the 2000’s I did a lot of projects with Mike Selinker, so you’ll see us co-credited on a lot of those games.

How has social media changed the way companies interact with their customers and how have the expectations of customers changed when it comes to communications?

years, and I don’t think we are really taking “cheap” to a new level. That would require actually paying people to play our games…

I think the benefits for the community are pretty obvious: with a little effort, people can make their own copies of some of our most popular games. Some of these games don’t even require assembly; just a rule book and pieces you already have.

Cheapass Games benefits by giving players the chance to read the rules, and even try the game, before they buy it. It’s like a free demo for an Xbox game. It’s nearly a requirement in digital media, and yet it seems strange in tabletop games.

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Interview (Cont.)

Do you believe that the hobby game industry will experience another sea change the way it did with the advent of “Magic: the Gathering” and then “Pokemon”?

Eventually, yes, but little changes are happening all the time. Anytime a game is so popular that it becomes a “category” of games, that’s worth noticing. Before “Dominion” there were no “Deckbuilding games” and then when the first clones emerged, the game had a category, because you can’t call what you’re doing a “Dominion Clone.”

Worker Placement Games, Co-Op Games, “Micro” games like “Love Letter” and “Werewolf ”, and so on all represent small changing currents in the industry.

I got into the industry working with Wizards of the Coast on “Magic: the Gathering”. This game was another eye-opener, and transformed the open ended nature of D&D into full-on versus mode. Magic is an unmoderated game construction set, where people can bring whatever toys they want, and the battles are still basically fair.

I have to also give props to “Tetris”, both for opening up what a “game” can be (“Tetris” is basically a toy, except that it keeps getting harder) and for ushering in an entire era of simple “casual” computer games that eventually reached escape velocity and left the arcade.

But the biggest change going on right now is crowdfunding, which isn’t a style of game, but a change in business model that we’re all still trying to adjust to.

Most of the sea changes you can think of were not just new games, but also changes in business model. Magic introduced the concept of the blind purchase trading card game, irrespective of its game mechanics; and “Dominion” introduced the concept of keeping most of those mechanics and ditching the blind purchase.

What kind of games do you look for when you just want to relax with friends?

I play hobby games as research, but I don’t play a lot of them for fun. If I’m playing anything it’s probably poker.

What are 3 games by other designers have impressed you the most?

My first exposure to the hobby game universe was with “Dungeons and Dragons”. The first time I played D&D it was just my friend talking me through an adventure while we walked home from school. I didn’t really understand what I was learning at the time, but D&D teaches us that “games” can be far more open-ended, incomplete, and unbalanced (all in good ways) than traditional tabletop games.

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What effect has small games that have been crowd sourced had on the industry as a whole?

There is a weird bargain between tabletop game publishers and their customers. The idea of the game is theoretically what players are paying for, but you can’t package an idea. So publishers make games with nice components, and sell those components for a profit, as a way to charge people for their idea. Along the way, lots of middlemen make money off this transaction, and those people neither make nor play games.

When the middlemen are eliminated from an industry, as is happening with music, lots of middlemen go looking for other jobs. And, if it works right, creators enjoy a closer relationship with their audience. Kickstarter bridges that gap nicely, asking gamers what they will buy, without permission from retailers and distributors.

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Does this mean the end of the game store? No, it just means the end of the shabby tiny hobby game store.

More people are discovering gaming through Kickstarter and publishers are producing more products at better prices thanks to the low-risk nature of crowdfunding.

So if game stores can grow up with the business, they can do just fine in this new environment.

After a hiatus from the industry, Cheapass Games is back with “Get Lucky” (the famous “Kill Doctor Lucky” card game), a deluxe edition of both “Unexploded Cow” and “Deadwood” as well as new games such as “Fish Cook”, “Veritas” and “Captain Treasure Boots”. Are there any other new games on the horizon?

You missed the biggest one, Pairs, which we Kickstarted last year for more than $300k. Pairs is a simple “pub” game with a triangular deck (1x1, 2x2, 3x3, and so on up to 10x10) and a host of interesting variants on the core game.

And I’m writing a game, tentatively called “Capital City,” for Calliope Games’ new Titan Series. This is a Kickstarter they are running next month, featuring games from a huge list of well-known designers. Mine is a simple resource management game about building cities in the Old West. But right now it’s just an idea, so that’s highly suspect information.

“Cheapass Games benefits by giving players the chance to read the rules, and even try the game, before they buy it. It’s like a free demo for an Xbox game”.

Most recently we Kickstarted “Stuff and Nonsense”, an adventure game about people who secretly never leave London. That game stars Professor Elemental as the villain, chasing all his rivals around London and How can Game Nite readers stay abreast of what’s new at screwing up their plans.

Cheapass Games?

Along with “Stuff and Nonsense” we are printing a new edition of “Give Me the Brain”, and our next Kickstarter project (slated for April) will be a new edition of “Lord of the Fries”. This will be a smaller version of that game, just $10 for a deck of 55 cards, but we’ll do standalone expansions with different artwork for different restaurants. We’ll be printing some new “Pairs” decks next year as well.

I’m also working on the rules for “Tak”, a strategy board game featured in Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Wise Man’s Fear.” Depending on how that project goes, it might get Kickstarted in 2015. But I have to get Pat’s approval and then figure out how I’m going to produce it!

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The best way: Subscribe to “Shameless,” the Cheapass Games newsletter: http://eepurl.com/C4V99 The next best ways: James Ernest’s Tumblr Blog: http://prettybigif.tumblr. com/ James Ernest on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ cheapassjames Cheapass Games on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ cheapassgames

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Game Review

Pairs

By Serge Pierro

“A New Classic Pub Game”

P

airs is a new Pub style game that delivers a big fun in a small deck. It easily fits into a pocket or purse and it is the perfect game to play at a tavern or a small gathering of friends, in which you want to have a quick filler game.

Pairs is published by “Cheapass Games” and their sister company “Hip Pocket Games” (www.hippocketgames. com). Included are 55 playing cards and 1 “cut” card (so that players can’t see the bottom card of the deck).

The cards themselves are of decent quality and have illustrations of various fruits and vegetables. The deck is a “pyramid” design, which includes one “1”, two “2’s”, three “3’s” etc. up to ten “10’s”.

Game play is simple. The deck is shuffled and the top five cards are removed and placed aside. Each player is then dealt one card face up. The player with the lowest value card goes first. In case there is a tie, then all the players that are tied are dealt another face up card, until there is a player with a clear low hand. The object of the game is to not get a pair. Each turn you have a choice of either taking a card or folding. If you take a card and it makes a pair, you take one of the paired cards and place it in front of you. The round then ends and all the other cards are collected and shuffled and play begins anew. If you fold, you take the lowest card on the table and place it in front of you. The number of points needed to lose is calculated by taking the number 60 and dividing it by the number of players and then add one. Example: 60 divided by 4 players is 15 +1 = 16, so any player who accumulates 16 points of cards in front of them loses.

The game has no winners, only one loser.

The Continuous variant is included with the rules and it is a bit “meatier”. In this variant, the player who folds may choose any card on the table. However, all of the other cards stay on the table and play continues. The player that folded is still in the game and must take a card when it is their turn. This leads to a very different experience. Pairs could be recommended on just the basic game and the Continuous variant, however, there And while the basic game is enjoyable, what really makes is a free to download “Pairs Companion” that offers Pairs shine is that there are several interesting variants. several other variants. It can be downloaded from:

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w w w. c h e a p a s s . c o m / s i t e s / d e f a u l t / f i l e s / PairsCompanionBook.pdf Pairs provides a great value when you add the Pairs Companion book to the mix. So whether you are looking for a pub game or just a quick filler with nice replay value, Pairs is certainly a solid recommendation.

Be sure to check out the “Pairs� Print and Play in this issue and see for yourself if it is a game that you would be interested in adding to your collection.

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Designer: James Ernest & Paul Peterson Publisher: Cheapass Games Number of players: 2-8 Mechanic: Press Your Luck Ages: 8+

Recommended www.cheapass.com

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Game Review

Sutakku

Designer: Curt Covert Publisher: Smirk and Dagger Games Number of players: 1+ Mechanic: Push Your Luck Ages: 14+

By Serge Pierro

Recommended

“Sutakku” means “stack”.

T

he first thing that captures your eye with Sutakku is the elegant look of the packaging that the game comes in. Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a continuation of the Japanese motif introduced on the exterior, with a simple yet classy looking insert.

The twelve oversized dice come in a black bag with a drawstring that has the game name silkscreened on it, a foldout rulebook, a custom scorepad, a small deck of cards, and the two part board that has a “jigsaw puzzle” tab to connect. The nice thing about the tabbed board is that it can be broken down into two pieces that fit within the black bag for easy transportation of the game.

The game play is simple. You roll three dice and have to choose two of them to stack on top of each other on the board. They have to be stacked in numerical order, with the lower number on the bottom of the stack. With each roll you have to place two dice, either equal to or greater than the top die on the stack. Even though the dice have Japanese Kanji, the board has a listing of the various characters to help you learn how to read each face of the die. There are special rules for rolling Doubles and Triples. If you roll Doubles and they are both higher than the remaining die you may place all three dice as long as it is legal to do so. If you roll Triples you may also place all three dice, if legally able. If you can’t place all three Triples, then you get to make a free re-roll without any penalty. Once per turn you can “mulligan” and re-roll two of your three dice and use the results of them for your turn, the single die that you previously rolled is not allowed to be used with these dice. There are several scoring bonuses available, such as “The Rule of Five”. If you have a stack of dice with the top die showing a five and you decide to push your luck and succeed you score as normal and then

get a 50 point bonus. “The Rule of Six” is similar except this time the top number on the stack has to be a six, and if successful you score as normal and add an additional 100 point bonus. The last bonus is “A Tower of 12” which means you stack all your dice, add up the total, and then receive a 200 point bonus… this will often win a game outright! There are a couple of special rules towards the end of the pursuit of this bonus and are listed in the rule book.

While hardcore gamers might find the basic game somewhat simplistic for their tastes, “Smirk and Dagger Games” has taken that into account and included a small deck of twelve cards (including a double sided instruction card) that add some more “weight” to the game. This is where the famous “Smirk and Dagger” notoriety of “backstab your friends” comes into play. The cards can be played on yourself or others with effects ranging from bonuses for the completion of the stated task, to the loss of points by failing to meet the requirement. There’s a decent range of challenges throughout the deck, and it even includes a “counterspell” card to protect you from the whims of your opponents.

The basic game is a fun way to relax between games at a gaming session or to wind down at the end of the night with a simple dice rolling game. Families would certainly have a fun evening playing this version of the game and have the added bonus of learning to read some Japanese. For the more serious gamer, we would recommend using the cards for a more challenging game and invokes typical game night shenanigans. All in all, this is a fun game that can be played solo to try to beat your personal high score or with a varied range of gamers. www.smirkanddagger.com

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Interview Franz Vohwinkel is an industry veteran. He has done the illustrations and graphic designs for over 200 games, ranging from German board games to Magic the Gathering.

Franz Vohwinkel Artist

By Eric Devlin

Do you come from an artistic family?

which also was very important to me.

I can’t point my finger to one specific piece, it was the work of those two artists as a whole.

I guess that’s sort of a half-yes. My father used to be a hobby - jazz musician and my mother was a dressmaker who made costumes for circus acrobats and carnival troupes.

I have to say though that in every day life, it didn’t really feel like my family was very artistic. My father’s day job was very bureaucratic and my mother was constantly struggling to survive professionally.

Who was the earliest artistic influence that you can remember?

That’s hard to say. I still remember some of the children’s books I had when I was very young, but I’m not sure whether that qualifies as being influential or not. The first things I clearly recall as driving me toward drawing and painting was logos and album artwork of heavy metal bands, SciFi movies and Illustrations.

Was there a specific piece of artwork from your childhood that you remember as being particularly impactful?

There was this book called “Mechanismo” illustrated by Jim Burns that had a huge impact on me. Also, around the same time, I discovered the art of Chris Foss,

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As an artist, what mediums do you work in and do you have a favorite?

Franz Vohwinkel Artist Ra Tikal Samurai

Hera and Zeus http://www.franz-vohwinkel.com

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Currently most of my work is digital and occasionally I do traditional oil paintings.

The oil paintings are my favorite, I work digitally only because it is easier and faster for the production of games - if there weren’t any deadlines, I’d switch to oil painting completely.

In the beginning of my career, I started with air brush illustrations. It was part of the “Zeitgeist” I guess, it was very fashionable at that time. Later I switched to acrylics and mixed media. When Wizards of the Coast started accepting digital artwork, I became a fully digital artist for a couple of years. Then, I realized how much I missed having original paintings - something that you can hold in your hands, that sits in your studio quietly for years until you find it accidentally and it reminds you “Hey, you made me a couple of years ago”. I love these moments.

A digital piece just gets lost in the the nirvana of your hard drive - you’ll never find it again, unless you are specifically looking for it (which you probably won’t do, because you will have forgotten that you have made it).

As a professional artist, whose work amongst your peers probably name John Harris as my favorite, because his work touches me on a level that reminds me of my early do you admire the most?

There are so many outstanding artists that I admire, it is almost impossible for me to pick just one. I would

beginnings.

I’d name him knowing that there are so many more brilliant artists out there that I love as much, though.

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Interview (Cont.)

Did you have any background in cartography prior to your gameboard work?

How does designing the visuals for a box differ from creating artwork for a card?

No, not at all. I must have felt some connection to cartography though, because at some point, when I was thinking about what I wanted to become, the idea of becoming a cartographer has crossed my mind.

If I think about it, I’m very glad that I haven’t become a cartographer, though. I’m pretty sure that all cartography today is done by satellites and computers and that the artistic side of cartography has probably died complety.

With my gameboards, I can look at cartography from a very artistic point of view, something that real cartographers (if they still exist) probably can’t do.

It is very different.

The artwork for a cover basically has to sell the whole game. It needs to be appealing, it has to tell the “story” of the game at a glance and it has to compete with hundreds of other games in the store. With the larger publishers, a huge comittee of editors, CEOs, business staff, marketing experts and cleaning women (true story) decide about it.

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Artwork for a single card can truly be anything. It offers a lot more possibilities and freedom. All it needs to do

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is support the idea of the card within the game. And, because people will see it only after they have already bought the game, no CEO or marketing expert will ever want to be involved. The creation happens mostly just between you and the editor.

pace of the story. Also I like to read, but I don’t really have much time to do it, so every time I can declare reading to be “work” is a welcome excuse.

Books are all about plot and storytelling and so is the cover illustration. Also, it will sell to a much larger You’ve also worked on book covers. Are there special audience with a much wider range of tastes. You can considerations that need to be addressed when working have beautiful stylish illustrations on books that you could never do on games, because people will simply on a book cover? Do you have to take plot and storytelling reject it.

into account more with a book cover than with other pieces of art?

With games, naturally, there isn’t as much plot and

storytelling involved as with books.

When I do book covers, I love to read at least a part of Games can have a short story, but most games don’t. the story, to get a good feeling for the mood and the Games have a “theme” instead, a certain setting, a world, Continued on next page>

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Interview (Cont.) shape my career (and the whole gaming industry as we know it).

The move to Seattle has not really changed all that much - I haven’t gained a lot of new clients in America and I have lost almost none of my old clients in Europe.

The main difference here in the U.S. is the community of artists and the fantasy art scene as a whole. They have changed my view of what it means to be a professional illustrator and my perception of “Art” in general.

Do you accept private commissions from fans?

Absolutely, I love private commissions. People have to be aware though, that good art has its price. Too many fans don’t really think about this, before they contact me.

What is your favorite piece that you’ve produced?

At the moment it is an oil painting that I made for myself. It is one of the very rare personal pieces of mine and it took my more than two years to get it done.

Do you play the games that you have worked on? Are you a ‘gamer’ in your spare time?

a part of history, maybe even characters. But the real story of a game happens on the gaming table.

The theme and the illustrations for board games are like a “stage” and the players are like the actors that create the “story” on that stage.

Has working as an artist been any different for you now that you are in Seattle as opposed to Germany or has the internet helped to remove geographic limitations?

The internet has definitely removed most geographic limitations. Without the internet, it would have been so much harder for me to work for different game companies, even within just Germany. The internet has helped a lot to

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Oh, yes! Actually, I was a “gamer” before I started illustrating games and I still love playing. I don’t have as much time to do it anymore, so, sadly, it has become a little sporadic. But I still play regularly, and of course, I absolutely want to play the games that I have illustrated.

It is the ultimate test to see whether I have done a good job or not.

How can fans of yours keep up to date on your latest projects?

The most obvious place would be my website, but I have to admit that I’m terrible in keeping it up to date.

Americans might have an advantage here, because I show my work at game events like the Emerald City Comic Con, Gen Con or Magic the Gathering Tournaments.

People can also check out Boardgamegeek.com, but I’m not in control of what they show and when.

Thank very much, and greetings to all the readers of Game Nite Magazine!

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Game Review

Timeline

By Serge Pierro

A Fun and Educational Game.

W

ith the rising interest in tabletop gaming, it should not be surprising to see some spillover into other related markets and genres.

“Timeline” is a brilliant game that crosses over the boundaries of being a fun game and into the realm of an educational tool. From the beautiful tin box to the textured cards, “Timeline” delivers both an enjoyable and scholarly experience to all of those who sit down and play.

Upon opening the embossed metal container, you are greeted with 110 cards that are divided into two stacks and stored in the molded recess area. When preparing the cards for play be sure that they have the same orientation with the dates/answers on the back. These are then shuffled and placed into a pile to form the deck that the players will draw from. Each player is dealt the appropriate amount of cards (based on the amount of players) and the players place the cards on the table in front of them. No one is ever allowed to look at the back of the cards. Then the top card of the deck is flipped over and placed in the middle of the table.

The player who goes first then has to take one of the cards they were dealt and places it either to the left or to the right of the card, depending on if they believe that their cards date occurred before or after the date printed on the card already on the table. If they are correct, play proceeds to the next player. If they are wrong, they discard the incorrect card and draw a new card from the deck. The first player to have no cards left in front of them triggers the last round. Players will have one chance to “go out” with no cards left, otherwise the original player who went out wins. If there is a tie, the players who are tied receive another card and play until one of them is the clear winner.

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This is a simple game that doubles as an educational and fun game for all participants. It is an ideal family game, or it can be used as a tool for both homeschooling and as a remedial aid for history students. There are seven games in the Timeline series, each featuring different subject matter and they can all be combined for a more varied playing/educational experience. Our playgroup played both “Diversity” and “American History”.

“American History” was a tougher game as the dates were much closer together, whereas “Diversity” had cards that were thousands of years apart. However, as the game progresses the chronological distance between the cards starts to shrink and it becomes tougher to play cards. There was one game where I was unable to go out because I played a card that was wrong by just one year.

This tightening up of the Timeline is what gamers will find appealing as it presents a challenge that is increased as the game progresses. As an educational bonus, some answers on the cards include the inventor’s name, which further adds to its value. This is a game that both gamers can play as a lite filler and families can play as a game or educational supplement. This is a perfect example of a game that can be used as a teaching tool in the world of education.

Designer: Frederic Henry Publisher: Asmodee Number of players: 2-8 Mechanic: Trivia Ages: 8+

Recommended us.asmodee.com

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Game Design

Variation

Internal variation: Randomness

By Matt Pavlovich and Alex Harkey

“Games Precipice” Takes a Look at Variation in Game Design

Y

ou’ve probably played some games where it seems like you’re doing something identical every time you play--and others where it doesn’t even seem like you’re playing the same game. This article explores how games “feel” the same or different across multiple plays, and we’ll use the term variation for the ability of a game to give a different experience each time it is played. When we’re discussing variation, we’ll refer to mechanics or design elements inherent to the game itself, not dependent on player strategy. (Tic-tactoe against a computer would play out very differently than against a novice who insisted on picking an edge space with the first move, but that has nothing to do with the mechanics of the game and everything to do with player choices.)

It’s important to note that the “variation” we’re discussing

here is not the same as “variance,” which some gamers (particularly those versed in poker terminology) use to describe any sort of randomness or luck in games. To talk about luck, we’ll use the term “randomness” rather than “variance” to avoid confusion.

Last year, in our blog at www.gamesprecipice.com, we wrote a series of articles on game balance, including what we called “internal” and “external” balance. To align with our discussion of balance last year, we’ll group the many sources of variation into internal variation, which is variation that arises during the course of the game play, and external variation, which is variation rooted in the setup or “initial conditions” of the game.

Internal variation All of the sources of internal variation rely on the principle that there is some variable, V, that can take on any of a range of values {V1... Vn}. That the value is not decided ahead of time, and can be different each time the game is played, leads to a different game experience each time. That description sounds a little abstract, so let’s take a look at some specific examples of internal variation.

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Randomness is an immensely important topic in game design that we can’t possibly cover in sufficient detail here. But it’s something that every gamer has experienced. Mathematically, V is a random variable that takes a value {V1... Vn} by some means other than player decision; rolling dice and drawing cards are the most common means of introducing randomness into a game. The dice rolled to determine which actions are available in “Castles of Burgundy” the tile flipped off the stack in “Carcassonne”, and the chip drawn out of the bag to advance on the track in “Speculation” are all sources of randomness. Obviously, randomness is a means of creating variation because introducing random variables decreases the possibility that any two games will have the same outcome.

Internal variation: Imperfect information The second source of internal variation is imperfect information. Imperfect information refers to a piece of information that is known to some but not all of the players.

That is, one or more of the players, but not all of the players, know the specific value of V (even though all of the players might know the range {V1... Vn}). Imperfect information might be able to be guessed, sometimes with a very high likelihood, but it cannot be deterministically identified until it is revealed.

One example of imperfect information is in the first phase of “Battleship”, where players decide secretly where to put their ships on a grid. Both players know what the grid looks like and that the ships will be aligned horizontally or vertically in some fashion on the grid, but only the player who owns each ship has the information about where exactly the ship is anchored.

Internal variation: Random imperfect information Most examples of imperfect information are also random.

The identity of “Mr. Jack”, a player’s hand in bridge or “Race for the Galaxy” or poker or just about any card game, and the Will of the People in “La Citta” are all examples of imperfect information that happen to be randomly generated. There are many more. This method of introducing variation ensures that multiple experiences with the same game will be different in two ways: first, only a subset of {V1... Vn} (call it {V1... Vk}) will be a part of any given experience, where players don’t know which members of {V1... Vn} are also members of {V1... Vk}; and second, players don’t know

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which of the values of {V1... Vk} are present in which parts of the game.

For example, every poker player knows which 52 cards a deck consists of. Of those 52 cards, they know that 15 are present in a 3-player game of five-card stud. And each individual player knows which 5 cards he has--but not which 15 of the 52 cards are in the game, and not where those 15 cards are distributed. (That is, k = 15, and n = 52.)

The “La Citta” example is particularly interesting because it emphasizes that imperfect information can either be information that some but not all of the players know (as is the case when the “peek” action is taken) or that none of the players know (when the “peek” action is not taken). The players might have a guess on what the hidden cards might be based on what cards have shown up already, but nobody can know for sure without looking at the card itself. The different order that these cards appear in different games are a good source of variation because they inform player strategies in deciding which structures to build, ensuring that the order that buildings get constructed in “La Citta” is never the same from game to game.

Merely hidden information An important distinction is the difference between truly unknown information and information that is merely hidden but nevertheless trackable. The content of each player’s hand in “Settlers of Catan” is a great example. Although each player keeps his hand hidden, the initial state of each hand is known because it corresponds to the player’s second settlement, and the additions to (via collecting resources from die rolls) and subtractions from (via buying settlements, resources, etc.) each hand are all public information. Aside from forced discards from rolling a 7 with more than 7 cards in-hand, which players are not required to disclose, an observant or particularly detail-oriented player could easily keep track of all of the resource cards that everyone else held.

Other examples are the number of coins in “Small World”, which count as points for final scoring, and the Elektro in “Power Grid”, which is the in-game currency and a tiebreaker for the final scoring. In both games, each player starts with the same number of these resources, and there are no secrets about getting coins in “Small World” or earning and spending

Elektro in “Power Grid”. By the strict rules of both games, however, information about those resources is obscured and not considered to be public information. As with “Settlers of Catan”, any player could track that information if he really wanted to.

The moral of the story is that, if you’re designing a game, consider carefully whether you want to include trackable information that is nevertheless not presumed to be public.

Such information does not increase the variation of the game, and it adds a memory component that not all of your players might enjoy. Unless there’s a mechanical or thematic justification for obscuring trackable information, consider simply making it public knowledge.

External variation The counterpoint to internal variation is external variation, which encompasses differences that occur in the setup or initial state of a game. Like internal variation, external variation often involves randomness. It also can involve mutually agreed-upon decisions made by the players. For example, “Pandemic: On the Brink” features ten different role cards to be used by two to five players; the roles can either be dealt randomly or assigned specifically (“well, we haven’t played with a Containment Specialist in a long time-let’s see how that goes”).

One of the reasons that the drafting format in “Magic: the Gathering” is so popular is its combination of external variation and both external and internal balance. Opening sealed packs of cards to assemble the parts to play a game is the ultimate way to institute external variation because the chances are infinitesimally unlikely that any two packs will be the same, and there is no way of knowing what you’ll be getting until you take the plunge and open the pack.

But what if one pack is markedly better than another?

Magic addresses this problem in a few different ways: first, each pack is guaranteed to contain some of the sort of cards that you build a strategy around and some that are better as supporting players. Therefore, each player has the chance to get one “superstar” card. but nobody can realistically assemble a hand full of them. Even if someone did, chances are poor that they would work coherently together. Finally, among those strategy-defining cards, some are better and some are

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Game Design Design (Cont.)

(Cont.)

Game worse, but most are effective in the hands of a competent player.

Among board games, a notable example of external variation is the modular design and random scoring goals in “Kingdom Builder”. The board segments are structured such that you’d have to play thousands of games before running into the same board configuration twice. Then, once the board is set up, the rules that game will be scored according to are also randomly dealt out (giving the game another factor of 1000 of possible initial configurations), meaning that players have to quickly assess an unfamiliar board and decide how to achieve the unique scoring goals based on that board.

Both “La Citta” and “Settlers of Catan” have similar dynamic board-generating options, with a basic configuration provided in the manual but the possibility of putting down terrain tiles randomly and forcing players to identify the “good spots” in terms of optimal resource production.

“Terra Mystica” is another example of a board game that employs external variation, though it does so without any random board generation. Instead, “Terra Mystica” uses differently available bonus tiles and round goals to create different experiences from game to game. In some games, the bonus tiles available may make it easy to get Power but make Workers a rare commodity, encouraging players to build more Dwellings than they would otherwise. Similarly, round goals with particularly lucrative cult bonuses may cause players to pursue Temples and Sanctuaries more strongly.

The faction selection in “Terra Mystica” could be seen as a source of external variation as well, though here we get into a murky confluence of variation and player strategy. On one hand, it would be easy to institute a Terra Mystica house rule that says that player factions are handed out randomly (and as we’ve , the factions are with only a few exceptions balanced very well), which would create a version of Terra Mystica that played differently because of differences in the setup.

On the other hand, at the point when players start rationally choosing their factions because of personal preference, faction selection becomes an element of strategy instead of a source of variation.

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Optimizing variation Ultimately, there is no “right” amount of variation to include in a game. That decision depends on the sort of game you’re trying to create and your desired audience. But there are definite benefits and drawbacks to consider with each category of variation.

NON-VARIANT GAMES Classic example: Chess; Euro example: Puerto Rico (almost)

Non-variant games lack both internal and external variation.

In other words, they are always set up in the same way and have no randomness or hidden information once the game starts. Other examples include many of the classical abstracts, including checkers, go, and othello (and modern abstracts like “Blokus”). Very few contemporary strategy games are truly invariant; fans of “Puerto Rico” might point out that there is some external randomness and some internal randomness in terms of which resource tiles are visible and which are facedown. But that small feature tends not to inform the game’s strategy very much, and the game behaves much more like chess than “Settlers of Catan”.

Advantages: * Non-variant games always involve the same parameters and can be seen as the purest contest of skill between or among players. * Because each player has access to the same actions and options, internal balance and external balance tend not to present serious issues in non-variant games. * Non-variant games are usually straightforward to set up and can sometimes be simple to teach because the number of edge-case situations is smaller. * Non-variant games reward a player coming into the game with an a priori idea of which strategy he wants to implement, so strategic study is the most rigorous and serious for this kind of game.

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* Mathematical of games tend to be most possible for nonvariant games, so a non-variant game might be more prone to attracting theoretical scholarship than games of other categories.

Disadvantages: * Non-variant games can provide very similar experiences each time they are played, which may cause some players to see them as uninteresting. * Non-variant games reward a player coming into the game with an a priori idea of which strategy he wants to implement, so new players might not have any idea how to the game’s strategy. In particular, and can become issues if players can’t figure out what they’re doing or why.

* External balance tends not to be a problem because all of the players begin the game in exactly the same state, and there are no inherent advantages to different starting conditions. * Internally variant games are perhaps the most common style of game that many players have played, especially casual gamers: most American-style board games and many card games have internal variation. Therefore, players might be more comfortable or familiar with this style of game. * Internal variation helps games to remain interesting because the number of possible in-game situations is exponentially greater with each form of variation introduced.

Disadvantages:

* Because of the lack of randomness or other internal variation, positional balance becomes a problem, and players who find themselves at an early disadvantage may find themselves less likely to be able to recover compared with other games.

* Internal balance is extremely important for internally variant games. Because most of the differentiation among players and outcomes will occur due to the randomness introduced during the game, it is critical that no random event allow a player to win or doom a player to lose through simple chance.

INTERNALLY VARIANT GAMES

* Similarly, some players might argue that internally variant games are not strategic enough and rely too much on luck.

Classic example: Backgammon; Euro example: Carcassonne

EXTERNALLY VARIANT GAMES

Internally variant games are ones that always look the same at the beginning--every player gets the same hand of cards, all of the pieces are in the same places on the board, the same amount of cash is in the bank, and so on. However, during the game, some imperfection in the information arises, usually through randomness. Many popular mainstream board games, including “Scrabble”, “Monopoly”, and “Sorry!”, are internally variant, as is the classical abstract backgammon.

Advantages: * Internally variant games share an advantage with nonvariant games in that they are straightforward to set up and begin playing.

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Classic example: Bridge; Euro example: Terra Mystica Externally variant games feature no randomness or otherwise hidden information during the gameplay. However, externally variant games create different experiences by changing the initial conditions, including the setup of the board, the starting hands, or even the position of players relative to each other. Prior to the rise of Euro-style games and the advent of modular boards, very few board games were externally variant; the classic examples of external variation are tricktaking card games like euchre or spades.

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Game Design (Cont.)

Advantages:

Advantages:

* Externally variant games share a lack of randomness with non-variant games, making them more influenced by strategy and less prone to varying with luck.

* Fully variant games have the greatest ability to present different experiences every time they are played.

* Externally variant games might be interpreted as more interesting than non-variant games because each iteration provides a new experience and a new puzzle to solve. * While internal balance is still important in preventing false decisions, it tends to be a smaller factor than for other games because each player has equal access to each option during the game.

Disadvantages: * Externally variant games encourage forming a strategy at the very beginning of the game that accounts for a particular iteration’s unique parameters. Therefore, an externally variant game can be won or lost in the first turn: a player who sees a good strategy puts himself in a great position to win, while a player who does not may not be able to recover. * Furthermore, first turns in externally variant games can be disproportionately long as each player tries to determine what his respective strategy will be. * Especially in externally variant games that feature different roles, factions, or special abilities for players, it’s essential that the game is externally balanced, or else a player could win or lose based solely on their character.

FULLY VARIANT GAMES Classic example: Poker; Euro example: Settlers of Catan Finally, fully variant games have both internal and external variation. A card game where you have an initial random hand and then can add other cards to it at random, or a board game that contains a roll-and-move track that is randomly assembled each time it is played, is fully variant. Probably the canonical examples of fully variant games are poker and its descendants, which feature both randomly dealt hands before the game starts and hidden information about which cards might be dealt during the game itself.

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* Fully variant games give the most opportunity for clever players to notice strategies, some of which might only be feasible for a given set of game conditions. * In fully variant games, positional balance can be used most effectively to even out runaway leaders and accumulated advantages or disadvantages.

Disadvantages: * Designers need to give serious thought to both internal and external balance in a fully variant game simply because of the vast number of options open and parameters in play. * Fully variant games lend themselves the least well to developing explicit repeatable strategies. The result may be a game that violates the axiom of approachability: if every experience with a game is so different that multiple iterations don’t even resemble each other, then players are likely to get confused about what their best options truly are. * Some players may see fully variant games as the least strategic simply because so much of the game is determined by variation rather than player skill.

Conclusion As with many other decisions in game design, the appropriate type and level of variation to include in a game requires intelligent balance between extremes. A game with too little variation could be seen as dry and mechanical, while one with too much can turn out to be a game of chance rather than skill. Too little variation, and players might not understand what they’re supposed to be doing at the start of the game; too much, and players might not be able to improve their strategy the next time they play. Furthermore, the use of variation in design is closely related to other design factors, including complexity, and the desired audience for the game: depending on the eye of the beholding gamer, variation is either a fascinating tool to enhance a game’s “replay value” or a means of reducing a purely strategic battle to a contest of luck.

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Game Design

Prototypes

By Serge Pierro

Minding your “A, B, P’s”

E

very designer has their own method of taking an idea and turning it into an actual game. The method that I use is to “play” the game in my head many times, until I feel that the major obstacles have been dealt with. Once I feel that a viable game is ready to be worked on, I proceed to the prototype stage.

I use what I call the “A, B, P’s” of prototyping. Alpha, Beta, and Prototype.

The Alpha stage is broken down into two parts. The first part is from a conversation I had with game designer Luke Peterschmidt, in which he mentioned that the best way to work on a card game was to use only ten cards and see if your core ideas actually work. Over the years this has proven to be great advice, as I now always break down my designs to the smallest unit possible and test it in this very limited environment to see how the core mechanic works out. If it somehow isn’t flowing the way you had anticipated, then it is time to tweak it accordingly until you have a basic model in which to then embellish your design. Most of the time I can do this part of the phase in my head, but it never hurts to try it out in physical form because sometimes you miss something mentally.

The Beta stage is usually formatted in a computer program and printed out in black and white and any cards are placed in card sleeves. This is where the real playtesting starts, as players are given cards with minimal graphics (if any) and mainly text. Any corrections that need to be made can be done in the software and reprinted and re-sleeved. The Beta prototype finds its way into most playtesting gatherings. Since it is graphically simple, the players aren’t distracted by artwork or any unnecessary colors so that they can concentrate mainly on the gameplay. Another reason to not have non-essential graphics on the card is that anything other than the pertinent information makes it sometimes harder for a playtester to make a suggestion as they may feel that the game is close to completion and don’t want to “rock the boat”. With text only, they realize that the game is no where near completion yet, and are often more upfront about their thoughts.

The Prototype stage is the color version of the game.

It may have artwork or photos that reflect the theme and it allows players to get a feel for how the overall experience of the game is. At this stage the cards and pieces are printed out on a laser printer. The cards are then sleeved and the pieces are attached to a sheet of cardboard with spray adhesive and cut out by hand.

The second part of the Alpha stage is committed to the back of business cards. The cards are compact in size and the thickness of the cards stand up to repeated shuffling. Some designers have their games printed by a Print on As a bonus, they can be cut in half and used as tiles. At Demand service and present a more professional looking this stage all of the relevant game text and symbols are game to the playtesters. While this isn’t necessary, it written in pencil so that they can be easily erased and could be useful if you are going to a large convention as adjusted on the fly. Usually the Alpha prototypes stay it might draw potential playtesters to your game and to “in house” for my own personal playtesting as I tweak help stand up to the rigors of heavy testing. the design in preparation for the Beta phase.

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Contributors Serge Pierro

Serge

has playtested numerous games for several companies, including Wizards of the Coast and AEG. He has also written for Duelist, Inquest and Gamer print magazines. His award winning photography has appeared in both newspapers and magazines. He has self published a game, and has several other designs scheduled for a 2015 release.

Eric Devlin

Eric has been the North East Regional Representative for Wizards of the Coast, the brand manager of Legends of the Five Rings, as well as working with Sabretooth and Third World Games. He has an extensive background in playtesting for top companies. He has also written for Games Quarterly, Duelist, Inquest and others.

Dan Fokine Dan has sculpted miniatures for “Wreck Age”, published by

Hyacinth Games, as well as miniatures for the “Brushfire” and “Endless” product lines, published by “On The Lamb” games.

John Anthony Gulla John graduated with an M.A. in Humanities, wherein he focused his study on games, the history of gaming, and game design as it relates to the Humanities. He is an avid board gamer and game collector, with over 200 games in his current collection. You can reach him on BGG.com under the username JohnAG68

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Bill Braun Bill has been a contributing writer for PSNation and High-

Def Digest, an Editor and Publisher Relations Director for 30PlusGamer, and the co-creator and podcast host of A Band of Gamers.

John Andrews John “jaQ” Andrews is a Marketing & Technology Specialist at

Zco Corporation. When not getting trounced at board games, he rants about science fiction, technology, culture, and music at www. jaqandrews.com.

Alex Harkey Alex is an accountant by day, an MBA candidate by night

and a game design enthusiast on the weekends. He enjoys aiding local game designers with their latest projects. Alex writes for the blog Games Precipice at www.gamesprecipice.

Matt Pavlovich

Matt has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and works in an ana-

lytical chemistry lab by day but analyzes game design by night. He is particularly interested in exploring novel mechanics in strategy game and roleplaying game design. Matt writes for the blog Games Precipice at www.gamesprecipice.

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Contributors (Cont.)

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RPG Contributor We are currently looking for someone who has a unique approach to the world of RPG’s.

You can contact us at: editor@gamenitemagazine.com

Wargame Contributor We are currently looking for someone who has a unique approach to the world of Wargames.

You can contact us at: editor@gamenitemagazine.com

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Childrens Games Contributor We are currently looking for someone who has a unique approach to Childrens Games.

You can contact us at: editor@gamenitemagazine.com

Vintage Games Contributor We are currently looking for someone who has a unique approach to the world of Vintage Games.

You can contact us at: editor@gamenitemagazine.com

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Issue #2

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Print and Play On Each Turn: On your turn, you have two choices: You may hit (take a card), or fold. If you catch a pair, or fold, the round is over and you score points. If not, play passes to the left.

™

Pairing Up: When you hit, you’re hoping not to get a pair (any two cards of the same rank). If you pair up, you score that many points. For example, if you catch a pair of 8’s, you score 8 points.

Set one of those two cards aside face up, to track your score.

A New Classic Pub Game

Folding: You can surrender instead of taking a card. This is called folding. When you fold, you take the lowest card in play and keep it for points. You choose the lowest card from all players’ stacks of cards, not just from your own.

by James Ernest and Paul Peterson Welcome!

Pairs is a simple press-your-luck card game, using an unusual “triangular” deck. The deck contains the numbers 1 through 10, with 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, and so on. You can play many different games with your Pairs deck, but let’s start off with the basic rules.

A game of Pairs has no winner, just one loser. In each round, players will take turns drawing cards, until one person either folds or gets a pair. Either of these things gets you points, and points are bad. The first player with too many points loses.

Players: 2 Losing Score: 31

Target Scores 3 4 21 16

5 13

6+ 11

(The formula: Take 60, divide by players, then add 1.)

Penalties: If you like, you can choose a penalty for the loser.

The loser could tell a joke, buy a round of drinks, make a funny noise, or whatever is appropriate for your group. Just make sure that everyone agrees on the penalty before you play.

Who Should Deal? One player can deal for the whole game, or the role of dealer can pass around the table. The dealer’s position doesn’t actually matter, since the starting player is always determined by the low card.

Folding is sometimes better than hitting, based on the odds of catching a pair, but it’s up to you to decide when to do it.

Ending the Round: As soon as one person pairs up or folds, the round is over. Discard all the cards in play, face down into the middle, and start another round.

Players keep their scoring cards aside, face up. These cards will not return to the deck until the game is over.

Reshuffling: When the deck runs out, reshuffle the discards.

Pause the game, reshuffle, and resume play where you left off.

Remember to burn five cards before you resume dealing.

Using a Cut Card: The game comes with one blank card, which is a “cut card.” Keep this card on the bottom of the deck, where it prevents players from seeing the bottom card. When you reach the bottom of the deck, you can use the cut card to mark where play was interrupted. You can place it back on the bottom after you shuffle.

Losing the Game: There is no winner, just one loser. The game ends when one player reaches the target score (see the Target Scores chart on the left). For example, in a 4-player game, the loser is the first player to score 16 points.

Keep Playing! We hope you’ll enjoy playing Pairs. Please visit playpairs.com for more games!

Playing the Game Getting Started: Shuffle the deck and burn (discard) five cards, face down, into the middle of the table. This is the start of the discard pile. Each time you reshuffle, you will burn five cards again. (This just makes it harder to count the cards.)

To start each round, deal one card face up to each player. The player with the lowest card will go first.

Ties for Low Card: If there is a tie for lowest card at the start of the round, deal an extra card to the tied players, and use those cards to break the tie. (You might have to repeat this.) If any player catches a pair in this step, you discard the paired card and deal a replacement. You can’t lose by catching a pair on the deal.

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Variation: Continuous Pairs Continuous Pairs is nearly the same as Basic Pairs, except that when a player pairs up or folds, only that player’s cards are discarded. Everyone else keeps their cards, and that player is still in, currently with an empty stack. This game is basically one long round, instead of several short ones.

Here are a couple of extra rules for Continuous Pairs: 1: When you fold, you may take any card in play.

2: When you have no cards, you always hit.

Expert players really like Continuous Pairs. Try it out!

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An Example of Play Here is an example, showing how to play a round of Pairs stepby-step. If you’re new to the game, this walkthrough should give you a sense of how it flows.

The Players: This is a 5-player game, featuring Angie, Bob, Carlos, Delia, and Echo. In the diagrams, they are Players A, B, C, D, and E. The Target Score: Because we have five players, the target score is 13 points. (See the chart on the previous page.) That means the first player who gets 13 points will lose.

Setup: Angie is dealing. The players sit in alphabetical order around the table, as shown below. Angie shuffles the deck, puts the cut card on the bottom, and burns five cards into the middle, starting the discard pile. She then deals one card to each player, face up, so the table looks like this:

A 10

9 6

Reshuffling: When it’s time to reshuffle, Angie shuffles only the discards (not the cards in play, and not the cards that have been kept for score). After shuffling, she burns five cards, then resumes dealing wherever she stopped.

Ending the Game: The game continues until one player scores 13 points. That’s the losing score with five players.

Breaking a Tie for Low In this example round, there is a tie for low card. Angie deals more cards to break the tie, one to each low card:

First Cards:

A

B

C

D

E

10

4

4

10

7

Tie Breaker:

7

E

Dealing the Next Round: Angie doesn’t reshuffle until the deck is empty. She keeps dealing until she reaches the bottom, or until someone loses the game.

B

Some Hints for Dealing

C

Delia is First: Because she has the lowest card, a 6, Delia will take the first turn. Her choices are to fold for 6 points, or to take a hit, and risk getting 6 points. Obviously, she takes a hit. (This is usually the right choice on the first turn.) Delia’s new card is an 8, so she avoided pairing up. Hooray!

Echo’s Turn: After Delia, the turn goes left. Echo can hit her 9, or fold for 6 points. Folding for 6 seems really bad, and hitting the 9 isn’t all that risky. (There are only eight 9’s left in the deck.) So Echo takes a hit, and catches a 3.

6 6 8

9 9 3

Angie’s Turn: Angie is next. She could now fold for 3 points, since Echo has a 3, but she decides to take a hit. She catches a 9.

7

Bob’s Turn: Bob has a 10. He could also fold for 3 points, but he decides to take a hit. He gets a 5.

10

9

5

Carlos’ Turn: Carlos is a more conservative player than Bob. Rather than risk pairing his 10, Carlos folds, and takes the 3.

Everyone’s cards are then discarded, face down in the center, but Carlos keeps Echo’s 3 card for three points. (If Carlos had taken a hit, rather than folding, and if he had paired his 10, he’d get 10 points instead of 3. )

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9

Bob will go first, with 4-8, which is lower than 4-9. (If Angie deals a pair when breaking a tie, she discards the paired card and deals another card.)

10

D

8

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You can keep the game moving along by calling out the cards and making sure that every player acts in the right order.

As mentioned above, it doesn’t matter if one player deals for the entire game, or if the deal passes around the table. The first player is always determined by the low card, and that’s fair no matter where the dealer sits.

Be sure to deal cards in a consistent order. Start with the same player each time, the player on your left, and deal tiebreaking cards in the same order, starting on your left.

To use the cut card, place it on the table after you shuffle.

Then cut the deck onto the card, and then pick up the deck.

The bottom card should be hidden by this process.

Credits Pairs was designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson, with help from Joshua Howard and Joe Kisenwether. Playtesters include Adam Sheridan, Ahna Blake, Bob De Dea, Boyan Radakovich, Carol Monahan, Cathy Saxton, Daniel Solis, Debbie Mischo, Don Flinspach, Hal Mangold, Jeremy Holcomb, John Mischo, Jonathan Fingold, Kenneth Hite, Mike Selinker, Nathan Clarenburg, Nora Miller, Owen Jungemann, Rick Fish, Shawn Carnes, Tom Saxton, and many others. Edited by Carol Monahan, Cathy Saxton, Christopher Dare, and Mike Selinker. Made possible through Kickstarter!

Pairs and the Pairs logo are © and ™ 2014 James Ernest and Hip Pocket Games, Seattle WA: www.hippocketgames.com.

For more rules, variants, alternate decks, and more, please visit us at: www.playpairs.com

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This is a cutting guide for the cards.

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Issue # 3

the magazine of tabletop gaming

ee r F

lay d P e! n a sid n int Pr me I Ga

GAME REVIEWS REINER KNIZIA INTERVIEW PT. 2

“THE KOBOLD GUIDE TO

BOARD GAME DESIGN”

MINIATURES GAMING NEWS

AND MORE! www.gamenitemagazine.com