Somethings Old and Somethings New

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In today’s episode Bruce and Josh talk about what they have been playing which seems to be some throwbacks for Bruce with some more ROOT and some newer games for Josh including a party game. Then the two of them dig into some of the Kickstarters that are going on as there are a bunch for you to learn about.

Specific games discussed: Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right by Leder Games, Catan by Catan Studios, Power Grid by Friedemann Friese Games, Wingspan by Stonemaier Games, Teotihuacan by NSKN, Cameleon by Big Potato Games

In addition, the Kickstarters discussed are: Roam by Red Raven Games, District 9 by Weta Workshop, On Mars by Eagle-Gryphon Games, Planet of The Apes Miniatures Game, Terraforming Mars: Turmoil Expansion by Indie Game Studios (Stronghold Games), and Maquis by Side Room Games

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Transcript

00:00:08 - 00:05:11

In today's episode, Josh and I take a look at all the games have been playing recently and then take a deep dive into some of the kick stars that are going on right now for your benefit enjoy. Welcome back to another episode of board game impact. My name is Bruce Brown and what we seek to do here on board game impact is to tell you about the experiences that were having in this mazing hobbies that way, you can make informed decisions for yourself and for your gaming group. And how we do that is we apply our, some of our educational backgrounds at looking into this, and I say we because there's a co host and his name is I'm Josh Isringhausen co host and together both of us are sharing our experiences that we're having in this wonderful hobby and Josh with that. How about we just jump right in and tell this nerves about some of what we've been playing lately? What's something for you? Sure. So the first thing I wanted to bring out today is a game. I'd actually been trying to get to get my hands on for a while now probably since BG con last November. And that is Tayo t-, what con- city of. Gods? So this is designed by Daniel skinny believe is the way his last name's for nounce them. Forgive me if I'm wrong published by NS Kate in games. Teotihuacan is a a. Really interesting hasn't really interesting mechanics to the, the core. Concept of the game is you are building the. Here amid that is at the center of Teotihuacan Teotihuacan is. A city from the Mayan culture in Mexico or not Mexico gonna draw blank on where that cities, located I got home keep gone. It is a. Pyramid that you are building on the tape are on the board with these almost like Mahjong tiles. There's some really interesting ways in which you're placing than this disgorge you points based on some, some character designs that are on top of them as you build upwards to this pyramid. And in order to do that, you are taking your workers which are dice and moving them around the board collecting resources and researching new technologies and. Building some decorations all different ways in which you're ultimately scoring points. The thing that really intrigues me about this game is the way in which your workers are placed on all your all of your workers or on the board at the start of the game. And as you move them around the board, you will actually age them starting at a one, and then moving to a two three four five and then ultimately allowing them to ascend to the heavens, as they become elderly and old, and then come back to bring you some positive points or rewards, a few age them out. So there's some really, really interesting choices and ways in which to play a game I had a blast with this one. This is the spiritual successor to Zolkin, which is. By the same designer his initial game. Also, based in that mindset, lose -ation, right? And so just really quick Teotihuacan. The real thing is a vast mic Mexican as you were right with that, or geological complex northeast of Mexico City and running down the middle of the site was a once flourishing pre-columbian city and it's the avenue of the dead that links up the temple and the temple of the pyramid of the mood the pyramid of the sun and both of which have a beautiful beautiful panoramic views of summits. If you were to climb them, but sulk in has a different. Take actually uses the Mayan calendar which is a wheel and it has three different years. That spend that kind of change the actions, you can take which is pretty fascinating. Josh keep going. Yeah. So actually, one of the really fun and interesting things about this, at least my play of this game is I actually played with a good friend of mine who is. By education and career path, and archaeologists, what's someone very familiar with the history and.


00:05:13 - 00:10:02

The architecture and the. You know, the archaeological dig that a has occurred in Teotihuacan, that's phenomenal. A lot of these elements, so the things you even mentioned, you know, the, the avenue of the dead and the. Pyramid loon and the the moon. So they're one of the ways in which thank score is your rounds are dictated by how close you are, and the movement of the sun in relation to the moon and you score at the eclipse, and so there's a lot of really, really interesting. Mechanical pieces built in that are directly related to the history of this location. And so it was very fun playing with someone who, who knew all that history in new all of that background and was able to kind of talk about the. Actual real world implications of some of the mechanics of the game. And it was I, I mean it just really enhance that experience formula like playing with someone who, who was so enthusiastic about this, this arkie logical dig. So I gotta ask, and did he say did this individual say that the game did the history of Teotihuacan Justice like does that come through in the design, so we didn't get so much into it. I mean, she she is a female. She is my own love with this game. She thinks it's a phenomenal design and, and, you know, didn't really have anything negative to say about right the, the history and the the. The archaeological dig. I'm assuming that, that's a positive note. Right. I feel like you know if someone was designing a game about education and I was trying to look at this educational system game that was messing things up. I would probably call it out. So I'm going to take that as a as a good thing that there were no negative comments. And I mean we all had a really good time. I'm really hoping to get this back to the table as soon as we're able to my challenge right now is this falls into a very broad category of gains for me, which is four player games that I love. And my game group is typically five to six players, so it's harder to get them out to the table. But I I highly recommend if you have any interest in, I mean, really interesting worker placement Stipe gains, I wouldn't call this a worker placement game. But it has that kind of feel too. To it and the decisions that you're making. If you like that sil- of game if you like kind of a brain Bernie. Kind of point salad style game. It's a phenomenal design. I I'm really impressed with it. Yes, Adly, I have not gotten a chance to play this once I'm really thankful that you can walk us through this. But in the fall at board game geek, convinces BG con that took place in November, which tickets are still on sale for almost sold out. So if you want to get to that November cop onto Biji. I was actually volunteering and I saw this was in the hot games area. They had two sets of it set up and people were playing it constantly, like there was never a time table was empty and people were talking about how much they absolutely loved it. And so I'm glad to hear that it's really doing some great things for y'all as well. Absolutely. Bruce, what are you playing? So I've been coming from a different perspective lately. I don't know what's going on. But things have been a little different for me with gaming. Really don't know what's going on. But honestly, I've been playing older games a lot more over the last couple of weeks. And one of them is Catan now, I know for, for those who aren't familiar with Catan Catan is the most lied selling games. It's probably the number one gateway game for most people. It's even got a movie deal with Sony, but is a it's a game that came out in the nineties. Klaus Teuber over in over in Europe won the spiel CR. So German game of the year. It's simple simple game in which you have different settlements on the board. You're rolling dice, just to see what resources pop up into your hands.


00:10:02 - 00:15:01

But then you're trading those resources with people first person, ten points wins super simple game would actually inspired me to play this one was. I saw post online for a weekend tournament about three hours away for about. Two weeks ago and for Catan for a national national qualifier for the US Catan tournament those happening down here in Texas. And it's like you know what I'm curious I haven't gotten this table since grad school. So when I was in grad school. My university was hit with a hurricane although we're in the mid west, and we were about power heat, and hot water for one hundred twenty hours and we had to kind of supervise the students, but we had nowhere to go. And so we set up shop in the lobby of our building and played Catan, our on our for, like, three days a little Catan out for a couple of years. But I don't know what it was. But I had this inkling to bring it back. And I've played it a bunch since. Josh have you been? Have you played Catan often at all out of curiosity? So similarly, I have not play Catan since probably grad school. You know, I right. It's the same experience. I think a lot of people have of it is a game that I played. Surprisingly, I played surprisingly little compared to most people, I think that are into the gaming hobby. I probably only played three or four games of Catanha my life. I pretty quickly found other games that I enjoyed a lot more more that had a lot more interesting interactions. I mean, I think Catan has done wonders for this hobby, and I think it is a, a great game for people to have on their shelves. If you have the opportunity to introduce a lot of new people to games, and that's actually, one of the things that help me play it side, family, visiting from New York and my mom's a little older, but she's trying to she's trying to like play games with us and stuff. And so my wife and I and my mom actually played this three player, and she freaking loved it. She won. So she loved that, but it was a really great game for me to just be able to teach her some mechanics. It's super lightweight when you think about the spectrum of games, once you get into them for a new gamer, it might be a little daunting. But once they played a couple times like they are good to go, like, I didn't really have to look at the rules at all for this because. Honestly, cathartic experiences kind of relaxing to play something that I've played so much of in the past that I could just go out and play and not have to think about it and not have to stress or do a puzzle. But just doing nice competitive shorter fund game that was kind of nice. Yeah. I, I mean, I think this is a great example of a game that right? Playing with your mom, I think, is a great. Idea, great way to introduce someone who probably has had some like experiences with games have ended at monopoly and sorry. And right, those games that no one or very few people think back fondly upon where it's a game that you have a lot more enjoyment in terms of the interactions, you have with people the player action in that game tend to be very fun. A lot more community building and having some interesting conversation. So I think it introduces the concept of board games as something more than just roll a dye. Move around aboard and do something. Yes. Because it does have that modular setup where every time you play it, the board can look slightly different. But it does have that hallmark of rolling something that people have used to only played monopoly things like that. So it doesn't fully eliminate that, but it changes, what that could mean. And so, yeah, it's just been something that's been fun for me to bring back to the table. This is still widely available like you can get at target. You can get it all over the place. It's super easy to find. So if you're hearing this, I've never played it, you need to try it. At least try it. If you go to a convention, there's probably a like a actual carpet with it that you can play on with bigger pieces just because it's that widespread. But yes, that's one of the things that's been coming up for me. What about you, Josh great? So speaking of games, you can find at target.


00:15:02 - 00:20:02

This was kind of a unique game that not a style at I typically play it is a game you can find target. It's called chameleon. Ian, or the chameleon I've seen it both ways. So it is a game that is. A sensual you have a it's more of a party style game. You have a card set out in the middle of the table in which you everyone is looking, and it has a whole list of something. So the category may be like mythical creatures in it has vampire, Minna tar dragon all sorts of things or two categories food, and has different types of food. Everyone gets delta card and. You have to dice, you roll the dice you reference, the car that is in front of you in it tells you so it will tell you which. Word on the center card you are looking at that is the clue for this round. Everyone has the same card. So everyone is looking at the same word except for one person who is the chameleon. You then take turns going in player. Order giving a one word clue to the word that is on the center card that you've been asked to look at or to reference. The chameleons goal is to. Give a clue that would lead people to believe that they know what the word is, even if they don't everyone else is trying to give a clue that establishes. They know what the word is that they are not the chameleon. But doesn't give away the word to the chameleon. So you have to be clever with us in terms of what your it brings out some really interesting thought processes and some interesting, kind of, you know, three steps removed kind of thinking. It was a it was a fun light little party game. I, I really, you know, we had a good time. It was be brought it out at a dinner dinner party. It was really easy for everybody to pick up on. And looking at the card and matching what the car in front of you versus the card on the table can be a little bit confusing at times. But once you have that basic concept down, it becomes really simple. And in, you know. A lot of fun for, for a bigger group of people who may not necessarily want to play something heavy or play something that is a, a little bit more thinki-. What's him really seems really nice about this because it's one of those hidden role games. Right. And. So you're trying to balance that, but it doesn't really sound like it's that much pressure on the person because everyone is having to you allude to the word a little bit. And so you're all trying to do the same thing. I know for me whenever I'm playing a game. I sometimes get super stress like I'm gonna screw this up for other people. I'm not gonna do it right. Or it's a one role and everyone's kind of against me, and like, are they gonna figure me out, but it sounds like everyone's kind of on the same page of kind of how they need to operate. And so it just sounds like it's nice simple rule, set and kinda decreases that hurdle that sometimes you can see with these things. It's gone school. Yeah. I mean it was. It definitely has that it doesn't have as much exiled is a lot of other hidden role games like whenever you get that the most things idee experience playing this game is whenever I picked up my card, and it said, you are the chameleon, and I was the first person to have to give a clue. So I had no other reference to point to like, put me in the right general, vicinity or direction. And so that, you know, but right. That's a fun way to do it our way to play. I kind of win a row of like I'm going to say this very specific word related to like eighty percent of the board. And if everyone assumes that I'm wrong. Now I've whittled narrowed down, what my options for the right. Word is like two or three words. So it may it makes for some really interesting. Kind of thought processes, it reminds me a lot of a game spy fall on. I don't know if you've played that or heard of that kind of has a very similar concept, except your people in a location, rather than just picking a word.


00:20:04 - 00:25:12

So I actually like spy fall, a little bit more than this. I think's by fall is the, the step up on a little bit more game fide version of this game. But either way, I don't think you can go wrong for just a light little party game to throw out on the table. When you have people over for dinner or something like that. And one of seeing essentially, it's only a twenty dollar around twenty dollars, maybe twenty two twenty three MS RPM for that just to take to a pub or something seems super simple says cool. Continuing on the trend my trend. I've been playing another old game that actually owned for a bunch of years and then then didn't start playing until about a year and a half ago. I don't know why I've actually this game is now meant a lot to me in terms of a fun. Basic euro game. So like really just focused on mechanics that are going on there. That's just been fun to take out for when I have higher player council like that five, but hopefully six player count, and that is power grid by freedom and freeze, which actually came out in two thousand four. So power grid for those who don't know it's essentially, you are all electricity barons, and what you're doing is you have this map. It's a double sided board one. Side's US, one side, Germany. There's a whole bunch of expansions for other countries that you like even very funny, one for Australia, where it's only up and down the east coast. Super funny. Essentially, what is their spots, where you can build a little power plants and over the three phases of the game you have a power plant, and then a connection, it's essentially a pipe than the pipes varying lengths and you have to pay different amounts of money to use those pipes, just like your if you were building a power plant, it's you're gonna have to pay for the infrastructure for where the power is gonna go and you play it up until someone gets to a certain number of power plants. That's determined by the number of players playing the game that triggers the end of the last round. But then at the end of the game, not having the most places on the board. It's actually being able to power them. This is a very tight economic game where you're having to balance your resources, because there's a market that's out there on the board. There's actually an auction mechanic that works in reverse player order. So the person with the least number of power plants gets to gets kind of some benefits with all that. And so it's really nice as you're trying to balance powering things versus getting money at the end of each turn is really fun little game that I've been able to play a bunch of times now. And it always plays out slightly different in the cool way. So because it has this kind of area control, you can block people in. But then as you advance from stage one to stage two more spots kit opened up in each city. And so you, can you could block somebody in, but then they could move right past that. So it's a really cool back and forth kind of game that this is it's it is Super Dry, but you can have a lot of fun with it by kind of how you're interacting with the board and kind of touting oneself as simply an energy, Erin. It was just kind of fun. The rule set can be kind of different for people because you do play you'll do one thing and one order. And then the next two things so building and putting putting things on the map and things like that, you'll do an opposite order. And so it's just. Once you understand the fundamentals of it. It's super easy, but there can be a small learning curve for those you haven't gotten into this experience, but it's a great game for people to learn euro games into learn some of these mechanics. So I brought it out to game day a couple times at the pub, perfect for it takes up the perfect amount of room on one of those tables, that were all just having to be, you're having fun. And it's nice to be able to see to be proud of what we build, regardless if you win or not. So it's kind of fun. This is one of those games that has been in my in front of me a ton, and I've never actually sat down and played. I don't know why that is. I think initially the first time that it kind of came around and I was made aware of it. I haven't really gotten into. Euro games to the point that a that drive game really interested me. Now, I I don't really I'm to the point now that I don't really need that much the to a game if it has really good mechanics. When this was first introduced to me that wasn't necessarily the case. I was much more drawn to some of the more story story or narrative driven games. And every time this is come around. I'm like, you know, I would love to play this. It's to me it as always been a sacrifice to the cult of the new of I would love to play this game, but they're Saif or there's tear forming Mars, or there's insert, whatever new hotness is hitting the table across the pub.


00:25:12 - 00:30:02

So I definitely love to, to give this shot it definitely looks fun. It sounds fun. I really love the, the economic aspect of the game just on this never really hit the table for me. Yeah. And so if a listener out there is interested in this, you can get there's a lot of copies of this available. But I have heard through the grapevine that they're going to be coming out with an anniversary edition of this because it's been so long. That's. Going to have upgraded components and just across the work because like the original one has paper money, which kind of going by the wayside, but like actual like, paper, paper money, instead of the better plastic money. And so, I would wait just a little bit to pick it up. But if you're like, ooh, this is something good. It's something older. This thing can introduce readily available. A lot of people know how to play it. So people might know and your gaming group or have it already incurred you'd ask, but there is a deluxe edition coming that I cannot wait because I've just heard good things, but we'll see what happens and what they put into that time. We'll tell sure that may be enough to drag me in. If you have some better, looking quality components out there, I may have to check that out whenever it, it drops. I think you and I are both sucker for better quality things just because it. Yeah. I'll I will own that I am a sucker for any time a Kickstarter or deluxe edition comes out. I really enjoy a higher quality experience when it comes to components. So Josh what about when it's not a Kickstarter the game company just did a phenomenal job with the quality components. Do you have any games like that lately? So I'm going to jump back in on a. Game that I've talked about in the past a company that I've talked about a lot, the last two times, I've been on this episode or on this podcast and that is wingspan by sewn, Meyer game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave if you haven't heard me, rant and rave about this game and how much I love it. Go back the first up Assode with me. You'll hear my enthusiasm come through there. This game continues to hit the table for my game group. It's kind of earned a spot in my game bag that sits there. It is a game that I don't even suggest or bring up in my game group anymore. There are other games that I want to get out of my game at bag. But every time someone looks at it. The immediate jump is less play wingspan. Like I said my game has a tendency to be five or six players is the five player game. It hits that sweet spot on it scales really well to five players. It's not overly long. If we have new players are a new player. It's easy to teach. It is easy to learn the quality of components are second to none on this game. You know I really really enjoy love this game again. Go back and listen to me hype it up. But that's actually something I wanted to bring up with this is kind of hype, and the reason why I kind of wanted to talk about wingspan in this episode is how much hype it has gotten and a how I think that hype is influenced people who are finally, getting a chance to play it or experience it a little bit. For folks, who aren't aware about this game when it came out it sold out almost immediately, like in. Yeah. I, I got I just happened to follow Jamie Steg Meyer on Facebook sauve that he was announcing something went to the website and waited for it to announce imprio- ordered it. So I wasn't even aware that sold out until friends of mine. We're going to look for and finding copies for one hundred two hundred three hundred dollars on EBay and on for resale on Amazon. I've heard his high price quoted as up two thousand dollars that someone was paying for this game on EBay listeners. If you're interested in this game at all, please don't do that, that don't do that was like a fifty dollar MS RPM ish.


00:30:02 - 00:35:00

I think paid forty five I forty five fifty it's, it's not worth that much money. It is phenomenal game. And in that I think it is worth waiting for this game will be back. There are two print copies or print runs coming one is actually on its way to the states right now. It is an -ticipant for mid April. So a couple of weeks, the second or the third front run is estimated. Sometime late may early June. If you can't get a hold of this game, just give it a little bit of time. It it is a great game. But just wait. But I think that much hype in that much interest has led some people to be disappointed when they actually play it. I will say it is not the media or deepest game. It's just light fun. Really, really enjoyable pleasant experience. Because it's only like forty five minutes to an hour long game. Right. Yeah. It's I would say with all new players you're looking at probably our but with experienced players forty five minutes if that is what you're going to get out of this. And it's it's a really good time. But it is not. Really think it is not really heavy. And. It's not worth right? A thousand dollars. It is not worth one hundred dollars. It is MS RPM at fifty dollars for a reason. Yes. So I really just yeah. I actually watched through a bunch of stuff with my wife on this, because I haven't been able to get a copy. I tried. Those going to wait for the next print run. My wife actually love the fact of all the art on the cards has different birds and has little descriptions about them like she thought it was freaking adorable. And so if you're from my perspective, even though having onto play this, you can win people over on this game who aren't fully gamers, like, don't get me wrong, my wife games like that was a prerequisite. But that doesn't mean she plays every single game that we have, or that I like, but seeing the birds, like, drew her in on this, and she can't wait to try it. My last play through was with someone who's not a big time gamer. They play light party games in the party was winding down. There was only five people left and right. Well, let's just do this, and she was in love within, you know, the first thirty seconds of playing the game you're looking at it. The artwork is beautiful. The mechanics are simple to understand. Yeah. It it really does. I, I think this is a great kind of bridge game. If you're looking for something to give you to bring somebody that next step, somebody who's may be played some Catan or played some ticket to ride or, you know, some of our those entry level games. I think this is a great way to introduce them to some more complex game mechanics and more. Interesting choices. But it's still a pretty lightweight game in pretty easy to pick up on. So if we look at the games, we've already talked about for, like, the more lighter weight. So if Catan we've got modular boards, right? We've got resource management and trading with power grid. We add in economics, we've added in a little bit of auctioning, and we add in essentially market fluctuations, and then in wingspan we take it a different direction at in an engine building gain engine building game. And so it's kind of cool. So each of these kind of ads in their own different perspective that can then have a gamer of all from there because I think you and I could both recommend games. That would be that next step after that, as well, which is cool. But these games in themselves are also phenomenal. So, yeah, absolutely. So I can't wait to get wingspan myself, Josh and play it they'll have to let you know once I'm finally able to get my hands on it. But I've got one more game to talk about. And then we're going to take a quick break after that, and then we're going to be jumping into kick stars because there's a lot. Going on right now. But that game that I wanna talk about real quick is actually the focus that we did for the entire deep dive last episode on that is route by leader games, which did fund very successfully, like one point seven million dollars on their expansion content, which is just phenomenal. Congratulations leader games on all that. But we were just playing the bass game because a with the episode coming out some people in our game group hearing college station, Bryan.


00:35:01 - 00:40:07

They had still not played it even though I've been bringing it each week. But over the last couple of weeks on top of that south by southwest announced route was game of the year and then recently, very recently board game. Geek dot com announced that route was the board game of the year. And so they're their game selection process is if you are a member of that website, but then also contributing member, you get to vote, so you have to have a username password all that. But it's a very interesting voting mechanism where you pick the games that you want to vote on. And then he rank them and then put those together. So route one for that it also one for innovation game of the year and also won for art and presentation for the year. And so with all that people are just going nuts. I have to play this thing. So I was getting messages in advance. So I showed up about a half hour early to game day. Just have it set up and waiting for them. And it was a lot of fun. I will say that I did have an issue though. Because root for those you haven't listened to that other episode, please listen to that. But route is an asymmetrical game in which every player and every character has their own mechanics. It's so it's not just you have your own power. You have your own place styles. One is programming. One can be resource management, one can be more cooperative style play. And there's more if you had in the expansion guns. So they just wanted to play this thing because they've been hearing. So much about it, right. The struggle was that some of them might not have didn't really want to lean in because really is underneath the surface of this cute. Exterior is really like a war game. It's a it's a war game with cute little woodland creatures. And so it took a couple of turns, but then they, they had this moment, where clicked for them, and then they were rocking it. And they're shot up real quick. But they didn't necessarily want to have that war game style didn't recognize that it was a war game immediately. And so I think that I didn't do the best job in portraying that because I was so focused on portraying the mechanics, they're going to have to learn explaining that and the dynamics that's going to create at the table. And so I do apologize for not conveying that part, I do feel like I let them down. But there's only so much I can teach. Right. And so it was a lot of fun. I was actually playing as the woodland alliance is my first time using updated rule set for them that they put out. And so it was super fun. Cannot wait to play it again. It's living in my game bag bring it every other week to game day. And so, yeah. Hitting the table again for me. Yeah. I'm glad to hear. You're having such a good time with it. I will be to give you a little bit of a break here. I don't think it is necessarily fair for you to feel the need to apologize for not relying that this is a word game win the, the game designers, the artists, the publisher did not designed to not pro-trade this as a wargame. Right. You look at you look at the game on the board. You look at the artwork on the box all of that, and it's it is cute woodland creatures moving around, and you look at the mechanics, and the mechanics are may not necessarily like lead, you to the conclusion that, like, oh, you have to go and attack and harass and destroy your opponent. So, so I'll give you a little bit of a pass on that one thing. But. I, I can't say I'm surprised by any of the awards are accolades. This game has gotten again listener if you I highly recommend you go back and listen to our last episode if you want my full opinion or BRUCE'S little opinion about this game. I'm really, really glad you're having a good time with it. I'm glad that everyone is enjoying it again. Phenomenal game design. I can't say I'm surprised the artwork really, really cute. Sweet fun, not surprised that it is winning all of these accolades, and again, good on leader games for designing a game that is so innovative. And so unique to have captured the the minds of the board game community. So, and so we'll see as the expansion, contact comes out later this year. We'll be circling back to this. But I know there's some individuals that were at game day that didn't get the play that still want to that haven't gotten the chance. So I'll probably be playing it again. So you stay tuned. I'll probably mention it, but not go as deep because it's coming every other week thing and just like we end up somehow talking about stronghold stronghold, but even though they make good game to stone Meyer games.


00:40:07 - 00:45:13

I feel like I've also been just turning part of this into the podcast. And so. But you will be hearing a little bit about it. But with that being said, it is a wonderful time of the year, and it is all the kick starters, launching and going on right now and suggestion are going to take a quick break, and then we are going to come back and lets you know about some crazy crazy things that are going on the Kickstarter world that maybe you wanna know about. And so, because they're pretty pretty sweet. So stay tuned. We're gonna take a short break talkies in. All right. Listeners. So Josh and I have been talking over text the last couple of days, and we're like, man, there are a lot of kick starters right now and we have a theory, and that is tax refunds. Right. Josh I absolutely. I thought about this. It makes sense because I will tell you that my tax refund has not came yet. And it is already gone law in large part due to Kickstarter. Yeah. So I think that it's just a wonderful time of the year. It's sensually it's are nice time to support some creations that people wanna make it's their dream projects for a lot of these people, but they're really cool. So in all that, Josh, I think we gotta start off with yours just so that way, we can tell the listeners but listeners, there's a lot of cool stuff going on. And if you're not familiar with Kickstarter real quick, Kickstarter is a crowd funding platform that means, like, hey, person submits idea. You go onto Kickstarter and say, I like your idea, a lot of times or some sort of product. So for board games, it's hey you're going to get a copy of this game early, or you're essentially helping fund the initial print run of this, you're gonna discount or some extra content. The no other people are gonna get and people toss their money to show their support behind it that being said, Kickstarter has been a wonderful platform for the board game hobby and board games dominate about a third of all of Kickstarter looking before. And there's something like nine thousand active products projects right now. But Josh, let's get started. And just let's have you tossed one up that you've been watching lately show. Sure. So the one that I and most excited at this exact moment about is the new game from red raven games and Ryan lock Rome. So for folks who don't know Ryan lock. It is the owner of red ribbon games. He is a game designer and artists. So one of the things I really, really love about Ryan, lock it is he does it all he designs, does the artwork does the graphic design publishes rights publishes rights, the rule book the whole nine yards. It is all him and he makes some phenomenal games. Ryan actually with red driving games recently. Sorry, we're getting some dog interference here. So red raven games. Ryan has started to actually make a few lighter games, largely because he has a contract with target to put some new games out. This is not. I believe one of the games that he is contracting with parked to make. But it was a complete surprise to me. I had an interesting reaction to this because on red raving games. Facebook, they actually announced this project on April first, and I had to do a good like thirty to forty minutes of research to figure out whether or not this was a prank or what the deal was because they've announced other games in this time. Yeah. Yeah. There are other games that, that they've been talking about coming out in twenty nineteen were far more in the front of my mind than than this, and I was completely caught off guard and Lon behold, on April night, the Kickstarter launched Rome. Looks very interesting. This is it looks like you are you're using some explorers to move around the board and kind of wake up some, some people who have been put to sleep across the land has some really interesting.


00:45:14 - 00:50:02

What looked like some really interesting spatial. Placements mechanic that I've seen if you've seen games like we've tiny towns is a good example of this, where you're placing cubes out on the board in a specific arrangement. And. It really looks like a really interesting. You're Cannock and the way in which Ryan is implementing in this. I'm really really excited about it. They say he saying plays between thirty and forty minutes a lighter game easier to teach easier to learn, you know that, that. Lower end will hit the table a lot for me. And I'm I'm thrilled to, to have heard about this. It is within a universities created with some of his other games, above and below near and far city of iron. So if you're familiar with any of those games it is in the same universe going. Check it out on Kickstarter. Relatively low price on this one to believe the twenty dollars. Yeah. Twenty dollars. I of course as we talked about was not satisfied with that. I had to go with the deluxe edition. So I will be playing a little bit more which comes with the animals promo pack the metal coins and an expansion. Let's be honest. It was the middle coins. So, but yeah, twenty two dollars is a really great little light pickup for me. And I'm really, really excited to see what this is when it comes out. Yeah. And so this just launched. So listeners yacht some time. But do check it out. It's pretty cool. So you're sitting it depends. How you sit and you do this nice little spatial relation putting the stuff out. The first time I saw it. I was like, what is this because I thought it was a joke, as well Josh. Because even he's announced other games. He's allowed sleeping gods. He just had a Kickstarter a couple of months ago called ancient world like version to essentially, and then he's also announced he's working on a role playing game set in this ours Eum universe, which is he's got a lot going on. And he's doing art. Like you said he's doing the everything for these games. This game is lighter though. And so actually reminds me of a game, I've played from him my wife and I played on our honeymoon called eight-minute empire, which is a very small little game where you're placing cubes down. Because essentially in this game, we're just placing cubes down while you were gonna be placing cubes. They unlocked when they hit the fifty five thousand dollar Mark some custom meatballs for each character, which is cool start out with three characters once somebody is unlocked ten cards and each card has six spots on the back of it. And so it's really easy for you to unlock those cards, ten cards win. And so. I think this is a good honestly like filler game to be honest. I don't know if you've got that vibe. Yeah. No. I mean that's I mean, that's a main reason why backed it like like I've kind of said the, the game in pass up the game, the place where I go to play games closes at midnight, usually, we don't start gaming until about eight o'clock at night. It's really hard to get multiple games. And sometimes, and this is one of those, you know, it's eleven o'clock at night, and we don't have time for a bigger game drop this on the table player real quick round of it. That's kind of exactly why I'm excited about this. I I love Ryan lock Ryan Lockets games. He makes great design. He, I believe, has has mentioned the, the actual box that Rome, will come in will be about the same sizes eight-minute empire. So it definitely has that same kind of lighter filler game appeal to it. And that, that, that's a big reason why I, I wanna wanna get this one. Yeah. And so listeners do go check that out. That's Rome, not like ROM E. It's R. A M. It's blew out. It's a regional goal of fifteen thousand has added one hundred on top of that. So congrats red raven games on the success of this for this actually rather short turnaround in terms of marketing just really good job as always. Okay. So I think that's really cool about Rome. But I've got a different type of story for Josh. There. Sadly has been canceled. Kickstarter. Yeah.


00:50:04 - 00:55:06

So this is district nine the board game in this is put out by weta workshop. So weta workshop is the company that really isn't that known for board games. It's really known in the movie industry for making all the props for a district nine and then more importantly, all the Lord of the rings stuff as well as some other movies, they make super high quality special effect outfits weapons, you name it, and they dip their toes into board games a couple of years ago with the game called g k r which sensor giant killer robots, which like they made these little robots that stand up about, as tall as your laptop opens, and there phenomenal in terms of production quality. And if you've ever seen the movie district nine it came out a good number of years ago, but I think twenty eleven essentially, it's apartheid, the movie because it's a. Alien race that comes to South Africa, which is where apartheid really took place, and they're essentially refugees, and they're trying to live in this society. And it's coming from the perspective of the UN, working with these alien bug refugees as all these companies that are providing resources to them and kind of some of the stuff behind the scene. So there's a lot of story that's potentially here. And so they launched a Kickstarter to tell that story and to show it in a board game. Because there's some really cool things that could come across with this super cool, high tech Sifi. There's different factions already that have some cool kind of story elements Justice. You ever see that movie? I did not watch district nine now. And so that's completely fair is kind of, like flew under the radar but for some, it has a semi cult following just because it's actually pretty important in terms of the lessons that can teach. So they launched this Kickstarter and they cancelled it. They cancelled it once they, they had a goal of one hundred fifty thousand dollars, and they got to seventy eight thousand dollars with six days ago and cancelled it and they're out of New Zealand, so it's seven hundred fifty thousand dollars new-zealand money, which is less in US dollars. Now was interesting about this is the game had these unique factions. Like already talked about actually brings in some cool Mex has a lot of custom components, this really cool. Art. And it's a game that they say it was going to be for any species of player as in two to four players go from ninety minutes to one hundred and eighty minutes. Now they were getting some flack because in everything they've seen on this game. It's a really actually lightweight designed game. And the, the problem was that the backers were commenting saying, I expected kind of more so ready talked about route and having really AC metrical things. Well, if you think about an alien race versus the UN soldiers versus a corporation, this should be all very different skill sets. And there wasn't that much depth put into the game design for this. And so they cancelled the Kickstarter and they said, send out this, thank you message, and they wrote, thank you. I firstly few shanks everyone who supported district nine, we've read all of your comments, we reached out to many of you in the weeks into this campaigns become clear that there are some important stuff that we need to reshape in order to make district nine the board game. Compelling an exciting product for you guys. So you've decided to cancel it has a tough decision and we haven't been getting much shut I here at headquarters, but African sitting all your valuable suggestions feedback. We know in our heart of hearts. That's the right thing to do cancel now regroup. Listen and learn, and then come back, even stronger in the future. This isn't something we've really seen before like this. Like there have been cancelled kick stars before. Absolutely. But this one's kind of different. I'm kind of curious in hearing that message Joshua, what are your thoughts? Yeah. I mean. I have some mixed feelings. So a I mean good on a company to recognize that the product they were getting ready to lease was not living up to what they wanted or what their fans or backers wanted now. I mean, I will say, I I'm always a little bit dubious about companies messaging, right? Because what I understand. Correct me if I'm wrong here, Bruce, but it didn't look necessarily like this was going to back to fund. And so there is the, the cynic within me saying is this an effort to save face and? Cancel regroup and come back with a new Kickstarter saying, we fixed everything or made it better in the hopes that it funds, the second time around.


00:55:06 - 01:00:16

Right. Does that messaging look better than we failed? And now we're going to try again. So there is that, but I'm looking here on the on the BG site, and I'm looking through some of the photos. The, the production looks really, really high quality here. I. Listening to hear you talk about the, the IP it's not an IPM familiar with. But it definitely sounds like there's something there for game to be made. I, I hope that this is a legitimate. Let us go back and re look at what the feedback we're getting is and retrial some things redesign. It listen to the board game community that we may not be as invested in as some other companies and take our Knox. Learn from it and come back with a better game. I'm, I'm hopeful that the these guys will will do that, for the fan base that they have because I definitely think that there is just looking at the quality of the components looking at the storyline. I think there's something to be had here. And I, I do hope that this is kind of a relatively new company in the board game. Marketplace. Learning from, you know what could be perceived as some inexperience in that marketplace, and trying to come back with something that is a better more fulfilling product and I appreciate you saying that in. I just want to clarify something based on what you said, Josh, just to kinda, see if I'm reading that comment part of your comment correctly because something that we see sometimes in board game kicks orders that I don't know that this game did. And I commend them that they didn't. And that is that sometimes see some really subpar goals so that way it looks like this game is like super popular it's hit passed its percentage. It's got one hundred thousand or two thousand percent funded because there's a thing to that. Right. That's a marketing tactic versus this is a Kickstarter only. Thing and did they put this goal at one hundred fifty thousand dollars obviously not talking with them right now. They put this goal because that's just gonna take, and they just want to be transparent, like they have to hit that in order to make it happen versus some of those other tactics. And if this is a company that doesn't make a lot of board games and doesn't have a lot of experience in that. And looking at the quality of these components. If you are making a single print run of this, I can see one hundred and fifty thousand dollars being what you need to make this thing to make this reality, and to make it at the quality that you are promising in your starter. And so, right. That's one of the reasons why I'm, I'm hoping and I'm hopeful for wanting to think positively about this company in the reasons why they're making these polls are why they're choosing to cancel rather than fail. Is. Because I think that is some transparency. I think that is it is a very steep goal to set for yourself for a company that doesn't have a lot of. Experience in the marketplace to set that high of a goal. But if that's what you're saying you need to make it. I am far more likely to support somebody who says, I need one hundred thousand dollars to make this really quality game that when I don't have a lot of experience doing that than somebody who's coming in. Never made a game before made one game before. And they're saying that I need ten thousand dollars to make this happen. I don't always know if that's realistic agreed. And for listeners in looking at some research on, like board games that stuff plastic. Yes, it is cheap. But the first mold that you make because you have to make it cast it and then get it made into metal that mullets gonna cost company up to ten thousand dollars. But then everyone after that's going to be super cheap because they just pour the plus again cooled off done for the buzz again. Cool it off done. But there's a ton of components in here that are really custom model. Nls for the backers. And so I'm right there with Josh, I do wish them the best of luck with this. I do think that they're taking the high road, especially because they did in that Email that they sent out. They included a survey that anyone who's on Kickstarter can log in and take the survey have you wanna go check out this checkout district nine the board game? Hop on click on updates and then click on the thank you message and then you'll be able to take this survey and ask questions about you just very briefly.


01:00:17 - 01:05:01

They're wanting to hear from you and what prompted you to look at the campaign, your thoughts on the price point your thoughts on the everything the game play. What should be revamped, as I really think they're wanting year from you. So this is something that you might be interested in or if your district nine SCI fi fan, and you wanna see come to fruition go? Give them your feedback because I know as a content creator, we'd all appreciate having that. So that all being said Josh we talked a little bit about this. What's another one for you? So the next thing I have here to talk about is actually a has not dropped yet. But there has been a lot of marketing a lot of push for this game in that is on Mars the new game by Vitale a Serta and artists. Ian o'toole. So this is a game that Vitol Sarah, Ian O'Toole have worked together on a lot of so these to work together in. Escape plan. That is coming out this year. Just kick started very successfully. Liz boa in twenty seventeen Venus in twenty sixteen are sorry being in twenty ten I think, tool only work on the deluxe edition that came out in twenty sixteen. They have made e-e-e-e-no tool. Phenomenal artists Vitale Serta is one of the most accredited in award-winning in just really, really beloved game designers out there right now. He this has been pushed a lot on on Facebook and social media. It looks really, really interesting. So this is a game in which you are playing as the first settlers of Mars, you are trying to essentially. Make life possible on Mars your setting up your. Base sations, your domes. You are trying to make Mars habitable looks really really interesting in terms of game design again. Artwork. Ano- tool has knocked it out of the park once again, without a doubt. Highly recommend this is launching on April. Eighteenth, there are Facebook. There's a Facebook of vent to announce this launch. I have followed that Facebook event so that I am reminded on April eighteenth right Vic starter. It is it looks phenomenal. I'm very very excited. I. I think that they did the right thing in waiting a little while to do another Mars game after the wave that was tear forming Mars and. Red planet mich- red planet, and some of the other games all around things to three years ago. There's a big sweep of Mars games this looks like the next big Mars game. Vitale, I will say his games are incredibly complex incredibly deep and crunchy if that's not your style. Maybe this game isn't for you. It is a longer playtime about ninety minutes to an hour or two hundred fifty minutes is what they're estimating so. You know, it is definitely not those entry level or bridge level style games that we were talking about earlier in the episode. This is definitely a much much crunchier heavier thinki- or game. But if that's something that interests you in. That's something that I'm incredibly excited for definitely give this one a look. Again, on Mars is the name coming out on April eighteenth. Yeah, I gotta read this little paragraph that I found on BG for it because I think it sums up that crunchiness into like, well, how would that relate to the game? So first of all, on the right hand side, it'd be talks about the game mechanism. So it's area control. Hen management, pick up into liver point to point movement tile, placement n variable phase order. But specifically.


01:05:02 - 01:10:07

Actions may be to build buildings Rovers or ships produce to buy or sell resources to explore and to research actions, take the form of worker placement cards in buildings scientists tokens or textiles, all those actions have an energy cost. So upgrading the generators and existing power grid is very important at the same time most of the buildings need, or to be built, plus energy, plus people and oxygen to run settlers need food and water and shelter to be able to, to survive the food and water and oxygen need to be stored. So he can't soar enough. The population will not grow. So sounds like everything is interconnected, which is let's face it. If you're terra forming a planet, that's exactly how that's gonna go. But you're right. You know, to never let us down. Now, you and I have loved playing captain nemo. It's just been awesome. So he did the art for that as mills many other games. So I also following this. It's got little. Custom screen printed Rovers for player characters. So check that out, April eighteenth on Kickstarter. On a seminal similar Mars note, I do not have much detail about this. But you're gonna wanna know if you are a fan of this game in that game is terra forming Mars so terrifying. Marsh for the first time in that games brand history. We've talked about for him hours before so base game it was nominated for the Kenner, spiel this Yar says the gamer game of the year for Germany, when it first came out it's wonderful game. That game has had numerous expansions all of which everyone that ever gets added people love it, and it really adds. So the game in a positive way, so they've got prelude. They've got colonies that just came out. There are additional maps. There's Venus next. Well for the first time in Terre forming Mars history terrifying Mars put out by indie game studios, specifically stronghold games. They will be kick starting turmoil on April. Sixteenth, so turmoil is going to be a small box expansion from everything. They're saying it's going to add in some more corporations kinda beef up some of the other aspects of the game and make it a little bit tighter. And so, do you check that out if you're a fan of terrifying Mars or you have friends who are let them know about this because I know they're going to want to hear about it. I know those quick, but there actually isn't that much information out there about it right now? But again, April sixteenth on Kickstarter Mars super-popular check. Out. Josh, I see you have something. Pretty interesting sit here next. Yes. So this next one actually announced and released the day, we are recording this episode. Not expecting this when either so whole lot of surprises here that is planet of the apes miniature game. So I did a little bit of digging into this beyond just the name, which obviously attracted my attention relatively quickly, apparently, is attracting a lot of people's attentions relatively quickly, because as I just watching we are up to eight thousand out of the hundred thousand goal and this announced, like I said today today. This is obviously based on the IP the planet of the apes iconic intellectual properties since the late sixties. This is a miniatures board game. There are three things that there are three boxes that they are announcing here, you can purchase one two three. Or if you want to really go all in on this foreign all in back pledge of two hundred and sixty dollars get all three boxes together. So this is not going to be cheap. You can support this game and people are definitely supporting it. I completely understand why people love wind of the apes Isla plan into the apes. I don't know if I have it in me right now to go with two hundred fifty dollars or two hundred sixty dollar pledge on this one. But I mean, they are definitely pulling out all of the stops. If you are looking at the miniatures on this, they look great. They are incredibly unique. They've done a really, really good job with creating characters from both the sixties slash seventies franchise and the new modern franchise.


01:10:07 - 01:15:01

So the difference of the boxes you can back with the. Sorry you can back with the origins pledge which will get you a board game based off of the planet of the apes origins characters. You can back with the Moore would pledge which will give you the war of the planet of the apes modern miniatures you can back with both of those, and then the third box is actually, the reforestation pledge, which just get you. These giant really cool forest tree miniatures with stand ease for you to place your. Eight miniatures on top of these things are huge. They are really, really impressive. Not really surprised that is going for sixty five dollars just for the trees. But it looks really cool. Is a cooperative game? You are cooperating as the apes to fend off the humans who are attacking, so there's some interesting. Kind of game design there where it is. I I wasn't I was expecting like a, a war game, almost when I saw this a two person kind of miniatures wargame at it doesn't look like that. It looks like a one to four person cooperative combat game fending off the the humans here comes with several. So the origin box comes with four different game boards that you can play between. The thing is nuts. It it looks great. The thing that is really interesting to me about this is I'm looking into this company. It is w y s I w y games, not sure how they pronounce that they have only done one other project, and that was a z impact English language edition. And it looks like they actually cancelled that project. This is eight percent funded were not even through one day. So it's definitely looking like it's funding. I'm really intrigued as to the story behind this, and how. This company was able to acquire such an iconic and huge IP yen looking at the company on their Facebook page right now they do have almost two thousand followers of the company, which is a lot when you think of, we're kind of in a niche market place to begin with my thing, my thing about this, Josh, I don't know if you're a near research to find anything. Well, first of all, before I get into that actually Zing is six inch tall miniatures of the statue of liberty coming out of the sand the curse spaceship in the water like these things are one hundred percent not necessary. They're just like flavored at on your board. They've got the these giant six statues as well as a lot of custom miniatures my problem, though, Josh and I don't know if you seen anything with this. I don't see anything on this page that tells me how this game actually plays. No paint is one of the largest kick orders I've ever seen. And I can't find a dang thing. Yeah. I, I have no idea. I'm looking through it gives you everything you get you get and you get a lot. I mean you're talking. Ninety seven cards, one hundred and forty four tokens environment tiles. Army's like galore, customer, every single type of ape like any repeat sick sixty or fifty miniatures in one box, and other fifty or. Twenty and another thirty in another is nuts. But yeah, you're right in terms of gameplay when you get into the where it talks about gameplay, you can set your game. You can have one two three or four players. There's apparently some way in which you can set a time frame anywhere between thirty and one hundred twenty minutes. There are different modes ambush attack in defense. And then there's not much else. It doesn't say what any of that means.


01:15:01 - 01:20:13

There's literally nothing. Doesn't tell you anything else about this. I mean. Yeah. I'm really interested to see how this does me too. And and what the game play looks like they're definitely going to fund. I have no doubt about that. I'm just I'm cautiously optimistic. Yeah, my concern here is the this does appear to be a kick starter exclusive, which means if you're not backing it, you're not likely to get the game. So. I think foam is going to get a lot of people on this one. I don't think I'm going to be able to fall prey to that on this one it, and untested company with a major p a lot of miniatures, and it looks like the miniatures they're showing us here are. Not actual copies. They look like they are digital creations. One hundred percent correct. And so we're you know, I ask some question marks I because I love to see this, I would love to see this IP. Come to come to the table. Yeah. Just just quick note for listeners, just as you're going through the stuff you have need really need to make your own education, decisions about all this because we're gonna put stuff out here for you to hear. But it's also important for you to do your own little research, because just because you back it on Kickstarter, it's not like going in and in a store and purchasing something where you have a guaranteed transaction that you could they could take your money, and it might blow out proportions in terms of costs or different things for different games, or something else happens, and you might just not ever get it just as a quick four warning about kick starters. It is not a guarantee you are funding a passion project. So just be aware be cautiously optimistic but do your own due diligence as well just as a quick side. Absolutely. That being said we have something that Josh is both. It's both near and dear to our hearts, and actually was for me, the firt, what really got me into listening to podcasts because I really didn't addle somebody told me about this. And this is a podcast that really brought Josh Anaya, little bit even more together because of some of the content they talk about, and they actually have a Kickstarter up right now to fund for the next year, and that is the secret cabal gaming podcast. It's been around since essentially, for podcasts, the dawn of time something like eight years ago there on over one hundred eighty episodes episodes, every single week may that be their main episode which comes out once a month. That's like three hours long shorter topic ones, which go about an hour or once they've now added in that are specifically for role playing games essentially, it's a group of buddies that really just talk about what's going on. For them have really great relationships in the industry, and just caused a lot of nonsense, but they have started up kicks over these last couple years. And I've actually put out a video about receiving the Kickstarter from last year from the twenty eighteen one because they turned to this, because the main guy Jamie Jamie Klug -ly, he puts out this Kickstarter. So that way, he can actually turn this into his full-time job. He's been able to do that over the last two years. And we believe in them, because it's a good thing for the hobby, and we also believe in funding contact creators, because a lot of people in this industry doing this out of a passion project Josh myself, but the secret Kabbalah has been doing some great things and I don't wanna take up all the air on this, Josh watchdog about with the secret balls meant to you. And then we can dig more into what they're actually doing with this Kickstarter. Sure, I mean. So you're actually the person Bruce, who introduced me to the secret ball. I've been a big fan of podcasts for, for a while. Now I listened to a lot of podcast before I had never listened to a gaming specific podcast until listening to secret ball. I have dabbled in listening to some other since then but really see your balls the one that I continue to go back to it's, it's what made me want to do a podcast and want to join you on this podcast and the journey that you kind of taken a yourself down with with the. Board game impact and kind of what we're doing here today is in large part, I think due to listening to the secret ball. Right. It's. It is a group of friends, and it really shows that it is a group of friends in their recording, talking about board games in a way, that is incredibly relatable and makes it a lot of fun.


01:20:13 - 01:25:18

And it's, it's why I wanted to do this podcast because it brings a lot of joy to me. And I, I like the, the idea it bring that same energy or that same, or a similar energy or a similar kind of experience to other people and expand the hobby, even more. And I thank you for saying that Dawson it. For me to like the ball was absolutely. And inspiration. We in no means by any chance, try to replicate. What they do. I don't I don't think anybody could ever actually do that. Because it is so authentic. It is so them and they are so unique. But I am very thankful for what is done for me. What it's brought Josh into all of this. It's helped build that relationship with us. And so this podcast absolutely is inspired by secret balls, while some other avenues as well. But these guys are just doing amazing amazing things they've also started adding in a lot of YouTube videos. One of the most popular ones that's come out is games of games that are really great, but kind of gone under the radar they've done some episodes where they brought in other content creators to actually make a special episode where they're narrating. Simply through mythos for people. There are so many different publishers that have come behind this thing. So what you get if you back this thing is you get depending on your pledge level all sorts of promos for games, we've talked about on the show. Ready such Tara forming Mars such as empires the void to buy red raven games evolution, which you can pick up like anywhere nemo's for which is that game by Ian O'Toole the art by tool. Saif brook city, fireball island. So near and far by red raven games it's just a phenomenal. Phenomenal. Kickstarter is Childress. You put out gloom. Haven, fair games. Is it is written custom scenarios with Jamie that he did last year. And now there's a new one for this year berkey from game toppers, if you wanna get a Matt, and he's made whisky glasses for this thing. It's essentially Bart being part of just a cool group of people, Josh and I, we're going to talk real quick about, like, why we back and so just to call it. I back I back this at the highest level that I could personally for me called the grandmaster pledge. I couldn't afford beyond that. But the reason I do that. It's a one hundred twenty dollars, and that's of my own money. And so the reason I do that is because this, this is brought so much to me, but also, as I think about it, and I think about the amount of content that's come out. So if I'm listening to. A three hour podcast in a month. I pay a lot less than ten bucks a lot more than ten bucks to go. See a movie with my wife, that's only like an hour and a half. And so if I go see two movies to equate out to that I'm paying a lot more than what it cost me to give them for ten bucks a month. Essentially, what this boils down to bless all this other cool stuff and funding someone's hopes and dreams, not just giving it to some corporation, if that makes sense, but it's just my way of saying, thank you, and my way of saying, please keep doing this because I think we're better off as a hobby, Josh. Why do you back? Sure, I mean, I'm going to echo pretty much said. I mean sure do I really, really want this sceviour ball dice bag in this secret? Baulch cow challenge going, and those are fun things. I don't need them in my life. They're going to sit on my shelf, and be kind of decorative pieces. They're not worth the money that I spend on this. This is not about a physical reward. This is one hundred percent about supporting the people who are making content that I enjoy, I kind of put it in perspective of some of the other things that I spend that I subscribe to right? So I subscribe to Netflix. I subscribe to Spotify. I will say that I spend as much time listening to the secret ball podcast as I do watching Netflix. Now I'm unique. I don't watch a lot of TV, but in a month, I probably spend a good. Seven eight hours, listening to the podcast and that's not including the YouTube channel so yeah, that's, that's worth ten dollars a month to me that is worth the cost of entry, and like you said it it's going to people who are actually creating the content it's going to support an individual who I have a lot of respect for I really do.


01:25:18 - 01:30:18

I think what Jamie and the entire secret ball has done for the industry is a big net positive. I, I really encourage our listeners to really support any content creator that you, you. Receive entertainment and receive joy from right time is not free. And so when we are when anyone is putting the amount of time, dedication, and energy into project, that brings you joy, something like the secret ball, does for me. I think that deserves monetary support, I think people's time and energy is worth supporting. And so that's, that's really what it comes down to for me is, I want to support the people who are making content bring me joy. And I think that, that just hits the nail in the head Josh. So as you can do that. Hop on Kickstarter Josh. And I talked before this episode and Josh, I didn't know if you were going to mention it, but I'm just going to say it, you brought up the fact of like many of us have lived at times, living paycheck to paycheck. Could you imagine if your paycheck to paycheck was one time a year? Yeah. And Jamie stocked about this on, on his on the podcast on YouTube videos. This is his full-time job, creating a podcast, creating the content. He wrote a book that, that you get a digital copy of if you support this about role playing gang designing role playing games. This has become a time job for him. And. I can understand, you know, just doing this recording. It is. It is time consuming. I'm not the person editing Bruce like props to you for, for doing that Braschi it. You. We're and we're not producing near the amount of content that, that these guys are. And so I can understand that needing this to be a full-time job to make the amount of content that they do and to know that you have to pay your mortgage and you have to feed your family for a year and do all of these things. And you've got one shot a twenty four day window in which you have to raise that money. Yeah. That's, that's gotta be really, really hangs -iety inducing. I can't even begin to imagine that. And so, yeah, like I, I really wanna throw my full support behind this Kickstarter or really any media Kickstarter, because these guys aren't alone in being content creators, who are asking for people to support the monkey starter think a lot of people have got it. Into their heads that Kickstarter is this preorder system. I pay money, I receive a product, and that's not what this is this is we're giving you a product for free. You're going to receive the project product either way. It would be really, really helpful if you allowed us to continue to make the quality of product that we want to make into continue to improve on the quality of the product that we're making, and I think joss think you've painted a great picture of everything. And I know we've talked about this kind of a lot. But if you like something that someone is doing support it. But the secret ball gaming podcast is something that, Josh, and I wholeheartedly believe, in, they mean a lots of us. And so we highly encourage you to eight check them out go and listen to their episodes, just jump right in, you'll feel feel like home. Check out the different content. You might learn something new, if you've never tried role playing games. If you've never tried other different things. So just go check them out, go support them if you can. But if anything if you can't make a monetary donation, it's always great to use. Also spread the word to others have heard good things about this. Maybe you'd also be interested in checking it out. So I don't want to belabor it too much more. Josh? So I got one more Kickstarter for us to talk about. That is more of a solo experience rather than a group experience for many of us that you and I have been talking about. And that is Mckee by believe. That's how you say. That's Q U I S by side room games. So this game. Yeah. Just do you want to jump in sure? I mean, this was a kind of an interesting situation that we were able to, to talk back and forth about because I'm pretty sure right after I backed this, I received notification my Email that you had also backed this.


01:30:18 - 01:35:07

Yup. So that spark a little bit of a conversation, I I'm really excited about this. I think we talked last week was when I talked about really enjoying some solo experiences when it comes to the board game hobby. I really enjoy solo board games. And this is one that has been on my radar for a while. This is a reprint of a game from twenty thirteen Johnson clarify. So you enjoy playing with yourself. Let's not go there on this. We're not going to say do you need to clarify before we digging deeper? Yes. Listeners. If you're just getting into games solo gaming is a thing. Many games. Sometimes come with a thing called an Oto automa- deck. So auto deck in which that deck will replicate. Whatever the game like the other players would be doing on a turn. This kind of has some of that, but solo gaming if you think playing solitaire but at a board, add mechanics more mechanics at game to that not just putting down cards. But I just thought that was important for gamers understand, and listeners, understand, before we dig any deeper into this. That, that's a thing because I might not know. Absolutely. And, and. In my opinion, really rewarding thing, there's there are people out there who are not fans of solo games totally understandable. I've talked at nauseam in the past episodes about why I love the reason I love board gaming so much is the. Community that is involved in board, games, and in connecting with people over the board. That is the reason why I am obsessed with this. Whole board gaming thing. Yeah. Yeah. But solo games can also be rewarding in their own. Right. And also be really, really entertaining and fun. So Bruce, much tells a little bit more about her. I believe it's muck. We actually go that McQueen McQueen well side room games. I got on the map. So if you're listening, if you've been listening closely I you talked about, like we talked about planning to the their second game. Right. And same thing with weta workshop. This is the second game created on Kickstarter by side room games. The difference is these games existed before coming onto this thing. So Sidra and games came out with a game called black sonata last year. Blacks and NADA. You are essentially a detective trying to track down this woman in Europe, but stirring, more Shakespearian times, but it's fascinating little game that actually has holes punched in cards and see you essentially put the cart overlap the cards, turn it over, and you'll has our our, but Spyglass cut out. And you'll see if you found the woman, it's a fascinating mechanic that has never been seen again before that game one the board game geek sauce, solo game of the year or the prineton play game of the year. So people submit these games other people can just print out for free and play and blacks and auto won that award side room games wanted to take that game that they had made and just make it in available in bucks. So they already made the game. They knew what they were doing. Mckee is the same kind of thing. It did not win the print play game of the year. However, it was an nominated in a runner up for the twenty thirteen solo printing play contest. And so they have vast experience in terms of making games and putting these things out blacks and oughta has done very well. I own it. You'll be seeing video come out soon about it. This one is very different. It's not during Shakespearean era, what it is, is, you are essentially a rebel slash spy group in Nazi Germany, and what you're doing is you have your little workers hiding in a safe house, and you have to put them out on this board and there's routes, so essentially, it's a route building game and hope that as you turn over cards for the military patrol. There's two levels of them, the basic military or like the more advanced ones that they're not going to surround you or rest your people, and you're trying to accomplish the.


01:35:07 - 01:40:07

Two missions that you have for your game in fifteen days. Because there's a day tracker before the military, fines, you, and shuts you down. And so you are you're gonna be doing that. You're gonna be going to different areas like the grocer to get food. And then you might go to the black market that turn that food into money, and then you might take money in the fence like literal, fence fence in more criminal organizations. You give the money they're able to get you some product again. Get you some weapons or you build different areas on the board. And just hope that they don't surround you cut off your route back to the safe house. They have to make it to back each night. This game super cheap actually is only twenty four dollars for the entire game. And all of the stretch goals, which it has already unlocked, a ton of stretch goals in the last couple of days. And it's just a really fun game. I've watched through a couple of places of it cannot wait to get it. Someone. From the secret ball Steve actually is quoted on here. So Steve always wants to get into kick starter, quote, he never gets to make it happen. But he actually put that playing Mckee McCaw. Sorry is a great way. Correct. It is. Mckee. Okay. Mckee. Playing Mckee is a great way for solar player to get some training on boarding Nazis. Which is always fun, Viva LA France. But it's a it's a fun. Little game doesn't seem actually that complex to learn but complex to master because there's a whole mission deck. And you're only picking two and so there's a lot of different combinations that could come up, Josh what have you been able to see as you go through this? Right. So I think one thing I do want to kind of talk about is just the theme of the game in the name of the game. So Mckee actually is a. Was a guerilla band of French. Resistance fighters during World War Two. So that is where the, the name Mckee comes from is it is actually a an actual group that fought during the Nazi occupation of France in World War Two, so you are playing a sensibly as a member of this, or as this, this band of fighters. The thing that makes a solo game fun is the difficulty level. And looking through this listening hearing from reviewers and some of those types of things. This. Does not seem like a simple game at all right? In in playing solo game or cooperative game where you're not competing with someone else you really need to feel as though there's something at stake. And this definitely. I think does that from what I'm looking at here. I think the fifteen day track fifteen day tracker is. Some brilliant game design because right this they estimate this game is being about thirty minutes long. I think that's an excellent length of game for solitaire game. I also think that, that gives you a lot of. Intense. A really intense. They're breathing down. Your neck. It's over before you know, it kind of feeling when you're playing a game like this. So I, I have not had chance to play blacks and oughta. I've heard really, really great things about it. That was actually what led me to, to back this, the second was. I've heard so many good things about blacks and oughta same company. Of very successful Prenton play. Relatively cheap to get in on all of those things. Add together for a no brainer. In my opinion are for me as someone who doesn't joy, so low games as someone who does want to kind of have this experience. It's a worker placement. So low, I I've not seen a worker placement solo ever. So that's incredibly intriguing to me. Really looking forward to this one. And so, I said, a little bit more digging, and I think that are misrepresenting themselves like under selling themselves because they have the board game beak nominee badge on their and technically that's true because they weren't nominee. But there's one two three four five six twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen categories for that Brinton play contest.


01:40:09 - 01:45:00

They took first place in, like four of them. So they're putting the law the wrong logo on this. So they won best small game. They won the game that has the best hand in resource management mechanic. They won the second place for best the Matic, but then they want guest best artwork and they won best overall game for twenty thirteen. Brinton. Blais. So this is a super solid super solid like if I wasn't ready, like encouraged enough to back this in the first place, which, obviously, I have backed it said that a couple of times, this is just a good game that I cannot wait to get to the table. And I think, honestly, Josh I got a call it that pressure of thirty minutes having that limited time, but also your being surrounded. I didn't live through it, but I'm just gonna soom that's has to be part of what the feeling is like being an occupied area, no matter what warrior in just got a call that as to do something against the grain the surrounded on all sides. They're breathing down. Your neck, it's it could be over at any minute mentality. I think is a great way to kind of capture that feel of. Of the theme. Right. When you're when you're talking about what, what I really love and a game is went when I really what I really love about eight thematic game is when you feel like the theme is real when you have some type of when the theme, listen a motion in the mechanics, echo that same emotion. So that is Mckee. It's on Kickstarter. It's doing very well. Congratulations side side room games on all of that. The optional higher tier backing is already gone. So if you wanted your name in the box that ship has sailed, but it's twenty four dollars. But with all that, Josh, I think it's time we run a little bit longer on this one but time to bring this episode to close listeners, we hope that this been helpful for you again. My name is Bruce Brown and you can find me on board game geek, as Bruce Brown, Josh Isringhausen. I'm on board game geek as bad wolf ninety or any who've e- ends out there. So we just wanna say thank you for taking this time we hope to this is all been very meaningful for you, and that the learning about what experiences are going on for us does make that positive impact on your gaming. You can learn more about us by visiting our website board game impact dot com. If you liked to have a specific topic discussed, please Email us at board game impact dot com. Let us know what you think about these new formats, we've been experimenting with we'd love to get your input. Thank you to those who have already reached out, and that's actually why we cut down some of the stuff today and had that area focus in terms of what we've been playing, and then this really focusing on Kickstarter. Thank you for that feedback and just keep coming love y'all. Follow us on Instagram, which is board game impact like the Facebook page, which is board game impacts. He can stay up to date on the latest updates. It's also where we post different videos, or questions. So if you wanna stay engaged go to Facebook. Hop on there and we talked about this a little bit before in terms of. Really, supporting your content creators, and from that perspective. We just want to say thank you to our phenomenal patriot backers for supporting the show. That's the port means more than you can possibly. No, it's a reason Josh was able to get added to the show. If you enjoy today's episode, please consider hopping on and supporting the show, which is patriots patriot dot com slash board game. Impact, you can actually read about some of the cooled goals that we have on there that were trying to unlock to bring even better content to you, if that's not possible, or if you wanna go further. Please do share this with your fellow gaming friends. Like let them know that you're listening to the show that really mean a lot as you're about to hit next on the next episode of podcast and your app. Please do rate this in the podcast app of your choice. So that way, others can find it increase that SEO, but also really want you to head back to the websites. If you enjoyed any of the games that we talked about, and like the purchase any of those for yourself. There's a new area at it or if your podcast or trying to get into guessing yourself. That, that tab is called games in gear, and a small portion of any of the proceeds from any of those sales. So directly support the show. That's another way as well. But with all that Josh Jeevan closing messages for our listeners. Thank y'all for listening. Really do. Appreciate it. Thank you for bringing us into your lives in this way.


01:45:01 - 01:45:11

And until next time go have a positive impact on the world. Thanks so much, y'all. Go out game and keep making positive things happen.