Purple Pawn

Making the Pitch to License a Game Invention

7 hours 43 min ago

We’ve given a lot of attention to self-publishing and start-up game companies recently, but licensing a design to an established publisher still remains an attractive option for many inventors. To help address that, Ron Weingartner, game designer, former Vice President for Product Acquisition at Hasbro, and coauthor of The Toy and Game Inventor’s Handbook, graciously agreed to share with us some advice on how to pitch a game to a potential licensee.

The confident inventor has a new game idea. There is biased certainty that a significantly large targeted demographic in the game-playing world wants this creation. After hours and hours of design work, the kernel of the unique idea has been converted into an appealing and attractive playable model that exudes an invitation to “play me”!

The idea no longer exists on a sketchpad or the back of an envelope but in highly finished 3-D form. The inventor has what the industry calls a “looks-like, works-like, plays-like” model. And play the inventor has! The model has been through numerous game play sessions with known (and lesser known) friends. Repeated play has lead to tweaks making the game flawless in a whole range of play situations. Explanations and observations lead to fully vetted, concise rules detailing pre-play setup, player moves, and how to win. Group play sessions have been captured digitally for use on CDs to leave with potential licensees or for use in future YouTube demos.

But despite all this effort, the inventor is only partially to the desired goal; that being to find a company who will partner in taking the idea to market. As licensor of the proprietary idea, the inventor is now in the hunt for a licensee who under legal agreement will convert the idea into a commercially marketable game. The desired relationship will be one of mutual dreams; for the licensor $$$ from royalties, for the licensee $$$ from huge sales.

Any hunt for licensees begins with an initial meeting where the inventor discloses the idea to a company rep. The inventor should have done considerable homework on the company viewing the idea. That prep work includes knowing about the overall market, knowing the viewers current and past product lines, and knowing hot buttons on why the idea fits with the marketer’s future product needs.

Everything the inventor has done to this point to hone the idea will likely apply in the lead-up to demonstration of the game. This is pitch time and the pitch should be rehearsed against any and all anticipated questions from the viewer. For all the creativity and talent the inventor possesses, this is the crucial time to become seller and play to an audience that is the buyer. Despite all the inventor’s sensitivities and investment in the idea, part of selling is overcoming objections. The inventor will likely hear some during the demo, but must remain enthusiastic, positive, and ever hopeful throughout the viewer’s reactions. I know an experienced inventor that has a list of twenty-five reasons viewers give for rejecting ideas. For our purposes, however, let’s assume the viewer uttered none, sees the game’s potential, and agrees to hold the model for further company review.

That viewer now becomes a critical inventor ally as the concept is taken in-house. In the inventor’s absence, the internal ally is now the game’s product champion at every twist and turn as the company completes a full financial, marketing, and sales review to reach a licensing decision. High scores in game play and an attractive design remain positive features, but a licensee’s go/no-go decision will be based on marketing factors not merely product features like play and design.

Some of any licensee’s marketing factors include:

• The target profit based on a projected retail price attractive to game consumers and the resulting net selling price to the trade.
• Any use of a mass-market media character that may strengthen a game’s appeal to the target audience.
• The potential for an eye-catching package so the game stands out at point-of-sale. (Merchandising packaged games became a bigger factor as retailers began to dictate specific spatial footprints for games and after retailers witnessed the tremendous success for an ordinary word game packaged to look like a fruit.)
• Whether the game has a memorable point of difference or wow factor that can be captured in media campaigns or PR venues. (Capturing consumer eyeballs and word-of -mouth are essential to making a game successful in today’s highly competitive market for entertainment dollars.)

While the licensee is deliberating over these factors, the inventor can do several things:

• Pitch the same game to other marketers—possibly digitally or with a duplicate model,
• Seek a fee as an option for more time after the initial viewer has had a month or so to determine if the game fits product plans, or
• Move onto other creations and let the fate of that great game rest in the hands of the game gods.

Much of what happens at this point is a judgment call by the inventor on how to proceed based on the desired current and future relationship with the initial viewer. It is essential for an inventor to keep doors open with marketers. How each party handles a rejection or how the relationship unfolds while working toward a license will determine the business climate for this game and future creations. In a world of game invention where nine out of ten ideas are rejected, it is best that the licensor and licensee both come away from each encounter with positive experiences. In a business where there is a saying that “product is king”, there can’t be success in the kingdom for either the licensor or licensee for one without the other.

Categories: Game News

Game Bandit—Had to Change the Title Edition

10 hours 48 min ago

In The Game Crafter’s RPG Challenge, the winning roleplaying board or card game earns the designer’s choice of 100 days of featured status or a half-day booth slot at Gen Con.

The U.S. Department of Education, the NEA Foundation, and Microsoft are partnering in the C2i Gaming Challenge, which will grant up to 10, up to $1,000 awards (or maybe nothing, I guess) for “innovative and feasible idea for using interactive technologies and game-based learning to transform teaching and learning”.

Kobold Quarterly is offering issue #14 of the magazine as a free electronic sample. Use the coupon code “KoboldWelcome” is the company’s online store.

LPJ Design is selling Heroes of NeoExodus: Chanda Kesin for the price of a tweet.

Play Board Game blog is giving away Super Dungeon Explore.

For 25% off Patch Products’ games at the company’s webstore, use coupon code “HEART25″.

Categories: Game News

Hasbro’s 2011 Game & Puzzles Category Dissapoints, Except for Beyblade and Magic: The Gathering

17 hours 5 min ago

Hasbro reported Monday a 7% increase for net revenue in 2011 over the previous year. Major drivers of the record $4.29 billion total were a 19% growth in international revenue (16% excluding the impact of foreign exchange) and a 35% increase in the boys category. The girls category declined 11% and games and puzzles dropped 10%.

While the results in games overall were disappointing, two standout successes were Beyblade and Magic: The Gathering.

Beyblade is one of the top three producing brands for Hasbro. With strong growth overseas, Beyblade saw $477 million dollars in revenues in 2011. Looking forward, in the fall Hasbro will introduce a new play pattern to the game, Beywheels.

After doubling sales over the last 3 years, Magic: The Gathering is now Hasbro’s largest game brand in the United States. CEO Brian Goldner stated that a major new brand initiative for MtG will be announced by Wizards of the Coast at Toy Fair.

Regarding the remainder of the company’s game business, Goldner predicted a stable 2012, with growth returning in 2013. To achieve that, he explained that Hasbro is focusing on innovation—developing new brands and applying new technologies to eight of the top ten existing brands. He sees the combination of face-to-face and digital elements as key to success with games, and he cited recent experience with MtG as an example of that.

Some of the other interesting tidbits revealed Monday include:

• Expect Battleship KRE-O products this year. (KRE-O is Hasbro’s recently launched constructable toy.)
• There is also going to be a KRE-O movie.
• A Candyland film will be produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison production company.
• The Game of Life experienced international growth in 2011.
• Hasbro spent $197 million on product development in 2011. Also, 9.7% of revenue was spent on advertising.
• 7.9% of the company’s revenue came from licensing.
• The top three brands for Hasbro in 2011, each producing over $400 million in revenue, were Transformers, Beyblade, and Nerf.
• Hasbro’s four movies have generated $1.6 billion in merchandise sales.

Categories: Game News

Kickstarter Roundup Week of February 6, 2012

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 1:37am

It was a slow week for board games on Kickstarter. The week generated $55,000 in successful funding. Eleven projects ended and five failed to reach their funding goals. That is consistent with Kickstarter data that says just over half successfully fund.

One project, Shroud of the Ancients, reached the tipping point of 35% but still failed to reach their total. Kickstarter has said their data shows that a project reaching 30% has a 90% chance of success.

Another project, Monster Stand-ins, cancelled their project completely. They had already raised more than $5,000.

Eleven projects ended and fourteen new projects joined the list to take their place. There are currently 39 active projects.

Bold are new projects this week

Project Description Required % Funded Days Remaining Puzzle Me! Family Puzzle Building Game $5,000 130% Funded Shroud of the Ancients Fantasy RPG $5,000 35% Unsuccessful Double Spiral War RPG Savage Worlds setting based on Warren C. Norwood $500 164% Funded Fresh Artists’ Memory Game Family game for kids by kids $7,000 176% Funded Proto-Typical Captains of Industry Card Game $8,000 15% Unsuccessful Tephra Steampunk RPG $1,000 2282% Funded Conquest Tactics Strategy Card Game $7,000 143% Funded Divine Blood Fate Source Book in the world of Divine Blood $1,000 18% Unsuccessful Scorched Earth Educational Interactive Global Climate Board Game $16,000 46% Unsuccessful Ellis:Kingdom in Turmoil Pen and paper RPG $400 646% Funded Whot Dynamic Card Game better than Uno $5,500 5% Unsuccessful For The Win! Tile Game $15,000 171% 1 Fluke Wealth Building Game of Accidental Inventions $1,000 19% 1 Monster Stand-Ins Cardboard Minis printed on Plastic $10,000 57% Cancelled Exile Sun Miniatures $1,000 916% 4 Flatpack Optimistic Apocalyptic RPG $1,000 504% 6 Skittykitts Addictive Fun Card Game $3,000 168% 8 nothing New board game $10,000 24% 8 Dark Legacy Strategy RPG, CCG $7,000 38% 9 Rome Ano Octavian Fantasy Historic RPG $1,000 30% 10 Board Game God Game Design Workshop $2,500 8% 10 grAtitude! Board and Card game that teaches Gratitude $19,000 1% 11 Pieces of Eight Pirate Card Game $2,500 72% 11 Beer and Board Games Webseries $500 283% 13 Improbable Tales Mini-scenarios for ICON RPG $400 177% 13 Hull Breach Sci-fi stortelling naval and marine tactics card game $20,000 2% 17 Killshot Assassination RPG $800 68% 17 Zoneplex Tile-laying Sci-fi adventure game $12,000 50% 18 5 to Close Retro Style Word Strategy Game $7,000 13% 19 Sordid Dystopia Low Fantasy Apocalyptic RPG $500 272% 19 JammerUp Roller Derby Board Game $9,500 29% 20 Police Precent Cooperative Police Game $8,500 38% 20 Sailing the Starlit Sea Fantasy Space Travel Pathfinder Supplement $4,500 31% 22 Medieval Settlements & Cities Settlers of Catan playing pieces $1,500 43% 23 VivaJava A euro style coffee game $15,000 142% 23 Farmageddon Plant and harvest or blow them up $5,000 101% 26 Gangland Cops and Robbers RPG $14,000 0% 27 Rogue Mage RPG based on Rogue Mage Novel Series $6,000 58% 27 Legacy:Gears of Time Card game of Time Travel. Build your Legacy $5,500 22% 29 Roller Derby Card Game  Trading card game with real skaters $8,000 6% 29 Geek Fight Geek Fighting Card Game $10,000 0% 29 The Planet Kit 21st Century Game System $88,000 0% 29 Wizard’s Tournament Deck Building Fantasy Card Game $12,000 33% 34 Chicken Caesar Ancient Roman Rooster Families Fighting $20,000 31% 34 Seven Sisters Worker Placement Hand Management $8,000 20% 34 Monster Stock Art Monster stock art for web and PDF $4,500 72% 37 Edition Wars Strategy Card Game $7,500 12% 38 Agents of SMERSH A Storytelling spy game set in the cold war $20,000 175% 42 Final Twilight Urban-fantasy card game $3,500 52% 42 Lions of the North 24th Century RPG $9,000 5% 46 KantCon Overland Park Board Game Convention $3,000 109% 54 Mythic Hero Supplement for Hero System $33,000 8% 55 IndieGoGo Projects Description Funded Days Remaining Eragra Unfolding Card Game  $75  43

Categories: Game News

“Pawn” is Chess Rap

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 12:21am

Categories: Game News

Toyota Hybrid Monopoly Ride Experience

Sat, 02/04/2012 - 11:59pm

At the upcoming Chicago Auto Show, professional drivers will introduce the public to Toyota’s latest hybrid vehicles by taking them on a ride through a 30,000 square-foot Monopoly-themed course that includes “S curves, a tight roundabout, a bridge crossing and the rugged train tracks of the Monopoly game’s Reading Railroad.”

Because everything makes more sense when based on Monopoly.

Categories: Game News

Twister Dance with Britney Spears

Thu, 02/02/2012 - 9:16pm

Details forthcoming…

Categories: Game News

Gyro-Botz

Thu, 02/02/2012 - 3:52pm

Gyro-Botz are gyro-stabilized “zero-gravity warriors”. Ignore the science and the obvious green-screen effects. They bounce, spin on their heads, and compete in the Battle Arena. And of course, they’re collectible.

Gyro-Botz are available in the UK and France.

Categories: Game News

First of Twenty-Twelve Dark Sword Releases

Thu, 02/02/2012 - 3:06am

Among the new figures from Dark Sword Miniatures are this serious female fighter, cute rabbit ranger, and majestic Westie warrior. The last of these was modeled on a recently passed-away dog that belonged to the Noes of Iron Wind Metals.

Categories: Game News

Gen42 is Releasing New Hive for iOS

Wed, 02/01/2012 - 11:00am

I’ve already taken a look at Hive on iOS, but the news fron Gen42 is that a completely new version is on the way.

Apparently a change in their developer account means they can’t update the previous iOS version, so a new app had to be created. Since this is the case, they’ll be releasing the new Hive app on February 9th for free. The game will remain free for 7 days so that previous owners of the game won’t have to pay twice, and new owners get a chance at a freebie.

I, for one, can’t wait. I play Hive on my iPhone all the time. If you haven’t picked up Hive for iOS yet then there’s no reason for you not to now.

Categories: Game News

Game Bandit—Walk Away a Winner Edition

Tue, 01/31/2012 - 11:01am

In Wizards of the Coast’s Forgotten Realms Character Creation Contest, submit a Dungeons & Dragons character for a chance to see that character appear in an upcoming comic book written by Ed Greenwood.

WOTC is also hosting a celebrity charity Dungeons & Dragons game. On Saturday starting at 1:00 PM PT, you can watch the game online for a donation to Reach Out and Read.

Buy one, get one free Monopoly documentary DVD. Use coupon code “BOGO”.

Pawsitive Living is giving away Got Em from Calliope Games, using one of those Rafflecopter systems. Take It From Me blog is giving away Calliope’s Tsuro but without the Rafflecopter.

Mayfair Games is giving away a copy of Automobile Deluxe. To enter, leave a comment telling the company what games you’re planning to play over the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Easter and April Fool’s holidays. [My suggestion is 52 Pickup. Want me to show you how it works?]

Tell OneBookshelf/DriveThruRPG/RPGNow in 200 words or less about an experience you had trying a new game this year. Their favorite story will earn the author a $50 gift certificate.

Fantasy Flight Games is running a Dust Tactics walker conversion contest. One prize will be awarded for the best concept and another prize will be awarded for the best implementation. Each prize is $200 in product plus the opportunity to display the model at FFG’s booth at Gen Con.

Categories: Game News

Kickstarter Roundup January 30, 2012 Month ends at $223,000+

Tue, 01/31/2012 - 1:26am

As January comes to an end the month reach more than $223,000 in successful funding. It took nearly 6 months, until June 21th 2010 before $240,000 in funding was reached last year. And 2011 didn’t see 32 projects until the middle of August.

32 projects ended in January, with 22 successfully funding. That is a 68% success rate, significantly higher than the standard 54% for all Kickstarter projects.

The top 5 game projects in January were:

1. Omen:Reign of War – $34,443
2. Realm Coins – $27,098
3. Island Fortress – $19,829
4. The Book of Empress – $15,660
5. GeneGrafter – $14,617

It is looking like my prediction of a $3 million 2012 is going to be way off. Guess we better raise the number to $5 million for 2012.

Bold are new projects this week

Project Description Required % Funded Days Remaining Conspiracy X Paranormal Conspiracy X Paranormal Supplement $5,000 207% Funded Wasteland Post-apocalyptic survival game $5,000 49% Unsuccessful Passing Shot Dice Tennis Game $500 162% Funded World of Waste Land Table Top RPG $5,000 2% Unsuccessful The Book of the Empress Champions RPG Supplement $10,000 156% Funded Bare Your Fangs Vampire vs Werewolf Dice battle game $10,500 27% Unsuccessful Puzzle Me! Family Puzzle Building Game $5,000 127% 1 Shroud of the Ancients Fantasy RPG $5,000 35% 1 Double Spiral War RPG Savage Worlds setting based on Warren C. Norwood $500 151% 1 Fresh Artists’ Memory Game Family game for kids by kids $7,000 174% 5 Proto-Typical Captains of Industry Card Game $8,000 15% 5 Tephra Steampunk RPG $1,000 1514% 5 Conquest Tactics Strategy Card Game $7,000 78% 5 Divine Blood Fate Source Book in the world of Divine Blood $1,000 18% 6 Scorched Earth Educational Interactive Global Climate Board Game $16,000 41% 7 Ellis:Kingdom in Turmoil Pen and paper RPG $400 357% 7 Whot Dynamic Card Game better than Uno $5,500 4% 7 For The Win! Tile Game $15,000 128% 7 Fluke Wealth Building Game of Accidental Inventions $1,000 19% 7 Monster Stand-Ins Cardboard Minis printed on Plastic $10,000 57% 9 Exile Sun Miniatures $1,000 413% 11 Flatpack Optimistic Apocalyptic RPG $1,000 458% 13 Skittykitts Addictive Fun Card Game $3,000 149% 14 nothing New board game $10,000 20% 15 Dark Legacy Strategy RPG, CCG $7,000 37% 16 Board Game God Game Design Workshop $2,500 8% 17 grAtitude! Board and Card game that teaches Gratitude $19,000 1% 17 Pieces of Eight Pirate Card Game $2,500 66% 19 Beer and Board Games Webseries $500 214% 19 Improbable Tales Mini-scenarios for ICON RPG $400 126% 19 Hull Breach Sci-fi stortelling naval and marine tactics card game $20,000 2% 24 Killshot Assassination RPG $800 28% 24 Zoneplex Tile-laying Sci-fi adventure game $12,000 37% 25 5 to Close Retro Style Word Strategy Game $7,000 12% 26 Sordid Dystopia Low Fantasy Apocalyptic RPG $500 204% 26 Sailing the Starlit Sea Fantasy Space Travel Pathfinder Supplement $4,500 17% 28 Medieval Settlements & Cities Settlers of Catan playing pieces $1,500 39% 29 VivaJava A euro style coffee game $15,000 104% 29 Rogue Mage RPG based on Rogue Mage Novel Series $6,000 51% 34 Wizard’s Tournament Deck Building Fantasy Card Game $12,000 30% 41 Monster Stock Art Monster stock art for web and PDF $4,500 18% 43 Agents of SMERSH A Storytelling spy game set in the cold war $20,000 122% 48 Final Twilight Urban-fantasy card game $3,500 40% 48 IndieGoGo Projects Description Funded Days Remaining Eragra Unfolding Card Game  $75  50

Categories: Game News

Master & Commander Close Quarters

Sun, 01/29/2012 - 10:39pm

From Capitan Miniatures, Master & Commander Close Quarters is a war game of Napoleonic naval boarding actions. The rule set is available as a free download (in multiple languages), as are print-and-play tokens, record sheets, and combat maps for eight different ship types. The company also offers actual miniatures for the game, 18 mm figures sold individually and in complete crew packs—for British, French, American, and Spanish navies, non-uniformed sailors, and Barbary corsairs.

  

Categories: Game News

Paper Money #60: 2012 Predictions

Sun, 01/29/2012 - 6:18pm

No! We’re not late! We are on our new monthly schedule! This month – our 2012 Predictions (hint: Star Wars comes up a lot) for all sorts of categories: Board Games, RPGs, Minis, Mass Market, and more. We’ve also added some new categories: Retail, Manufacturing and Conventions. Yes, its all that and a bag of chips. At an hour and fifteen minutes, its also one of our longer shows – the perfect length for a hellish winter commute. Or two commutes. Whatever it takes. Oh yes… we also do some news, and offer the world’s most succinct Toy Fair 2012 advice.

Next Show: GAMA Trade Show and All About Artwork! Coming in late February.

Categories: Game News

A Newbie Review of Magic: The Gathering Dark Ascension

Fri, 01/27/2012 - 9:04am

You may be surprised to learn that I’ve been a gamer since 1979 and before last night never played Magic: The Gathering! Tuesday, though, I received some Dark Ascension cards from Wizards of the Coast, and as they were kind enough to send these to me prerelease, I figured that maybe now it’s finally time to learn the game. Fortunately, a neighborhood friend volunteered to give me a quick lesson.

Overall, I had a good time and could see myself playing this game on a regular basis, not in tournaments mind you, but casually with family and friends. The basic mechanics of the game are pretty easy to learn and the special abilities of the different cards are interesting to explore. On the other hand, there are a lot of nuances to the system and individual cards are written in such a way that the full Magic: The Gathering rulebook, I understand, is something like 130 pages long. I’m glad I had a friend explain it to me. The “How To Play” guide that comes in the box provides a decent overview but leaves out a lot of the detail that you need to know when dealing with the more complex cards.

Regarding Dark Ascension, my feelings as a newbie are generally positive but mixed. The theme of the set is very dark and involves a lot of undead creatures, which is not usually my thing. Also, I think that this may not the best set for a beginner, as many of the abilities invoke some odd timing questions and involve playing cards out of the graveyard (AKA, the discard pile). Still, it’s not impossible and if you’re willing to give it a go and be flexible, there’s a lot of fun stuff in Dark Ascension, even for those just starting out.

I’m not going to provide a detailed or comprehensive summary of the cards in Dark Ascension. But I will point out some of those that I found most intriguing:

Seance—Essentially allows a player to bring back from the graveyard one card for each turn.

Ravenous Demon—One of the new double-faced cards. Transforms in to Archdemon of Greed with the sacrifice of a human. As an archdemon, the card has a very strong power (attack) rating, but if an additional human isn’t sacrificed each turn, the card will deal its damage back on its controlling player.

Lambholt Elder & Hinterland Hermit—These double-faced cards are humans that can transform in to werewolfs, but under the right conditions may also transform back.

Black Cat—With a very low toughness (defense) rating, this creature is easily killed. However, when it dies, an opponent must discard a card at random.

Prerelease events for Dark Ascension take place this weekend at hobby game stores. Some will be running a new meta-game, in which a portion of the participants are assigned to vampire, zombie, werewolf, and spirit factions, with the remainder left as humans. Anytime one of the monster players defeats a human player, that human player will turn in to the winning player’s monster type. At the end of the event, the largest monster faction wins.

 

Categories: Game News

Scrabble, Words with Friends, and the Real Value of Letter Tiles

Thu, 01/26/2012 - 4:32pm

Along the way to developing a Scrabble variant meant to reduce the influence of luck from random tile draws, Andrew Thomas, Visiting Assistant Professor in the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Statistics, has managed to figure out the real value of each of those letter tiles (in Scrabble and the derivative online game, Words with Friends), as well as some other very interesting facts.

Prof. Thomas ran computer simulations of both Scrabble and Words with Friends—more than 4 million times each. According to his analysis, the bag (that is, the randomness of tile draws) accounts for 44 percent of a player’s score variance in Scrabble and 34 percent in Words with Friends. The data also shows that going first in Scrabble is worth 14 points to a player’s final score. In Words with Friends the double-word bonus is eliminated, but the first player still enjoys a 10 point advantage.

One factor in the first player advantage is the letter Q. Even though the point value of Q is relatively high (10), the letter is also more difficult to use and interferes with the possibility of getting a bingo (the seven-letter play worth a 50 point bonus in Scrabble or 35 in Words with Friends). In effect, drawing a Q is worth on average -5 points net to a player’s final score. And the first player to draw has a lesser chance of drawing that Q.

Also with an assigned point value of 10 but at the other end of the net value spectrum, is the letter Z, which is worth about 8 points to a player’s final score (in either game). The letter S is worth a lot more in Scrabble, 10 points versus 7 in Words with Friends, largely because of the difference in bingo bonuses. The opposite is true for the letter J—its net value is 6 points in Words with Friends but almost nothing in Scrabble. Blanks are worth about 32 points in Scrabble and 24 in Words with Friends.

[via IEEE Spectrum]

Categories: Game News

Physible 40K? Maybe Not For Long

Thu, 01/26/2012 - 3:51am

One of the hottest tech news stories of the last couple of days is that The Pirate Bay has begun hosting 3D models suitable for the new range of inexpensive 3D printers (they’re calling them “physibles“). Reporter Michael Rundle on The Huffington Post hit the story from a gamer angle on Wednesday, pointing out that the earliest hosted files already included a model for a Warhammer 40k figure.

Games Workshop wouldn’t comment on the situation. But what about you? Any thoughts on how this might affect the miniatures business?

Categories: Game News

Wall Scrabble

Wed, 01/25/2012 - 9:27pm

I love super-sized versions of board games! Remember that $28,000 Jenga? At $12,000, this Scrabble is less than half that price and much more playable. My wife is a fan. What do you think, Robin, about putting this in the living room?

And while we’re on the subject, take a look at Mental Floss today for “26 Life-Size Versions of Popular Board Games“.

[via Geekosystem]

Categories: Game News

Kickstarter Roundup Week January 23, 2012

Wed, 01/25/2012 - 8:31pm

January is going like gangbusters. With 40 projects currently active the anticipated slow down from the holidays appears to have come and gone.

14 of the 40 projects are already past their funding targets. Tephra, the Steampunk RPG is a whooping 1,123% above their goal.

A special shout out to Pieces of Eight – This game is being placed on Kickstarter by a young soldier in Afghanistan. He doesn’t have a video because of where he is located. But his project is already halfway to his mark.

 

Bold are new projects this week

Project Description Required % Funded Days Remaining Crossover Miniatures Superhero Miniatures Line $4,000 140% Funded Good Job, BRAIN Trivia & Quiz Show Podcast $2,500 151% Funded Irish Language Hunt Become fluent in Gaeilge Game $3,500 109% Funded Genegrafter Superhero themed card and dice game $2,500 584% Funded Divine Destiny RPG Card game $10,000 16% Unsuccessful Caveman Curling Flick Rocks down the Frozen Lake $7,450 121% Funded Bitdust Space Opera RPG $18,000 6% Unsuccessful Omen: A Reign of War 2nd Edition of Omen: A Reign of War $25,000 138% Funded NeoExodus Pathfinder RPG Adventure $1,000 111% Funded camPAIN Presidential Money, Power, and Scandal $27,500 1% Unsuccessful Conspiracy X Paranormal Conspiracy X Paranormal Supplement $5,000 202% 1 Wasteland Post-apocalyptic survival game $5,000 49% 3 Passing Shot Dice Tennis Game $500 152% 3 World of Waste Land Table Top RPG $5,000 2% 3 The Book of the Empress Champions RPG Supplement $10,000 128% 4 Bare Your Fangs Vampire vs Werewolf Dice battle game $10,500 27% 4 Puzzle Me! Family Puzzle Building Game $5,000 104% 5 Shroud of the Ancients Fantasy RPG $5,000 30% 5 Double Spiral War RPG Savage Worlds setting based on Warren C. Norwood $500 132% 6 Fresh Artists’ Memory Game Family game for kids by kids $7,000 173% 9 Proto-Typical Captains of Industry Card Game $8,000 14% 10 Tephra Steampunk RPG $1,000 1123% 10 Conquest Tactics Strategy Card Game $7,000 55% 10 Divine Blood Fate Source Book in the world of Divine Blood $1,000 18% 11 Scorched Earth Educational Interactive Global Climate Board Game $16,000 39% 12 Ellis:Kingdom in Turmoil Pen and paper RPG 336% 12 Whot Dynamic Card Game better than Uno $5,500 4% 13 For The Win! Tile Game $15,000 102% 13 Fluke Wealth Building Game of Accidental Inventions $1,000 6% 13 Monster Stand-Ins Cardboard Minis printed on Plastic $10,000 54% 15 Exile Sun Miniatures $1,000 167% 16 Flatpack Optimistic Apocalyptic RPG $1,000 421% 18 Skittykitts Addictive Fun Card Game $3,000 120% 20 nothing New board game $10,000 19% 20 Dark Legacy Strategy RPG, CCG $7,000 22% 21 Board Game God Game Design Workshop $2,500 8% 22 grAtitude! Board and Card game that teaches Gratitude $19,000 1% 23 Pieces of Eight Pirate Card Game $2,500 55% 24 Improbable Tales Mini-scenarios for ICON RPG $400 120% 25 Hull Breach Sci-fi stortelling naval and marine tactics card game $20,000 1% 29 Zoneplex Tile-laying Sci-fi adventure game $12,000 23% 30 5 to Close Retro Style Word Strategy Game $7,000 11% 31 Sordid Dystopia Low Fantasy Apocalyptic RPG $500 153% 31 Sailing the Starlit Sea Fantasy Space Travel Pathfinder Supplement $4,500 8% 34 Medieval Settlements & Cities Settlers of Catan playing pieces $1,500 27% 35 VivaJava A euro style coffee game $15,000 37% 35 Rogue Mage RPG based on Rogue Mage Novel Series $6,000 12% 39 Wizard’s Tournament Deck Building Fantasy Card Game $12,000 23% 47 Monster Stock Art Monster stock art for web and PDF $4,500 11% 49 Agents of SMERSH A Storytelling spy game set in the cold war $20,000 49% 54 IndieGoGo Projects Description Funded Days Remaining Eragra Unfolding Card Game  $75  55

Categories: Game News

Game Bandit—Letters for Kids Edition

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 10:08am

If Bananagrams gets 1,000 new Facebook likes and 1,000 Twitter followers, the company will donate 200 games to the Toy Industry Foundation.

Gamewright is running a contest in which it will give a copy of the new Rory’s Story Cubes—Actions to the person who submits the judge’s favorite story based on the depicted roll of the cubes.

An Island Life blog is giving away Flippin’ Out from Endless Games. Tots and Me blog is giving away the company’s Zoopanic game.

The Kostiuk Crew blog is giving away Hoot Owl Hoot from Peaceable Kingdom.

Hasbro’s Annual Fun & Game Event includes coupon saving deals and hourly giveaways for 43 days. The coupons are for moms. The giveaways are for kids ages 6-13. I’m a dad, so I didn’t sign up.

Categories: Game News