Some new stuff!

Hey everyone! We are here with a few  cool things.

First - A quick reminder that if you wanted to use your monthly discount on Movie Plotz, the campaign ends on Saturday. Check our last post here for full details.

Second - You should probably have your May package by now, so a spoiler update is in the works. Hope you are enjoying it!

Pod-X

The Kickstarter isn’t for a few weeks, but we have the Print and Play files all ready to go, so here they are! They are full color and looking awesome. Pod-X was designed by Daniel Solis and is a 3-4 player deduction game about finding the last escape pod before the ship goes down. It’s very thinky, and if you are a fan of Daniel, it’s sort of a reimplementation of his older game Suspense, but plays 3-4 instead of just 3. Expect it to arrive on Kickstarter Tuesday 7/5/16.

Here’s a folder with the full color PNP, rules and some reference material. Enjoy!

(Note: the rules are missing a line about folding. I'll update them tonight but here it is: You score a point if you folded and didn't have a winning card.)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mbq6wt9s8mu1qxb/AADvy1spe5dQEjZmq7VSfgU0a?dl=0

An Interview With Devious Devices

Those of you who have received packages from us before know that we include an interview in each newsletter. Ben Begeal asks a designer about the best game to ever hit the table. The interviews are actually edited down a little to fit into the formatting, but this one could not be contained. It’s from Eric and Anthony, the design duo that makes up Devious Devious, known for Epic Picnic and soon to be known for their upcoming Sharknado: The Board Game.

Visit them online at http://deviousdevices.net or @DeviousDevices on Twitter.

--Who are you?

We’re Eric and Anthony, game designers, part-time ninjas, and the minds behind Devious Devices.

--How do you normally game?

Eric: Wednesdays! Well, as often as possible where day jobs and life allow, but we do a special session of gaming every Wednesday where we pair up games and beers thematically and then blog about the results.

Ant: With beer. Well, what Eric said.

--How would you describe your game preferences? Mechanics/Theme/Weight?

Eric: Weight isn’t too important for me. I enjoy games with clever victory goals and thematic design. I also love drafting, worker placement and anything with a unique theme.

Ant: I can’t say I have a preference with regard to mechanics or weight--I’d be just as apt to play something like Love Letter as I would a big-box component-heavy game. Thematically, I lean a bit more toward the zany; I tend to like games that don’t take themselves too seriously.

--What is your favorite game?

Eric: Say What Again. That’s what I’m supposed to say, right? I’m afraid I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens, but my current go-to is Above and Below and my new copy of Trickerion is quite promising.

Ant: It changes from moment to moment. This week I think it’s Machi Koro. Wait, no, it’s Dead of Winter… now it’s Pirate’s Cove. I can’t pick a favorite right now. Ask me again in a day or two.

--What is your Best Game to Ever Hit the Table?

Eric: In recent memory? Above and Below.

Ant: Munchkin, definitely. Kidding. Uhhh… Dead of Winter is my favorite of recent memory, but there have been so, so many.

--Was it the game, the experience or a combination?

Eric: Definitely both, though one led to the other. Above and Below

mixes worker placement with a choose your own adventure narrative. It’s

led to some fairly memorable experiences and plenty of laughs.

Ant: A combination. The game is pretty great, but we play regularly with a swell bunch of gamers that all get along well and laugh a lot. That definitely helps the experience of any game that hits our table.

--What do you like about the game?

Eric: The mix of narrative plus worker placement is obvious, but the

real winner for me is the workers themselves. Each one is a punch board

piece with unique traits, allowing you to use it for is specialty, it’s

high exploring chance or sometimes just a body, like traditional work

placement.

Ant: Mostly the zombies. Also that it’s a unique experience every time I’ve played it, and it has some pretty noteworthy mechanics.

--What is your most memorable experience with the game?

Ant: That Sparky the stunt dog can carry shotguns.

Eric: At one point, a player was exploring Below, and came across a near-finished game of “fruit and mushroom tic-tac-toe”. Not sure what would happen, they found a fruit and placed it to finish the game. The little buggers came to life and celebrated their hero, only to have one of the player’s other party members accidentally trip over and squash a fruit, leading to fruity cries of terror and lost player reputation. I couldn’t stop laughing! The storytelling is excellent.

--Is there anything you would change about the game?

Ant: Setup is kind of a pain in the ass. Honestly, I’d change the packaging more than anything. Don’t give me thirty plastic baggies; at least put some cardboard partitions in the box if you’re going to have twelve separate decks.

Eric: If I had to choose something, I would challenge the designer find a way to shrink the “table size” of the game. It takes up quite a bit of room, so impromptu games would be difficult in places where space is limited.

--What can other games learn from this one?

Eric: The way the game handles workers, providing them multiple layers of use is terrific. I’d love to see more games with a similar mechanic. The rules are also terrific--well written and clean with just the right amount of illustration.

Ant: To put partitions in their box for separate components.

--Anything else to add?

Eric: If you’re “hungry” for uniquely themed games, keep an eye out for our next one, Panda Craves Danger. It’s making the round at conventions in the North East and we hope to get it to print sometime early next year.

Ant: I’m kind of hungry…

Thanks everyone! See you in the next update!