A Dog's Life

A MAGE Company Update

The following is an update from MAGE Company on upcoming games, Kickstarter projects, and Essen information. If you have any additional questions concerning any of this information, please visit the links provided or contact MAGE Company. Another review coming soon! I hope to get more reviews done and posted soon as I am way behind at the moment. Yikes!

The 3rd World War was referred, by many, as the last war because of the vastness of destruction that it had caused. Everywhere around the world, mankind suffered great casualties and horror — but a few survivors that had the power and the resources built mighty cities all around the world to gain strength and rule again. The cities that were built each had a unique aspect: They contained golden metallic walls, symbolizing hope. Thus, they were named the Golden Cities. This game takes place five years after the Last War, with the players taking on the role of people vying for citizenship within a Golden City.

Raid and Trade is a negotiation and resource management game for 3-5 players. The player who is able to enter the golden city first wins, and there are three different ways to enter the golden city:

Become an expert: Reach 20 skill points.
Serve the city: Fulfill three secret quests.
Become a nobleman: Get the most possible character points.

You can vote the box and the Minis on Board Game Geek just by checking the gallery of the game. Check it here



In each turn, the players can spend action points to do several actions such as moving through the city, raiding buildings, attacking other players, and more. Each player has a specific skill — mechanic, trader, electrician, bodyguard and medic — and has his own unique items to build; those items can be traded off against other items or resources.

 
 

The board of the game is modular so that in every game you have a new map to discover. All over the map, the players find different buildings which they can raid. Each time a player raids a building, a raid card of this type of building is taken and read, which leads to specific circumstances taking place. The player will be made to make various decisions including important moral decisions! Upon resolving the various decisions, you will receive character points. The choices you make, for good or for bad, will lead to specific perks and advantages (or disadvantages) during the progress of the game. When raiding a building, you get resources (tools, scraps, mechanics, electronics, etc.). By combining these resources, you can craft items with special abilities. By doing so, you will advance your skill points.

Every player also gets secret quests of the golden city. To fulfill these quests, the players have to spend the resources mentioned on the card. To fulfill a quest will not only lead the players closer to victory but also give them advantages for the rest of the game. We will demo the game at Essen Spiel, on October at our booth Hall 3 - Booth O103 while we have scheduled the campaign for the Kickstarter on November 3.

Currently we launched a new campaign on Kickstarter for a new game called "The Orcfather" a fantasy-themed card game for 2-10 players with basic price at $30 including ship fees for several countries. Check it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magecompany/the-orcfather



We will be at Essen Spiel at Hall 3 - Booth 3-O103 along with the team who will demo our games. Here is the diagram of our booth where you can find us:



At this Spiel we will also carry 12 Realms. Any issues from the first printing run has been addressed and the reprint of the game is better than ever with upgraded quality, revised rules, glued minis and more. The game will have a special price at 35 EU but also there will be packs that include small expansion for the basic game.



We will also demo some of the Plots of the 12 Realms: Ancestors Legacy. Since we still develop the game, we made sure to create a couple prototypes in order to demo the new adventures among the realms!



Four exciting new realms lie hidden in the Fairy World and you must prepare yourself to explore them so as to defeat all of their enemies. Kievan Empire, Golden Caliphate, Olympia, and Nile Valley are the new lands you will get to explore to learn their secrets. Ruslan, Sinbad, along with the rest of the heroes, will unite to fight against Marid, Sobek, and the rest of the Dark Lords!

Ancestors Legacy provides a much different game through its plots. There are now three different plots for both editions, which include a background story and significantly increase the difficulty level and excitement of the game – increasing the amount of decisions that players will have to make. A plot may have you playing with six realms (combining old and new lands), facing all of the Dark Lords, or creating a really fast game with a unique set-up. Now, more than ever, team camaraderie will be necessary in order to reach victory!



Our new game Höyük will be also available since we finished the production and the game is on the way. The price for the game will be at 35 EU. This version is trlingual: EN-FR-GE

Imagine yourself some 10,000 years ago in the Middle East.

Your clan has left the ancient nomadic life and settled with four other clans in the valley. The community has repeatedly succeeded in harvesting crops, and some families are getting better at raising animals; next moon will see the birth of a new generation of pups. We all praise our own gods and Mother Goddess for being good to us. This new era has brought something new to us: The area is progressively filling with dwellings, built tight against each other. New generations are building their houses over the remains of old constructions. Our greatest families have now constructions way up over the land, proudly showing off their shrines and wealth to the community. Who knows, when the children of our children will come to the world, which clan will rule this multitude?



In Höyük, each player represents a clan that settles with other clans to erect a village. During the game, a replica of a Neolithic settlement will be built on the Höyük board using tiles that represent houses. Many additional pieces — such as ovens, shrines, and pens — will also aid a player in building his settlements. ("Höyük" is Turkish for hill or mound. The word is also used for prehistoric settlements in the region that have a characteristic, hill-like look from houses being built on top of older houses and the absence of streets between the houses because people entered their homes through the roof.) The goal of the game is to build the best settlement and score the most victory points, with multiple paths to victory and many choices along the way. The best clan will prevail in Höyük!
--
MAGE Company LTD
www.magecompany.com

Yardmaster Preview

Yardmaster
Designed by Steven Aramini
Published by Crash Games
2 to 4 players
20 minutes
Set collecting, trading, and train building
Prototype version reviewed, on Kickstarter soon

Background/Introduction
I won a copy of a prototype version of Yardmaster from a contest on Board Game Geek. I was very excited to get my copy. Yardmaster recently won the ION award from the 2014 Salt Lake Gaming Convention. This award is given to......blah blah blah.

There are a lot of train themed games out there, but I have yet to play one myself that doesn't involve train routes - until I played Yardmaster. Yardmaster seems to be unique in this regard as the goal is to be the first to build or link up your train before your opponents. You are building a train by purchasing railcars using sets of cargo cards. Players score a set amount of points for the different railcars added to their train. First player to the designated amount of points wins.

Components and Rule Book
As this is a prototype I won't be saying much considering that what I played with was only a prototype. That being said, the quality of the prototype cards were very nice and I would be happy with that quality for the final version.

I would also like to say that even though high quality cardboard tokens could work for the exchange rate tokens, I would love to see these produced as high quality poker chips. Or at least an option for such as a stretch goal.

The rules presented in the prototype were straight forward and we'll explained. Simple game play is not over complicated by rules. Seem good enough. I would like to see some other variants possibly (again, maybe via stretch goals). I share some variant ideas a bit later.

The artwork is really cool. It is a good overall analogy to how I feel about the game. Clean, crisp, simple, and enjoyable. Like the rule book, the artwork does a lot by not over complicating things. Words are provided with symbols or depictions of railcars along with an old school feeling color theme that just seems to fit the game so well.

Game Play and Thoughts
Setup is easy. Shuffle the railcar and cargo card decks, put three railcar cards face up and deal out three cargo cards to each player. It may be very small, but I like the fact that it is easy to remember the number of cards as it is three and three and this doesn't change with amount of players. Each player also starts with one of the four exchange rate tokens given out at random.

Game play consists of performing two actions on your turn. You may perform each available action multiple times if you wish although you can only purchase one railcar each turn. Basically there is three different actions you can perform.

Gain a new cargo card
You may gain a cargo card by drawing blindly from the top of the facedown cargo deck, or you may take the top cargo card from the cargo discard pile (you can't perform the later if the top card is a bonus card).

Gain a new railcar
You may purchase one of the three face up railcars from the center by paying the number of cargo cards matching the color and number shown on that railcar. The color represents the type of cargo/railcar and the number on the car is both the cost and point value.

Trade exchange rate token
Each player begins the game with and can utilize at any time the 2:1 exchange as shown on their current token (i.e. If you have the coal exchange rate token, two coal can be any other cargo). As one of your actions you may exchange your token with any other player or with any tokens left in the bank.

The Yardmaster token allows the player to take an additional action (three instead of the normal two). This token is passed to the right after that players turn and play continues to the left. The first player to the goal point value is the winner.

Building your train
When purchasing a railcar from the center, this must be added to your train if possible. The first card behind the engine can be anything, but then cards to be added after must match the color or number of the last car. If a purchased railcar can't be added, it gets stored in a player's sorting yard. Then, later in the game, cars will be added to the train if able, not costing any actions to do so.

Thoughts
Yardmaster is a great light set collecting game. Very easy to learn, Yardmaster still offers some nice strategy while keeping it simple. I really think that the artwork is great and refreshing. The game play is interesting, because players need to balance nabbing a train each turn and waiting to try and get a larger point value train (while risking the possibility that an opponent would nab that same train). Switching an exchange token with an opponent could mess with your opponent's strategy and perhaps keep a railcar still around while you try and get the last cargo that you need. The game is a light card game though, and at times the options seem very limited. I guess that is where some of the other strategy and risk taking comes into play. You will most likely be taking many cargo cards blindly, so that adds a luck element to the game (and yet you have the option of taking a known card - but that is just it - it is only one face up cargo card to choose from or you take one blindly. Interesting.

The train building and sorting yard is also an intriguing thing. You can purchase some higher priced railcars even if they can't be added to your train right now, but you risk not being able to add them at all. Placing lower valued cars is a safer bet that you will be able to continue to add more and more cars, but then again is taking 4 actions to purchase 4 different 1 value cars better than taking 1 action to purchase a 4 valued car? You won't be able to add on your train as easily, but you still have the same color you can add and get the value lower again to match other cars. But I ramble. The truth is, the game has some strategy, the game is simple, and it has a large luck component as well. Is it all balanced? I'm not sure yet, but I can say that it is a fun game that you can start playing within a couple of minutes and provides a nice casual game play that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people and that is How Lou Sees It.

A big SHOUT OUT to Crash Games for the prototype version sent to me free of charge and for the opportunity to review Yardmaster. If you are interested in learning more, I will post a link to the Kickstarter here when available. Video review also provided below. Enjoy!

Variant Ideas
-Sorting yard rail cars must be played/added to your train in order of purchase.
-Play with the exchange tokens face down. Reveal it when you use it. As an action you can take all the tokens and shuffle them face down and pass out again.
-Play either without the exchange tokens, or play with fixed tokens (can't trade them).

(Work in progress, I may add more ideas for variants, or house rules here in the future.)

Creating Your Own Epic Odyssey

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Terrene Odyssey

Designed by Chris Solis

Published by Game Salute

Interview with Game Designer Chris Solis

I have recently reviewed two different strategic card games (Lords of War and Pixel Tactics) and so when I noticed Terrene Odyssey on Kickstarter it just seemed natural to feature it on my blog and see if I could interview the designer. Terrene Odyssey has some really unique and cool gaming elements. One thing that I particularly like is the fact that from your 30 card deck, you get to start by choosing 4 characters, 4 items/commands, and 1 terrain card. This way each player has 9 cards already in play and the players can quickly get to the action. The terrain cards, tokens, and the ability to level-up characters are just a few other cool things of note. Enjoy the interview I had with Chris to learn a little more about the game and its designer and then head on over to the Kickstarter page to find out more!

Lou:

Tell us about yourself using 10 or less single descriptive words.

Chris:

Game Designer. Tournament Organizer. Competitive Gamer. Life long gamer.

Lou:

How did Terrene Odyssey come about? Or in other words tell us the origin story of Terrene Odyssey.

Chris:
It started with a conversation I had with my friend. We missed the old TCG days when we used to play Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering. Unfortunately, maintaining a presence in those communities became too expensive of a hobby and we dropped out. We asked ourselves, what is it that we really liked about those games? It boiled down to big combats and deductibility of the player’s options. From these ideas I began to develop Terrene Odyssey which makes a strong point to immediately highlight both of those mechanics.

Lou:

For you, what is the most important game element in any game (artwork, theme, player interaction, balance, luck, strategic game play, etc.)?

Chris:
Player Interaction: Player vs. Player psychology. In order for the player’s to feel like they are fighting each other as opposed to simply playing the game well, a player’s need to make decisions based on deducing the other player’s needs and wants. Terrene Odyssey has finite hidden information for this reason. This is how I made Terrene Odyssey feel like true a battle.

On top of this we chose the art direction, and theme of the game and we also worked the amount of luck we want in the game on top of the that.

Lou:

What are the big highlights of Terrene Odyssey?

Chris:

The core mechanic of Terrene Odyssey is the Starting Party Composition. Players can choose 4 characters, assign them Items / Commands, and pick a Terrain all on turn 0 of the game. The game begins with these cards hidden and are revealed over the course of the game. This lets  the game jump straight into an intense battle but also keeps your opponent guessing on what your overall strategy will be. This original mechanic will keep even the 20th game of Terrene Odyssey from the same 30 card deck fresh and interesting.

Lou:

I'm a big fan of 2 player games. Besides Terrene Odyssey of course, what is your favorite game when playing with just 2 players?

Chris:

Super Smash Bros. Is this cheating since it’s a video game?

I love Smash Bros, because it is the embodiment of excellent design and no one knows it to the point that the internet argues “Is this a fighting game or not?” The designer was very clever at making easy controls, and adding party elements but yet, designing a deep combat system deep inside. They simply never tell you about it. They let you discover it after the casual features bring you in. Discovering those features feels great and you feel like you are ‘above the game’ or that you’re ‘breaking the game’ when really it’s part of its design.

I’ve been very adamant about making Terrene Odyssey feel this way. You’ll discover the rules are very simple but there are many clues that will lead you into improving your game naturally over time. To be clear though, Terrene Odyssey can be played with up to 4 players. =)

Lou:

I am very impressed with the artwork and layout of the cards. The artwork or overall visual appeal can really make or break games. Tell us a little about the artist and idea behind the art.

Chris:
When Terrene Odyssey was ready to be themed, we first chose the ‘random encounter of an RPG’. We didn’t want to to go with the gritty look and we didn’t want to use a traditional fantasy theme. Those areas felt over saturated to me and I wanted Terrene Odyssey to stand out. We decided to re-imagine races in our world. We wanted it to feel like a JRPG without going too much into the anime side. We ended up with Terrene Odyssey.

Megan Cheever was chosen as the game’s lead artist. She did early pieces and worked with the other artists to unify the art as much as possible. When an art style was too different but still ‘close’, we used different styles for cards that would suit that artists’ flair the best. For example, Rob Joseph’s character designs are very aggressive so we made it a point to have him draw the strongest characters in the game. There are other small details in the art direction some players may notice such as hidden assassin characters in the backgrounds of other cards. Players might even find a small narrative in the art direction.

The card layout has evolved massively. We knew from day 1 that we wanted to show as much art as possible. We experimented a few times before we found what worked for us.

The border of a card used to tell you what kind of card it was. We cut the border and communicated the game information with the character’s name banner. We also used color to communicate Trigger ability speeds and reduce text. In a way we used colors the same way most other games would use symbols. I guess you can say we are big on visual communication.

Lou:

OK, so this isn't the first time you presented the game for funding. Why are you going to be successful this go around?

Chris:

Last time we had a huge problem with our name Terreria Tactics. Unfortunately, there is a popular Steam game called Terraria and if you googled Terreria Tactics it would say, “Did you mean Terraria?”. We we’re not searchable and that really hurt our campaign. Now we are Terrene Odyssey, our game is asset ready and extremely well received. We expect a burst in pledges once our review copies get out there as well. The final challenge we face is that this is our first game. First-time published designers always have this hurdle to overcome.

Lou:

If you could be  any character in Terrene Odyssey who would it be and why? (Do my eyes deceive me? Is there an actual character drawn to your likeness? )

Chris:

Haha yes, Skylar the Determined does resemble me. When I was describing what Skylar should be like, Megan thought I was being vain when really it is the kind of person I have always aimed to be, even as a child. I guess I’m flattered Megan saw it that way and took it to the next level so the character actually resembled me. So I guess I would be Skylar the Determined - He’s full of unpredictability and is all about tricking your opponent into certain behaviors.

Lou:

What sort of replayability does Terrene Odyssey have when just considering a single VS deck?

Chris:

The beauty of Terrene Odyssey is that from the same 30 card deck, you have a ton of flexibility in how your game’s will play out because you can choose your starting party of characters. You can choose nearly any set of cards from your deck to start the game with and just changing one from  your Starting Party Composition can change the entire dynamics of the game. You’ll find yourself changing your party based on your opponent quite often. You’ll also find yourself revealing different parts of your party at different times based on your opponent’s behavior (all games begin with the starting cards hidden and the player can choose when to recruit their characters). In play testing, I have been issuing the same deck to 1st time players and I have never seen it played the same way.

Lou:

If you could have a famous person (living or dead) play your game, who would you choose?

Chris:

Living! I’d be honored to have David Sirlin play my game. He’s the designer of Yomi and I agree strongly with his design philosophies.

Lou:

Superman or Batman?

Chris:

Batman! Though can I say Ironman?

Lou:

How many games do you have in your collection?

Chris:

I have about 100+ tabletop games and 300+ video games. I even play games I may not like just to explore unique design spaces. I live for gaming!

Lou:

Favorite book, movie, and ice cream?

Chris:

My favorite movies are Pacific Rim and Inception.  
Ice cream? World Class Chocolate.
Favorite book? Hmm, does reddit count?

Lou:

Favorite deck from Terrene Odyssey?

Chris:

My favorite VS Deck from Terrene Odyssey is Jin’s. Terrene Odyssey is a skirmish game and the resource curve for the most part is static. Jin the Ambitious works well with Machine class characters that are able to create a secondary resource in the game called Energy. You can use energy on your machines to break the game’s resource curve, use powerful machine abilities, or you can simply attack with your energy to create free DEF decay. It’s very much a slow to start utility kinda build.

Lou:

Two ending scenarios. Funded or not funded. Tell us what's next for Terrene Odyssey given each scenario and what's next for Chris Solis?

Chris:

If Terrene Odyssey is funded, my dream will be realized. Since we’re asset ready, this will basically go to the printers within the month. I hope to have the game out there by the summer time.  In the event we are not funded, I will try again a few months down the line and try to figure out what is holding Terrene Odyssey back.  I know this is a game people enjoy and my greatest challenge is getting people to take a look at a first time designer.

Lou:

Closing remarks time! Anything else that you would like us to  know?

Chris:

Thank you for the interview! If you want to support Terrene Odyssey, check us out on Kickstarter. Also, follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I reply to all messages. Let’s get a conversation going!

Lou:
Thank you Chris. I really hope that you can get the funding necessary to produce this game and make your dream a reality.

If Terrene Odyssey looks like a game you would be interested in, head over to Kickstarter now. There are many different pledge options to choose from and lots more information to be had. This looks like a fun one to me and that is How Lou Sees It.

OTHER LINKS

http://www.tinyurl.com/terreneodyssey
http://www.facebook.com/terreneodyssey

http://www.twitter.com/terreneodyssey

http://www.facebook.com/cgcgrayfox

http://www.twitter.com/cgcgrayfox

Hop on the Magic School Bus!

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Argent: The Consortium

Game Designed by Trey Chambers
Published by Level 99 Games
Interview with D. Brad Talton Jr. (Founder and President of Level 99 Games)

Argent: The Consortium, one of my current Featured Kickstarters, has less than 14 hours left and I had the great opportunity to ask Brad, the founder and president of the game's publisher a few questions.

I for one am very excited about this game. Thanks Brad for taking the time to answer just a few questions. The project is doing so well and it has almost reached its final posted stretch goal. Congratulations! Let's start into the questions.

Q - I am very excited about the theme of this game. As I first read about the theme of Argent I personally thought about my growing up years reading Harry Potter and most recently The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson. What was the inspiration for the theme and did the theme come before, during, or after the actual game design?

Argent was actually where the World of Indines--the world of BattleCON, Pixel Tactics, and Disc Duelers--actually began. When I played Trey's (the designer of Argent) game at BGG.CON 2012, I knew that the game was a perfect match for the theme :)

Q - What one word would best describe Argent?

Vivid. The game really leaps to life, despite the stereotype of Euro mechanics. Everything you do feels like part of a vast conspiracy.

Q - If you were one of the professors or students at the school, what department would you be in?

My trade skill is computer science, so I'd probably be in the Department of Planar Studies.

Q - The game comes with so many goodies and I love that you already have an expansion ready too. How much will this thing end up weighing?

We're looking at 6 pounds, probably 7 with the Kickstarter bonus content we're planning (Summer Break).

Q - This game is chalked full of really interesting game mechanics and components.  Name and discuss 3 of your favorite components or game mechanics that set Argent apart from other games.

For me, I'd say:

1 - Secret Voters are the biggest one. Not knowing the victory conditions unless you do your homework, and not having VP as a pure gauge of progress is really refreshing.

2 - Spells are pretty huge. Having a tool belt of different powers and capabilities that will change in each game means that you have to adapt new strategies by what you have at your disposal.

3 - Variable Time Rounds really add pressure. In Worker placement games with removal, you usually play Chicken to see who will take the high-value spot first and get zapped. However, in Argent, the Bell Tower mechanic makes rounds end early, and means that you often have to seize opportunity while you can, or you won't get anything.

Q - Replay ability is a big factor for me and your Pixel Tactics games did such a great job providing huge playing variation that keeps each game fresh and always offering something new each time it's played. Does Argent have that same level of replay ability or more in your opinion?

I'd say Argent has more total variations, though two matches of Pixel Tactics probably feel more different than two games of Argent. With large games, you have to make sure the baseline is solid across multiple plays, so that skill and strategy have room to develop. But no two games will ever be quite alike!

Q - Artwork. Wow. I guess that really isn't a question. :)

There's an artbook/lorebook too! :D

Q - I really can't wait to see and play the final product, I think it is going to be epic. I really am in awe of this game and I can't stop thinking about it. It is doing so many things right. Any suggestions on what to do to pass the time between now and June?

Play BattleCON: Devastation! It'll be at your FLGS by the end of January!

I know many are excited for Argent to come out this year and can hardly wait, but playing Pixel Tactics or BattleCON as we wait doesn't sound half bad!  I hope to be able to provide you all with a review of Battle CON: Devastation! soon and I should be able to provide you all with a review of the final game come summer time when the final game is released. If you are interested in backing Argent on Kickstarter, you may only have minutes left! If you miss it, I'm sure you will be able to get a copy eventually, but why miss out on the great Kickstarter rewards and that is How Lou Sees It.

My Suns are Burning!

Featured Kickstarter Interview

Burning Suns

Game Designer Emil Larsen

Burning Suns, my current Featured Kickstarter, has just about a week left and I had the great opportunity to ask the game's designer, Emil Larsen, a few questions.

Emil, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions. I will try and make the questions different/interesting since I know you have answered the same questions again and again for other people.

Thanks a lot Lou, I'm glad you wanted to take time to interview me. I really appreciate that. 

  

Q - First question is very random and perhaps a bit strange (perhaps some background is in order: I'm a big Superman fan and Bizzaro is the opposite version of Superman as Jerry Seinfeld so nicely explains to us...)

Snus Gninrub. That is Burning Suns spelled backwards. Describe for us a game that is a "Bizzaro Burning Suns" (or what would be the exact opposite version of Burning Suns).
Haha, that's a great question... the opposite game of Burning Suns would be something along the lines of:

Snus Gninrub is a game of meaningless choices done by placing cubes on different actions that will maximize the decay of your one race. Every player spends around 6-7 hours in order to conclude who have won using the most Cthulhu friendly strategies available in the game. It's about staying apart and try to avoid moving around the static board. The game comes with a limited variety of pale clip-art tokens made in Word, together with some wooden zombie meeples.

Nicely done! I don't think we will be seeing Snus Gninrub hitting the store shelves anytime soon. Burning Suns however is a different story. Speaking of stories...

Q - Story time! Can you give us a little prologue or set up for the theme of the game?

The story of Burning Suns takes place in the end of a 1,000 years peace across the galaxy. Many empires had grown strong during this period, which increased the tension between many of the empires. New races have since appeared trying to gain foothold in the galaxy... all leading up to a climactic event that set the galaxy on fire.

I can't really say anymore, since my backers will be formulating these stories together with me (we'll soon be voting for the backer to write the event).

Another reason why this Kickstarter is so great. The involvement of the gaming community and backers of the project. What better way to make a game than to include those who will be playing the game in key decisions and brainstorming.

  

Q - What is your absolute favorite thing about Burning Suns? (I'm still trying to decide between the awesome Dieships/miniatures and the hundreds of different empire combinations.)

Hmm.. choosing one thing, that's unfair :D .... Well, I'll have to go with the Dieships I think. Mostly because of how spontaneously I created that concept, and how well it turned out. While I really like a lot of other elements, this one came just from me fiddling around - and that's the beauty of a creative process.

With the great success of the Dieships, it makes you wonder what people will start sticking die into next. I would really like to see a drinking glass with a die suspended in the middle of it in some sort of gyroscope device. Just saying, pretty cool. If anyone is interested in making this happen, let me know and we can make it a reality. Sorry, side tracked.

  

Q - Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Wars any day. While I do like the science and setup of Star Trek. When it comes down to it, Star Wars is the epic story that became a part of my life.

I agree 100%. The new Star Trek movies are great by the way, I only hope that the next Star Wars movies will be good. Star Wars, such an epic universe. I think it inspires a lot of people. A fun fact: I grew out my beard recently and have had a co-worker start calling me Wookie. I take it as a complement (also, funny video and tutorial on how to make a "wookie sound" if anyone is interested).

Q - Where did you derive your inspiration from for this great game?

The greatest influences on atmosphere is Star Wars, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Twilight Imperium.

When it comes to influences on mechanics, I found most of my inspiration in Rebellion, Starcraft, and Eclipse. I actually think the reason why Burning Suns doesn't really feel like the other great 4X games, is because of the heavy influence from computer games.

That is really cool. I remember the good old days playing Starcraft late into the night... And for those unfamiliar with "4X" you can click here and read about it on Wikipedia. 

Q - Describe for us what a normal turn consists of.

Income (yay!) > Refill and exchange some tokens and the action sheets > Placing your leaders on the actions you want to take (this will also tell us who start out in next round) > Execute the actions in the order they have been placed...

Sounds pretty straight forward to me. Clear as crystal.

  

Q - What is your favorite color?

Green - the color of nature, balance and hope. 

Good choice. Green is a great color. Hooray for St. Patrick's Day! Right?

  

Q - I really like that you have involved the gaming community in the creative process and included us in the game development. What are some key things that you have gained from others during this process?

*phew* There's A LOT!

Just to name a few: Ideas for expansions, balancing ideas, design choices, solutions on some Kickstarter issues, unit naming, stories, stories and more stories. It's simply awesome. I could be mistaken, but I've yet to discover a campaign/production that involves backers on such a level. I mean, that's what I believe is the spirit of Kickstarter.

Emil, I don't think you are mistaken at all and I think that involving the backers and gaming community as much as you are is one of the great things about your project. Sure, the game is awesome and you have sweet Dieships, but involving others in the game making process is very cool! 

Q - It is really important to have a supportive wife when you undertake ventures like this one as well as have support from friends. How has your wife and friends supported you and how would you like to thank them?

Yea - without a solid foundation at home, you won't be able to reach any goals whatsoever. I'm so thankful for the wife I have. She's used to having me away all week (army), and then when I come home there's also the Kickstarter. It's crazy, but she's been there for me every day. The amount of thanks I owe her can't be formulated in plain text.

I've had some very understanding colleagues at my work - and some very cool board gaming industry colleagues in Denmark giving me a push in the back. It's awesome to be surrounded by such people, especially with this kind of almost one-man-show I've been putting on for the last 30 days!

Well said.

Q - What is your favorite planet? (Remember when we were growing up and Pluto was still considered a planet?)

Hahaha... true... dissed by the men of science :D I've probably always been kind of a Mars person. 

Favorite color is green, but favorite planet is the red one eh? I do like the fact that Mars is nearby allowing us to explore it more easily than any of the others. Sadly, Pluto was always mine.

Q - I love the Dieships, and I know a lot of others do as well. And I found out that it is your favorite thing about the game. How did you come up with this brilliant idea?

This is what sometimes happen when you just play around with components. I was doing some 3D figures, imported some dice and started to play around with some robot parts.... and suddenly the d4 had legs. The rest is Dieship history ;)

Seriously, they are killer. I think the Dieships alone should make everyone want to back the project right away.

  

Q - What is your favorite board game?

It's cheap to go for your own game ;) ... Hhhmm... at the moment it must be X-wing miniatures, it's just a wonderful blend of theme and mechanics.

I really enjoy that one as well. Very fun even though my wife piloting the tie-fighters seems to defeat me every time.

Q - Describe Burning Suns with only one word.

Gamer's

Q - This is a huge project and future projects may be very far from your mind right now, but tell us - do you have something on the back burner for a future game after this one?

I do.... though it's still in early beta since I don't have time to prototype more at the moment ;)

It's a spiritual successor or predecessor I guess - called Burning Rome (and you're the very first I tell it to).

In short, it's going to have the same tactical level and adaptation of Burning Suns. It'll (if they want to continue) feature the same wonderful artists... you could probably call it an epic scale board game implementation of the computer game "Rome - Total War".

Thanks to me being so talkative - Now I have to go an register the name on BGG :D

Wow! Thanks for sharing. I feel honored indeed to be the first. I think you have a bright future in board games my friend across the pond.

  

Q - Name the top 5 things that make you happy.

My wife...

Our still unborn son she carries around ;)

My parents.

Appreciation of my work.

My dreams

It is important to surround ourselves with happiness. Great list.

Q - 8 days remaining. What would you like to tell others about the game? Anything else you would like to share?

Join forces with me and my backers, go to our Kickstarter > http://kck.st/1d2sRN6 > and become part of this cool experience, it doesn't end with the Kickstarter :)

I'm really looking forward to share the final development and game with all of you!

Thank you very much for your time and putting up with my off the wall questions. You were a great sport. I think you have a fantastic game  here and I can't wait for the finished product!

Thanks a lot for interviewing me Landon, that's really nice of you - and I had a blast answering your questions!

If you are not convinced yet; check out the Kickstarter page, Sun Tzu Games, or the Board Game Geek page. What are you waiting for? Go get involved in creating what is to be one of the great games of 2014 when it is unveiled in all it's Dieship glory and that is How Lou Sees It!

Carmarace Funded!

A big congratulations to Luca for getting his game Carmarace funded which has been my Featured Kickstarter! If you missed out on the opportunity to help fund the project, don't worry, you can still order it at their website (http://carmarace.com/catalogue/). Can't wait for a little Carmarace action come December! Upcoming on How Lou Sees It, a new Featured Kickstarter, review of AEG's Guildhall: Job Fair, and much more!

Q and A with Carmarace Game Designer Luca Caltabiano

Luca Caltabiano founder of Board to Death TV and designer of the featured Kickstarter project Carmarace provides some As to my Qs.

I am very excited about today's post as you get to see the results from my very first interview (or Q and A) session. And since that interview was with someone as talented and well known as Luca, I feel very honored to have this opportunity. My purpose in interviewing Luca was to get some inside scoop on Luca and his new game Carmarace which is currently on Kickstarter.

Kickstarter 101
For those who don't know, Kickstarter is a great website that allows people to gauge how well received some new product or project will be by asking the world to pledge a certain amount of money that will help them complete their project. Board games can be very expensive to publish (or so I have been told) and this is a way for people to say, "Hey! This game looks awesome...of course I will pay in advance for a copy so that the entire gaming population may partake in its perfect mayhemness!" If the project doesn't get funded (people don't pledge enough to meet the minimum goal) then no money is actually given and the project doesn't get too move forward. Frown Face. But, if the game does meet the minimum goal, all money will be taken from the people who pledged and this money will be used to produce the product. Stretch goals are usually then given to encourage continual growth of the pledged amount which usually enhances the quality of the game or adds really other cool rewards (I really hope Carmarace can meet 30k - foiled cards and box...sweet!). So, with that being said, check out my currently featured Kickstarter - Carmarace and enjoy my interview with its creator.

Interview with Luca

Q - As founder of Board to Death TV, can you briefly give us a little background about yourself and what inspired you to start making videos about board games in the first place?

Well I never intended on making video reviews, it happened by accident. I was a film student making short films for film festivals and then started a video production company. One night, during game night, I thought I would try out my new camera and film our game. I then posted that video online to show people the quality of the camera and other specs, but most people actually just commented on the Boardgame istself. They wanted more, and we got plenty of emails telling us to make reviews. So I emailed companies asking them to send us review copies to start off the website. Some companies jumped right in like Rio Grande, Gamewright, AEG, and others. Fantasy Flight however did not want to support us. But now that we have grown to what we are today, we do not send emails out anymore, luckily, the companies come to us. I saw how many people loved our videos, so I just continued doing them.

(I think I can speak for the gaming community when I say that we are all grateful that you have continued doing them and we are all excited for this new game of yours.)

Q - What is your all time favorite board game?

Oh man...nice question. Um...I would have to say my First board game. Fireball Island. Why? Well, because it's the first game that always comes to mind when people ask me that question. If I would get that game for Christmas, I would probably cry a little. No other game would do that to me. It's probably the game I have played the most too. I must have played 'till it broke.

(Very cool! I have never actually heard of this game before, but after checking it out online - I can see why it would be a favorite. It looks like any of our readers could be the proud owner of a copy if you win the bid on e-bay for $150 plus. Check out info on Fireball Island at Board Game Geek.)

Q - Give us a little background on how you came up with the idea for Carmarace. What games would you say influenced your design of Carmarace the most? 

Well, I love racing games and there isn't that many out there. I play lots of video games too and my favorite games are the Need For Speed ones. I wanted to make a simple card game at first, which anyone can play, even children. But then as we play tested, the guys said why not add abilities to some of the cards? And so, we did. Once we play tested that for a while, we thought, man, it would be cool to actually visualize the race. So, we made a board and play tested that until we knew we had a really fun game.

The Karma aspect of that game came to mind when I accidentally hit a cat with my car. I went back for it, he was still alive, so I picked him up and brought him to the side of the road and called the SPCA to pick him up. I waited 1 hour there with him, he was always starring at me, as if to thank me or something for not leaving him on the road. This was at 2 a.m. and I might have been seeing things, but he really looked like he was thanking me.

The next day, I went to pick up my fiance and in front of her house there is a bus stop. Someone had left their bag under the bus stop bench. I went to go check if it was school stuff or something I could return, but when I opened it, there was a camera in it. I brought it in and tried to see if there was any info or footage that I could use to bring it back to the owner but there was nothing. I told my fiance and she said it was Karma for what you did for the cat. I waited to see if anyone would come back for it, but saw no one.

(I know that I enjoy racing games. Mario Kart anyone? A friend of mine hit a dog once. He really just grazed it I guess, because it seemed to be just fine. There was a terrifying yelp though that caused us to look back and see the dog run off back into its yard. Karma. A nice theme for this sort of game. I hope if that person out there missing their camera is reading this that they will now know where their camera ended up. It is in good hands.)

Q - When I learned about the game, I immediately thought of the card game Milles Bornes taken and made much more interesting! I loved playing that game growing up, and this game looks like a really fun improvement on that. Would you mind comparing the two games? 

I have a confession to make, I never played that game. A lot of people told me about it and if I take a quick glance at the game, the artwork is very different and I think CarmaRace has more abilities and will be easier to Expand with new maps, new cars, and new mechanics. I will have to try that game one day.

(For those who don't know, Milles Bornes was a French card game where players are racing to travel 1000 km before anyone else. Playing speed limits, giving each other flat tires or stop signs, etc. This definitely takes that concept and improves upon it greatly - very excited!)

Q - Have you ever hitchhiked before?

No, but I have traveled a lot. I've been to Japan, Italy, France, South America, and more... I've taken all my experiences from those travels and incorporated them into this game. Actually, we have over 50 cards that are NOT in this game which are reserved for expansions. If my artists were required to make these cards too, we would have to wait longer for the game to come out. So we are launching with this and then expanding it with card packs.

(I haven't either. Heard some interesting stories though... One in particular, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Expansions, nice.)

Q - I love Kickstarter. The only thing I really struggle with is being patient for delivery of the game. This Kickstarter seems to have a pretty quick turnaround on the game relatively speaking and getting it just before Christmas is a brilliant idea. Where are you currently in the game making/publishing process?

The game is ready for print. The day we get the funds, we ship the artwork to china for print. Once printed, they will ship out to AMAZON and from there we will ship them to the backers and distributors.

(Music to my ears.)

Q - I really like the artwork for the game. How did you decide to work with Squish Image?

She is a local artist who is exploding in popularity. She does all the conventions I can think of and mostly works with pins, prints, t-shirts, etc. When I approached with the game, she was on board and took a HUGE risk making all the art for it with no pay. She believes in it so much that she knows it will be a success and she will get something out of it for sure.

(That is really cool that you can incorporate a local artist in this process. Readers, you can check out here webpage here: Squish Image)

Q - If you had to describe yourself with one word, what word would that be?

Gamer.

Q - If you had to describe Carmarace with one word, what word would that be?

Mayhem.

Q - Open mic! What would you like everyone to know about Carmarace and why they should click over to the project page and back it now?

As a reviewer, there are some things I've learned to love about games. Fun artwork (Dark Humour), great player interaction (You never WAIT for your turn), awesome bluffing mechanics and quick gameplay.
The strategy is there for hardcore gamers and the fun of gaming is there for the noobs as well. Not to mention that it's customizable and expandable. We play tested with a panel or reviewers, and the play tested with my little cousins, and then play tested with my fiance's girlfriends and they all had a blast and played more then once. I think you should back this game because it's something that you'll pull out more then once from the shelf. You'll WANT the expansions, you'll want the new maps, and you'll want to customize the decks to make you gaming group happy. It's just an awesome, growing, game that you don't want to miss out on.

(I can echo you on that. I think we are all excited about this project and will be ready for more expansions before you can say "Road Trip!")

A big thanks to Luca for taking the time to answer these questions. Check out the video trailer for the game below and check out the Kickstarter page for Carmarace to pledge now and secure your copy of this sure to be a "hit and run" game that you will be sure to enjoy and the game will sure to continue expanding and that is How Lou Sees It!