Hall or Nothing Productions Ltd: 2017

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Dark Gloom art example previews - old vs new

Here are some example cards from the Dark Gloom pack, with the original cards on the left for comparison.  If you find any of the Dark Gloom expansion distasteful, remember it is only an optional add-on and not required for play.  If you do happen to choose to add Dark Gloom to your pledge you can simply swap in the alternative art card, or shuffle it into its encounter deck in addition to the original version as appropriate (with Night cards you will have to choose one or the other).  There may be slight changes between the layouts or saturation of the cards below, but don't worry, that's only because I popped the images together in PhotoShop (you'll have to forgive blogspot's horrible image formatting too).

The trader image, for example, originally had a more revealing top:


The Fountain of Youth image suddenly became a lot more family-friendly when we swapped the female bather for a male bather:



And the Demonic Rite image was just all-round offensive, but at least having a naked man being sacrificed was just somehow more palatable than, well, a bunch of poor ickle babies instead:


So that gives you a taster of the types of changes in the Dark Gloom pack.  Again, if you find any of  the Dark Gloom distasteful, it's not an essential add-on for the game, simply an alternative artistic path.  And conversely, if it proves popular, maybe there will be more Dark Gloom in the future...

Sunday, October 01, 2017

‘Gloom of Kilforth Expansions’ is live, and 300% funded already on Kickstarter!!

Gloom of Kilforth Encounters Expansion


Funded in under 4 hours on Kickstarter with over 20 Stretch Goals smashed already, the ‘Gloom of Kilforth Expansions’ Kickstarter campaign is the relaunch of the acclaimed Fantasy Quest Game from Hall or Nothing Productions Ltd.  The game’s first printing sold out within weeks of landing in summer this year, and is now back with French and German translations too.  Whilst this is a chance for gamers who missed out the first time around to pick up a copy of the original game, there is also a tonne of expansion content for the thousands of existing owners to get their hands on too, with Pimped Up components, and a small box expansion “Encounters” that grows every day, with the funding goal more than tripled already... 

The land of Kilforth is a perilous domain filled with nefarious monsters, mysterious strangers and treacherous locations. At the heart of Kilforth is the Sprawl, a huge city where intrepid heroes begin their journey to fame and fortune. Over the coming month, a deadly ‘gloom’ will descend on the world, through which the heroes must battle to prove their worth, defeat a primordial evil, and save the land from darkness.




Gloom of Kilforth


Playable competitively, cooperatively, or solo, Gloom of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game is a game of high fantasy with a gothic edge, where 1-4 players assume the roles of heroes on a journey through a dark world of magic and peril. They will visit strange places, meet stranger people, solve mysterious quests, and defeat powerful enemies in their mission to discover ancient artefacts and mystical spells. Each player follows their hero’s tale, an epic saga from modest beginnings through to a climactic battle against evil that will decide the fate of the world.

Boasting epic fantasy gameplay from award nominated designer Tristan Hall, with over 300 unique cards, hundreds of pieces of world-class art, hundreds of wooden and cardboard tokens, and a haunting original sound-track, Gloom of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game is a game unlike any other.  Don’t miss out on this chance to join the adventure and immerse yourself in the Gloom of Kilforth….  





Gloom of Kilforth


The Gloom is coming...

Monday, July 24, 2017

1066, Tears to Many Mothers original Kickstarter backer list!

Super massive thank yous to everyone who made this game possible and who believed in our dream once again - here are the individuals who made 1066 a real thing:

@ageforheroes
@nt1
*.*
122gamez
Aaron
Aaron
Aaron Billingham
Aaron Brown
Aaron Caelli
Aaron Miller
Aaron Morgan
Aaron Seymour
aasjoa
ac
Acacio Cruz
Adam Drinkwater
Adam Fry
Adam Garbett
Adam Penton
Adam Quantrill
Adam Strauch
Adam Wood
Adhika Widyaparaga
Adolfo Pentagna Silvestre
Adrian G Raine
Adrian Iwanczuk
Adrian Perry
Adrian Teroux
Adrian Vogt
Adrian williams
Ajax98
aksosa
Al Cottignies
Alan Armour
Alan Buchanan
Alan Cracknell
Alan Gilmour
Alan Hagan
Alan Hatcher
Alan How
Alan Humphrey
Alan J Carlson
Alan Peden
Alan Reid
Alana Wolfgang-Duran
Alasdair Campbell
Alastair Cornish
Alastair Leigh
Aldric Morael
Alec Reuben
Alejabar
Aleksis Williams
Alex & Ana
Alex Bowers
Alex Davis
Alex Figueras
Alex Nesenjuk
Alex Teng
Alex Thomson
Alexander
Alexander
Alexander
Alexander Urbanek
Alexandre Cayer
Alexandre P.
Alexandru Toader
Alfredo Nicolosi
Alistair Davidse
Aljishi
Allen Naugle
Allen Westenbarger
Amy (Other Amy)
Anders H. Pedersen
Anders Jonsson
Andi Bee
Andre Lanz
André Sigurdsson
André Verheij
Andrea Baldini
Andrea Bonomo
Andrea Bortolotti
Andrea Cantatore
Andrea Coletta
Andrea Prampolini
Andreas
Andreas B.
Andreas Hummel
Andreas Kortegaard
Andreas Münchmeyer
Andreas Reuter
Andreas Rocha
Andreas Staats
Andrew
Andrew Bayley
Andrew Cargill
Andrew Dale
Andrew Gass
Andrew Givens
Andrew Hamilton
Andrew Histed
Andrew Ichaerus Reynolds
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Kramer
Andrew Macdonald
Andrew Merriott
Andrew Morris
Andrew Pidhajeckyj
Andrew Pruette
ANDREW READE
Andrew Ricketts
Andrew Taylor
Andrew Umbel
Andrew Wadsworth
Andrew Whitmore
Andrey Tobak
Andy Bate
Andy Beer
ANDY DOWN
Andy Easten
Andy Gladdis
Andy Graves
Andy Johnston
andy nicholson
Andy Sangar
Andy Smith
Andy Stedman
Andy Walpole
Andy Wolage
andyhefferan
Angela Ferris
Angelique Krencius
Angelo Ferroni
Angus McEachran
Ann Jenkins
Ann-Charlotte Eriksen
Anna Dobosz
Anne Freitas
Anssi Salakka
Anthony
Anthony Arnold
Anthony Barnett
Anthony Chatfield
Anthony Etherington
Anthony Price
Anthony T Leiker
Antoni Diaz
Antonio jose jimenez pretel
Antonio Martínez Gascon
Antony Spencer
archimedes
Ardghal
Arjun
Arnaud de Peretti
Aron Clark
Aron Reusch
Art
AS
Asgo
Ashley
Ashley Cook
Asmoridin
Astronockie
ATH
August Arsenis
Axel
Ayano
Aymeric Dubos
Aynsley Judson
B. Ernesto Johnson
Banks Peacock
Barry
Barry Baker
Barry Gregory
Barry Kendall
Beardy Mcstubble
Beholder42
belerephone
Ben
Ben
Ben Ellerington
Ben McClellan
Ben Moorhouse
Ben O'Steen
Ben_delaney@hotmail.com
Benjamin Nicholson
Benjamin Schmitt
Benjamin Tieman
Berenike Kampmann
Bernd Lindenberger
Bernt Sinclair
Bigous
bigwoof
Bill Glasgow
Bill Koff
Bill McGill
Bill Parslow
Binmann
Björn Guth
Björn Harzer
Black_Meeple
BlackGritch
Blaise Grimes-Viort
Blossercubbles
Bobble Hat
Bobby T
Bojan
Boris Studer
BOUGAIN
Brad Andrews
Brad Ellis
Brad Hutchison
Brad Kane
Brad Venable
Braden Hill
Bradley Ward
Brandon Harvey
Brandon Musler
Brandon Wu
brayer
Breffni Murphy
Brendan Green
Brendan Newell
Brendon Hall
Brent Williams
Brett Haskell
Brett Hewitt
Brian
Brian
brian carpenter
Brian Chafin
Brian Dysart
Brian Friel
Brian Gage
Brian Keenan
Brian Leahy
Brian M
Brian Mages
Brian Minsker
Brian Oz
Brian Tannenbaum
Brian Wilde
Brian Williams
Britt Eubanks
Briw
Broc migues
Broggas
Brother Jim
Bruce B
Bruce D. Hogston
Bruno Castonguay
Bryan Stringer
btebon
Bubba Washington
Burke Martin
Cabel
cacc
Cador
Calvin Brooks
Calvo
Cameron Marschall
Camilla
Cang Ling Yee
Capitaine Nemo
Carl Birch
Carl Moon
Carl Schnurr
Carlos D
Carol Chamberlin
Carrick Brooke-Davidson
Carsten Ehlert
CARTEL Franck
Casey Young
Cassandra Trissler
Catlion
Cay Blomqvist
Ceri James
Chace Orton
Chad Esselink
Chad Mercer
Charles Burkart
Charles Darlage
charles Garner
Charles Hill
Charles Hope
Charles Howard
Charles Molesworth
Charles Pearson
Charles Phillips
CharlesDM
Charlie Vetters
Charlie Wilson
Charlotte Beard
Chema Pamundi
CHENG Chun Kit
Chief Housecarl Nick Hughes
Chip
Chip Yorkgitis
Chris
Chris Clarke
Chris Coffey
Chris Comeaux
Chris Dutton
Chris Eden
Chris Geggus
Chris Grable
chris greenfield
Chris Hall
Chris James
Chris M. Jacobson
Chris Mascioli
Chris McDermott
Chris N
Chris Paliogiorgos
Chris Pearson
Chris Pendleton
Chris Penny
Chris Poli
Chris Poor
Chris Schock
Chris Severs
Chris Simms
Chris Stoakes
Chris Taylor
Chris Turner
Chris Wiens
Christiaan
Christian Skovgaard
Christian Toftdahl
Christine Carroll
Christof Impens
Christoph Klinkowski
Christoph S.
Christoph Wagner
Christopher
Christopher Abernathy
Christopher Baughman
Christopher Buehl
Christopher Corrigan
Christopher D.
Christopher D. Evans
Christopher Fullone
Christopher Funke
Christopher Gordy
Christopher Libbrecht
Christopher Moraal
Christopher Payne
Christopher Rzad
Christopher Sweets
Christopher Wells
Christopher Young
Chromatism
Chulung Lee
cibertache
Cid Sugioka
Claire H
clawmeister
CletusVanDamme
Cliff
Cliff W. Gilmore
Clint Walker
Clive Patmore
Coche54
Colin Alsbury
Colin Degnan
Colin McGuire
Colin Oaten
Colin Smith
Colton Butcher
Colton Hoerner
Conal Taezali
Connor Locklin
Corbijn
Corey Baker
Corey Wright
Corina S Davis
Covenpines
Craig Blackwood
Craig Garrington
Craig Latta
Craig Millard
Craig Smith
Craig Wright
Cristian Maroni
Cristóbal Incógnito
Cristobal Kirschoff
Cthulhu Hunter
cvrinn
cycyx
Czacha Games
D Bigs
D Sullivan
Dagda
Daiusz Wojnar
Damon Herren
Dan Fisk
Dan Jolin
Dan Pineda
Dan Rubera
Dan Webb
Dan Yarrington, Tabletop Tycoon
Dani Bloom
Danial Ashman
daniel
Daniel Aman
Daniel Beeson
Daniel Bingham
Daniel Eastban
Daniel Grubbs
Daniel Killian
Daniel Liu
Daniel N.
Daniel Pablo López Rodríguez
Daniel Reichmann
Daniel Strnad
Daniel Urdzik
Daniel Weitz
Daniel Wilmer
Daniel Wolf Roemele
Danny Harvie
Darin LaGarry
darksurtur
Darren
Darren Green
Darren Johnson
Darren Kramble
Darren Marks
Darren Rae
Darren Whiteside
Dascalescu Dan
Dave Clarke - Sinister Fish Games
Dave Coe
Dave Harris
Dave Martin
Dave Moore
Dave Ruddock
Dave Wetherall – GGG Games
dave.hickman0@gmail.com
David
David
David & Mareike
David Biczo
David Bird
David Brightman
David Brittain
David Burkey
David Carroll
David Castle
David Chapel
David Christopher Lee
David Daffin
David DeStefano
David Glynn Walls
David Gotteri
David Hammers
David Hoffman
David Hudson
David Huh
David Hutchinson
David Kiker
David L Clegg
David Lindsay
David Lockwood
David Loyd-Hearn
David Mathieson
David Matl
David McSorley
David Neil
David Nussear
david paul boulton
David Rak
David Raley
David Reynolds
David Ross
David Salvi
David Sandquist
David Schlanger
David Simpson
David Spangler
David Toft
David Trapmore
David W. Bauer
David Wallace
David Walton
David Ward
David Williams
Deadwood
DeliciousEnergyDrink
Dennis Canning
Dennis Ku
Dennis Luk
Dennis Saathoff
Dennis Senft
Dennis Watson
Deppert Christian
Derek Evans
derek long
Derek Odom
Derek Vanosdall
Derikhos
Derpypants
Detournemented
DevGuy
Devin H
Diego Bolis
Diego Gonzalez Rodriguez
Diego Mari
Digby M Gibson
Dimitri
Dino Buffetta Jr.
Dion Storr
Dirk Johannes Dreessen
Dirk Sommerfeld
Dizzleman
Djinny
DJN
Dominic Mooney
Dominic Trevizo
Don More
Donald Poynter
Donovan Loucks
Dorian
Dorian
Dotan Dvir
Doug Eckhoff
Douglas Bachmann
dprcooke
Dr. Stephen Falken
Dr. VanPorcine
Dragonaris
Drake Coker
DrawingBlood
Dreebo
Drilster
Drust
Duane Warnecke
Duane Wright
DuaneB
DULISSE PAOLO
dunbruha
Duncan Jones
Duncan Ley
duncan mellonie
Dwayne Dibbley
Ed
Ed
Ed Kowalczewski
Eddie who is not a zombie pandanado
Edgar
Edmund
Edmund Selous
Edward McCoy
Edward Nicholls
Edward Pettit
Edward Phipps
edward rathke
Eero Miettinen
Eivind Alme
Elise
Elizabeth Davidson
Enrico Martinelli
Eran Boudjnah
Eric
Eric
Eric Batchelder
Eric Britt Strickland
Eric Cochran
Eric Coker
Eric Hallstrom
Eric Harris
Eric Kopp
Eric Martin
ERIC SANDERSON
Eric Smith
Erica Pettit
Erich Cranor
ericthome
Erik
Erin Patterson
Erin Schrump Silver
Erlend Hove
Errf
Erry
Esben Meulengracht Flachs
Esteban Escareno
Eternal Arnaldo "Kurono" Lefebre
Eternia
etkeller
Evan McCoy
Evan Rattner
ezeqiel
Fabio Almeida
Fabio Maio
Faelyn
Falconette
Farydia
Federico Manuri
Felix Leven
Felix Lopez
Fina Kelley
Florent Leguern
FlyingMuttley
Forrest Longworth
Forrester Killian Smith
Fort Circle
Franck Lefebvre
Franco Austin
François
Frank
Frank Hamrick
Frank Hintz
Frank Isaksson
Frank Krenkel
Frdderik Beeckx
Fred D. Faulkner
Fred Heis
Frédéric Boyer
Frédéric Létourneau
Frederik
Frederik Vanmolkot
Frodokinobi
G. Jay Christensen
Gabe Harris
Gabriel Parrish
Gabriel Rahn
Gabriel Valladares Rodriguez
Galahad777
Game Rustlers - Mac
Garen Evans
Gareth Bond
Gareth Coster
Garth Boucher
Gary Fothergill
Gary Nixon
Gary Stuart
Gattz
Gavin Rummery
GEHIN
Geistwandler
Geoff Bernardo
Geoff Cost
Geoff Knox
Geoff Richardson Adi
Geoff Squire
George Ashton
George Campbell
George Faux
George Tukums
GeorgeZ
Gerhard Frey
Gero Niemeyer
Gethin Rees
Giacomo Sottocasa
Giannis Kountourakis
Gigantor77
Gil C. Schmidt
Giles Pound
Giles Pritchard
gino
Glenn
Glenn Davies
Glenn Harley
Glenn Reynolds
Göran Andersson
Gotthammer
GOUGES Bastien
Graeme tate
Graham Greenaway
Graham O'Neill
graham quartly
Graham Sargeant
GRANIER JULIEN
Grant Archie
Grant Johnston
Grant Muir
Grayson Ijames
Greg Dardis
Greg Davids
Greg Foster
Greg Hardy
Greg Mccaskill
Greg mizell
Greg P.
Greg Temming
gregory blanc
Gregory Jennings
Greyanvil, Hammer of Moradin
Grimonprez
guardian J
Guest 1001637215
Guest 146294097
Guest 1606008829
Guest 1874708528
Guest 330875412
Guest 403410079
Guest 72236168
Guest 957761478
Guido
Guilherme Stein
Guillaume
Guillaume Delemarle
Gunter Van Damme
Gunther DHoogh
Gustaf Naeser
Gustavo da Rocha Pereira
Hagen Munsch
Hakka Tom
Halcyonic
Han Marshall
HANGJOO CHO
Hanibal Sonderegger
Hannes Erdle
Hans Richardt Kall Schmidt-Nielsen
Hans Rutjens
Hans Torsvik
Harpers01
harrio
Harry Kim
Hector Anthony Serenil
Hector Marquez
Helen
Hellikin
HENCKS Jean-Louis
Henning Elfwering
Henrik
Henrique Pradella
Henry
Henry Scott Howard
Heraldo Makrakis
Herve Duval
Hisa Futaba
Homer Martin
Homer Simpson
Hon Guin Lee
HP Lovecraft
Hugo Cunha
hurcheon
Huscarle
Husker Dan
Iain Benson
Iain Mabbott
Iain Row
Iain Watkinson
Ian
Ian A Williams
Ian Davies
Ian Girling
Ian Greenfield
Ian Hammond
Ian Sadgrove
Ian Smith
Ian Timson
Ian Woodley
IcyChris
Iestyn David
Ilya Litsios
InfraRiot
Inspiring Games
IPALove
Itai Perez
J Adam Anderson-Riley
J H
J. Budovec
J. R. Tracy
J.C. Connors
JAC
Jack Gulick
Jack Onstott
Jacob Gunness
Jacob Peck
Jacob Reinholdt
Jacques Nel
Jaisyl
Jakub Caban
James 'Pards' Pardoe
James Anthony Genzano
James Beattie
James Cameron
James Cartwright
James Cheung King-tat
James Cruise
James David Tandy
James Drewett
James Duffy
James Fisher
James H Jones
James Hannah
James McDonald
James Miller
James O
James Petersen
James Reid
James Resner
James Rodgers
James Scheiderich
James Schmidt
James Wagner
Jamey Cribbs
Jamie Lee
Jamie Manley
Jamie Towey
Jan Gonzalo
JanEmbrechts
Janet
Janine viglietti
Jann Norman
JanR
Jared Jansma
Jared Teslow
Jarek Dobosz
jarnhaan
Jarnhaan's request
Jarred rice
Jasberfloob
Jason
Jason Akers
Jason Carr
Jason Conlon
Jason Cope
Jason Davis
Jason Emerson
Jason Lenny
Jason Logan
Jason Nolasco
Jason R. Williams
Jason Robleski
Jason Sly
Jason Spencer
Jason Wealleans
Jason Yacalis
Javier Brauns
Jay Marland
Jay Santos
JB Joyner
JC
JC
Jean Duteau
Jean-Luc Simard
Jean-Paul Kirkbride
Jebb Carrier
Jed Hamblin-Boone
Jedra7609
JeeWee
jeff buckler
Jeff Chattin
Jeff Glasson
Jeff Grein
Jeff Johnson
Jeff Penchoff
Jeff Risdon
jeff sprandel
Jeff Stewart
Jeff Wiles
Jeff Wilson
Jeffrey Jones
Jeffrey Kight
Jeffry Mydland
Jennifer
Jennifer Fiedorec Hutton
Jens A. Watson
Jens Kaaber Pors
Jeremy Cho
Jeremy Leveque
Jeremy McCauley
Jeremy Norton
Jeroen Schouppe
Jerry T
Jesper Voss Jacobsen
Jesse
Jesse A Goodman
Jesse Bethany
Jesse Stolzenburg
Jessica "Busdjur" Rickardsson
Jessica Cole
Jessica Saxton Fraser
Jesus Berjano
Jesús Mateu
Jesus Segundo Ariza
jgcook
Jim Krohn
Jim Marshall
Jim Moss
Jim Philip
Jim Stevens
Jim Waite
Jimmy Caekebeke
Jinnapat Treejareonwiwat
JJM68
JLLongshore
Joachim
Joao Gabriel Garcia de Gouvea
Joe
Joe
Joe Alexander
Joe Crawford
Joe Gallagher
Joe J. Rushanan
Joe Sokol
Joe U
joebaranowski
Johan Anglemark
Johan Kullberg
Johan Maes
John
john
John Ayers
John B
John Bernardo
John Blewett
John Bolton
John Boswell
John Carl brown
John Coates
John Coley
John E Williamson
John Eldon
John Falcon
John Fisher
John Gardiner
John H
John Haremza
John Hedges
John J. Matta
John L Vogt
John Lloyd
John Longstreet
John Meyer
john moss
John Potter
John Robertson
John Sinclair
John Steemson
John Van Wagoner
John Watts
John Zrimc
Johnny
Jon
Jon Ander Beracoechea
Jon Benn
Jon Davenport
Jon Greene
Jon Higgins
Jonas
Jonas Vanschooren
Jonathan Abbott
Jonathan Altland
Jonathan E Tornabe
Jonathan Faith
Jonathan Garnett
Jonathan Solomon
Joost van de Meerendonk
Jorge Vicente Rodríguez Jiménez
Joris
JosD
Joseph
Joseph Batz
Joseph Boyle
Joseph Canalin
Joseph Cannon
Joseph Feliu
Joseph M. Louis
Joseph Mirth
Josh Harrel
Josh Neil
Josh schroeder
Josh Teske
Josh Walton
Joshua Davis
Joshua Neikirk
Joshua Sprung
Juan Jose Menendez Garcia
Judgement Dave
Juliet Robinson
Julius Heinke
Justin Fassino
Justin Francom
Justin Gan
Justin Glaboff
Justin Tonna
Jwab
K_cendres
Kahlan
Kahush
Kai Barnard
Kaleb Michaud
Kaleb Pitchford
Kamil Klapka
Karel Vaigl
Karl Caicedo
Karl Ewald
Karl T.
Karl Walldorf
Karsten S
Kasper Bøgelund Hansen
Katherine Crispin
Katz
Keiron
Keith
Keith
Keith Griffin
keith hunt
Keith Ibsen
Keith Jones
Keith Laidlaw
Keith R. Miller
keith ryan
Kelly B
Kelly Bowles
Kelly Zia
Ken
Ken
Ken - Cultist MonkeyTender of Brimstone
Ken Campbell
Ken K
Ken McGechaen
Ken Scheuber Jr
Kenneth Ho
Kenneth Rodgers
Kenneth Tollund Christensen
Kent Reuber
Kevin Andrew Bohlmann
Kevin Caldwell
Kevin Conway
Kevin Davis
Kevin Eide
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Kenz
Kevin Key
Kevin L. Kitchens (Ones Upon a Game)
Kevin Laberge
Kevin Leirens
Kevin Marema
Kevin Melahn
Kevin Moore
Kevin Pratt
Kevin Senior
Kevin Shaud
Kevin taylor
Kharasho
Khuln
Kim Schou Nørøxe
Kiril24
Kirk Bollinger
Klipka
Koen Hallaert
Konrad Kaczmarek
Korric Morgan
korysh
Kovaks
Krista Donnelly
Kristi Weyland
Kulaga
Kurt Rompot
Kurt Temmerman
Kwinten Van De Walle
Kyle Kastilahn
Kyle Koslowski
Kyle Robinson
Kyle York
Lance Holden
Lars Hoffmann
Laura Guy
laurence tully
Lee
Lee Blackstone
Lee Cantey
Lee Jemmerson
Leigh
Leigh Hayes
Leon Chappell
Leon Nieuwkoop
Les Merrills
Lester
Levis Wiggins
Liam Houghton
Liam O'Caoimh
Liisa Shunn
Linda Schafft
Lloyd William
Lochdur
Lon Lademann
Lorna Bocquet
Louis de koning
Louis Fernandez
Louis Kirkham
Louis Sylvester
Loup Solitaire
Lt. Stephen B. Shedden - N.Y.P.D. ret.
Luc Lavigne
Lucn
Luis Fernando
Luke
Luke Altmannsberger
Luke Courage
Luke Pierson
Luke Stacy
Luke Strotz
Luke Turner
Lumirius
Lyle Rhodebeck
Lynne Lewellen
M. Triemstra
Mabinguari
Macifer
MadSeaMonkey
Maedheros
Makoto Tago
malcolmbaker2005@hotmail.com
Malkaven
Man With Rabbits
Mantichor
Manuel
MANUEL CUETO
Manuel Martinez
Manuel Porras Artacho
Marc
Marc Blume
Marc Dembach
Marc Maier
Marc Syoen
Marchal
Marcin
Marco Marzano
Marco Signore
Marcus Petersson
Marcus Smith
Marcus Utley
Marek Hendziak
Marek Sorf
Mario Rossignoli
Mário Sousa
Mark
Mark
Mark A. Mikesell
Mark Ashton
Mark Beinke
Mark Birch
Mark Buckley
Mark Crudo
Mark Deibert
Mark Edmonds
Mark Gallagher
Mark Hancock
Mark Hayton
Mark Jimenez
mark keedwell
Mark Kevin Maginity
Mark Langford
Mark Liew
Mark Reynolds
Mark Schuurman
Mark Siekerman
Mark Solino
Mark Ward
Mark Warden
Markus Aldrian
Markus Eisenbraun
Markus Lundin
Markus Maier
Markus Weihrauch
Martin Bergström
Martin Bohaty
Martin Buresch
Martin Gallo
Martin Nørskov Jensen
Martin Petersen
Martina
Marton Hatos
MasterFu
Mat Federink
Mathew H. Farabee
Mathew Spaull
Mathew Tate
Mathieu
Mathieu Miron
Mats Karlöf
Matt
matt
Matt
Matt
matt
Matt Dominski III
Matt Dower
Matt E.
Matt Jones
Matt Keen
Matt Mole
Matt Raines
Matt Taylor
Matteo Fiordelmondo
Matthew Buell
Matthew Coffey
Matthew Filla
Matthew Grafel
Matthew Moreni
Matthew owen
Matthew Pritchard
Matthew Robinson
Matthew Stave
Matthew Wasiak
Matthew Weber
Matthew Wilson
Matthias Schramm
Mattias Lönnqvist
Maurice Chai
Maurizio Puviani
Max Cevio
mcl1981
Meeple Farm
Melanie zumwalde
Melody
Michael
Michael Berkowitz
Michael Blake
Michael Buchheit
Michael Budden
Michael C Strand
Michael D. Coomes
Michael Dalziel
Michael Gerstbrein
Michael Grady
Michael Hall
Michael Hanckel
Michael Knickerbocker
Michael Körbis
Michael L. Stultz
Michael Mercer
Michael Mifsud
Michael Moss
Michael Poineau
Michael R Black
Michael R. Bacon
Michael Ressat
Michael Smith
Michael Street
Michael Tapscott
Michael Tindill
Michael Washburn
Michael Wheeler
Michael Wyvill
Michel Dalstra
Michelle Trout
Miguel Antón
Miguel Estefania
Mihi
Mike Chase
Mike Clarke
Mike De Groote
Mike Edelstein
Mike Freeman
Mike Glader
Mike Irvin
Mike OBrien
Mike Radchenko
Mike Schmitzer
Mike Wall
Mike Wirth
mikelosaurus
mikester9809
Mikolaj Laczynski
Miles Fitzpatrick
mille
MindlessMuse
MirabelleBenou
Miroslav - Board Gamer Weekly
Mitch Schroeder
Mitchell Nicolson
Mksiege
Mo Finn
Modern Art
Monkey
moocifer
Mordamir
Moritz Lo
Morten Monrad Pedersen
mrblackkat
MrDigdigdig
Mrs NinjaDorg
MTMabie
Mugianesi Anthony
Murongying
Murray Whiteford
N L
Nacho Abal
Nadirah
Namit Kaura
Nan-Chang Chiu
NancyNM
Naomiooooo
Narciso Jaramillo
Nate Hendon
Nate Nash
Nathan Bohlmann
Nathan Culley
Nathan Young
Nathanael Green
Naveed Shaikh
ndpascoe
Neal Jesse
Nedwyrd
Neil Anderson
Neil Crockatt
Neil Edmond
Neil Linnell
Neil Mason
Neil Morgan
Neil Shuck
Neoshmengi
Nevin Beaver
Nic
Nicha Kittitanaphan
nick
Nick Carter
Nick Gotch
Nick Hendricksen-Crocitto
Nick South
Nicola Stanton
Nicolai Ravn
Nicolas CLOCHE
Nicolas P.
Nicole Melrose
Nieka Fields
Nigel Hopkins
Nigel Prebble
Nigel Swan
Nigel Thomas
Nik
Nik Doran
Niklas Grundstrom
Nikolas Connors
Nikolaus Wolff Metternich
Nikos Diavatis
Nnexxus
Norman Stewart
North Star Games
NukaCola
nullcorp
nyck
Oak Entertainment
Ol' Grumpy
Olaf Lempa
Oliver Biesler
Oliver Clarke
Oliver Engel
Oliver Marshall
Oliver Paeuser
Olivier Burgener
Olivier Vannerom
OnkelZorni
OrangeWhip
Oren Douek
Óscar Fernández Mora
Outrage
Owen Isaac
P Bradshaw
PabloDiablo
Painted Armies
Pán Kevély
pandagm
Parisa Shirvani
Pasi Leppämäki
Pasquale Priolo
Patrick Baillargeon
Patrick Bonnick
Patrick Connolly
Patrick Corbett
Patrick Decelles-Bates
Patrick Garvin
Patrick Hayes
Patrick K
Patrick Murphy
patrick obrien
Patrick Scheller
Patrick Sewell
Patrick Smith
Patrick Ward
Paul
Paul Aceto
Paul Armarego
Paul Bach
Paul Barrett
Paul Belchamber
Paul Clarke
Paul F
Paul Grogan
Paul Hackman
Paul Heald
Paul Ibbs
Paul Isherwood
Paul Kanter
Paul Kellett
Paul McGovern
Paul Perry
Paul Sacco
Paul Seagrave
Paul Thompson
Paul Wake
Paul Willing
Paul Wise
Paul Wright
Paul Zbytowski
Pavel Hammerschmidt
PDS
Peacock
Pedro Sanz
Peet du Plessis
pelish
Per Ohlin
Peregrine Nicholls
Perry Tatman
Pete Paguyo
Pete Thane
Petehere
Peter
Peter A.
Peter Asimakis
Peter Bateman
Peter Clarke
Peter Hofland
Peter J
Peter Kageyama
Peter Kerr
Peter Korcz
Peter Leung
Peter Loftus
peter mcgilvray
Peter Olson
Peter Prince
Peter Roach
Peter Rushton
Peter Schott
Peter Sjögren
Peter Soekamto
Petr Molik
Philip J Fracica
Philip Knight
Philip Rogers
Philip van Niekerk
Philip Zwart
Picard Laurent
Pieter Degrendele
Pietro Li Voti
pikaraph
piyohei
pjandy
PK
PlanBee
Pollepap
Preston Ellsworth
Preston Ward
ProfHill
PsychicLord
Puckstopper
Punisher
PunkReaper
QualityChimp
Quentin Jones
Quentin Winkler
Quidditys shore
Quirkworthy
R A Bardy
R.A.J. Zielschot
Rachel Jones
Rafael Sanchez
Ragamuffin Jojo
Rain Kirjanen
Ralph Mazza
Ralph Pickard
Ramin Mousavi
Randal D Scherer
Randol Tang
Randy Howard Katz
randy vranesh
Ransom Trimble
Raphael Vermeil de Conchard
Ravnos Phantom
Ray
Ray R.
RayLancer
Raymond Dickson
Raymond Lee
Reese Lloyd
Reg Newell
Reimund Kreidler
Remassogs Realm
Renate Cloake
René Petersen
Rene Zoelffel
Renee Ansley
Restlessavenger
Rhonda Abello
Rhonda Peek
Rich Radgoski
Rich Sommer
Richard
Richard A. Johnson
Richard Barton
Richard Boulet
Richard Brain
Richard Brown
Richard Canchola
Richard Chapman-Hughes
Richard Davies
Richard Edward
Richard Gable
Richard Grayden Zuver
Richard Hellsten
Richard Hudspeth
Richard Jenkin
Richard Lance
Richard Mandeville
Richard McNally
Richard Morgan
Richard Mulholland
Richard Neale
Richard Orpen
Richard P
Richard Scott
Richard W. Evans
Richard Walsh
Richard Willis "RhyfelYGroes"
Richard Wolfrik Galland
Rick Scovill
Rick Yarto
Ricky Royal
RLL
Rob Barger
Rob Harper
Rob Seymour
Rob Stevenson
Robert
Robert
Robert
Robert Affection
Robert Cairo
Robert Chapman
Robert Compton
Robert Dickerson
Robert Duman
Robert Engel
Robert Hastler
Robert Hessling
Robert Johnson
Robert L. Vaughn
Robert Muncy
Robert Nel
Robert Rankin
Robert Taylor
Robert van Grieken
Robert Wagner
Robert Williams
Robin B
Robin Claw
Robin Goodall
Robin Norris
Rocky Ayers
Rodney Rhea
Rodney S.
Roel
Roger Anslow
Roger Dumas
Roger Hicks
Rogue Process
Rolling Solo
Roman Kellner
Ron AM Senior
Ron Drebenstedt
Ron G.
Ron Kittendorf
Ron Pearsall
Ron Rastenis
Ron Smay
Ronan Rice
Rory J. Somers
Ross O'Dell
Roy Tan
Royce H Reiss
Ruben Herrero
Ruben van der Zee
Russell Cox
Russell Dewhurst
Russell Henry
Russell J. Alphey
Russell Martin
Russell Tomlinson
RvB1023
RY
Ryan B. Hull
Ryan Bird
Ryan Byrd
Ryan Heilman
Ryan Kloepfer
Ryan Lorence Syfargo
Ryan Moore
Ryan Shannahan
Ryan Waters
Ryn Noey
Sabine Dommers-Völkel
SableFox
Sacha cauvin
Salvador Bernadó Sala
Sam Lawton
Sam Watson
Samu Somppi
Samuel
Samuel Barker
Samuel Favre
Samuel Krygier
Sander Moorees
sangjoon sun
Sarah-Jane Bonney
Sasha Diklich
Sasquatch Incognito
Saya Lee
Saytrsong
schmatzgesicht
Scott Alden
Scott C
Scott Manning
Scott Moore
Scott Sarlin
Scott Sorensen
Scott Vance
se whan oh
Sean Carver
Sean Emberley
Sean McFadden
Sean Norman
Sean Schlagel
Sean Wiedeman
Sean Wilson
Seb Coleman-Celis
Sebastian Carrasco Ulloa Medicina General
Sebastian Fehn
Sebastian Korten
Sebastian Ross
Sebastian Stoecklein
Sebastien Hauguel
seel julien
Selwyn Ward
Sergey Goncharenko
sergio Cesco-Cancian
Sergio Rodriguez Yanes
Sergio Silvio Herrera Gea
Serina Patterson
SeungMin Cho
Shadus Tain
Shalmy
Shane Steele
Shaun Randell
Shaun Tierney
Shawn Hanna
Shihayazat
Shyam Kumar
Sid Stallings Jr
sidefield
siggi busse
silentxsound
Simon
SIMON
Simon
Simon Anderson
Simon Appleyard
Simon Baldwin
Simon Beal
Simon Boynton
Simon Caston
Simon Clemenson
Simon Cooper
Simon Kind
SImon Rogg
simon thornton
simon willder
SimpleUser
Sir-Matty Stoner
SirJAGman
Sisyphus
smalczak
Snowfox
Solo_Crusader
Song Dong Hyuk
Songhyeon Seo
Sonny Drake
Speshul
Sporx
Spyridon Mpakas
Stacysensei
Starranger
Stefan
Stefan Andreas Nellen
Stefan Beck
Stefan Haydn
Stefan Lütjen
Stefan Pohl
Stefan S
Stefan Walcher
Stefan Wertheimer
Stefano Losi
Steffen
Stephan Chiarini
Stephan Lorenz
Stephanie
Stephen
Stephen 'Tibbs' Gaskell
Stephen A Cuyler
Stephen Chiu
Stephen Foulk
Stephen Hindmarsh
Stephen Johnson
Stephen Margrison
Stephen Randall
Stephen Slotten
Stephen Warren
Steve
Steve
Steve Cox
Steve Excell
Steve Galton
Steve Leach
Steve Manser
Steve McHugh
Steve meyfroidt
Steve Ross
Steve Takacs
Steve Tanner
Steve Vallender
Steve Walker
Steve Weekes
Steven Crane
Steven Gerrish
Steven Linton
Steven Marshall
Steven Molen
Steven Moy
Steven Rauch
Steven Smith
Steven M. Smith
Stewart Graham
Stewart Whyte
Strahleo
stu
Stuart Dobson
Stuart Lister
Stuart Williams
Sunny Neuroshima
SuperNova
SuSa
SveinAA
Swab
Swampfox01
Sylvain carriere
Sylvain LEBEL
Szczepan Frydrych
Tang Wei Shiong
Taras
Tazzz
Teleptanie
Terence Benitez
Terence Burnett
Terry Gavin Bailey
THAD MCCOLLOM
The Game Steward
The Glass Die
The High Frontier
The Immortal Penguin
The Ludoquist
The Mad Miller - Timo
The Master of Fright
The Rangdo of Arg
TheCrankyLawyer
Theodore Alteneder
Tho
Thomas Deno
Thomas Gagniarre
Thomas Iversen
Thomas Littleton
Thomas Vaucher
thorben
thornae
throwingmuse
Thue Eriksen
Tiago Correa de Oliveira
Tidalick
Tim
Tim Burnett
Tim Carter
Tim Cockitt
Tim Hammond
tim harding
Tim Harrison
Tim Holliday
Tim Love
Tim Owen
Tim Porter
Tim Tennant
timc
Timo Stepper
Timothy Bennett
Timothy O'Shea
Timy_T
Tina Kasten
Ting Lawrence
TingBear
Tino
Tirs Abril
TJ Tumlin
Toby Merida
Toby morton
TODD
Todd
Todd Waggoner
Todd Young
Tokhuah
Tolga Asveren
Tom
Tom B
Tom Butler
Tom Clare
Tom Geraghty
Tom Guthrie
Tom Hoefle
Tom Nichols
Tom Smith
Tom Tornado
Tomas Hammar
Tomas Hedlund
Tommaso
Tommi Putkonen
tomoyuki maruta
Tony
Tony Barrett
Tony booth-Lydon
Tony Garry
Tony Kaiser
Tony Kerkhove
Tony Mckeown
Tony Williamson
tonyboydell (4 The Future Ltd)
TonyC
Tor Andersson
Tor Houghton
Torben Schmidt
Torin
trajan1310
Travis Hunter
Travis Monson
TreeRickets
Trent
Trevor Heshka
Trevor Roberts
Trevor Wilson
Tristram Jackson
Troels Petersen
Trond Harstad
Troy Pollex
truthd
Ttocs Noxid
Tyler
Tyler Gingrich
Ugo Cimone
ugo greevy
Umibum
underthemountainblog.com
Urhixidur
Uve Potisepp
Val Doonican
Valentin Golobokin
VanQuishSquid
Vasily McCausland
VESSIERE
Vibeke Knappskog Olsen
Victor
Victoria Short
Viking_Fury
Vikki Drummond
Viktor Kleineisel
Vill20
Vincent Bonaventura
Vincent Murcia
Virgildee Daniel
Vitriool
Volker Bache
Vy Nguyen
Wade
Wade Altmeier
Wade M. Page
Wade Woelfle
Walkerbloke
Walter Floth
War Wolf
Warren Que Noy
Warren Zdan
Wayne Giza
Wayne Wooten
Welldone Asyncron
WeloiAvala
Wendy A F G Stengel
Wes Palmer
Wiffle Trumps
Will F
will kendrew
Will Mitchell
Will Paddick
Will W.
Willennium
William A Bailey
William Allison
William Astley
William DeMarco
William Dovan
William J. Hupp
William Jon Bowen
William Miller
William R Miller
William Shaw
William Stallings
William Stone
William Woodford
Wim Roelants
Wingi
Wipo
Wirgis
Wolfgang Griessl
Wong Kum Yew
Wouter Storme
Wrema
Xrayman
Yannick Kilberger
Yannick Verrydt
Yaris
Yaron Davidson
Yeow Choon Hong
Ygouf
Ymsur
Yong Siong Oon
Yousuke Nagano
Zac Peake
Zach Boles
Zack Roehr
Zod the Merciless
ZoLee83hf
Zrinja
Zwolfondu

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

The Rise and Rise of Solo Gaming

If you were to think of ‘someone who plays board games alone’ - what image comes into your mind?  Be honest, is it Comic Store Guy from The Simpsons?  A socially challenged loner geek who struggles with human interaction?  Maybe you’re right.  But you’re probably wrong.  The truth is that more and more people are being drawn towards solo board gaming, and the reasons for this are myriad and interesting.  

It’s strange to think that video games were once merely the province of marginalised geeks.  Especially now that franchises like Call of Duty have proven they can draw in many more millions of dollars than Hollywood tentpole movies.  And often, multi-million dollar video game blockbusters (e.g. most of the Final Fantasy series) only offer a single player mode.  So why shouldn’t popular board games offer follow suit?

As people with disposable incomes in general look for more varied and interesting pastimes to while away their free time, we have seen a huge rise in board game sales.  Indeed, there are many articles detailing the recent volcanic growth of board gaming, and you only have to witness the footfall here at the UK Games Expo to see that in action. Some say it is a new Golden Age for the industry.  Be it clever ‘Euro’ game designs with slick mechanics and exquisitely agonising decisions to make, or thematic board games showcasing beautiful art and bucketloads of plastic miniatures, an abundant array of titles ever expanding with each passing year means we are becoming more and more spoilt for choice in our gaming options.  

Creativity and innovation in design are rife as each new game stands on the gigantic shoulders of its predecessors, whether it’s delivering new mechanisms for play (like Dominion’s introduction of deck-building within the gameplay itself), continually tweaking an idea or two to improve something where possible here (e.g. the Marvel Legendary games’ slight but significant transformation into the more focussed Legendary Encounters series), overhauling a game system to streamline it there (see any of Fantasy Flight’s ‘second edition’ - or third edition - games like Talisman, Runebound, or Descent), or even reimagining a previous title entirely and delivering a completely fresh vision of that game (such as Pandemic Legacy, where player decisions might mean the actual destruction of game components).

Whilst often looked down upon by gamers - due to the wealthy choice of interesting alternatives - mainstream family games remain evergreen as the umpteenth version of Monopoly with a new Intellectual Property splashed across it continues to grace store shelves, and even Risk had its overhaul into Risk Legacy, stepping into a unique and interesting direction entirely and bringing it back to the attention of more ‘hardcore’ gamers.  And gamers’ demands for increasingly unique and interesting offerings continue to grow, with previously super niche thematic games like Kingdom Death: Monster pulling in over 12 million dollars on Kickstarter.

Whilst Kingdom Death blew minds, wallets and Kickstarter records, a point of note is that it is a game that can be, and often is, played cooperatively, and thus solo.  Ten years ago, cooperative board games where you play with your friends or by yourself against the game were few and far between.  There are wargames and fringe titles that have been around for decades sporting solitaire play options, and people have almost certainly played both sides of games like Chess to improve their technique for hundreds of years.  But whilst over the years pioneering titles from the likes of Chainsaw Warrior (1987), Warhammer Quest (1995), and Lord of the Rings (2000), to Arkham Horror (2005), right through to Forbidden Island (2010) and Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island (2012) all have supported cooperative and/or solitaire play, it is now pretty indisputable that cooperative games are cemented into the popular gaming zeitgeist.  In fact, boardgamegeek.com, which boasts 3.3 million unique monthly visitors currently ranks its number one game of all time as voted for by its users as the cooperative - and thus soloable - Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (2015).

Cooperative games are great for gathering together and playing as a team with friends and/or family against a mathematical or thematic objective and solving puzzles together. But what draws people to play these games alone?  A cross-section of soloist enthusiasts had the following to say:

Logistics: “We work a lot. We work weird hours and weird shifts. We move around a lot. Life is less consistent, so our gaming time and gaming circles become less consistent. Solo gaming fills those gaps nicely.” - Jason Perez

Creativity: “For many people, gaming is a social experience. For me, it is a chance to be creative alone. I play games to tell stories” - Amy (Other Amy)

Preparation: “To learn the game. I don't like to present a game to anyone without having a good understanding of it first.” - Brian Hunt

Immersion: “I find it a lot easier to immerse myself into the theme or story when alone. There are no distractions or side conversations.” - Shaun Austin

The challenge: “The kids are all married but I want to play solo games because I love more brain challenging games that take more time than anybody else would want to play.” - Kevin Erskine

Screen-burn: “Sometimes, it's simply a way to force myself away from the screen. Staring at a computer screen all the time is probably doing irreparable damage to my eyes. Solo board games are a way around this.” - Joke Meister

And on the subject of screens, video bloggers who focus particularly on solo gaming command a formidable presence on YouTube, with personalities like JPlay (3,006 subscribers, 505,272 views ), callasmar (5,424 subscribers, 979,918 views)  Ricky Royal (15,330 subscribers, 3,622,304 views) and marcowargamer (12,879 subscribers, 3,955,074 views) all lending their expertise to the cause by showcasing solo games and how-to-play guides for said games.


There are reddit and facebook groups dedicated to solo gaming with thousands of members, and on the aforementioned boardgamegeek site there thrives a community called the 1 Player Guild (or 1PG).  Devoted to podcasting about and discussing solitaire gaming this group encourages and champions a number of activities such as: competing online by beating one another’s scores at certain games, developing new methods and rules to play existing games solitaire that aren’t originally designed that way, sharing amusing stories and narrative session reports of game plays, and taking an annual vote on the People’s Choice of Top 100 solo games of the year.  The latter draws in hundreds of voters and thousands of votes, often climaxing in the collective opening of many wallets to chase the next new shiny game!

From its foundation in 2012 there were 12 members, at the time of writing 6,415 individuals from around the world now make up the 1PG.  The guild’s founder, Albert Hernandez, talks candidly about its growth:

“The guild was always open to anybody that is interested in solo games... I never expected it to be quite so big.  One thing that makes the guild so popular is how friendly it is.  Folks always comment on that.  Nobody needs to look for permission or approval to do something that is helpful.  I think that has really helped the guild grow.  There is no way one person would have come up with all the great ideas that have come out of the guild.”

There has been a surge of interest in solitaire rules for games recently, particularly in line with the continued growth of crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter where gamers can help to guide the decisions of game creators to include extra elements they might not have previously considered, such as solo rules.  More and more often, solo rules are being offered with new games, sometimes just as a stretch goal.  But canny designers such as the legendary Jamey Stegmaier have jumped ahead of the curve on this, going as far as enlisting game designer Morten Monrad Pedersen with the express purpose of designing solitaire rules for his games.  This resulted in Pedersen’s hugely enjoyable automa series that emulate an ‘AI’ player in games such as Viticulture, Between Two Cities, and of course, the hugely successful Scythe.  In his own words:

“The increased buzz from solo gamers makes other gamers give it a shot and makes publishers see there’s a big market they’ve overlooked, which in turn creates more solo gaming buzz.  Solo gaming gave me a chance to go back to doing game design for my own enjoyment and bumping into Jamey Stegmaier by chance let me ride his on his coat tails and on solo gaming’s wave of popularity, so that I now have a job in the board game business.”

Pedersen also compiled some interesting data on the growth of soloist games in this chart:


If you’re a designer or publisher developing a board game you could do worse than paying attention to some of the most influential developers on Kickstarter and reading Stegmaier and Pedersen’s various blogs on the importance of acknowledging the solo gamer base; or you could simply take another look at those mind-shattering numbers that Adam Poots generated with his monstrous Kingdom Death: Monster Kickstarter.


So whether it’s to learn the rules to a game you’re introducing to your friends, getting away from screens for a bit to challenge your mental agility, to immerse yourself in a thematic, narrative experience, or just because you blooming love it, solo gaming can be a thrilling and fulfilling experience.  And now with friendly online forums and resources at your fingertips, even though you are playing solitaire, you don’t have to game alone!

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Less than 24 hours to launch - come join the launch party and watch us on the telly!

Hey everybody - we are Kickstarting 1066, Tears to Many Mothers in less than 24 hours and we're gonna seriously need your help Liking and Sharing and spreading the word! 

Here is the Kickstarter page, so be sure to go hit Notify Me On Launch:

http://kck.st/2rT0sme

We're having a virtual party for the countdown to launch, so come join us at:

http://bit.ly/2rpvULR

And here's me waffling on TV about it all:



See you on the front lines, soldiers!

Get your 1066, TtMM BGG avatars here!!

And if you haven't already got an avatar post below and I'll give you the GeekGold on BGG, as long as you sport your 1066 avatar throughout the month of June.  :)


Win a copy of 1066, Tears to Many Mothers!

Win a copy of 1066, Tears to Many Mothers!


Kickstarting on Thursday 1st June at 6pm GMT!!


Friday, April 28, 2017

Gloom of Kilforth Facebook teaser collection

For those of you who avoid Facebook I've collected our FB art teasers together for you to have a nosey at here...

They're being described as 'Nightmare fuel' - below are the bad guys from Gloom of Kilforth: A Fantasy Quest Game by Tristan Hall - who's your fave?



Races this week for #GloomofKilforth - which core Race are YOU going to play first?




Kickstarter Extra Races this week for #GloomofKilforth - which Kickstarter-Unlocked Race are YOU most looking forward to??




So #GloomofKilforth will be here soon - which core Class are YOU going to play first?




We unlocked DOUBLE the number of Hero Classes with stretch goals, so which of the Kickstarter EXTRA Classes are you most looking forward to playing??


Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Board Chitless Gaming Podcast Episode 1 - A Bit on the Scythe #BoardChitless

Board Chitless Gaming Podcast Episode 1 - A Bit on the Scythe 

Check out our new gaming podcast - Episode 1 is already available here!



This week's hosts were Sam Lawton, Aleksis Williams and Tristan Hall.  We played Above and Below and Scythe, gave our thoughts on both, and sprinkled in some huge name dropping for another 4X game throughout.

Board Chitless Episode 2 - Invaders Must Die! #BoardChitless

And episode 2 is live now:



This week's hosts were Aleksis Williams and Tristan Hall.  We played Thunderbirds, Invaders plus the Armageddon Expansion, and had a sneak preview of Tristan Hall's own new game coming to Kickstarter in June: 1066, Tears to Many Mothers!

What do you  think of Invaders and Thunderbirds?  And are you looking forward to the 1066, Tears to Many Mothers Kickstarter?


Monday, February 20, 2017

Help with an article - The Rise and Rise of Solo Gaming

Dearest Blorggers,


I'm writing an article detailing The Rise and Rise of Solo Gaming for the UK Games Expo (our version of Essen) this year, and I'd love to canvas you gentlefolk for opinions, quotes and ideas.


I think it's fair to say that whilst solo rules for board games, and particularly war games, have been around for ages we've also seen a surge of interest in solo rules recently, particularly in line with the rise of Kickstarter - a platform where gamers can help to guide the decisions of creators to include extra elements they might not have previously considered, such as solo rules.


Anywho, whilst I'm developing this, if you have any interesting thoughts or articles on the subject that you think might help, I'd certainly be grateful for any suggestions - and if you do respond below feel free to pop in a quote with your own thoughts on the subject.  I can't guarantee I'll be able to quote everyone in the article but it might be a cool discussion point in any case.


So, why do you play solo games?  And have you seen an increase in the proliferation of solo games in recent times?


For example, if I was to answer the first question myself it would be along the lines of: I often play games solo to learn the rules before introducing the game to friends, to get away from screens for a bit and test my mental agility, to have a thematic narrative experience, and also because I blooming love it!


Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the subject.  :)



T

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

My Solo 10x10 for 2016 - Ten Games Ten Times Each!

So here is my solo 10 by 10 Challenge from 2016. Ever since reading about the ‘Play 10 games 10 times’ idea on the Most Glorious 1 Player Guild I’d been intrigued, and it certainly synced up with my previous blog’s mission of getting more mileage out of the games you already have.  Anyway, mainly I just wanted to take a break from all the other stuffs I’ve been up to recently and just get back to talking about playing cool games for a bit, so I hope you don’t mind indulging me for a little while.


I’d been planning to type this up for sometime but never really got around to it in January.  I wasn't sure whether I would be able to finish 100 games by myself just because of the sheer quantity of time that it would take up. But I soon realised that I would be able to complete the challenge if I was to shift around the games that I expected to be able to finish. For example, adding Mage Knight to the list was not the cleverest idea as I was only able to get four games in before I realised that the time suck on this beautifully constructed game was just too huge for me to smash ten games in a row.  But after cheekily swapping it out for Argonauts I was able to make much quicker progress through my personal 10 x 10 mission. Likewise Robinson Crusoe - although an amazing game - also had to be benched until the completion of my 10 x 10. Other honorable mentions go to Kingdom Death (spent more time assembling miniatures than actually playing it solo),  and Labyrinth: War on Terror (managed 3 games: one win on Easy mode, then one win on Coherent, followed by one loss against Attractive).




Airborne Commander


Airborne commander is a neat little deck builder.  Whilst there is limited replayability after you have figured out how to beat the game it is one of the most thematic games in its genre, and delivers a sense of commanding a paratroop division trying to pull it together in the thick of battle. The artwork is just great and the system for having blocking buildings filling up the play area really adds a level of tension that ratchets up as the game goes on.  As it was so easy to play this it actually appeared in my 10 by 10 a whole eleven times just because I got carried away and shuffled up an extra game and carried on playing.  I look forward to any expansion material that may be created for this game, and strongly recommend it if you can track a copy down.


Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game


The Warhammer Quest Adventure Card Game is such a cool - and cruel - little game it's really a shame that it has been abandoned by Fantasy Flight.  The expansion Heroes are a must for anyone who has the game as they really add variety and flexibility for the players.  It's a shame that only one campaign was included with the game and that they chose to expand only the heroes but not the adventures. The adventures are really where the replayability is at of course but the fan community has us more than covered in that respect with the variants section on BGG overflowing with new quests.  The game would be given a new lease of life if FFG gave it a decent reskin - even Terrinoth would work - but I’m not optimistic about the likelihood of that happening.   I played through a full five adventure campaign with my 7 year old and with the warrior + elf combo we were able to win all of the adventures and finish the campaign successfully.  I also played the Delve Quest a few times and met with varying degrees of success now that the easy win loophole has been sealed by the FAQ.


There’s really a lot to like in this little game, with some neatly agonising options for the heroes.  It’s interesting to trace the evolution of the mechanics FFG picks and chooses in their adventure games like WHQ.  There are elements of Space Hulk: Death Angel, exploration and fighting similar to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, and other bits and pieces that have been tweaked and further complicated before being thrust into the Arkham Horror Card Game.




Warfighter: The Tactical Special Forces Card Game


Warfighter  is simply one of my favourite  solo games.  I rate it a perfect 10 out of 10.  Whilst I prefer the actual playing of the adventures rather than the kitting out of soldiers, after achieving a Strategic Victory campaign in the Eastern European theatre (possibly my favourite so far?) I have had a lot of fun playing through the provided adventures in the scenario book from the Foot Locker expansion - and I’m not just being biased because I’m the only non-Verssen to have contributed to the adventures therein! :D  Because they have already picked out all of the gear for your soldiers it takes the hassle out of the prep and you simply get to send your guys in and get on with all of the missions, whilst also experiencing some combos and play types you might not have necessarily stumbled upon by yourself.


For some reason I wasn't able to get into the idea of buying the World War 2 version of the game because I think it better suits the modern special forces theme, even though there were special forces heavily at work in WWII. I am also not too sure about the upcoming fantasy themed version of the game but that is mainly because I am super keen on getting more special forces missions and expanding the modern theatre more.  I am really excited to see what they have in store, particularly if they use some of the ideas mooted on the forums such as attacking a ship or an urban building or complex.  The expanded campaign that Dan has hinted at, which involves running a mercenary company sounds quite interesting too.  But I think, probably because of all the war movies I was raised on by my Dad, thematically I am more interested in genuine military war zones rather than fictitious mercenaries completing missions.


But the game itself is excellent in any case, I love the process of carefully threading your team through hostile territory and trying to cover off reinforcements, maintain your supplies and ammo, stay on top of suppressions and wounds, manage your hand/resources, and complete your objectives.  I often get cocky in the easier stages but then fate will deal a blow, such as having three highly experienced, fully armed and armoured veterans, a few missions deep into a campaign, stumble upon a suicide bomber without any remaining actions, overwatch, or self defense, and have said bomber take out the entire team and tank the campaign…  Love this game!



The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game LCG


I decided it was time to try to get back into the Lord of the Rings living card game that I’d championed so heavily back in the day, so I robbed a couple of elf decks from someone on the Internet and set about tackling the first two core quests followed by the Hunt for Gollum, Conflict at the Carrock, and the three Khazad Dum core quests. And then I only went and got cocky and tried to give Dol Guldur a go.  But failed miserably of course and was annihilated 5 times.  I forgot just how this card game could screw you over whenever it feels like doing so.  It is still one of the prettiest games I have ever seen and I have collected every pack so far but once I have  purchased the final Saga pack I think I am going to call it a day on this game because I still have hundreds of hours’ worth of game to play here and I haven't even scratched the surface yet. Plus the game is now being threatened by the Arkham horror card game which follows a similar model but provides a more interesting campaign and solo experience and you only have to run one hero without having to worry about a party of Heroes or playing two-handed.


Shadowrun: Crossfire



I continued my campaign with the human Samurai and elf Decker who are currently both hovering around 40 karma points each. I have now shuffled in the expansion which really adds to the gameplay enormously by introducing a much-needed variety to the proceedings. It is definitely a valuable investment for anybody who has and enjoys the base game. I'm not sure it balances the difficulty as much as some people seem to suggest but it definitely adds diversity and more options for the players which can only be a good thing.  This really is an amazing game and you are able to pick it up and play a mission in 20 or 30 minutes which not only means you can get plenty of game in and see your characters level up and collect lots of karma, but it also makes it a hell of a lot easier to complete your goal in your 10 x 10 campaign if you include a nice quick to play game like this!


I really love the game but also understand why some people are very frustrated with the difficulty. Even at 40 karma points I still have no idea going into a mission whether or not I'm going to succeed. And that Dragon looking down at me from 70 karma points seems completely impossible at this point.


Of my ten plays I was able to scrape two wins and three losses without the expansion, but then once I had added in the expansion and retried the basic Crossfire scenario I failed 5 times in a row without even being able to carry off a successful abort. Lols!  Next time I’ll be mixing up the missions a little more to give myself a chance...


Legendary Encounters: A Predator Deck Building Game



Whilst I actually prefer the Alien-themed legendary encounters set because of the movies and becaue of the variety of co-operative missions, the Predator legendary encounters set actually has the better gameplay. It looks like they were able to learn a lot of lessons from the alien encounters game and refined the formula to a much more playable and interesting state. I don't know whether or not they have been able to carry this through to Firefly because having only played it a couple of times I really did not get a sense that the campaign played in Firefly was anything new or interesting above and beyond what has already been established with this series of games. So in playing Predator I was able to mount a staggering 4 losses followed by 1 minor victory with the Tracker avatar. In playing the Predator 2 mission I suffered 3 losses in a row but was able to follow up with 2 major victories by Killing the Predator not once but twice with the reporter and then later with the OWLF agent, so in your face stinky dreadlocked vagina-face!


It's still a great game and I really enjoy playing this but with only 2 cooperative scenarios the game struggles in comparison to the alien legendary encounters game as I already said.  We did try the competitive predators game with my weekly group but it was not an enjoyable experience and was a total crap-shoot as to whether anyone would be able to gather the cards that they needed in time to pinch their win.


Friday



I have to tip my hat to Friday which is a solid little deck builder that the 1 Player Guild champions with huge fervour, and rightly so really.  For an introductory solo game Friday hits that perfect sweet spot between not being too complicated and also offering a ‘just one more go’ type of experience, especially given how easy it is to just shuffle up and go again. However, once you have figured out how to beat the game, much like Airborne Commander, there is less and less reason to go back to it for more. I would very much like to see a thematic version of this game with better art and a more interesting theme.  This is not to say I do not enjoy the Robinson Crusoe/deserted island theme but rather I think it could be better served by having interesting and cool cards rather than cards with names like ‘Very Stupid’ which my little boy finds hilarious whenever he sees them.  In any case, if I knew a guy with access to a cool fantasy IP and hundreds of beautiful, unique images I’d definitely have a word with him about a potential reimplementation...



Onirim


This is another game I bought based on feedback from members of the - you guessed it - 1 Player Guild who suggested that it is a perfect one player game and in many ways it is. However the theme is very abstract and the implementation of that theme in the card mechanics, whilst clever, is also very abstract and not really my sort of game. I definitely think it has charm but even with mixing in the expansions it simply is not the game for me. I have a lot of respect for the person who designed this game and the series and for their unique identity as they are all instantly recognisable but generally I tend to prefer games where I understand more about who I am and what I am physically doing within the context of that game.


And again once you have figured out how to beat the game you won't struggle until you start including some expansion content. So, after 5 victories with the base game and then throwing the Books expansion into the mix I was able to suffer a single loss followed by another 4 victories.


Beautifully presented game though!



Argonauts


This is a Kickstarter game which I was particularly happy with. The first board game I ever designed when I was a kid at school was a Jason and the Argonauts-themed Talisman rip-off. You travelled around the board getting into encounters as Jason and eventually had to save Media from a Hydra.  Whereas in this game you get to travel around the board getting into encounters as Jason and having to save Media from a Hydra. The fundamental difference between this game and the one that I created as a kid is that this game is exquisitely beautiful, carefully balanced, interesting to play, and provides a unique and quality co-operative experience that is perfect for the family.  Whereas my version was a bit bobbins.


I have a lot of fun playing this with my little boy who is old enough to grasp the main concepts quite well without much guidance.  And even though this wasn't technically solo I'm still going to included it in the list because we played at least 10 times using the vairant ‘Entropy’ rules which allow you to mix up everything including all of the boss monster encounters and all of the city encounters providing a nice replay value after you have finished the game many times already using the standard rules and setup (which we have).  The game is so pretty when set up it is one of those we keep coming back to and the mechanics are so slick, euro-y, and easy to follow but with a healthy dollop of theme and battling, that it provides for a rich and addictive experience which just keeps you coming back for more.  I love this game and am very happy with the quality and the components, and I'm looking forward to the producers’ next game Ironclad with great expectations.




Rune Age


Rune Age is one of my favourite deck building games and sorely overlooked by the masses it seems. I played the Resurgence scenario 10 times: Daqan Lords managed a win with just 2HP to spare at the end, the Dwarfs took a loss, Uthuks won with 6HP remaining, Elves, then Orcs then Undying all lost bitterly.  I followed this up with the Cataclysm scenario where the Daqan managed to win again with 11HP remaining, the Uthuks lost, the Orcs won at 2HP, and finally even the bloody Elves won with a whopping 9HP remaining!  I don’t know what that tells you about the stats but at least it goes someway towards validating the Elves which people seem to hate so much.  :D  And if you don’t play Rune Age you probably don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, suffice to say that for a deck-building game with such a small card pool it has a metric tonne of advice to offer lesser deck building games with much mightier card counts, especially with the sheer variety of scenarios and ways to play that it contains.

The expansion is an absolute must however, if you can track it down that is...


Okay, so thank you for joining me on my solo 10 by 10 journey of 2016. I have already set myself another 10 x 10 Challenge for 2017 and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into that as soon as possible. However I am having to try and learn new games such as Perdition's Mouth which are very complex and taking up quite a lot of my time which means progress on actually playing the damn thing has been bloody slow so far!  First world problems and all that.  :D  I  I also have a couple of other projects that have been consuming a whole bunch of my time, which I really must get back to asap…


Cheers!


T xx