Inducted Into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame!

In light of the recent publication of Roll'n Bump, I've been given a prestigious spot in the Game Crafter Hall of Fame!

The Hall of Fame was created to recognize designers form the Game Crafter community who have achieved great levels of success with their games or have been picked up by traditional publishers.

I am honoured to join the ranks of such Hall of Fame alumni as Jason Glover (Plague:The Card Game), Matt Worden (Jump Gate/Space Mission) and Kevin Lanzing (Flash Point: Fire Rescue). Truely, I'm in great company.

I did an email interview with The Game Crafter to talk about the transition from Shake Out! to Roll'n Bump which you can check it out here.

Pro's and Con's Review: Terra Mystica

Format: Board Game
Designers: Jens Drögemüller and Helge Ostertag
Publisher: Z-Man Games

I recently attended the Ludo Outaouais event in nearby Gatineau where I got to play Terra Mystica, a brand new game from Z-Man Games that's been getting a fair bit of buzz.

Terra Mystica is a city building and resource management game with a hint of terraforming that combines elements seen in multiple other games into something unique but ultimately more complex than it needs to be.

Read on for a short review of my experience with the game from a professional and consumer point of view.

Marvin's Mittens Available Now!

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." 

― C.S. Lewis

I'm friends with a few of the guys from Breakfall and wanted to let you all know that their first big release, Marvin's Mittens is now available to purchase on Desura. I was lucky enough to be given a press copy of the game, so you can read on for my thoughts on what the game has to offer.

In Québec? Pick Up Roll n' Bump!

I just got a list of all retailers that currently carry Roll n' Bump in Québec and it's a doozie! Some 90 or so stores all over the province are selling copies of Roll n' Bump right now! How crazy is that!? You can hit the jump for the full list of stores. If you can't get to one of these but would like to get yourself a copy, book store chain Renaud Bray also has the game for sale on their website.

Come Check Out Roll N' Bump This Weekend.

I arrived home to an awesome surprise today! As part of my publishing contract, I'm allowed some boxes of Roll n' Bump to do with as I please. With the first print run all good and done, my boxes were waiting for me when I got home from work! I knew I would be getting them soon, but I didn't expect it to be so fast. I'm so psyched! Can't you tell from my exuberant thumb?

So, you want to check out the game for yourself? Going to be in the Ottawa/Gatineau area this weekend (November 23-25, 2012)? Then come look for me at the annual Ludo Outaouais open gaming gathering.

Eggies Available Now on Facebook and iOS!

As some of you may know, though I moonlight as a board game designer and amazing(ly infrequent) blog writer, my day job entails making eyeball pleasing artwork for Ottawa based game company Playbrains.

So, what's the latest from Playbrains? Well, I'm so glad you asked, because I can now tell all of you that Eggies is now available on Facebook, iPhone and iPad!

A Little Inspiration, Video Style!

I wanted to share a couple of inspirational videos I watched recently with all of you. The first is from professor Scott Nicholson, best known for his, sadly retired, Board Games With Scott web series talking about meaningful gamification on his weekly video blog and the second is a TEDx Talk by Ryan and Cassie Henson of Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure fame that, mostly, involves Ryan talking about how tech education should focus on empowering kids to become creators rather than consumers. I've linked them both after the jump.

Roll n' Bump in the wild

Well, well well! Things are moving forward with the production of Bump n' Roll! Board Game Geek user Toynan has posted pictures of the revamped cards and dice which I urge you all to check out here!

Shake Out! Becomes Roll n' Bump

That's right, the soon to be published, retail version of Shake Out! will be sold under the name Roll n' Bump. Also, I wish I had some visuals for you and I swear I'll try to get something from my publisher so you can see what the retail version is going to look like when it, hopefully, hits stores in time for the holidays.

I did want to share a little bit of news that I received just yesterday. The dice have arrived and I'm told they look awesome! I look forward to seeing them myself. Incidentally, Roll n' Bump will include enough dice for six players to play up from the four supported by Shake Out! Along with a slightly different board set up, this will allow you to get even more friends around the table on game night!

Vote For Marvin's Mittens On Steam Greenlight

From Breakfall Studios:
"Marvin's Mittens is a 2D platformer with a focus on exploration and collection. With gorgeous, hand drawn art, Marvin presents a soothing world to explore, free from enemies and danger. Collect magic snowflakes to increase your jump height and race your sled across the landscape to reach new areas before your mother calls you back home. Learn the secrets of snow elf magic and traverse the world beyond Marvin's backyard to solve the mystery of the missing mitten. Immerse yourself in this charming indie title!"

Do Westerners Play Dating Sims? or Spot the Difference, Hunky Edition

I came across an article on Kotaku this morning regarding a dating sim game for iOS by the name of Be My Princess. It seems to have been the centre of a mild brouhaha over a recent change in art style in the western version of the game.

You Should, Probably, Play Robot Wants Kitty

Ok, so this isn't a review so much as a ringing endorsement. If you own an iOS device and are not opposed to the idea of playing a platforming game on said device, then download Robot Wants Kitty, cuz it's awesome! Oh, and FREE!

Badminton and Rules Writing.

A huge scandal has exploded! Badminton players have been expelled from the competition at the 2012 London Olympics for throwing games. David Sirlin, game designer, raises an interesting point, that I agree with: Don't blame the player if your rules are broken. You can read his take on the matter here.

Pro's and Con's Review: King for a Day

Format: Card Game
Designers: Mike Petty
Publisher: The Game Crafter

In this Pro's and Con's review, I'm going to have a look at King for a Day a neat card available through The Game Crafter that deftly mixes elements of city building with a fun party game twist.

King for a Day would be fairly straightforward city building card game if not for a cool and unique mechanism that brings in a social element that should be more familiar to fans of party games than typical strategy board gamers. This interesting twist is at the centre of King for a Day. You see, the game is played in several rounds for the duration of which one player will be king or queen. Each round represents a day, get it, King for a Day! Every player gets to be king for a day, well, two actually by the time the game is over (three days if you're only three players). So, what does it mean to be king? At the start of each round, the current king or queen will draw a card from the "Deal" deck and read it out loud as an offer to the other players. Here's the party game twist that will be familiar to anyone who has played games like Balderdash, Apples to Apples or What?: Each player will secretly write down what they would like to offer the king in order to be awarded the Deal card. These cards are extremely valuable and may give immediate or lasting bonuses. After having read the offers, the king will choose one, awarding the player the Deal card in exchange for whatever the player had offered. This aspect of the game really is the meat as it's great fun to watch the offers escalate over the course of the game as players have more money, resources and even previously earned Deal cards to offer up to the current monarch.

So, that's the gist of the game, now let's have a closer look at King for a Day from a professional and a consumer point of view, shall we?

Get Sideway for the PC on Sale Through Steam!

If you  were on the fence about picking up Sideway New York when it launched, get your ass over to Steam because it's on MEGA SALE! You can get it now for a whopping 70% off!!

Shake Out! Reviewed on All Us Geeks

Another podcast crew has taken the time to review Shake Out! This time it's the folks over at All Us Geeks waxing critical about Shake Out! and two other Game Crafter games. You can find the episode here along with time code info for the different segments in the show.

Top This Kickstarter Campaign is Underway!

Who doesn't like pizza? Am I right!? I figure the Venn diagram of pizza lovers to game players must include a pretty substantial overlap and if you find yourself dab smack in the middle of that overlap, you should totally check out Uniforge's Kickstarter page for board/dexterity game Top This by Ottawa designer Yves Tourigny!

Interview Over at The Spine.

I was shuffling some papers on my desk at work this morning when I came across a URL pointing me to spineonline.ca. Spine is the name of a local college blog run by the students of professional writing program. I had the URL because, a few months back, one of the students came in to interview me. Something about wanting to interview someone with a cool job or something. The fellow in question is actually the a co-worker's younger brother by the name of Alex Pilkington. You can check out the interview here. It was a verbal interview so the answers are mostly paraphrased.

Everyone's a Badass! or How I Wish Mirror's Edge Had Handled Conflict.

So, as I sit down to write this, E3 2012 is in full swing. Anyone who knows how shows like these work also know that all the big announcements were done at the start of the week and very few surprises await us between now and the end of the show. Few surprises indeed. After watching the big shows from the colossi of the industry, I'm left with a clear message about the world of video games: Everyone is a badass. Trailer after trailer of badasses of all shapes and sizes totally murdering the crap out of, well, everyone, has left me wondering... Why?

A Good Time Was Had at the Ottawa Game Conference

I just got back from the first annual Ottawa Game Conference and I couldn't be happier.

Joyride Turbo With My Lady

I just played about a dozen races in Microsoft's Joyride Turbo with my wife and, you know what? We had a great time!

Joyride Turbo is a follow up of sorts to the Joyride title that launched with the Kinect. Anyone who followed the development of the game, however, knows that Turbo is how the game was originally meant to be played, with a controller.

I can't really give this game a ringing endorsement yet as I'm still on the fence whether or not to pick up the full version (we were playing the trial) but what I did play was a ton of fun.

The game looks nice, controls great and has fun weapons, a pleasant surprise all 'round. Oh, and being able to crash through the scenery is pretty darn satisfying.

If you've got an XBox 360 and you're looking for a fun Arcade title to try out, totally download Joyride Turbo and give it a spin.

Pro's and Con's Micro Review: Pix n' Love Rush

Platform: iOS
Developer: Bulky Pix

I've been playing quite a few iOS games lately and I wanted to give Pix n' Love Rush a quick review.

Pro's and Con's review: Pizza Boy

Format: iOS
Developer: Acne Play
Publisher: Acne Play

Platform game controls are tricky to get right on a touch screen device. I've played a number of decent platform games on my iPod Touch over the years, the better ones usually leveraging the device's unique interface rather than attempting to shoehorn traditional game controls onto the screen. Pizza Boy is an exception, it emulates traditional physical controls by use of on-screen virtual buttons and, believe it or not, it plays really well and does a great job delivering the look, feel and playability of some of the best platformers of yesteryear on modern mobile devices.

So let's run Pizza Boy through the Pro's and Con's paces, examining the game from a professional and consumer's point of vue.

Shake Out Has Been Signed!

You've got to love in-train WiFi! I'm on my way back to Ottawa from Montréal where I met with the good folks of Îlot 307 and Jouets Boom to play some Shake Out! and hammer out the details of a publishing deal. So, as of about 3:00pm today, Shake Out! Has been signed to a publisher! Keep checking the blog as I hope to be able to keep you all up to date with the process including in-progress artwork for the new version.

The Unnamed Trilogy

So, one day "Unnamed" will be a place name that I will use as a fictional locale for some resource management/city building game ideas I've had. For the time being it remains unnamed and so below you will find a blurb for the yet unnamed Unnamed Trilogy.

I've listed the game ideas in the order in which they came to me. They are, all three, pretty different from one another but all have a central development theme.

The first is a fairly straight forward resource management building game with a mechanism by which your expansion causes resources to become more scarce. The second combines worker placement and a card game wherein cards players play become buildings everyone can send workers to. And the final one is a more abstract tile placement game with three different ways to score.

In this article I'm going to talk about idea number 3. I know, it's weird to start with the last one, but it's the most fleshed out. So here goes.

Shake Out! Review and Contest Up on Starship 613

STARSHIP613

A HANGOUT FOR CAPITAL NERDS

Raffaele Furgiuele of Starship 613 has posted a lovely review of Shake Out! and will also be hosting a contest to give away a signed copy!

Pro's and Con's Review: Of Power and Glory

Format: Board Game
Designers: Allen Lamb
Distributed Through: The Game Crafter

In this review I have a look at a game from a fellow Game Crafter: Of Power and Glory. It's hard to classify this game as it incorporates elements of worker placement as well as a unique, how do I put this... European conquest simulator? In Of Power and Glory, players take on the role of noble families exerting their influences on eight kings of Europe in the hopes of supporting the right kings to ultimately win the game. This indirect influence over the standings of the kings really is the meat of this game and what makes it worth trying. Though the game is fairly deep and strategic it also plays relatively quickly, a game usually lasting about and hour or so.

So, in the usual Pro's and Con's fashion, I'll be giving you a run down of the game from a professional and consumer point of view. Read on to find out what I though of Of Power and Glory.

Great Quote From GDC 2012: Horse Shit!

I wasn't at GDC this year, but I did, as always, follow the news on several sites. Kotaku posted a quote from Dear Esther writer, Dan Pinchbeck that I wanted to share with all of you:

"Of all the turds in the pipe, this is the granddaddy. Games are not too expensive. If you go to the store to buy granola and accidentally buy horse shit, getting six boxes for free is not extra value. Games do not need to add extra content to be a better value. I used to spend a long time pumping money into slots as a kid with this. 'The gameplay never changed, there was no kind of, like, change in the experience, this kind of stuff, I played it, I put a lot of money into it because I loved it."

Now, I do think that adding quality content to a quality product does, indeed, add to its value but I couldn't agree more that there's no point padding a mediocre game out with more crap. Dev time and resources are better spent making a tight, fun, experience rather than a long drawn out slog.

We Have a Winner!

Please join me in congratulating Carolyn of Virginia for being the winner of the Father Geek Shake Out! giveaway!

I want to thank everyone who participated and are now following this blog or my twitter feed and Carolyn, your copy of Shake Out! is on its way!

So, thanks again to all who participated and stay tuned for more news, musings and announcement.

F. U. Social Games or Why I Stopped Playing Tiny Tower

Oh Tiny Tower you rapscallion! You almost got me! I see what you did there. I thought you were going to be a fun little management game and then you went and pulled a fast one on me. You aren't a "game" game, you're a "social" game!

TWENTY TWO MINUTES LEFT IN SHAKE OUT! GIVEAWAY!!!

Head over to the contest website hosted by Father Geek to win your free copy of Shake Out!

Tikal II Does Not Tikal Me Either, Dr. Nicholson.

Just wanted to point out an old blog post I found on The Board Game Geek from none other than game scholar Scott Nicholson.

You can find the blog post in question here. The gist of it is that he likes Tikal II but doesn't like Tikal and put off trying Tikal II for the longest time because he figured it would be similar to Tikal, which he doesn't like.

Game Summit 2012 Wrap Up.

Well, boys and girls, Game Summit 2012 has come and gone and I had a blast while it lasted. It was a surprisingly packed house on Sunday, the last day of the summit, and people seemed to be a spending mood. We ended up leaving the con with only one box of Shake Out! left! Guess it's time to place another order!

I had a great time and met all sorts of great people, both players and designers. It was an exhausting few days but I loved every minute of it. Sunday was, as mentioned above, surprisingly busy and we got a huge amount of people to the table to play Shake Out!, which is what it's really all about. Other highlights included: Judging the Designer Challenge, sitting down to play with Alain of Jouets Boom and, oh ya, leaving with only one spare copy of Shake Out!. Hit the jump for some pics. Yup, It actually occurred to me to brandish my camera this time.

Pro's and Con's Review: Tikal

Format: Board Game
Designers: Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer
Publisher: Rio Grande Games

Let me tell you a little story. Three years ago, I haven't even heard of Tikal, a game about jungle exploration and treasure hunting. I had probably seen the box in stores and maybe read something in passing about The Mask Trilogy, but had never looked into it further. Then, in December of 2010 I got my very own copy for my thirtieth birthday from the guys in my game group at work. I wasn't expecting any gifts, so I was pleased and surprised and wondered what this game was all about. One of the guys showed me how to play a few weeks later and I then understood what the gift truly meant, they had given me what would become one of my favourite board games, one that I remain eager to bring to the table to this day. So, I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Thanks guys!

As is the custom around here, I'll be giving Tikal the usual Pro's and Con's treatment peering into the guts of the game from a professional's and a consumer's point of view. Let's see what Tikal has to offer.

Game Summit 2012, The Big Day!

Let me start with this: Who the Hell forgets to take any pictures on the biggest day of a convention!? Apparently, I do! So, sorry folks, no window into the MADNESS that was Saturday at the Game Summit. Ok, that was a slight exaggeration. But, hey, who's going to contradict me, there's no photo evidence! Read on for a run down of how Saturday went.

Setting Off for Day 2 of Game Summit 2012

My table, graciously sponsored The Game Crafter

Yesterday, the first day of the summit, was pretty successful. I had the chance to catch up with some of the local game design people as well as meet some new folks, including Belfort co-designer Sen-Foong Lim. More importantly, perhaps, my helpers and I got a lot of new people to sit down and try Shake Out!, which really is key to getting people jazzed about this kind of game and turned into a few sales too.

Game Summit is On!

We are all set up and ready to go here at Game Summit. And don't forget, you have a chance to win Shake Out! Just visit fathergeek.com to enter.

Shake Out! Giveaway On Father Geek

Like free stuff? Want Shake Out!? You're in luck, because fan-of-the-game Cyrus from Father Geek is puttin' on a good ol' fashion giveaway! You can head on over to the giveaway web page here for all the details and to add your name to the draw.

Off to Game Summit 2012!

As I post this, I'm arriving at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa to set up my table for Game Summit.

So you want to make wall tiles?

Back when I was working on Babo:Invasion at Play Brains one of the coders and I had to come up with all the variations of wall models we were going to have to construct in order to allow any arbitrary shape of wall to be created within our tile based levels. As we figured out possibility after possibility it quickly became clear that the task was going to be just too great. In order to accomodate all maner of possible combination of wall tile we would have needed to model 41 different unique models. We came up with a way of reducing that to 4. Read on to find out how.

Shake Out! Video Review From The Gamer's Table.

The fine folks of The Gamer's Table have put together a video review of Shake Out! Check out the clip to see what they thought of the game! I think this quote summarizes their thoughts pretty well: "...this game is allot of fun and it can be taught to somebody in two minutes." Oh, and "FIFTY FIVE POINTS!".

Shake Out! Featured on On Board Games Again!!

Al Leduc of the Game Artisans of Canada broke the news to me that Shake Out! was mentioned on On Board Games yet again!! Don and Erik welcome guest host Cyrus Kirby of Father Geek to talk games as usual and what comes up at 5:35? Shake Out! Oh ya! Keep listening for the best publicity a guy could wish for!

You can listen to the full episode here. The Shake Out! bit runs from about 05:35 to 10:00.

Image from On Board Games

Pro's and Con's Review: Stone Age

Format: Board Game
Designers: Bernd Brunnhofer
Publisher: Rio Grande Games

Stone Age is a worker placement game for 2 to 4 players that's easy enough for players just getting into the hobby while still giving your noggin' a good workout if you're playing against shrewd competition. Each turn consists of three rounds during which players will place workers, reap the rewards of their placements then feed their people. Lather rinse repeat until one of two end game conditions is reached at which point the final score is tallied and I usually find out how badly I got trounced.

So, let's give Stone Age the ol' Pro's and Con's treatment as I examine the game from a professional's points of view and as a consumer. Read on dear reader, read on!

Shake Out! Demoed at The Comic Book Shoppe.

I wanted to throw out a big thanks to Jordan Richer of The Comic Book Shoppe for setting up a night for me to demo Shake Out! at the store last Wednesdy. The gamers and staff were super great and supportive. So thanks again everyone! I look forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks at Game Summit.

Lunar Bovine Likes Him Some Aion!

My good friend and co-worker Jason and I enjoyed a game of Aion: A Game of Serpents over lunch yesterday. I trounced him pretty good, but he went on to win against our friend Dave, so no harm done. Looks like he dug the game enough to blog about it! And yes, the awesome picture accompanying this post is courtesy of Jason. And, also yes, that's my devilishly handsom ringed finger in the shot.

A Short Piece On Social Games From The Atlantic

Benjamin Jackson wrote a short piece for The Atlantic called The Synga Abyss. I really wish he had called it "The Social Games Abyss" rather than, seemingly, shitting exclusively on Zinga because it isn't really highlighting a problem with Zynga's games but rather a problem with most free-to-play "social" style games (yes, including the recently mentioned Tiny Tower). That problem, and my personal beef with them? Their number one design goal is to make money, not create fun. Now, you might say, "What are you a dirty Commie who hates money!?" and the answer is: "Of course not, dumbass." Then you might say, "Isn't that the goal of any commercial game, really, to make money?" and to that I would answer: "Of course, dumbass." The difference is that the traditional way of making money from your game is to make a good, fun game which makes people want to buy your game because of all the fun it provides. These social games aren't trying to be good, fun games, they are trying to bamboozle you with lights and glitter to seem fun while really hiding all sorts of methods to make you part with your money, like a slot machine. I wish nothing more that for us to be at the crest of the social games bubble so it can go ahead and pop already.

Global Game Jam 2012 Wrap Up

Once again, the Global Game Jam was a ton of fun. If you're interested in game design and creation and there's a jam site near you, I totally recommend participating. I thought I would post about some of the other games from the Ottawa jam that friends made or that made an impression on me.

Pro's and Con's Review: Monospace

Format: iOS
Developer: Nonverbal
Publisher: Nonverbal

Monospace is an oldie but a goodie, a game close to my heart as it was one of the first iOS games to really suck me in with it's cleaver use of 3D, stark visual style and brain burning puzzles.

I love this game so much that I figured, in spite of its age, I would give it the ol' Pro's and Con's treatment, having a look at its flaws and merits as a professional and as a consumer. Read on for the review.

Game Jam 2012 Sunday Wrap Up

Well, there you have it, another Global Game Jam come and gone and we had, yet again, the only board game entry in Ottawa. You know what the difference was this year? We made it on time for judging. Oh ya, and subsequently took the top spot in the "Concept" category here in O-town! You can hit this link to check out the Game Jam page and even grab the PDF to print and play.

Game Jam 2012 End of Saturday Update.

My co-designer and I have retreated to our homes to crank the last bit of work out on our game. We're happy with how the game turned out and now it's time for me to write the rules and for him to do up the artwork. Tomorrow we'll have a nice looking submission full of loop making snaky goodness!

If you want to check out all sorts of photos from the event, hit up this Facebook link.

Game Jam 2012 photo update!

Game Jam 2012: Noon On Day 2

Well, here I am, groggy and woozy as I stumble in for day two of the Game Jam. No photos yet but I can tell you about the theme and where we are headed with it.

So, the theme is...
The included image! No, seriously, that picture is the theme. The image is called the Ouroboros and has been linked to a number of concepts throughout history. It also has some connections to ancient alchemy, which is one of the angles we are going with. The game we're doing is a tile laying game using tiles representing colours and alchemical runes. Players lay tiles from their hand trying to create closed loops like the snake. Get it!?

I will, hopefully be able to take some pictures of the prototype today and upload them. As far as actual progress on the game, we hope to be happy with the game and started on final graphics tonight.

Game Jam 2012 Day 1

Too tired to give the full scoop. It's 5am and I am finally about to hit the sack. My partner and I weren't leaving until we had something playable and we finally got something we felt alright about a couple of hours ago. So, hopefully I'll have more info for you tomorrow and maybe even pictures. Until then? Good night everybody.

Interview With Yours Truly Up On The Game Crafter Website!

The Game Crafter put on a regular feature wherein they interview a designer who's made use of their service. Well, this week, it's all me baby! Hit this link for the low down.

Zinga Up To Its Old Tricks

I know this isn't what this blog is about and I'm not really one for mud slinging but C'MON!! Read Touch Arcade's account here.

EDIT: So, some people have come out and said: "Ya, well Tiny Tower is a rip off of *whatever*".  I just want to point out that though Tiny Tower combines a number of elements found in other games, it isn't any of those games verbatim. Dream Heights?... Well.....

Image from www.toucharcade.com

Tweaking Game Values Using Recorded Game Data

I want to talk about a revelation I had. Ok, a revelation that was bestowed upon me by someone much more clever then I in one of my game groups and a tester on Shake Out!, Tom Barclay of Polyhedral Fury.

If you are like me, it has probably occurred to you to record data on play test sessions when developing a new game. If you are like me AND you've tried this, then you know that the real challenge isn't in figuring what data to record but what to do with it once you have it. What Tom did for me was so simple but so huge toward helping me balance the scores in Shake Out! that it's actually changed how I think about value tweaking. What he made me realize is that I didn't have to replay the game to see how scoring changes could affect outcome, I could play the games first and figure out the scores after... sort of, let me explain.

Shake Out! Reviewed by On Board Games!

I'm home today cause I'm feeling a little under the weather. I was, however, feeling well enough to do a little work and, as I usually do when working, I put on a podcast; On Board Games to be exact. So, imagine my surprise when Shake Out! was mentioned in the intro! 

A Glowing Shake Out! Review From Father Geek!

You can check out Father Geek's thorough review on his website or over on the BGG forums.

Shake Out! Chosen as a Staff Pick on The Game Crafter!

The good folks at The Game Crafter sent me an email this morning to tell me they gave Shake Out! a go, loved it, and gave it their "Staff Pick" stamp! I agree with them 100%. You should totally pick one up for yourself!

Shake Out! has landed.

Got a big box from The Game Crafter last Friday containing a surprise! No not my 35 copies of Shake Out! for local buyers, which I was expecting. No, not the shirts and fliers for next month's Game Summit convention, which I was also expecting. Surprise! None of the games were assembled!

Pro's and Con's Review: Kingsburg

Format: Boardgame
Designers:Andrea Chiarvesio and Luca Iennaco
Publisher:Fantasy Flight Games

In this Pro's and Con's review I'll be having a go at Kingsburg from Fantasy Flight Games. Kingsburg, it's a dice game with meat on it's bones!

For those not in the know, my Pro's and Con's reviews bring together the two sides of me as a game's enthusiast, the professional side where I take a more analytical look at the game and the consumer side where I tell you what I think of the game as a player.

First user review of Shake Out! up on TGC.

Andy GB of the Boardgame Designer Forum has posted a user review of Shake Out! on the Game Crafter website. Check it out!

What Kind of Goal is This? Or What I didn't like in JetpackJoyride and Tiny Wings

The first thing I want to mention here is that I love both Jetpack Joyride and Tiny Wings. I've spent many hours with each and there isn't a lot I would change about either of them. Except this one thing!

Gamed at the local Legion tonight.

There are a few game groups that game out of various Canadian Legion locations here in Ottawa and I finally made it out to one such game night just hours ago. The other cool thing about these places? Local designers!

Pro's and Con's review: Jetpack Joyride

Format: iOS
Developer: Halfbrick
Publisher: Halfbrick


If you haven't picked up Jetpack Joyride for your iDevice yet, pick it up because it's a ton of fun! If you are looking for a little more info than that, read on! As usual, in this Pro's and Con's review I'm going to go through my thoughts on  Jetpack Joyride, an endless running (flying?) game for iOS devices, from a professional's point of view and as a consumer. So on with it!

My first night with the GAC

I was invited to a Protonight with some of the local Game Artisans of Canada. Had a good time playing a pizza making flicking game (the name of which I don't remember) from Yves Tourigny, really fun, lots of promise! We also played a game of Non-Stop Safari which went well. They also suggested some really neat rule tweaks.

All in all a great first GAC experience!

Shake Out! review from The Gaming Gang!

Wow! More good Shake Out! press! And this time not from some guy I work with! This review from The Gaming Gang website does a thorough job of explaining how the game works before totally recommending it! Final score 7.8 out of 10. The highlight, suggesting the game will probably be picked up by a publisher!
Check out the full review here.

Shake Out! gets a shout out!

Good friend and colleague Jason Cobill has posted about his experience playing Shake Out! over the holidays on his awesomely fantastic blog over at Lunarbovine.com! You can check out his post here.