As you may or may not know, I spend a lot of time communicating with people about games, and I'm learning more and more what it takes to run a successful game company.
And I couldn't do it - there are just too many things to balance.
For example: What games would I choose to publish? Right out of the gate, Game publishers have to decide whether they are targeting the hardcore or the casual gamer. There are publishers who do both - but you need a starting point, and veering too far from the starting point loses you fans. Asmodee has managed a middle-of-the-road strategy thus far - but they had a head start, as they are France's largest game publisher and had a number of excellent games to choose from.
Even so, were I in charge, I would have made some serious mistakes. For example, I would probably not have published Jungle Speed, which was (arguably) their first US hit.
I also would have passed on Bakong as being "too simple."
Bakong is very simple:
Start by laying out the "board" - basically, make a line of tiles from the starting camp to the Temple and back.
Then roll two dice. Use one die to flip a tile somewhere in front of you and use the other to move. There are hazards which can stop your movement or hurt you. Your move may allow you to pick up one or more emeralds. You may pick up some equipment to ignore one or more of the hazards. Picking up equipment and emeralds fills your backpack, by the way. You don't have room to carry everything you want.
Either way, each turn you have one decision: Which die do I use to flip, and which one is my movement die? If you manage to obtain equipment, it adds the further question, "Which piece of equipment is best for me?"
As soon as you reach the temple, you should take the largest Emerald still there and start back. The emeralds are large and impose some severe limits on space in your pack. In fact, if you have the biggest emerald, you can't fit the best equipment. The biggest emerald also prevents you from healing.
The first player to reach the Temple and return gets a bonus tile. After that, it's a matter of waiting to score.
You score points for Emeralds (the big one you'll have as well as the little ones), and lose points for wounds. Most points wins.
That's it. The game really is that simple.
It's a game that could do well if it found a spot on the shelves at Target or Wal*Mart. That's not to say it's a bad game - because it isn't. It's a very good game, and could very easily become an excellent gateway game, if given a chance.
It also fills a niche that is frequently overlooked by game companies: Games for children. There aren't many games which bridge the gap that falls between Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders and Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne. And most of these gap games aren't likely to be on display at GenCon, as they are mass-market.
Last year, we had some kids come to our booth to play games. The same five kids, over and over and over and over. While they could understand the rules enough to play the games, they just as clearly weren't grasping the strategy involved. This led to games where other people may have gotten negative impressions of a game because of how the kids played. These kids, for the record, were not dumb. They were just young.
If those kids are back this year, I'm gonna try to show them Bakong.
I'm also going to try to sell a copy to my friends Dawn & Jim. I think Eli is about the right age and attention span for this one.
Wherein Eric discusses Games, the Game Industry, Gamer Culture and anything else which catches his eye.
Showing posts with label Carcassonne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carcassonne. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Gateway Games
There are hundreds and hundreds of GeekLists over on BoardGameGeek about so-called "Gateway Games." That is, "games which can draw more non-gamers into the hobby."
These are all German-style board games, because that is what I tend to prefer. If there are questions, I can discuss Eurogames vs. American-style boardgames at some point in the future.
There are a few games which appear on nearly all of these lists, and with good reason. There are games which regularly appear and probably shouldn't. And then there are the games which are not regularly on these lists, but probably should be.
This week, I'm going to talk about two of the old standbys - games that appear on nearly all of these lists.
For each game below, I'll list the game, say a bit about it, give a brief overview of the rules, why it's a good gateway game, and what issues new players seem to have with the rules.
Settlers of Catan
For many eurogamers, Settlers of Catan was our gateway game. It wasn't the first German import game to hit the US, but it was the first to hit big. It is or has been available online via BSW, Xbox Live (under the name Catan), and is coming for the Nintendo DS.
The game itself is pretty simple - three or four players earn victory points by building settlements and upgrading those settlements into cities. Each turn, the dice are rolled. The results of the dice cause spaces on the board to generate resources. Then the player whose turn it is can trade resources with other players and spend those resources to build more roads and settlements. You can also spend resources to buy special cards (which do a variety of things) or upgrade your settlements to cities.
There are bonus points available for having the longest continuous road and for having the largest army.
The first player to ten points wins the game.
It's a good gateway game because it's very simple to learn, encourages player interaction, and is easy to find an opponent for.
Non-gamers who are curious about this game can visit nearly any game store and find a store copy which is used for demoing the game. Ask the person behind the counter if they can give you a demo - the same goes for many other games as well.
The game is also expandable - there is an expansion which allows up to six players to play.
There are only a few rules points which tend to cause confusion, too. Ports are a bit troublesome, as is the bandit.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is another regular on the lists. Aside from one of the scoring details, it's a very clear game of tile-laying, and its worker figures ("meeples") have become emblematic of eurogaming in general. It's also available on XBox Live.
Every turn, you draw a tile from the bag. Tiles have roads, cities, fields, and a few other elements on them. You just need to match tile edges - roads have to match roads, and so on. After playing a tile, you may place one of your workers on that tile (with a few restrictions).
The basic rules are simple and very clear, and the game has a number of expansions of varying quality. I do highly recommend the first expansion, which allows for a sixth player and introduces a larger meeple.
The only trouble spot rules-wise is scoring the fields - even the publisher(s) haven't entirely made up their minds on that one, as the rules keep changing. It seems like every printing includes a new method of scoring the fields.
In a few weeks, I'll be talking about games that I think are good gateway games - games which don't appear on as many of the geeklists as, perhaps, they should.
These are all German-style board games, because that is what I tend to prefer. If there are questions, I can discuss Eurogames vs. American-style boardgames at some point in the future.
There are a few games which appear on nearly all of these lists, and with good reason. There are games which regularly appear and probably shouldn't. And then there are the games which are not regularly on these lists, but probably should be.
This week, I'm going to talk about two of the old standbys - games that appear on nearly all of these lists.
For each game below, I'll list the game, say a bit about it, give a brief overview of the rules, why it's a good gateway game, and what issues new players seem to have with the rules.
Settlers of Catan
For many eurogamers, Settlers of Catan was our gateway game. It wasn't the first German import game to hit the US, but it was the first to hit big. It is or has been available online via BSW, Xbox Live (under the name Catan), and is coming for the Nintendo DS.
The game itself is pretty simple - three or four players earn victory points by building settlements and upgrading those settlements into cities. Each turn, the dice are rolled. The results of the dice cause spaces on the board to generate resources. Then the player whose turn it is can trade resources with other players and spend those resources to build more roads and settlements. You can also spend resources to buy special cards (which do a variety of things) or upgrade your settlements to cities.
There are bonus points available for having the longest continuous road and for having the largest army.
The first player to ten points wins the game.
It's a good gateway game because it's very simple to learn, encourages player interaction, and is easy to find an opponent for.
Non-gamers who are curious about this game can visit nearly any game store and find a store copy which is used for demoing the game. Ask the person behind the counter if they can give you a demo - the same goes for many other games as well.
The game is also expandable - there is an expansion which allows up to six players to play.
There are only a few rules points which tend to cause confusion, too. Ports are a bit troublesome, as is the bandit.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is another regular on the lists. Aside from one of the scoring details, it's a very clear game of tile-laying, and its worker figures ("meeples") have become emblematic of eurogaming in general. It's also available on XBox Live.
Every turn, you draw a tile from the bag. Tiles have roads, cities, fields, and a few other elements on them. You just need to match tile edges - roads have to match roads, and so on. After playing a tile, you may place one of your workers on that tile (with a few restrictions).
The basic rules are simple and very clear, and the game has a number of expansions of varying quality. I do highly recommend the first expansion, which allows for a sixth player and introduces a larger meeple.
The only trouble spot rules-wise is scoring the fields - even the publisher(s) haven't entirely made up their minds on that one, as the rules keep changing. It seems like every printing includes a new method of scoring the fields.
In a few weeks, I'll be talking about games that I think are good gateway games - games which don't appear on as many of the geeklists as, perhaps, they should.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Year-End Wrapup
2008 is over, and here's a quick overview of how it went for me:
Total Recorded Plays: 351
Remember that if I play Game + Expansion, I'll record it as one play of the game and .1 plays of the expansion.
Five Most Played Games:
Mr. Jack (22)
No Thanks! (20)
Werewolves of Miller's Hollow (18)
Ca$h 'n Gun$ (16)
Neuroshima Hex (15)
Surprise Of The Year:
For me, it was Mah Jongg. I was given a set as a gift from a friend who lived in China, and made an effort to learn to play. I had expected it to be a rummy-style game, and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It had 14 plays in 2008.
Unsurprise Of The Year
Neuroshima Hex. I ordered this one from Portal Publishing before Essen 2007. I did not, unfortunately, get a chance to play it until this year. And I liked it.
News Of The Year
The death of WizKids. After a long series of shelf-eating flops and the loss of a lawsuit to Wizards of the Coast, WizKids was shut down by Topps earlier this year. If you don't already own Oshi or Tsuro, you'd better hurry.
Personal Discovery Of The Year
Online gaming. I'd visited GameTableOnline before, and had not been impressed. When they started putting games on FaceBook, I figured I'd give them another shot - and I'm glad I did. Five years ago, I'd visited BrettspielWelt, and had rapidly become frustrated - it was poorly translated and difficult to navigate. Not anymore!
Significant improvement on both fronts means I'll be playing more and more online to supplement my face-to-face games.
Looking Forward To Next Year
For 2009, I'll be tracking games played online, provided I'm playing human players and not AI players. This means that you can expect to see more Neuroshima Hex plays, as well as a few plays of Uno, Carcassonne, and The Settlers of Catan.
I managed to (mostly) maintain my posting schedule this year. I hope to maintain a similar schedule for 2009.
There are a lot of games coming I look forward to playing this year, and several games I picked up in 2008 that I need to share.
Total Recorded Plays: 351
Remember that if I play Game + Expansion, I'll record it as one play of the game and .1 plays of the expansion.
Five Most Played Games:
Mr. Jack (22)
No Thanks! (20)
Werewolves of Miller's Hollow (18)
Ca$h 'n Gun$ (16)
Neuroshima Hex (15)
Surprise Of The Year:
For me, it was Mah Jongg. I was given a set as a gift from a friend who lived in China, and made an effort to learn to play. I had expected it to be a rummy-style game, and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It had 14 plays in 2008.
Unsurprise Of The Year
Neuroshima Hex. I ordered this one from Portal Publishing before Essen 2007. I did not, unfortunately, get a chance to play it until this year. And I liked it.
News Of The Year
The death of WizKids. After a long series of shelf-eating flops and the loss of a lawsuit to Wizards of the Coast, WizKids was shut down by Topps earlier this year. If you don't already own Oshi or Tsuro, you'd better hurry.
Personal Discovery Of The Year
Online gaming. I'd visited GameTableOnline before, and had not been impressed. When they started putting games on FaceBook, I figured I'd give them another shot - and I'm glad I did. Five years ago, I'd visited BrettspielWelt, and had rapidly become frustrated - it was poorly translated and difficult to navigate. Not anymore!
Significant improvement on both fronts means I'll be playing more and more online to supplement my face-to-face games.
Looking Forward To Next Year
For 2009, I'll be tracking games played online, provided I'm playing human players and not AI players. This means that you can expect to see more Neuroshima Hex plays, as well as a few plays of Uno, Carcassonne, and The Settlers of Catan.
I managed to (mostly) maintain my posting schedule this year. I hope to maintain a similar schedule for 2009.
There are a lot of games coming I look forward to playing this year, and several games I picked up in 2008 that I need to share.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Formula D
I've now played Formula D a few times, and have even had the chance to try the street racing.
As you may not know, I was a fan of Formula Dé, and I own several of the tracks.
Because of this, I was initially skeptical when Asmodee told me that they were doing a new edition and were changing the rules somewhat. I knew it would sell, because Formula Dé had been out of print long enough that it was commanding disturbingly high eBay prices - even with their one-shot reprint of a few years ago. What I was uneasy with were rules changes. When they mentioned adding illegal street racing to the mix, I was concerned. I didn't see how to make it feel different from the basic Formula One racing, so I didn't see any added value to it.
I'm very glad to be proven wrong. The improved components are nice, and I really like the street racing. The differing abilities of the drivers are nice, and make for a very interesting race. Admittedly, not all abilities are created equal - and some of them are dramatically less useful with fewer players. The addition of Nitro and the different repair rules give it a different feel, as well.
And it's worth noting that the included track has three different special rules. The next street track (which I've seen) also has a few new tricks up its sleeve.
I hope all future releases include at least one street track, as it brings a lot to the game that I had not expected.
We'll be playing again on the day after Christmas. And probably again over New Year's Eve.
Next year, I will be tracking my games played online as well as in person, so expect that I'll show more plays of Neuroshima Hex, The Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Wits and Wagers in my Games Played.
If I don't post again before then, I wish a very merry Christmas to those of you who are reading this.
As you may not know, I was a fan of Formula Dé, and I own several of the tracks.
Because of this, I was initially skeptical when Asmodee told me that they were doing a new edition and were changing the rules somewhat. I knew it would sell, because Formula Dé had been out of print long enough that it was commanding disturbingly high eBay prices - even with their one-shot reprint of a few years ago. What I was uneasy with were rules changes. When they mentioned adding illegal street racing to the mix, I was concerned. I didn't see how to make it feel different from the basic Formula One racing, so I didn't see any added value to it.
I'm very glad to be proven wrong. The improved components are nice, and I really like the street racing. The differing abilities of the drivers are nice, and make for a very interesting race. Admittedly, not all abilities are created equal - and some of them are dramatically less useful with fewer players. The addition of Nitro and the different repair rules give it a different feel, as well.
And it's worth noting that the included track has three different special rules. The next street track (which I've seen) also has a few new tricks up its sleeve.
I hope all future releases include at least one street track, as it brings a lot to the game that I had not expected.
We'll be playing again on the day after Christmas. And probably again over New Year's Eve.
Next year, I will be tracking my games played online as well as in person, so expect that I'll show more plays of Neuroshima Hex, The Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Wits and Wagers in my Games Played.
If I don't post again before then, I wish a very merry Christmas to those of you who are reading this.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
XBox Live Arcade
Apparently, The Settlers of Catan is scheduled to appear on XBox live tonight.
I'll be buying it, but I won't review it here. I also will not be adding it to my Games Played.
I don't consider it a board game when it's in this format.
There is a lot of discussion here and there about what does it take to be considered a board game - I love The Settlers of Catan, and it's an excellent board game. When it's played on a tabletop with cardboard and wooden pieces. Or plastic. Or resin.
Once you're using a controller and the board is projected onto a screen, however, you've changed the game. It's now a video game, and is no longer a board game to me.
Board Gaming to me is (first and foremost) a social activity - it's something done in person with friends. It's not something done online with whoever happens to wander by. There are people who will argue that online gaming is just as social as tabletop - and, for them, it may be true. It just doesn't apply for me.
I think that having these games (Carcassonne is due in a few months) leap to XBox Live Arcade is a good thing - don't get me wrong. Anything which makes good games more visible is a good thing.
The new challenge for me is getting the XBox Live gamers to try other games which haven't made the leap.
I'm still figuring out how - it'll take lots of onlinepractice research, I expect.
I'll be buying it, but I won't review it here. I also will not be adding it to my Games Played.
I don't consider it a board game when it's in this format.
There is a lot of discussion here and there about what does it take to be considered a board game - I love The Settlers of Catan, and it's an excellent board game. When it's played on a tabletop with cardboard and wooden pieces. Or plastic. Or resin.
Once you're using a controller and the board is projected onto a screen, however, you've changed the game. It's now a video game, and is no longer a board game to me.
Board Gaming to me is (first and foremost) a social activity - it's something done in person with friends. It's not something done online with whoever happens to wander by. There are people who will argue that online gaming is just as social as tabletop - and, for them, it may be true. It just doesn't apply for me.
I think that having these games (Carcassonne is due in a few months) leap to XBox Live Arcade is a good thing - don't get me wrong. Anything which makes good games more visible is a good thing.
The new challenge for me is getting the XBox Live gamers to try other games which haven't made the leap.
I'm still figuring out how - it'll take lots of online
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