Archive for February, 2008
Out of Character 043: Rolling for Resources
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Con season is winding up. Jeremiah touches on a few games he played at Con of the North to include Call of Cthulhu, Promethean, Union Pacific, and China Rails. We also make a rule clarification on Lascaux and touch on one of last year’s favorites, Bison. |
Community building is again a big topic. We talk not only about things going on in Southern Arizona, like our special Ides events, but a way to get in touch with other gamers all the way to the Netherlands. Uncle Bear also invites us to check out the Dire Cafe.
| We are really excited about the English version of PlayCatan. You will hear more very soon. Until then there are several web games to play. Catan Dice Game is also going to be available soon as a real physical product. |  |
YouTube has caught our attention. If your looking for some hot nerdy action, check out 1 900 Nerd Girl and Nerd Porn (language warning).
Polymancer talks about overpowered characters and how to deal with them. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
GTS Seminars: Pitching to the Pros
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Gini Graham Scott tells us how to pitch our game from the prototype to the presentation. Several helpful hints are given for anyone with a game to sell to an established game company and what it takes to get a game ready for show. |
This presentation was recorded at the 2007 GAMA Trade Show. Hand-outs and show notes are avilable to members from the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Family Night 003: Decision Making
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The best games have important decisions that need to be made. This is what makes the games fun and challenging for us, but its also an opportunity to exercise an incredibly important skill. You often have to operate under at least a little bit of pressure and mange risk with the unknown elements of the game. |
We have been playing Coloretto by Rio Grande Games quite frequently with a wide range of people. With recommended ages of 8 and up, it is incredibly easy to learn, plays quickly, and fun to play. You choose on every turn to take and place a colored card, or add a row of cards to your collection. Those choices sound simple, but how well you make those choices will determine your success.
| Our latest favorite is called Lascaux by Mayfair Games. It is playable for anyone ages 8 and up and has been played continuously since we got it. You are collecting like sets of cave paintings. On each turn you either invest your stone or take stones from the pot. If you invest enough and stick around, you get first pick of the cards. It is easy to learn, plays fast, and is a lot of fun. |  |
If you are in the local area, be sure to stop by and play with us. Family Night is still looking for a new home, but we can also be found at several of Southern Arizona events, such as the Ides of Gaming.
Game Kennel 006: China Rails
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Jeremiah has spent a lot of time lately building railroad empires across China. China Rails is a pick-up and delivery rail game. Efficiency is key to providing for the people of China. |
| China Rails Publisher: Mayfair Games Style: Board Game, Rail Game Designed by: Michael Dreiling Players: 2-6 Play Time: 3+ hours Ages: 10+ MSRP: $40.00 |
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GTS Seminars: How to Become a Small Publisher without Taking out a Second Mortgage
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Chris Clark and Aldo Ghiozzi team up to give you some insight on running a publishing company on a small budget. They start with the business plan and carry on through setting your MSRP and when you should expect to start making money. |
This presentation was recorded at the 2007 GAMA Trade Show. Hand-outs and show notes are avilable to members from the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Out of Character 042: Wilbraham
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We shout out to a bunch of regions around the world. The one that stood out in our minds most was Wilbraham, MA. More locations are highlighted at the very tail end of the show after the credits. We also touch upon some crazy news for some local events, such as Family Night and Ides of Gaming. Conventions mentioned include Stratigicon, New York Toy Fair, The Rath of Con, and Con of the North. |
| The dialect training series is now available as digital downloads. So far they are only available at paizo.com. You can download each presentation individually and don’t have to buy the packaging. They are also still available on CD. Learn to use accents such as British, Cockney, Irish, and Scottish with Accent Your Character. |  |
We have been doing some early beta testing with our friends in the world of Catan. Germany has benefited from playing Catan games online for a while now. The English version is imminent. As it is being translated, we find out how easy it is to play with someone that doesn’t speak your language.
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Boyan Radakovich has graduated to his very own show now called Point Blank. PSI is making the cutting edge move by providing audio for their clients. These are some busy folks so I am sure they will find out very quickly how powerful it is to make use of their drive time with his new program. |
During feedback, several other things are mentioned that are worth linking. For podcasts, we talk about Heroic Cthulhu and The Vintage Gamer. For games, we talk about Chicago Poker, Ticket to Ride, Lascaux, and World in Flames.
Polymancer gives us some ideas on how to bring canned campaign settings to life. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Point Blank Episode 1
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Episode 1 of POINT BLANK is primarily focused on the New York Toy Fair and introducing our fantastic line of Children’s & Family Games. Bo also introduces two new promotions exclusive to listeners - the Scion 6-pack (10% discount when purchasing two sets of the complete Scion line) and the Battlestar Galactica fan-bundle (BSG Core Rules + GM Screen for only $50) - both excellent products. |
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| The show ends with two POINT BLANK interviews - The Wiretap features a phone call with Paul Chapman from Steve Jackson Games discussing the success of Munchkin Cthulhu and The White Wolf Confidential which showcases a brief expose on Exalted: Dreams of the First Age with developer John Chambers. | |
| The total length of the show is roughly 15 minutes, which should be ideal for the average commute time. Please email all questions and comments to boyan [@] pubservinc.com. | |
GTS Seminars: Career Freelancing
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Matt Forbeck gives us a look at the life of a freelancer in the gaming industry. He answers questions from the audience and really delivers some great advise on topics from getting started to maintaining income. Web sites he referred to include gamingreport.com and icv2.com. |
This presentation was recorded at the 2007 GAMA Trade Show. Hand-outs and show notes are avilable to members from the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Inside Track 039: Wolfgang Baur of Kobold Quarterly
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Today we have the honor if sitting down with Wolfgang Baur. Wolfgang is responsible for the Open Design project and Kobold Quarterly. If you are missing the fun and adventure adventure of Dungeon and Dragon magazine, subscribe to Kobold Quartery. Wolfgang also mentions his Open Design blog as a good place to visit for more information. |
| Wolfgang Baur has been kicking around the tabletop RPG field for 15 years, and he joined TSR as a magazine editor back in the early 90s. He edited both Dragon and Dungeon for a while, and worked at Wizards of the Coast for several years before going freelance. Wolfgang has written settings like Dark*Matter and contributed to Planescape, but he’s best known for his many adventures from Al-Qadim to Pathfinder to “Kingdom of the Ghouls” and a recent ENnie-nominee. Now he’s setting his sights on changing how D&D adventures are written and published. Let’s call him a mild-mannered revolutionary with his sights set on giving gamers direct access to the tools of design. |  |
During the course of today’s show, we also mention The Cannon Puncture Show and The Tome. Each have recently talked to Wolfgang. We also found him on Gamer Radio Zero. Be sure to visit them for more of the Kobold Cheif.
The Game Kennel 005: Lascaux
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Derek gives us a look at Lascaux. Collect beautiful cave art by pressing your luck with a cache of stones. This one was an absolute hit with all of our gaming groups. So far it has been played at least twice every time it has been brought out. |
| Lascaux Publisher: Mayfair Games, Phalanx Games Style: Card Game Designed by: Dominque Ehrhard & Michel Lalet Players: 3-5 Play Time: 25 minutes Ages: 8+ MSRP: $30.00 |
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GTS Seminars: The Production Process
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Michele Nephew, PhD of Atlas Games does an excellent job narrating the journey a game takes from the introductory solicitation to getting stocked on the shelf. If you are an inspiring game designer, this is a great overview to start yourself with. |
This presentation was recorded at the 2007 GAMA Trade Show. Hand-outs and show notes are avilable to members from the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
Out of Character 041: Feed Me
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Don just returned home from Phoenix Cactus Comicon to report on the trip. Some of the fondest memories included Wil Wheaton’s performance - that just had to be talked about again. The zombie beauty pageant was a blast we haven’t yet found any links to that performance. Zombie Channel is likely to release some information very soon. Don also teases his latent comic interest by buying his first independent comic from some great folks at Superworld Presents and enjoyed the experience. |
On the topic of games, we couldn’t wait to tell you about Lascaux. We have been playing it over and over again. You will be seeing it very soon on The Game Kennel and Family Night. Also, Carlo Rossi corrects us on a mistake we made in the rules of Alchemist, forcing us to revisit the game and appreciate some complexity that we missed the first few times we played it. We are also asked about Wings of War. Derek and Bo had played it before and were able to go into some good detail and give some opinions. Jeremiah also plays China Rails in the hospital with his wife while his newborn was making her way into the world. He compares it to another favorite, Lunar Rails.
| Jeremiah read through the last issue of Kobold Quarterly and just had to say something about it. Little did he know at the time that we had already made arrangements for some interviews you can expect to see down the line. Its a good thing he had nice things to say. Jeremiah was really impressed with the writing and value Kobold Quarterly added to his geeky self. You will recognize the writers from a history of successful roleplaying books and magazines. |  |
We also had a great time talking about the ongoing saga of paizo’s RPG Superstar! program. We talk about the final four, what they had been through, and what is yet in store for them.
We couldn’t go any longer without also mentioning Bibliophile Stalker. He runs an active blog but has stood out in our minds as having an incredibly comprehensive summary of podcasting topics. Its a great way to keep up with who is talking about what in the podosphere.
Polymancer suggests special ordering from your friendly local game store. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.