tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71333153762903773622024-02-07T14:42:40.962-06:00Shell GamesClayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-37526933856868851352016-04-25T13:49:00.001-05:002016-04-25T13:49:09.763-05:00I’ve Moved!Hello blog readers! After a period of inactivity, I’ve revived my blog at the slightly modified address of <a href="http://blog.claygardner.com./">blog.claygardner.com</a>. Please update your links and subscriptions. Thank you!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-79045165765649963122014-04-21T17:00:00.000-05:002014-04-21T17:08:14.306-05:00Happy Birthday, Game Boy!Today marks the 25th anniversary of the venerable Game Boy console. Despite its pokey processor and unbacklit monochrome screen, I'll always remember the time I spent with it fondly. Whether I was climbing a mysterious tower in search of a fabled paradise in <i>Final Fantasy Legend</i> or tossing a pokeball at Mewtwo in Pokémon, the Game Boy always felt like a console that embraced its limitations instead of being bound by them.<br />
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So here's to you, Game Boy! I'll play a few 8-bit soundtracks on loop in your honor. I also made this info graphic—my first—to celebrate the occasion. For such an antiquated piece of technology, the Game Boy sure had staying power!<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Gameboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Gameboy.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
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By the way, if anyone's curious what font Nintendo used for the Game Boy logo, it's Gill Sans. I also used a font called <a href="http://fontstruct.com/fontstructions/show/early_gameboy">Early Gameboy</a> for the pixelly parts.</div>
<br />Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-77620766362168173092013-11-21T21:11:00.000-06:002013-11-21T21:14:59.214-06:00Kickstarter Roundup 11-21-13<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Where-in I pick through Kickstarter for the projects that most catch my fancy.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madoverlord/bubblegum-crisis-ultimate-edition-blu-ray-set"><i>Bubblegum Crisis Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray Set</i></a></h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madoverlord/bubblegum-crisis-ultimate-edition-blu-ray-set" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madoverlord/bubblegum-crisis-ultimate-edition-blu-ray-set" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/681995/photo-little.jpg?1379261265" /></a><b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A definitive Blu-Ray release of the classic cyberpunk anime.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> Come on, it's <i>Bubblegum Crisis</i>. On Blu-Ray. Do you really need a reason? Okay, okay...<i>Bubblegum Crisis</i> was one of the first unedited, subtitled <i>anime</i> releases in North America, making for a watershed moment and a title a lot of tried and true anime fans are nostalgic for. It's also being released by the original licensee, and your backing dollar supports a smaller company putting out high-quality releases.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$50 Basic. </i>The physical Blu-Ray disc, postcards, commemorative coin, and involvement in the design process of the Blu-Ray itself.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS:</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/AnimEigo">@animeigo</a> | <a class="popup" href="http://www.animeigo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.animeigo.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/madoverlord">Facebook Page</a><br />
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<i> </i></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1191994790/hana-doki-kira" target="_blank"><i>Hana Doki Kira</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1191994790/hana-doki-kira" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1191994790/hana-doki-kira" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/712190/photo-little.jpg?1382402214" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A <i>shoujo</i>-inspired comic/illustration anthology lovingly designed and printed.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> There's a lot to like here, great artwork, the promise of great <i>shoujo</i> tales...but I'll be honest. What sold me is the brilliant use of the seafoam spot color. (Even the project page is adorned in nothing but head-to-toe.) Two-tone printing seems to be a lost art form as full-color has become ubiquitous, but you can do some really special things with it and use shades that simply aren't reproducible in CMYK. <b> </b><br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$25 Doki Doki Deluxe Pre-Order. </i>The book, the PDF, and a set of postcards. Higher pledges feature sketches, commissions, tote bags, and other premiums that might strike your fancy.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS:</b> <a href="http://hanadokikira.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hanadokikira">Facebook</a><br />
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<i> </i></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-mega-drive-genesis-collected-works" target="_blank"><i>Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-mega-drive-genesis-collected-works" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darrenwall/sega-mega-drive-genesis-collected-works" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/402797/photo-little.jpg?1384174344" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> An incredible retrospective of an incredible console. <i>SEEEE-GAAA!</i><br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> First off. The cover. Just look at it. That's a glorious cover, is it not? But this project is more than a pretty face. Exclusive interviews with a veritable who's-who of Sega's 16-bit history, myriad production images of both the console and classic games, 300 pages of cover-to-cover nostalgia awesome, and did I mention how amazing that cover looks?<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b><i> </i><i>£30 (roughly $48) The Book. </i>A physical copy of the book and your name immortalized in its pages. No blue hedgehog included unless you go for the $400 hyper-limited edition.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="https://twitter.com/romalerts" target="_blank">@romalerts</a> | <a class="popup" href="http://readonlymemory.vg/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.readonlymemory.vg</a> <br />
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<i> </i></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ludicreations/boardgames-that-tell-stories-by-ignacy-trzewiczek"><i>Board Games That Tell Stories</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ludicreations/boardgames-that-tell-stories-by-ignacy-trzewiczek" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ludicreations/boardgames-that-tell-stories-by-ignacy-trzewiczek" border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/718037/photo-little.jpg?1381928141" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A collection of 35 fan-favorite articles from the game blog of the same name. <br />
<br />
<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b>
It's not often you can get material written about game design (or
tabletop games in general) packaged in a nice hardcover. When it's
written by the designer of many great board games, like Neuroshima Hex,
it's even better. Admittedly, the text suffers a bit from English being
Trzewiczek's second language, but there's still loads of insight and fun
humor here. And the cover looks nice.<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$26 Hardcover. </i>Nets you a signed hardcover version of the book. But if you poke around the add-ons you can get one of Trzewiczek's great games.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b><a class="popup" href="http://www.boardgamesthattellstories.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.BoardGamesThatTellStories.com/</a>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-87648239659353560062013-10-11T14:25:00.000-05:002013-10-11T14:25:54.342-05:00Kickstarter Roundup 10-11-13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Where-in I pick through Kickstarter for the projects that most catch my fancy.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1661802484/hyper-light-drifter" target="_blank"><i>Hyper Light Drifter</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1661802484/hyper-light-drifter" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/660047/photo-little.jpg?1378598687" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> Gorgeous 2D Action RPG with lovingly pixelated sprite graphics and captivating artwork with a real style of its own.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> People's fondness for pixelated gaming is not a secret, and it seems any indie effort is as likely to sport blocky graphics as it is "HD." Those jagged edges invoke feelings of nostalgia for the games of yesteryear, and in many cases go a long way in demonstrating what <i>kind</i> of game you are about to play. But sometimes a game is more than that, a real statement of beauty like Sword & Sworcery was. Hyper Light Drifter is one of those games.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$40. </i>Digital versions of the game, manual, soundtrack, and artbook. You also get some other digital bonuses (like a new "sprite.") and a second key for the game, so you can actually take advantage of all those additional platforms from the stretch goals.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS:</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/HeartMachineZ" target="_blank">@HeartMachineZ</a> | <a href="http://www.heart-machine.com/">www.heart-machine.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hyperlightdrifter" target="_blank">Facebook Page</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1868020927/akiba-anime-art-managize-vol00-otaku-pop-culture-s"><i>Akiba Anime Art Magazine </i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1868020927/akiba-anime-art-managize-vol00-otaku-pop-culture-s" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/620882/photo-little.jpg?1377136962" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A new magazine straight from Japan, featuring many talented Japanese artists and articles about Otaku culture.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> Japan is putting its foot into the Kickstarter ring with successful projects like Little Witch Academia and the enormously popular Mighty No. 9. By continuing to support Japanese efforts, that means we'll get to see even more of it! Besides, Akiba is a book full of lovely Japanese art, printed with a special wide gamut process that results in much brighter images than with traditional CMYK.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$18 Otaku. </i>A copy of the magazine and all of the various stretch goals that have accrued over the campaign.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b><a class="popup" href="http://jhlab.jp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jhlab.jp</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sketchcraft/game-cave-vol-01-fighting-junkies" target="_blank"><i>Game Cave Vol. 1</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sketchcraft/game-cave-vol-01-fighting-junkies" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/680785/photo-little.jpg?1380329770" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A loveletter to the gaming magazines of decades gone by, rife with exciting layouts, new artwork, and a sense of humor.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> One of the big things I really miss about magazines is the design of them. When you view an article online, you get all the text, all the photos, and even video clips you never could have back then, but never the lovingly defined spreads, crammed to the gills with artwork, screenshots exploding from detailed backgrounds, and maybe a line of crooked text or two. It's nice to see that again.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$30 Physical Book Tier. </i>A physical copy of the magazine—I mean come on, that's the whole point, right?—plus an art print and all the digital goods.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="https://twitter.com/sketchcraft" target="_blank">@sketchcraft</a> | <a href="http://www.sketchcraft.com/">www.sketchcraft.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SketchCraftMag">Facebook</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sketchcraft/game-cave-vol-01-fighting-junkies" target="_blank"><i>Dawning Star: Fate of Eos</i></a></h3>
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<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/264730/photo-little.jpg?1376338269" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/264730/photo-little.jpg?1376338269" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A reboot of the fan-favorite sci-fi RPG, rebuilt from the ground up using the excellent FATE Core system.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> FATE is a great system, as can be attested by its <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/evilhat/fate-core">modestly successful Kickstarter</a>. So if you want to take the game to task in a far-flung future of aliens and spaceships, then <i>Dawning Star </i>is a good place to find it. With a flexible setting that can be tailored from pulp to space opera to interstellar intrigue with ease, and a healthy fanbase from previous editions, it's hard to go wrong.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$35 EOS Defense Force. </i>A physical copy of the game and all the digital goodies.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="https://twitter.com/DawningStarRPG" target="_blank">@DawningStarRPG</a> | <a href="http://www.dawningstar.com/">www.dawningstar.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dawningstarrpg">Facebook</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sketchcraft/game-cave-vol-01-fighting-junkies" target="_blank"><i>Destiny Fails Us</i></a></h3>
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<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/669099/photo-little.jpg?1381078820" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/669099/photo-little.jpg?1381078820" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> An “Otome” Visual Novel, a Choose Your Own Adventure-esque game
featuring a female protagonist and lots of potential male suitors.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> While the game's use of 3D <i>anime</i>-style models isn't as nice as traditionally rendered art, the look serves its needs, and what you have is a fun-looking take on the date-sim. I'm especially fond of your character's cellphone that you actually check for messages throughout the game.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$10 Digital Download Pack. </i>A download copy of the game and the usual digital extras.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b><a href="http://www.destinyfailsus.com/">www.destinyfailsus.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Destinyfailsus">Facebook</a>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-23067084907341735112013-09-27T10:53:00.000-05:002013-09-28T11:00:59.009-05:00Kickstarter Roundup 09-27-13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Where-in I pick through Kickstarter for the projects that most catch my fancy.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/battle-merchants-economic-board-game" target="_blank"><i>Battle Merchants</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/battle-merchants-economic-board-game" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/625862/photo-little.jpg?1374625895" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A board game of weapon-selling economics set in a distant fantasy land. Where others see war and turmoil, you see profits, profits, profits!<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> I love Euro games. I think the entire movement is bringing validity to tabletop gaming with its well-honed mechanics and involving gameplay. But let's be honest; a great deal of them have rather dry themes about this Pacific isle or that historical era—or some combination of the two. But Battle Merchants, with its colorful art and explicit fantasy themes of elves, dwarves, orcs, and hobgoblins, is a fun take on money-management.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$48-58 Battle Master. </i>This gets you a copy of the game at almost $10 off retail. But if you really like the art, there’s several pledges offering the artist’s original sketches that are pretty neat!<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS:</b> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MinionGames" target="_blank">@MinionGames</a> | <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">www.miniongames.com</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/miniongames" target="_blank">Minion Games on Facebook</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9" target="_blank"><i>Mighty No. 9</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/650594/photo-little.jpg?1380167789" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> It's <i>Mega Man</i> by the creator of <i>Mega Man</i> with many of the developmental talents of past <i>Mega Mans</i>...but it's not <i>Mega Man</i>.<i></i><br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> With Capcom disappointing fans by repeatedly leaving poor <i>Mega Man</i> by the wayside in recent years, Mighty No. 9 is both an indulgent return-to-form and an excuse to revitalize the age-old <i>Mega Man</i> formula with some fresh ideas. Well, some fresh ideas...the fact that main characters Beck, Call, and Dr. White are about as dissimilar from Rock, Roll, and Dr. Light as a rock and a stone isn't lost on me.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$60. </i>Your name in the credits (and an OFFICIAL MIGHTY NUMBER), A copy of the game, its soundtrack, plus a retro-inspired physical gamebox and manual. Higher tiers include an artbook/strategy guide and various get your ______ in the game rewards, as well as dinner with the man Keiji Inafune.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/MightyNo9" target="_blank">@MightyNo9</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/officialmightyno9" target="_blank">Mighty No. 9 Facebook</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero" target="_blank"><i>Shantae: Half-Genie Hero</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/620152/photo-little.jpg?1380234975" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A new HD sequel to the well-loved <i>Shantae</i> series, featuring a brand-new style on top of classic bellydancing, hair-whipping action.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> Way Forward mostly does contract work for various companies and their licenses, but when they manage to save enough, the work they do for themselves tends to be pretty special. <i>Mighty Switch Force</i>, <i>Sigma Star Saga</i>, and of course <i>Shantae</i> prove an excellent pedigree for gaming. Now with Kickstarter, we won't have to wait another decade for a proper sequel.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$75 STANDARD EDITION. </i>Your name in the credits, a copy of the game, a physical version of the soundtrack, and various digital bonuses like an artbook and an extra transformation for Shantae. Higher levels include a hardcover artbook, your face/art in the game, invitation to a wrap-party, and a rather high-priced package including the original (very rare) <i>Shantae </i>for Gameboy Color.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/wayforward" target="_blank">@wayforward</a> | <a href="http://www.wayforward.com/">www.wayforward.com</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atama-ii/atama-ii-books-multiple-path-stories-in-easy-engli" target="_blank"><i><b>Atama-ii: Multiple Path Stories in Easy English</b></i></a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atama-ii/atama-ii-books-multiple-path-stories-in-easy-engli" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/590494/photo-little.jpg?1376788937" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A new take on the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure series as full-color illustrated eBooks.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> Because CYOA are awesome, especially for your favorite young-reader. And while the reading level of these books is very easy, the content is not trite or boring, with tales of trips to mars, life as an immortal across the milennia, or—yes—zombies…in Tokyo! With great illustrations and a writing staff partially culled from previous CYOA efforts, it looks like a great try at reviving this unique brand of storytelling.<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b> <i>$20…</i>or do you choose another pledge level? Turn to page 12!<i> </i>Includes all 10 eBooks in iBook or Kindle format. Higher levels include signed prints, limited edition hardcover copies, cameos, or even the power to direct your own book in the series.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="http://www.atama-ii.com/">www.atama-ii.com</a><a href="http://www.wayforward.com/"></a> Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-76653986411854133812013-09-18T14:31:00.000-05:002013-09-18T14:36:23.712-05:00Kickstarter Roundup 09-18-13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Kickstarter-Roundup.png" /></a></div>
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<i>Since I spend way too much time browsing Kickstarter anyway, I've decided to share a weekly (semi-weekly?) roundup of notable finds on the world's biggest crowdfunding site.</i><br />
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<h3>
<i><span id="goog_1003679187"></span><span id="goog_1003679188"></span><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dicehateme/belle-of-the-ball-a-fancy-schmancy-card-game" target="_blank">Belle of the Ball</a></i></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dicehateme/belle-of-the-ball-a-fancy-schmancy-card-game" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/655927/photo-little.jpg?1376995956" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A card game where players become party hosts, each trying their best to put on the most talked-about get-together by carefully managing the guests they invite…or snub.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> With Daniel Solis as both Game Designer and Graphic Designer for the project, you know it’s a game that will play as good as it looks. He also designs all his games “in the open” on his blog, so it’s nice to support a designer who shares so much for free. (And I do mean so much, I swear Daniel tilts his head a little too far and game ideas come pouring out…possibly from his hair, though this is a mystery.)<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$25 House Party.</i> The <i>Belle of the Ball</i> Kickstarter is light on exclusive extras, so there’s not a lot to choose from besides a copy of the game. Still, if you’re interested in reprints of some of Dice Hate Me’s (the publisher for the <i>BotB</i>) other offerings, there’s plenty of higher tiers that will oblige your interest.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS:</b> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/DanielSolis" target="_blank">@DanielSolis</a> | <a href="http://www.danielsolis.com/">www.danielsolis.com</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/DiceHateMe" target="_blank">@DiceHatMe</a> | <a href="http://www.dicehatemegames.com/">www.dicehatemegames.com</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1918362508/calculas-lvl-up" target="_blank"><i>Calcula’s LVL UP!</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1918362508/calculas-lvl-up" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/596294/photo-little.jpg?1377554994" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A collected volume of Fred Perry’s online <i>Final Fantasy XI</i> “doujin” comic, <i>LVL UP!</i><br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> If you’re a fan of the artist’s previous works, like <i>Gold Digger</i>, then you probably don’t need any convincing. But <i>LVL Up</i> itself is a charming comic with a lot of heart, and any fan of <i>Final Fantasy XI</i> should get quite a few smiles out of it. Perry will not be publishing the book through normal distribution channels, so this will be your only chance to get your greedy Galka gloves on a print copy.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET:</b> <i>$50 LVL THREE Support.</i> The doujin signed and with a sketch of the eponymous Calcula on the dust jacket. Can you say no to Calcula? Can you?<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b><a href="http://www.gd-tangent.com/">www.gd-tangent.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1290825134/icebound-a-visual-novel" target="_blank"><i>Icebound: A Visual Novel</i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1290825134/icebound-a-visual-novel" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/122010/photo-little.jpg?1376784204" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A visual novel set in a steampunk/dark-fantasy world in a frozen age.<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> Visual novels can’t seem to get a fair shake in the American market, and Kickstarter hasn’t been much kinder (unless you count Megatokyo…). Somewhere between text adventure and novel, VNs imbue good stories with just enough visuals, music, and choices to make them fun to play. <i>Icebound</i> features beautiful backdrops, a nice premise, and a few mini-game bells and whistles to break up the walls of text that are the trademark of the genre. It’s as good an entry as any to what can be a really compelling medium for storytelling, and the more people aware of visual novels, the better.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b><i>$25 Citizen.</i> A copy of the game, the soundtrack, some wallpapers, and your name in the credits.<br />
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<b>RELEVANT LINKS: </b> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/vnwriter" target="_blank">@vnwriter</a> | <a href="http://www.fastermind.net/">www.fastermind.net</a><br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730837904/new-8-bit-pixel-blasting-indie-game-pixel-star-01" target="_blank"><i><b>Pixel Star - 01</b></i></a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/730837904/new-8-bit-pixel-blasting-indie-game-pixel-star-01" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/646560/photo-little.jpg?1377451636" /></a></div>
<b>WHAT IT IS:</b> A retro-inspired space-shooter with groovy 8-bit tunes and aesthetics<br />
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<b>WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:</b> While there’s nothing about the mechanics or aesthetics you probably haven’t seen before—especially if you have as much of a penchant for exploring such things on iOS as I do—the <i>Jetpack Joyride</i> meets <i>Space Invaders: Infinity Gene</i> 8-bit beat fest that is <i>Pixel Star - 01</i> offers a competent-looking take on the casual retro game with a compelling design sense, all by a 16-year-old aspiring programmer.<br />
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<b>WHAT YOU SHOULD GET: </b> <i>$5 PC, Mac, iOS, or Android version.</i> The pledge list is unfortunately a muddled collection of different packages, with each not being terribly clear of what it offers, but $5 gets you the game and supports a kid making his dreams come true. Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-38139443219317143982013-09-15T19:44:00.000-05:002013-09-15T19:44:08.660-05:00Kickstarting Kickstarter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kickstarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kickstarter.jpg" /></a></div>
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Those of you who follow this blog (or my <a href="http://www.twitter.com/wiseturtle">twitter</a> account) are <i>probably</i> aware I recently <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1655572033/ova-the-anime-role-playing-game">ran a Kickstarter for my anime-inspired role-playing game, <i>OVA</i></a>. My experience with crowd-funding only bolsters my belief that we are on the verge of a real paradigm shift in how we create our content, interact with our supporters, and make things happen.<br />
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But Kickstarter isn't a magical push button for success. It’s a lot of work—I’m working on content to send to my backers as I write this—and for all the ways Kickstarter makes things easier, there are pitfalls that are just as easy to fall into. While I only have one project so far, I have been an active part of Kickstarters for Minion Games, Jolly Roger Games, Asmadi Games, and maybe a few other companies that end in "Games," and I’ve gotten to know my way around the most popular crowd-funding platform. It seems only fair to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way. Looking to start a project of your own? Read on, Macduff.<br />
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You may have read a few articles about Kickstarter to prepare yourself for the task ahead. Maybe you’ve read a lot of them. Apparently, you’re reading at least one—this one—and that’s good! The fact you’re not jumping into your first project believing it an autonomous money-making machine is certainly a proper first step. You may think the next one involves planning your pledge levels, writing your pitch, or setting up your marketing engine. But my first and most important piece of advice actually has nothing to do with <i>your</i> project at all.<br />
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BACK A PROJECT (OR THREE)</h4>
Before setting off on this adventure, it’s imperative that you actually try it out for yourself. While any project will do, finding a few somewhat similar to your own would be most ideal. You should back a project because no amount of research will teach you more about how Kickstarter works. <br />
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You understand your backers because you <i>are</i> a backer. You see firsthand what excites you in a project, what bores you, what annoys you. You understand what makes you want to pledge and at what levels. You get a feel for the kind and number of updates that neither feel too pushy or too sparse. You realize the questions you want answered by the project creators.<br />
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You understand Kickstarter because you see the process firsthand. You experience the ebb and flow of the campaign, the aftermath, the surveys, the private message system. You see inventive ways people modify the Kickstarter ecosystem with add-ons and stretch goals. You experience how Kickstarter notifies you throughout the campaign.<br />
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You instill confidence in your potential backers because you have been one of them. You show you believe in this whole crowd-funding thing, that you’re not just dropping in for an “easy” paycheck. People do care, and I’ve received several messages from people who greatly appreciated that I gave to a lot of other projects before I launched my own.<br />
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And come on, you get cool stuff. Why wouldn’t you?<br />
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<h4>
PEOPLE JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER</h4>
Despite the age-old axiom imploring you to do the opposite, people can and will judge your project by the face you put forward. It’s not only what catches (and hopefully holds) their attention, it’s an indication of what the finished product will be.<br />
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Now I know you’re launching a Kickstarter to make money, but you have to show that you’re making the effort, too. If you throw up a project that hasn't had a cent put into it, your campaign will look like a panhandle instead of your personal dream. Take the time. Save the money. Make sure you have a compelling and eye-catching thumbnail. Show at least one example of your final product, whether it's an interior spread, a fan of cards, or even just a selection of illustrations. Everything doesn't have to be polished, and don't feel you can't show prototype or in-progress items. But make sure your backers know exactly how great a product they will be getting when they back. <br />
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Your video is another matter of great importance. And by that I don’t mean you have to have a video. It helps, of course, but if your options are a great thumbnail and no video, or a video that is painful and annoying to sit through, you are much better off with no trailer at all.<br />
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I'm not saying you have to go blow your budget hiring James Cameron. While a really awesome video will certainly help, you can do just fine with less. The important thing is to never look careless. Don't upload a handheld selfie you took amid the din of the commuter car while heading to work. Don't ramble on for ten minutes about your project without direction or forethought. Make sure your product appears in the video, preferably upfront. If you aren't able to edit the video in a way to show off your art, assets, and components digitally, have a convincing prototype built and film it in lighting where it’s easily visible. If you have trouble speaking clearly or charismatically, consider hiring a voiceover.<br />
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<h4>
REDUCE YOUR BARRIER TO ENTRY</h4>
People are busy, and they may be cramming their Kickstarter browsing in between all matters of multitasking. Don’t make it difficult to throw money at you. Limit the number of pledge levels as much as possible to eliminate backing confusion and paralysis. Detail what each of them include in the body of your project, with images if possible. Pitch the crux of what makes your project special early on in your video and on your page, not after a detailed history of your toils. If you can, offer a demo, quick-start, or print & play version of your game so potential backers can weigh first hand if the project is one they want to back.<br />
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There’s also one more barrier to entry to consider, and it’s an easy one to forget. “Why should I back now?” If you don’t give compelling answer to this, whether through exclusive content or cool bonuses, a lot of your fans will just buy your product when it’s available later...and after distributors, storefronts, and others have taken a substantial slice out of your profits.<br />
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<h4>
DON'T SET YOUR GOAL TOO HIGH</h4>
Kickstarter is as much powered by psychology as it is by the content it purveys. The entire experience, from the personal appeal to help achieve dreams, to the limited window to support a project and receive its rewards, to even the Trivial Pursuit-esque backed project wheel, plays on human nature to maximize the desire to give money now instead of buying a given thing later.<br />
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With all that working in your favor, you very much don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by setting your goal too high. When you’re sitting on a campaign that’s half over and not anywhere close to its goal, it becomes an intense disincentive to backers. If it’s not going to fund anyway, why bother? Don’t underestimate how powerful this impression can be. I’ve seen time and time again great projects fail miserably because they set their goal too high, only to relaunch with a more modest target and make exponentially more money than their goal the first time!<br />
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So how high is too high? Projects differ so widely that what works for your five pound box of miniatures is not appropriate for your lightweight RPG. Just take a look at similar projects and see what seems to be a typical successful baseline. My personal rule of thumb is to cover your production and fulfillment costs, but leave out (at least a good portion of) your art and design budget. In other words, the stuff that <i>hasn’t</i> happened at the time of your Kickstarter. Of course, the minimum needs to be whatever you can afford to finish off the project, so this advice may not be appropriate. But as I mentioned earlier, you should try to cover some of your costs yourself, as a show of good faith and belief in your own project, if nothing else.<br />
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<h4>
YOU CAN'T LET KICKSTARTER DO ALL THE WORK</h4>
Finally, just remember this is still your project, and you have to put in the time, too. Looking at <i>OVA's</i> stats, only 50% of the money pledged came directly from Kickstarter’s ecosystem. The rest was through my own efforts with social media, word of mouth, and the contacts I have built over time. But hey, that’s pretty empowering that Kickstarter can double your efforts, right? It’s a great time to make things, so go out there and do it!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-64206832227472345262013-05-08T00:00:00.000-05:002013-05-16T21:53:07.890-05:00OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game Kickstarter is Live!The day is finally here! After much tireless effort, OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game's Kickstarter is live! You can check on its progress to the right, or click the link below to find out more.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1655572033/ova-the-anime-role-playing-game"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuyu1mfN35CVw_b11XpFGXVS2mGYGnM3-HrbqDbKke9U03EtYbHUu_kD6LJYFgsRmNW7snAld6SgDYeEZI_oZoNjIhqAc2Ym_Aaf1e6-9xzgsV98CouS9ww4-VaWgcOE6R8bnmBzBnKAK/s640/ova-kickstarter.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
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I want to thank all of you who supported a little anime-inspired game
I made 8 years ago. I hope you find the new version was worth the wait!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-26401437456307322592012-08-27T11:55:00.000-05:002012-08-27T11:55:25.087-05:00Somebody Set Up Us the Bomb<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/ManhattanProject.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/ManhattanProject.jpg" /></a></div>
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Of all the games I’ve worked on for Minion Games, <i>The Manhattan Project</i> was by far the largest undertaking. There were plenty of cards, boards, tokens, and funny little men to fashion for sure, but more than that, capturing the zeitgeist of World War II era propaganda and aesthetics was a deeply involving process. Instead of purely abstract spaces, <i>The Manhattan Project</i> is full of papers and posters, cards and envelopes, flyers and ephemera of a bygone day. Not only the <i>design</i> of these had to be right, but I wanted them to look old, like this box was a relic found stowed in the recesses of an attic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLICK TO BLOW UP</td></tr>
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James Mathe, Minion Games whipcracker and all-around nice guy, was a stalwart ally in this cause. Throughout the process, he was always quick with an old 50s newspaper ad, vintage sales receipt, or a clever idea. Really, I can’t express enough it's worth your time to research materials in the theme you want to recreate! As much as you think you know a given look, there's nothing like a small period detail that can make a design sing.<br />
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The game’s main board was the bulk of the work. Since I wanted to convey a messy engineer’s desk, each element had to have its own design. I’m not fond of repurposing other’s stock images, so most everything had to be painted from scratch, from the weathered plastic frame of the cork board to the dingy ash tray that serves as the game’s “Bribe Pile.”</div>
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While the idea of a mess of papers was fun, I still wanted each piece to make logical sense. The spy track as film on a top secret file folder, the factories on an inventory receipt, and the university diploma all reinforce the idea of the what a given space you can place your hard-working workers is for.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/TMP-Cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/TMP-Cards.jpg" width="320" /></a>For the cards, I wanted to reference the propaganda posters that are so defining of the time period. Bold but limited palettes, period fonts, and a good coat of wear and tear fleshed out the look. Instead of the standard white or black border, I placed the key elements on an actual poster shape, complete with tattered edges and a shadow to give that poorly pasted on effect.<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/the-manhattan-project-mega-expansion" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/TMP-Tee.gif" width="263" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.fontbook.com/">FontBook</a>, an iPad app <a href="http://claygardner.blogspot.com/2011/08/font-of-wisdom.html">I mentioned in a previous entry</a>, was a great resource for font selection, with its ability to sort typefaces by the year they were created. Exploring these mid century fonts was a real joy.<br />
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The original <i>Manhattan Project</i> sold through its print run almost immediately on release, but fret not! Minion Games has launched <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/the-manhattan-project-mega-expansion">a new Kickstarter</a>. Not only can you get the original game, but a “Mega Expansion,” containing new bombs, buildings, nations, rockets, and famous people of the era, is up for grabs. You can even get this T-Shirt I designed exclusive to project backers!<br />
<br />Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-70597074806530094222012-07-30T12:51:00.000-05:002012-08-04T14:18:01.433-05:00Just in Case...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kariscasetitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kariscasetitle.png" /></a></div>
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It’s no secret I’m really fond of Apple’s various iOS devices. Ever since I got the original iPod touch, it’s become an integral part of the way I work, consume, and interact with the bits and bytes I love.<br />
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Something I’m <i>less</i> fond of is Apple’s penchant for cladding its iPods in a stainless steel back. Oh, it’s beautiful for sure, but it’s a malicious and ephemeral sort of beauty, the kind of mirror finish that attracts scratches if you so much as look at it the wrong way. It’s a lesson I learned quickly with that first iPod touch, and one I rectified out-of-the-box when I replaced it with the fourth-generation model some years later. I chose the case from <a href="http://www.switcheasy.com/">SwitchEasy</a> because it advertised itself as the thinnest case on the market. Having been used to using my previous one naked for all these years, I really wanted the case to be as unobtrusive as possible.<br />
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It certainly was thin, and unobtrusive, but it was also a fragile thing, and after a year of use it began to fracture in the corners. I guess there’s a <i>reason</i> other cases weren’t this thin.<br />
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So long story short, I needed a new case, pronto. But I wanted it to last, so my preference for a barely-there case was no longer a top requirement. And if I’m wanting it to last...well! I better make it something I want to look at, right?<br />
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So that’s how this came to be:<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/KarisCasePhoto.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/KarisCasePhoto.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.getuncommon.com/">Uncommon</a> prints custom made-to-order cases based on whatever art you send them (like <a href="http://blog.nikogeyer.com/2012/06/pink-is-promise.html">this great combined effort with Niko Geyer</a>). The price <i>may</i> be a bit on the high side, but they take great strides to treat your order as a premium product. The case ships in a nice resealable bag, along with an Uncommon sticker and two $5 discount cards for future orders.<br />
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The case itself is definitely tough. It's a solid piece of plastic that won't flex under pressure and just feels solid in the hands. Maybe a little <i>too</i> solid. A thin case it’s not, and it takes the iPod touch’s almost impossible thinness and converts it to a heft more akin to the iPhone line of products. But we saw what thin got me, so I'll give it a pass in this regard.<br />
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This is the "capsule" case with a design that separates into two parts. This is ostensibly for easy docking in any matter of peripherals you might own that don't support the case, but doing so casually isn't really possible. Rubber-like strips on the inside of the case hold it firmly in place, making removing either portion a bit of a work out. At least you don’t have to worry about your case coming off accidentally!<br />
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Most importantly though the art looks <i>great</i>, with a few caveats. Lines aren't as sharp as they could be, with a ever-so-slight fuzziness to everything. This is almost certainly due to Uncommon’s much-advertised 3D-Tatt® technology. So while you may sacrifice a bit of clarity, the art is embedded deep into the plastic, making it impervious to flaking, surface scrapes, or other things you might normally expect from a printed surface. The art is there for the duration!<br />
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The colors are also off a bit, in general having a more yellow cast. Karis's hair also came out an almost bubblegum pink shade. But the colors are close enough that you probably won’t notice without a direct comparison.<br />
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That nitpicking aside, I’m really pleased with it. Having a customized case makes it really feel like your own, and I’m infinitely happier with it than a generic solid or pre-printed pattern.<br />
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An interesting aside is that the case is completely odorless. Most people probably don’t get what I’m saying here, but for those of you that are starkly aware of every new piece of electronics they buy, the Uncommon case is a pleasant surprise. I really expected a real painty-smell from the custom ink process, but really, there’s nothing. Even the flimsy SwitchEasy case (which was clear) had a stark plastic scent that lasted for a month — even transfers to your hands. It’s a small note, but a real exception to the rule in products like this.<br />
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As a final footnote, Uncommon's customer service is <i>great</i>. I was always able to get a live person on the phone, and they adeptly answered questions I had about bleed and such without having to play telephone relay with me. And when my first case shipped with the art between the halves not aligned, it only took a quick email to rectify the issue. I received a nigh-immediate response assuring me this was a rare error and a new one was shipped to me immediately. No returns. No additional shipping costs. Just a very pleasant experience.<br />
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I'd recommend Uncommon if you have an iOS device you want covered. In fact, remember those $5 discount cards I mentioned? I’m willing to give one away! Just leave a reply with the kind of case <i>you</i> want to make, and I'll send one lucky person the code. Feel free to pass along this post to anyone you think might be interested!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-38562643511229309052012-06-12T14:14:00.004-05:002012-06-12T14:58:18.018-05:00Get your Kicks on Route 6d6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey, everybody. If you can’t tell by the title graphic above, here’s another update on <i>OVA</i>’s eventual Kickstarter.<br />
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If you follow the forums on RPG.net, you may have come across <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?590049-OVA-What-would-encourage-you-to-pledge-on-a-Kickstarter">a thread</a> where I have been discussing the final pledge tiers. For those of you who don’t — or simply missed the exchange — I’m including it here:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>$15.</b> A copy of the PDF, as well as an advance look at the game before its public release. <br />
<b>$30.</b> The above, and a copy of the full-color printed book. <br />
<b>$50.</b> The above, and your name printed as a
patron in the book. You will also have access to a special playtest
forum with the opportunity to have your voice heard and help shape the
final product.<br />
<b>$75.</b> The above, except your full-color book is upgraded to one of
one-hundred limited box sets, each numbered and including: A copy of the
printed book, your name listed as a patron, Quick-Start Player Books, a
pack of character sheets, a set of trading cards, and a set of dice.<br />
<b>$100</b> The above, and a special hand-crafted <i>OVA</i> Dice Bag by Dragon Chow Dice Bags.<br />
<b>$250</b> The above, and a custom character sheet featuring an illustration of your character by the official <i>OVA</i> artist. </blockquote>
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Since that thread, I’ve been researching the cost of the various pledge premiums, and I've found it’s <i>very</i> difficult to get a box produced in any quantity less than 500, and even then it’s almost as cost-effective to get 1000. I <i>have</i> found an option at Superior PoD with very reasonable rates for small numbers, but the box itself looks a little flimsy. Here, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE-zzWLuJGI">take a look</a>.<br />
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The print quality looks great, and the build seems well put together with sharp corners. It’s something I wouldn’t bat an eye at if it were simply a container to hold a bunch of goodies. But my goal was to evoke the RPGs of yesteryear, and this isn't the thick cardboard heavy-duty box you may be used to. It's more like the boxes they use for "Collector's Edition" video games.<br />
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So what do you guys think? Would you still consider a box like this a decent collectable for high-pledge tiers? Or should I revise my pledge tiers and try something else entirely?Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-62728785619839056372012-05-14T20:21:00.000-05:002012-05-14T20:46:41.964-05:00A God at Sea<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span> <br />
It’s time for another Minion Monday, and this time I’m going to show you <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">Minion Games</a>’ latest, <i>Tahiti</i>!<br />
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Yeah, yeah. Those of you well-versed in Euro-style board games will have seen countless iterations of the “manage some goods at an oceanic locale that also serves as the game’s name” schtick. But where theme often exists as a last-minute coat of paint, <i>Tahiti</i> fully avails itself of the lore surrounding its namesake island. The Tiki aesthetic throughout the game’s art and design is fun right out of the box, before you so much as place so much as a tile on the table. Little touches, like actually piloting a little canoe from island to island as you pick up and deliver goods, makes the specific Pacific choice of setting much more than an arbitrary skinning of the mechanics.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/tahiti-board-game" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/tahitibox.png" width="320" /></a>Minion Games once again teamed up with <a href="http://wizardsofur.blogspot.com/">Chuck Whelon</a> for the artwork. As he had for his work on <i>Nile</i>, Chuck really researched the source material for an authentic experience. Well...authentic to the Tiki aesthetic anyway, which like so many things has been host to a bevy of Western exaggerations and extrapolations. Still, any Tiki-head will be well at home at this gaming archipelago.<br />
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As we did for <i>Kingdom of Solomon, Venture Forth,</i> and <i>The Manhattan Project,</i> Minion Games is using crowd funding site <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/">Kickstarter</a> to help offset costs and drum up interest in <i>Tahiti</i>. But those games were Kickstarted relatively early in their production cycles, with images and videos revealing great games sporting less-than-great prototype graphics. This time, I convinced James that we might have better success showing off a nearly complete product, one with care taken to present it in the best light. So a lot of my work this time around has been specifically for the Kickstarter effort: <a href="http://www.miniongames.com//Tahiti-gamedesc.jpg">Custom text headers</a>, <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/Tahiti-island-sample.jpg">fully-realized prototypes</a>, and of course <a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/111833/photo-full.jpg?1332552342">the box shot</a> gracing the very top of the page. <br />
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Has it helped? It’s a bit too early to tell, but so far support has been great! The pledges over the first two days have been the best yet for Minion Games. If you would like to secure your own copy of <i>Tahiti</i>, <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/tahiti-board-game">get in your canoe and <i>go!</i></a> And if you’re at all like me and love to see unique premiums tied to a project, I designed a bag in conjunction with <a href="http://www.dragonchow.com/">Dragon Chow</a> only available to higher backers. It’s perfect for pulling out the games’ wooden cubes or nestling whatever you desire in Tiki goodness.<br />
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Not sure yet? When you back at the $1 level, you immediately receive a copy of the Print & Play version. If you like what you see, you can upgrade to any of the other great tiers, including a dinner with James Mathe — the perfect opportunity to pick his brain about the board game industry!<br />
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If nothing else, drop by for the video. Watching James juggle copies of our last two waves of board games is well worth the minute of your time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/tahiti-board-game"><i>Click here for the </i><i>Tahiti Kickstarter</i></a> </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i>“If game publishing doesn</i>’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>t work out, at least I</i>’</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>ll have a career with Ringling!”</i></span></div>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-5981876221099633662012-04-23T08:00:00.000-05:002012-04-23T08:00:26.998-05:00Judging a Book by Its (New) CoverThose of you who have been waiting for a proper <i>OVA</i> update need wait no more. Here it is, the new cover! (Click to see it in its full-size glory.)<br />
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Even though this isn’t final, hopefully you all will find lots to love in the revised cover design. Like the rest of the book, the cover illustration is done by talented <a href="http://www.nikogeyer.com/">Niko Geyer</a>, and you may even notice a new look for Wise Turtle Publishing itself!<br />
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The Kickstarter for <i>OVA</i> (<a href="http://claygardner.blogspot.com/2011/08/aint-that-kick-in-head.html">previously mentioned here</a>) is slated for late June/July, just in time for the game’s 7th anniversary. I’m still tinkering with the pledge premiums list, so if you have an opinion, be sure to let me hear about it! What sort of things would make you back at a higher level, and what would you pay for it? Gauging consumer interest will be very useful before jumping in the crowd-funding deep-end!<br />
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Keep checking by, as I will continue to post <i>OVA</i> updates leading up to the Kickstarter, including a look behind the curtains as I finalize the typesetting of the rules.Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-4783089211290465632012-04-08T09:50:00.000-05:002012-04-08T09:59:24.830-05:00The Box and the Hare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Outside of a fleeting flirtation with popularity in the 1980s, <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s have always been a niche product, a collection of tomes and boxes more likely to be squirreled away in the recesses of some specialized hobby shop than displayed front-and-center in your favorite department store. Still, you’ll see the bigger <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s, like <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>, show up in the big chain booksellers, and such games are never-the-less a prominent part of our cultural identity — even if everyone isn’t aware of <i>exactly</i> how to play one. <br />
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But in Japan, things are a little different. <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s may have seen the same brief rise in visibility as they did in the west, with really awesome-looking versions of <a href="http://mystara.thorf.co.uk/jrc.php">D&D</a>, <a href="http://www.gearsonline.net/series/battletech/">Battletech</a>, and other standbys localized for a curious audience, but nowadays Japanese <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s are lucky to have a tiny space of three or four books in stores. Polyhedral dice are a chore to get a hold of, and besides the venerable <i>D&D</i>, often eschewed in favor of the stalwart six-sider. Suffice it to say, it’s a niche of a niche, to the point where <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s have to be referred to as “Table-Talk <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s” to differentiate them from the grossly more popular video game variety.<br />
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That’s what makes a game like <i>Golden Sky Stories</i> all the more remarkable. There’s no thriving “story-gaming” culture there, not a slew of diceless <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s to draw inspiration from, no new-fangled narrative <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s to be influenced by. It’s a microcosm of <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s, one largely still in the same boat as our games were 10 years ago. And you'd think a game developed for a much smaller audience may have hit-and-miss production values, especially when you consider that most Japanese webpages look like Geocities came by for a visit and then never left. That’s not the case. <i><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">gSS</span></i> is a lovely book, with big, expressive art that brings a rural Japanese town to life. So I’ve tried to be faithful to the original design of the book as I’ve gone about rebuilding it from scratch. (No source files here, folks!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GSS-Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GSS-Spring.jpg" /></a>But still, there are <i>some</i> things throughout the design that seems a little out of place. For instance, the book is split into four parts, <i>seasons</i>, and each section is introduced by art and one of these symbols. You can see the very thematic, almost <i>sumi-e</i> looking paint job behind the character for Spring, right? Looks great!<br />
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However, throughout the book, these stark, austere-looking rounded boxes are used for notes and callouts. In a book otherwise so warm and comfy, it seemed inappropriate to me. So I did something about it! Drawing inspiration from the seasonal characters, all of the boxes, tables, and other details have swapped their old rounded-rectangle tool attire for newer threads with rough edges and a more painted look. I think the end result is much more in character with the book, and I can only hope Ryo Kamiya, the book's author, would approve!<br />
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For your reading enjoyment, I’ve included an entire spread from the Powers section. The left-hand page features abilities all <i>henge</i> of a given type possess, while recto features optional ones. It’s a neat system, because in order to gain more powers, you have to take the corresponding weakness! The number in parenthesis indicates the amount of Wonder (a sort of story-telling currency) you spend to use that power.<br />
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Why the Rabbit, you ask? Well, it only seemed appropriate for today, right? Hope you all have a great Easter!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-53120969208158497732012-04-01T10:50:00.000-05:002012-04-01T11:19:01.377-05:00Nyan Cat: Rainbow RaceI’m ecstatic to reveal the box art for <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">Minion Games</a>’ next title. As a subject near and dear to my heart, I’m so excited we were able to procure the license bouncing off the success of the now sold-out <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/the-manhattan-project-pre-order-en.html">Manhattan Project</a>.<br />
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<i>Nyan Cat: Rainbow Race</i> is a “real-time” card game for 2-4 players based on the popular internet meme. Instead of taking turns, players can draw, discard, and play cards at any time. The deck consists of 6 colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, which are shuffled and evenly divided among the players to become individual draw decks. When you draw a card, you may either place it in your hand or play it to your play area on the table. Cards played to the table are organized by color, and the goal is to create the biggest stack of a single color. Players may not have multiple stacks of the same color on the table in front of them at any point in the game. When players feels like their stack is big enough, they can take the whole stack and put it in their scoring pile. If a stack of that color already exists in the scoring pile, the new pile must be at least one larger, and the old pile is discarded.<br />
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There is also the Nyan Cat card. This special rare card can be played on top of <i>anyone’</i><i>s</i> color stack, and that stack immediately goes to the Nyan Cat player’s scoring pile. Managing how big to make your color stacks — to maximize score value but hopefully not attract other players' desirous eyes! — is the core of the game.<br />
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Once all cards have been played or discarded, scoring is handled in traditional Knizian manner: The player with the most cards in their smallest color stack is the winner!<br />
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Once again, I can’t express how enthusiastic I am about this game. I designed it from the ground up with Nyan Cat in mind and to be accessible to younger players. I only hope the gaming public will find I’ve succeeded! Keep checking by in the coming months for updates as <i>Nyan Cat: Rainbow Race</i> goes through production!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-51572837423112491552012-03-26T17:42:00.001-05:002012-03-27T09:32:46.238-05:00Ode to a Grecian Game<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br />
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Greek mythology: A tried and true lore of ancient heroes, incomparable threats, and completely baffling logic that is the mainstay of our educational culture. But even if Zeus was found wanting of aspirin and birthed goddesses from his forehead in the driest way a textbook knew how, there’s still an ancient power to these myths, a strength derived from thousands of storytellers, each imparting a bit of their own life, and a bit of their own imperfections, as the tales found their way to the modern day. This is truer of nothing than the Greek's epic poetry, and no one has captured the rhythm and lifeblood of an ancient people as Robert Fagles.<br />
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I still remember his translation of the <i>Iliad</i>, an old hardback tome, perhaps then new, resting on the coffee table. The cover black, the top of the leaves painted red, if not for all those sturdy souls sent to House of Death, then for a really <i>swell</i> looking book. It was my mother’s, and where Mythology 101 might not have had any love for the Greek gods and goddesses of yore, she imparted a fascination with swift-footed Achilles and his unquellable rage, Lord of Men Agamemnon, Hector, Paris, Helen, and all the tragedies of the war on Troy.<br />
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<i>Rage</i>— <i>Goddess, sing of the rage of Perseus</i>’<i> son Achilles!</i> Lines like this reverberated with me, and it inspired a adoration not just for Greek myth, but of all old epic poetry, from the alliterative <i>Beowolf</i> to the often <i>very</i> redundant <i>Gilgamesh</i>.<br />
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But for all its enduring imagery and epic tales, the world of Greek myth feels seldom acknowledged in the world of gaming. Sure, one could dig up that <i>GURPS</i> sourcebook or an aging board game of some nature, but for a mythology ripe with all the tropes we associate with the omnipresent medieval fantasy, it’s a missed opportunity for games both new and familiar.<br />
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So when <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">Minion Games</a> head honcho James Mathe first showed me <i>Venture Forth</i>, I was pretty enthusiastic. The bones were there for a game rife with the kind of magic I felt reading the epics, and maybe even such irreverent romps as the 1980s <i>Clash of the Titans</i>. But the prototype itself was bare of theme, a blank slate that could as easily been Tolkien as Homer. Time to crack those knuckles!<br />
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As I said, the game symbols used in the prototype given to me were all very generic affairs, with medieval chevron shields and golden trophies. I replaced them with Greek equivalents, sturdy round shields, gleaming gladii, and ancient urns. With proper icons in place, it seemed only fitting to use the most iconic of Greek contributions, the architecture of the period, as my inspiration for the card borders.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/vf-cards2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/vf-cards2.jpg" width="243" /></a>After completing the frames, I started to place the work by James Denton into my card sheets. The art was big and bold, maybe even a little over-the-top at times, which felt perfect for the sort of Greek high-adventure we were talking about. But inside my frames they felt encroached upon, constrained. One does not contain such gods of men and creatures of myth! It was then I decided to make the artwork “pop over” the edges. It made the monsters more daunting, the heroes more adventuresome, and all in all just seemed more exciting. Unfortunately, most of the artwork was provided without layers, so this effect took quite a bit of love and care. Zooming in at 600% helps as you're carefully trimming the art away from its original background. The end “coming out at you” result was worth the time. The tiny cards feel that much bigger for it.<br />
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For the card backs, I decided to make it stand out from the front art by using traditional “black-figure” imagery from Grecian urns. I drew it myself based on a particular urn featuring god of war Ares and surrounded it with the ornamental details that seemed fitting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/vf-card-promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/vf-card-promo.jpg" width="218" /></a><i>Venture Forth</i> itself is a great game that takes the things you love about an adventure board game, leaves out the trite, trying stuff you don’t, and wraps it in a golden fleece of Euro-gaming standbys that together feels fresh and new. Helping your party of adventurers meet their fated ambitions instead of just killing monsters leads to a very <i>Greek</i> feeling tale, and the amount of depth provided by cultivating paths, hiring new heroes, and overcoming obstacles just makes for a very complete and satisfying package.<br />
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If that sounds like the kind of game for you, and you lack the ability to pop it fully-formed from your forehead, make Hermes-like haste to <a href="http://miniongames.com/">MinionGames.com</a> and score yourself a copy. Ordering directly from us means more of your dollar goes to support the people who made the game possible! That, and you'll get this special Treasure Card, not available anywhere else!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-25254568257327419612012-03-21T08:22:00.000-05:002012-03-21T08:22:49.063-05:00A Game of the Game of the Generals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was speaking to a friend, the very talented <a href="http://honoel.tumblr.com/">Honoel</a>, about board games when he brought up <i>Game of the Generals</i>. It was one he remembered fondly from his childhood, and the game was noteworthy for being native to his home in the Philippines. Both players had an army of plastic pieces, each unit labeled with a different rank. Each rank could capture any piece of those ranked under it, except the lowest rank, which could only capture the highest ranked piece in the game. This in itself could be a fun diversion, but the twist lay in that these ranks were only labeled <i>on one side</i>, keeping your troops a complete mystery to your opponent. The goal: protect your flag and capture the enemy’s! The game itself is over 40 years old, but I still managed to find a picture of it.<br />
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Okay, yes, as it turns out <i>Game of the Generals</i> is a thinly veiled copy of the classic <i>Stratego</i>. It’s not devoid of differences: The lakes that serve as a choke point are absent, the spy occupies the top rank instead of the bottom, and there are no mines or units to defuse them. The game also explicitly calls for an arbiter to decide conflicts instead of revealing both pieces after a capturing attempt. While the idea of sitting through a game doing nothing but comparing pieces for your friends sounds like a <i>great</i> way to spend an evening, I’d be surprised how often this actually happened. The most interesting change, though, is that your flag can <i>move</i>. Instead of being stuck in the space it started, forcing you to protect it and devise a red herring or two, it can navigate the board like any other unit. Moreover, if you manage to reach the farthest row with your flag, as one would promote a pawn in chess, you win the game. It’s not enough to regard <i>Generals</i> as much more than the <i>Stratego</i>-clone it is, yet I find it an interesting variation just the same.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/armygame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/armygame.jpg" /></a>But as I read about <i>Game of the Generals</i> and <i>Stratego</i>, I discovered there was yet another game that shared many of the same ideas. <i>Luzhanqi</i>, or <i>The Army Game</i>, features a similar hidden army you use to protect your flag and capture your opponent’s own. It even has the arbiter mechanic from <i>Game of the General</i>s. But unlike <i>Generals</i>, it features enough differences that it can’t be wholly considered a carbon-copy. For one thing, there are numerous special spaces, like railroads that allow units to travel long distances in straight lines, and campsites, where no unit may be attacked. It also uses a series of circles and radials to place and move pieces instead of a square grid, even though the end effect is much the same.<br />
While <i>The Army Game's</i> exact origin is unclear, <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/105762/lu-zhan-jun-qi">copies from the 1950s</a> prove that it’s at least a rough contemporary of the original Netherlands <i>Stratego</i> in 1949. (For the record, <i>Stratego</i> didn't reach America until 1961, and <i>Game of the Generals</i> was first released in 1970.)<br />
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So who copied who? With <i>The Army Game’</i><i>s</i> history being so hopelessly obscure, it’s hard to say for sure. That is, if it weren’t for the fact <i>another game</i> predated them both.<i> L</i><i>’</i><i>attaque</i> was first published in France in 1910 with rules largely identical to <i>Stratego</i>. But what’s <i>really</i> interesting about <i>L</i><i>’</i><i>attaque</i> is that the creator is Mademoiselle Hermance Edan.<br />
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Yes, you saw that right. A lady. Creating a war game. In the early 1900s. When you consider how guy-centric the war-game and RPG industries were in the 70s and 80s, it’s a fun footnote that such an early example was designed by the fairer sex. Unfortunately, I could find little about her beyond the same handful of sentences regarding her patent filing in 1908, quoted pretty much everywhere that discusses the origin of <i>L</i><i>’</i><i>attaque</i> and <i>Stratego</i>.<br />
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So you’d think that would settle it.<i> L</i><i>’</i><i>attaque</i> and by extension <i>Stratego</i> came first, with <i>The Army Game</i> being a loose variant.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/jungle.jpg" /></a>But if you continue digging, you’ll find that all of these games bear a striking similarity to <i>another</i> Chinese game, <i>Dou Shou Qi</i>. Known in English as <i>Jungle</i> or <i>Animal Chess</i>, it is a game that features the same piece hierarchy (albeit with animals instead of soldier ranks) and even two bodies of water similar to <i>Stratego’</i><i>s</i> own. However, the identity of the pieces is public knowledge, and there are Den and Trap spaces (where pieces cannot be captured and any piece can capture any piece respectively) thrown into the mix. Still, it’s undeniable that this could be a clear influence on <i>L’</i><i>attaque</i> and in turn <i>Stratego</i>, and many histories of the game state as much. In fact, the existence of <i>Jungle</i> makes it entirely plausible that <i>The Army Game</i> is instead an extrapolation of <i>it</i> and not an offshoot of <i>Stratego</i> at all. When you consider how many
special areas <i>The Army Game</i> has, it’s not hard to see dens, traps, and
animals evolving into the mechanics of its more modern brother.<br />
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Unfortunately, like with <i>The Army Game</i>, information on <i>Jungle</i><i>’</i><i>s</i> exact origins and date of inception are not to be found. Due to its fable-y charm with its animal pieces, many people assume it’s an ancient game. However, an exhaustive <a href="http://gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/Archives/Culin/Dice1893/gameslist.html">piece of research on Chinese games</a>, penned by Professor Stewart Culin in the late 1890s, has no reference to <i>Jungle</i> whatsoever. So either the man left a rather glaring hole in his research, or <i>Jungle</i> isn’t nearly as old as it’s often given credit for. If we take for granted Culin didn’t pass out drunk on the fated Chinese Family Game Night where he would have played <i>Jungle</i>, this gives us a period from 1890 to 1910 for <i>Jungle</i> to be created and become popular enough to influence a French game-creator.<br />
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While rooting about the web did reveal references here and there to <i>Jungle</i> appearing in 1900, none of these cite any source for such a claim. The earliest concrete date I can find is the <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/image/106253/dou-shou-qi">1974 Four Generation's “Games of the World” series of board games</a>. The text there describes <i>Jungle</i> as an “ancient game,” but it’s a statement again with skeptical veracity. While a game would likely exist in China <i>long</i> before showing up around the world, this lack of firm history damages any theory that it formed the basis of <i>Stratego</i>, or possibly even <i>The Army Game</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/xianqi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/xianqi.jpg" /></a>That is, unless there wasn’t yet <i>another</i> Chinese game to consider. <i>Xianqi</i>, or <i>Chinese Chess</i>, really bears more similarity to traditional chess than <i>Stratego</i> or even <i>Jungle. </i>But, there <i>is</i> a body of water that divides the sides of the board. It only affects a few pieces, but it’s still reasonable to think that this could inspire the twin lakes of <i>Stratego</i> or the rivers of <i>Jungle</i>. But that’s admittedly a stretch — More likely that <i>Stratego</i> and <i>Jungle</i> have more to do with each other than anything else.<br />
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The real answer of the origins of <i>Stratego</i> may be one lost to time. I would love to find hard evidence of a copy of <i>Jungle</i> existing in the early 1900s, but the scope of such research is outside of my ability. For now, I think due credit should be given to Edan and her little game of wars, <i>L</i><i>’</i><i>attaque</i>. There is no evidence I can find to support <i>Jungle</i><i>’</i><i>s</i> identity as an ancient Chinese game instead of a mid-twentieth-century knockoff, and I think crediting it as many <i>Stratego</i> histories do is a disservice to this <i>female</i> gaming pioneer.Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-58950559596933424542012-03-16T20:55:00.002-05:002012-03-16T20:56:14.800-05:00Monster Hearts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone! I’ve been a little under the weather, and as an unfortunate consequence this little corner of the web has been left more unattended than I’d like. But expect that to change as we return to regularly scheduled programming!<br />
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While I won’t have an honest update for my work on <i>Golden Sky Stories</i> till next week, I did want to share that <i>Otaku USA</i> has an incredible 4-page piece on the book in its April issue. The issue changes over March 20th, so run (don't walk) to your closest newsstand and pick up a copy. Besides netting yourself a fine overview of <i>GSS</i>, including my translated version of the Hitotsuna Town map, you’ll also be supporting one of the last <i>anime</i> magazines still in production. If that’s not win-win, I’ll eat the magic leaf under my hat.Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-51350888084256809372012-01-24T15:20:00.000-06:002012-01-24T21:26:08.426-06:00A Town Where Things Besides People Live<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">TURTLE TUESDAY </span></span><br />
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Some of you may know about a little Japanese Role-Playing Game called <i>Yuuyake Koyake</i>. Or maybe you know it by its English moniker, <i>Golden Sky Stories</i>. If you don’t, somewhere, someone referred to it as the <i>Totoro RPG</i>, and it’s not the worst description. The game is not about adventure in the traditional gaming sense. There’s no dragons to be bested, no empires to overturn. Instead, the game is about the little adventures, the day-to-day trials of regular people doing more or less regular things in a small, rural Japanese town. But you are not one of these people. This is a town where things besides people live. You are a<i> henge</i>, an animal spirit, and at your disposal is a little bit of magic. Not much, but enough to help the people of this town.<br />
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After reading that, you may already realize Golden Sky Stories is a different kind of game. There's no dice, no statistics in the traditional sense, and not even a chapter on combat. It truly is “heart-warming role-playing,” a kind of experience where you’re more likely to help a boy overcome his fear of the haunted house at the end of town than stomp goblins.<br />
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The setting and focus are not <i>Stories</i>’ only charm. The illustrations throughout are captivating, cute to the point of endangering bicuspids everywhere, and go a long way to setting the mood. Of course, deciphering the moonspeak of the original Japanese book is an endeavor most of us aren’t equipped to do.<br />
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Luckily for you and me, Ewen Cluney, along with the other half of <a href="http://www.starlinepublishing.com/about.html">Starline Publishing</a>, Mike Stevens, translated this special game and will be bringing it to Western readers soon enough. I’ve had the opportunity to read Ewen’s top-secret (well, okay, not-so-secret) English manuscript for <i>Golden Sky Stories</i>, and it’s a real joy. But that shouldn't be any surprise — This isn’t Ewen’s <a href="http://www.maidrpg.com/">first rodeo</a> after all. But the text is only a part of the job. Someone has to take this text and give it a home in the pages of a book once again. That someone, as it turns out, is me!<br />
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It’s a great privilege to take part in bringing this game to life, and I look forward to sharing with you all my progress. Be sure to check by for further updates, and of course follow <a href="http://yarukizero.wordpress.com/">Ewen's blog</a> and the <a href="http://www.starlinepublishing.com/about.html">Starline Publishing</a> website for all the latest news about <i>Golden Sky Stories</i>.<br />
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...Oh? Why is this an entry for Turtle Tuesday? Throughout the book, you’ll meet a cast of lovable characters, including Elder Turtle. Here he is patiently listening to Riko, the <i>tanuki henge</i>, as she frets over some dilemma.Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-88475568406445481982012-01-20T21:30:00.000-06:002012-01-21T11:56:05.402-06:00Far-Off Promise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A new year lay ahead, and the promise of a new set of days inspires the best intentions. The world echoes with countless commitments to work harder, be healthier, to care for each other, and to change in ways we hadn’t the year before. The sentiments are as often enough as vague as they are well-intentioned, the sort of positive thinking that we can stretch and contract to the size we can make room for.<br />
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But I want to do more than that this year. I want a game plan, as much for myself as for the accountability saying it outright provides. That’s not to say 2011 was empty of accomplishments. After all, I helped <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">Minion Games</a> ready no less than six games for sale in a single year -- no mean feat! And I took part in a graphical overhaul for <a href="http://www.dtrpg.com/">DriveThruRPG</a> and its sister sites that will be rolling out soon. Yet, for 2012, I want to get <i>my</i> things done.<br />
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So, here it is, my plan for the year. (Split up for your convenience and mine.)<br />
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<b><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">My Blog</span> </b><br />
I’ve been moving to a new computer, an iMac, for the past month or two — the lengthy travails of which I'll have to detail one or these days — but I fully intend to get this blog back on track. Besides my usual excursions of fancy, I'm launching several bi-weekly columns.<br />
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You’ve seen a taste of the first one with the <a href="http://claygardner.blogspot.com/2011/01/digital-game-board.html">Digital Gameboard</a>. I’ll be making a point of covering <i>all</i> the gaming apps I come across, especially those involving euro-style board games and their kin. I stand by that the iPad is a great platform for classic board gaming fun and can use all the coverage it can get.<br />
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I’ll also be penning my foolhardy quest to play every console <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span> ever. It's something that’s become ever more difficult as my list of unplayed and unfinished games grows longer. But maybe by adding you all to my party, this quest may become less of a foolhardy one.<br />
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And for those of you wondering, yes Minion Monday will eventually finish out its run. I’m waiting on my own physical copies of the games so I can better show off the components. It’s just taking a little longer than expected.<br />
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<b><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">My Games</span></b><br />
While
there’s a certain anime-inspired elephant in the room, I have up my
sleeves a plethora of games I've tinkered on in perpetuity, and I’d <i>really</i>
like to finally get some of them out the metaphorical door and into the
light. While finishing, much less releasing, all of them in this
revolution of the sun is a unlikely accomplishment, I do want progress,
and I want to share that progress with you. Here's a highlight reel of
what to expect.<br />
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<i>OVA</i> — Yes, the oft-promised
return of Wise Turtle's flagship product is still very much in the
works, and I’ve made a commitment to its release in the early half of
2012. Long-time fans may have dim
memories of several supplements that I hope to talk more about and bring
closer to release. You can see a sample of artwork for a sci-fi-themed supplement on the left of the header, done by <a href="http://feguimel.deviantart.com/">feguimel</a>.<br />
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<i>Legendary!</i> — While I love all
my work for Minion Games, and all its games are special to me, they’re
still not mine in any true sense of the word. <i>Legendary!</i> is a fantasy
dungeon-crawl of a board game inspired by fond childhood memories of
<i>Dungeon</i>, but with enough twists to the formula that I believe in its
ability to give something new to a crowded and often trite set of games.
It’s infused with lore from a lifetime of love for console <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span>s, and the
very talented <a href="http://honoel.tumblr.com/">Honoel Ibardolaza</a> certainly brings it to life. That trio of numbskulls in the header is his handiwork.<br />
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<i>Last Legend</i> — Before <i>OVA</i>, I was a devoted follower (and sometimes contributor) to
the <a href="http://returnergames.com/"><i>Returner Final Fantasy RPG</i></a>, an attempt to capture the spirit of the
eponymous video games in pen and paper form. Eventually I left that
community over a difference of opinion...whereas most were concerned
with copying the actual game mechanics and number crunching of the video
games, I felt the rules would be better served trying to approximate the <i>feel</i> of <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">rpg</span> battles and leave the math for the <span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">CPU</span>s that spawned it.
<i>Last Legend</i> is my on again, off again take on the subject. You
can see some art from it in the header, this time the inks in the
background that are once again provided by Honoel.<br />
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<i>iOS </i>— Tied in with all these is a general interest in the iOS platform. Now that I
have an iMac (more about that in a future post), exploring the world of iPads and iPhones is a real
possibility. While the likelihood of me gaining enough prowess with
programming to create a game of any decent measure is not good, having
access to the tools does open other interesting opportunities.
<i>OVA</i>-dedicated apps to aid with dice-rolling, character creation, and
even easy rules reference would be a great resource to provide players,
and iOS versions of the various Minion Games would be cool indeed.<br />
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<b><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">My work for others</span></b><br />
While I said I wanted to make 2012 a year for my projects, there is at least one outside job I'm really excited about. If you follow <a href="http://yarukizero.wordpress.com/">Ewen Cluney's blog</a>, you may already know what I mean. If not...well, be sure to check by Tuesday for my own official announcement!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-31621540722295712382011-11-14T14:09:00.010-06:002011-11-14T15:07:56.017-06:00Pedal to the Metal<p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/nitro.jpg"><img src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/nitro.jpg" id="blogsy-1321252465384.2385" class="" alt="" height="150" width="500" /></a></p><p>Nitro Dice provided an interesting series of turns for me at Minion Games. It would mark the first time James, resident head-honcho at our little company, delegated the art production outside of our previous Chuck & Clay tag-team. Minion had a ambitious amount of games to publish in 2011, so it was reasonable enough to hire some outside labor to assist driving a few of the graphical vehicles. As it turned out, that didn’t pan out as well as it could have. I ended up having to draw the streets and dastardly hazards — originally the artist’s job — and design the box, tokens, player cards, and card backs — the intended domain of a hired graphic designer. So a decision intended to reduce my workload ended up making me wear twice as many hats...or racing helmets.</p><div class="imgcaption" style="float:right; width:330px;"><cap>Stunts had such realistic graphics!</cap></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/stunts.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/stunts.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>But that was okay. That’s because there’s something about <span style="font-style: italic;">racing</span> that excites the 10-year-old in me, the kid who’d spend hours playing computer sims like <span style="font-style: italic;">Stunts</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Car & Driver</span>, collect hundreds of matchbox cars, and memorize the top speed of the Ferrari Testarossa. (It’s 183 <span style="text-transform: lowercase; font-variant: small-caps;">MPH</span>, in case you’re wondering.) Even though the die-cast cars are long put away, and I haven’t bought an honest racing sim since the original <span style="font-style: italic;">Gran Turismo</span>, every blackened skid mark and crack in a curb was rendered with as much love as I could muster.<br /><br />Even without the theme, Nitro Dice is a pretty unique game. The “Dice” moniker aside, it’s a card game at heart, with the dice themselves only representing your car and its current speed. To navigate the streets without incurring damage, you have to play an identical card from your hand. You can also replace cards on the track with ones containing hazards, dangerous obstacles that can damage and slow down your opponents. Careful placement and hand management are the key to winning!<br /><br />Once again we went for the double-cut. Since the racing track itself is made from cards, it was imperative to present a cohesive track to race on. Forcing players to speed bump over a black or white border between each card would be a terrible shame, not to mention would rob the dice of space to breathe. I also had to make sure the turns matched seamlessly when you placed cards together. <p><img src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/nitro-contents.jpg" id="blogsy-1321252465388.0366" class="" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p><p>If you’d like a more in depth overview of the game, try <a href="http://www.play-board-games.com/nitro-dice-review/">this review</a>. And as always, if you’re interested in purchasing the game, please do some from <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/nitro-dice.html">our store at Minion Games</a>.<br /></p>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-12236017107691288482011-10-31T00:00:00.003-05:002011-10-30T23:56:42.513-05:00A Matter of Grave Importance<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/gb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/gb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Zombies are everywhere. Zombies and <a href="http://www.popcap.com/games/plants-vs-zombies/pc">horticulture</a>, zombies and <a href="http://www.deadislandgame.com/">islands</a>, zombies and <a href="http://boingboing.net/2011/10/28/zombie-poodle.html">domesticated French canines</a>...<br /><br />I hate to out myself as part of the infinitesimally small demographic that just doesn’t like them, but — well — I don’t. But I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> adore All Hallow's Eve. If you think about it, Halloween is as close to a holiday for gamers and anime fans as there will likely ever be. It’s accepted, nay, <span style="font-style: italic;">encouraged</span> to dress up as your favorite personages from fantasy literature and films, then frolic the evening away. It’s a night of pretend in its purest, unabashed form.<br /><br />So for all that, I think I can let my distaste for the shambling undead slide this day of the year in the spirit of all things spooky. Besides, this is the perfect Minion Monday to talk to you about Grave Business.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GB-logo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 155px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GB-logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.miniongames.com/grave-business.html">Grave Business</a> is a game of strategic bidding. Send forth your zombies to loot graves for valuables, and while you’re at it, gather new body parts to make more zombies to dig for more treasure. It’s a clever use of theme, with enough thinking to be fun without ever taking itself too seriously.<br /><br /><a href="http://wizardsofur.blogspot.com/">Chuck Whelon</a>, an artist we've had the pleasure of working with in the past, including Nile and its re-release <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/nile-deluxore-card-game-and-expansion.html">Nile DeLuxor</a>, colors the game with personality. His work is so big and bold that it really didn’t warrant a lot of graphic-design hoo-hah, but I’m inordinately proud of the game's logo.<br /><br />If you’d like a more in depth overview of the game, you can check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLv6UoqXH5Q&feature=player_embedded">The Dice Tower's video</a> or take a trip over to <a href="http://www.cartrunk.net/archives/9820">Cartrunk for a phantasmally phantastic pheature</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GB-contents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/GB-contents.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">PHOTO COURTESY OF <a href="http://cartrunk.net/">CARTRUNK.NET</a>. SKULL NOT INCLUDED!<br /></span></div>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-72784825184437365812011-10-24T19:40:00.008-05:002011-10-30T23:05:10.589-05:00Thy Kingdom of Solomon Come<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kos.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kos.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I was going to approach this Minion Monday thing with some semblance of the chronological order the games were made, but after <a href="http://claygardner.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-not-just-river-in-egypt.html">addressing card production with Nile</a>, I think it’s worth staying on topic. Last week I said there were two ways to go about card sheets. With Kingdom of Solomon, though, I developed a <span style="font-style: italic;">third</span> method, one that combines the aesthetics of the double cut with the economy of the solid border.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/KoS-CardSheet.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/KoS-CardSheet.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As you can see, the Kingdom of Solomon Building Cards have art right up to the edge. That normally requires using bleed and the expensive double cut — that is, unless <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span> edge matches seamlessly with its neighbor. As long as that is so, for all intents and purposes it performs the same as a solid border. Shift it up, left, or right, there will never be anything glaringly obvious on the final card. The principle is similar to creating “tiled” backgrounds for webpages and desktop backgrounds. If you ever tried such a feat, you understand it can be a troublesome undertaking. The simplest approach is to make edges mirror images of one another, though quite a bit of tinkering is warranted if you don't want your final cards looking some kind of textural kaleidoscope.<br /><br />This approach also has another pitfall, and that is you need bleed for it to work.<br /><br />“Bleed‽” you cry in dismay, having long searched your emotions for a proper use of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang">interrobang</a>, “But you said you could do this with a single cut!”<br /><br />This is true. But sadly the sheet of cards you’re creating is not an infinite plane. There will be cards that have no neighbor when you reach the outskirts of the sheet. With the solid border method, this is a simple exercise in using the paintbucket, but here you will have to once again revisit a proper seamless edge. It’s a bit of extra effort, but it can really make a card design shine without breaking the bank.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kospromoexample.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 220px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/kospromoexample.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Kingdom of Solomon itself is not a card game, but a worker-placement game where you manage resources and show up your fellow players in the eyes of King Solomon. <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/miniongames/kingdom-of-solomon-euro-style-board-game">The Kickstarter video</a> surmises the gameplay in as good a way as I can imagine. If this sounds up your alley, you can preorder now at <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/kingdom-of-solomon-pre-order.html">Minion Games</a> and get a special bonus Building Card not in store-bought versions. With the game arriving in a matter of weeks, there's no time like the present!Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-40262494127634101252011-10-17T08:37:00.005-05:002011-10-31T00:02:46.994-05:00It's Not Just a River In Egypt<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MINION MONDAY</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/nile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/nile.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />For the better part of the last year, I’ve been pouring much of my creative energy into work for <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/">Minion Games</a>. Six games later, I’m finally done for the year. While I can't say I’ll exactly miss the overnight deadlines, constant revisions, and counting pixels, I find myself a little lost without the nagging Minion at my side. I’ve been on board with this board game company since its inception in late 2009, and there was always a game to work on, a convention to make. Now that there isn’t, the ability to breathe is welcome but alien, too.<br /><br />Of course, the upshot of this new free time is I can actually spare a moment to share my toils with you. Welcome to Minion Monday!<br /><br />Nile was one of our first games — and our earliest success. But our original printer, an outfit from China, provided a product with chitzy cards, fragile boxes, and, in the worst cases, thoroughly damp product. With our 2011 wave of games, we switched to Ludo Fact, a German printer. The price involved was considerably more, but the end result was worth the investment. <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/nile-deluxore-card-game-and-expansion.html">Nile DeLuxor</a> takes advantage of this better production and includes the all new Monuments expansion and additional crop types to support more players.<br /><br />Since it’s a re-release of an old game, most of the work was repurposing old art to fit the new bigger box (and boy it’s great to hold!) and expanding the manual with new rules and much-needed graphical examples. But working on it reminded me of an important lesson we learned the first time around.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/NileExamplesTrio.jpg" align="right" />When cards are produced, they are initially printed out on a huge sheet. This over-sized poster is then cut into the familiar round-cornered rectangles we know and love. By nature of this process, the printed artwork may not perfectly line up with the dies, the metal blades that cut the shapes. The result is the top image on the right. See how the Papyrus’ red is visible on the Wheat card?<br /><br />There are two ways to get around this. What you’ll see most of the time is a solid-colored border all the way around the card, like in Magic: The Gathering and many other collectable card games. When the graphic gets shifted, it’s not nearly as noticeable.<br /><br />The option we opted for was the double-cut method. Extra art, or “bleed,” extends from all sides. Instead of a single cut separating cards, an additional cut is made. The excess is discarded, and you have a card that will appear correct no matter which way the art shifts with no visible border. Looks nice, right?<br /><br />Now here’s where the “lesson” comes in. It costs much, much more to cut cards this way! We did decide to keep the double-cut look for Nile DeLuxor, but it’s an expense any of you aspiring game-makers out there should keep in mind.<br /><br />As for game itself, I could go into detail about its rules, strategy, and agricultural antics, but the fellow at <a href="http://drakesflames.blogspot.com/2011/09/card-game-review-nile-deluxor.html">Drake's Forge does a much more entertaining job of it</a>. He’s right. If Nile is remotely historically accurate, it positively <span style="font-style:italic;">sucks</span> to be a farmer in ancient Egypt.<br /><br />If you’re interested in purchasing the game, please do so from our website, <a href="http://www.miniongames.com/nile-deluxore-card-game-and-expansion.html">Minion Games</a>. More of your hard-earned money goes to the hard-working people who make these games!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/NileContents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/NileContents.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7133315376290377362.post-80535279296696909802011-08-31T20:29:00.003-05:002011-08-31T20:45:37.476-05:00BAKKHUS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/bakkhus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 189px;" src="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/bakkhus.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />Bakkhus was a long time coming. Despite having the basics of the game thought out way back in April, it took this long for me to put all the pieces together. This game is my entry in Daniel Solis' <a href="http://www.thousandyeargame.com/">Thousand Year Game</a> contest, and it looks to have some tough competition!
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<br />Bakkhus itself is an abstract tile-matching game for two players...with a twist: Every tile has two sides, and the opposite side can lead to even more matches! It's the sort of idea that springs from your head — like the goddess Athena! — when you play one too many "Puzzle" video games.
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<br />The game is available in two files:
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<br /><a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/BakkhusPieces.zip">The Pieces</a>
<br /><a href="http://www.claygardner.com/blog/Bakkhus.pdf">The Rules</a>
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<br />Feel free to try it out with your friends (and leave a comment or two!)
<br />Clayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08310812193890245220noreply@blogger.com0