SUMMER 2018 / #24

S UPPORT OU R 7 T H Y E AR

YEAR OF THE CO-OP COLOR

WEREWOLF GAMES BLINDNESS
Four new werewolf-themed Working together to Seeing games through the
games from Bezier Games defeat an angry puzzle lens of accessibility
 SUPPORT OUR 7TH YEAR
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“No other board game

magazine compares to it.
Well done.” – Steven A.
 CONTENTS

6 8 32

40
16
50
6 Cover Story: Year of the Werewolf
8 Co-Op Games: Defeating the Angry Puzzle
16 Color Blind: Keeping Sight of
Game Accessibility
24 For The Win: The Art of Winning (and Losing)
32 Penny Pinching: Board Gaming on a Budget
24
40 Riding Out the Storm: From Boat to Board
with North Star Games 60
50 Game Reviews
60 Your Turn! A Spotlight on the
Gaming Community

Editor-in-Chief Editor Game Reviews Graphic Design

Chris Eric Naomi Gregg
James Huemmer Laeuchli Lewis-Qualls

Contributing Authors: Dann Albright, AnnaMaria Jackson-Phelps, Andrew Birkett, Luke Muench, Josher Lumpkin

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“A casual board (or card) game is played in under an hour, set up and taught in under 10 minutes, and requires some light strategic
thought. Casual games are not specifically marketed to children, but can be enjoyed by anyone from older children to adults.”
 SPONSORS

Ultra PRO International is a leading manufacturer

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and Andrew Looney. Our mission is to game ideas, bring others joy, and treat ev- dimensional and so are our games; they
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 SPONSORS

Bezier Games, Inc. publishes award-

winning party and strategy games, including
Werewords, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, The At Druid City Games we strive to make board
Palace of Mad King Ludwig, Suburbia, New York games that cultivate social skills, build critical
Slice, and Castles of Mad King Ludwig. thinking, and above all else, are fun to play!

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Calliope Games publishes family-friendly IELLO is a globally recognized board USAopoly is the company behind your
tabletop games, including Tsuro and Roll For game publisher. IELLO’s goal is to bring favorite top quality custom board games
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 6 SPONSORED COVER STORY

WEREWOLF!
2018 is going to be full of fur, claws, and some good old-fashioned bluffing and misdirection.
There are four new titles debuting this year from Bezier Games, Inc. that are focused on
everyone’s favorite village eaters.

Werebeasts celebrates not just Werewolves,

but also Wereghosts, Werekittens, and
We r e c l o w n s . A n d We r e n a n a s . A n d
Werenados. And even Werebagos. And
much, much were-more. In the game, you’re
trying to secretly collect different kinds of
Werebeasts while figuring out what the
other players are collecting. If you deduce
your opponents’ secret goals, you can win
their Werebeasts, or all of their Werechow—
the game’s currency made from a delicious
mix of villager and other random things. But if you
guess wrong, you could lose everything you have. It’s
social deduction, with card collection and a little bit
of push your luck.

Werewords Deluxe Edition is a super-powered version of

Werewords, where players are trying to figure out the Magic
Word; being helped by the all-knowing Seer and hindered
by—you guessed it—Werewolves. The Deluxe Edition adds
new roles, such as the Thing (the one that goes bump in
the night), The Apprentice, the Doppelganger, and the
wily Fortune Teller, who knows just a single letter in each
word that makes up the Magic Word. In addition, the game
can be played with as few as two and all the way up to
twenty people, and includes a brand new game mode called
Speedwords that forces the Werewolves to give the rest of
the players a clue.
 7

Ultimate Werewolf Legacy is a brand new game based on the party

game Ultimate Werewolf, and this time Rob Daviau (Pandemic Legacy)
has joined up with Ted Alspach (One Night Ultimate Werewolf ) to
create a mammoth Werewolf campaign for 8 to 16 people. Players take
on the roles of Villagers, Werewolves, and all manner of other special
roles as they try to either eliminate the Werewolves (if you aren’t one)
or everyone else (if you’re a Werewolf ). Decisions and victories by one
side early in the campaign have impacts on the campaign later, with
every game being different. After the 16-game campaign is complete,
you can play through it again with available Replay Packs.

One Week Ultimate Werewolf is a board game version of the

classic One Night Ultimate Werewolf game, which adds a twist
to the One Night premise. The game sees the players take a
much needed vacation to Ludwig Castle, which is rumored to be
infested with—you guessed it again—Werewolves. Each day you’ll
wander through the castle, looking for clues, while each night
you’ll interact with the players and staff nearby. After a week has
passed, you’ll try to figure out who among you is safe, and who
is a nasty old Werewolf.

With all these great new games

coming out this year from Bezier
Games, 2018 is definitely looking
to be the Year of the Werewolf!
8

CO-OP GAMES:
Defeating the Angry Puzzle
Dann Albright
Freelance Journalist and
Lifelong Board Gamer
 9

What is a game?
Think about that for a second. How would you define a
game? If you said something to the effect of “multiple
people, or two teams, competing against each other,”
you’re certainly not alone. And, more often than not,
that definition works. Most games are competitive.

But sometimes they’re not.

Sometimes, in fact, all of the players are working together.

The idea of a cooperative board game still catches

many people by surprise. “Who’s the winner?” they
ask, and “How does it work?” While it might seem
counterintuitive, cooperative games provide a great
gaming experience that not only gives you the thrill
of winning (if you indeed manage to win), but can
also give you tha t little bit of competition that so
many players crave.

Led by community favorites like Pandemic,

Mysterium, and Castle Panic, cooperative games
are seeing a lot of play by both casual gamers and
h o b b y i s t s . S o h o w d o e s i t a l l w o r k ? H e r e ’s w h a t
y o u n e e d t o k n o w.

Playing Against the Game

I n most board games, you have a clear opponent — or any number of other things that you’ll have to
the person sitting across the table from you. But in contend with to win.
cooperative games, you’re playing against the game.
You can’t look it in the eye, play mind games with Cooperative games are often a bit like solving a
it, or talk trash, but a game can be a surprisingly puzzle. The actions taken by the game can be relatively
engaging opponent. predictable, especially once you’ve played it once or
twice. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. In fact,
So what do you...do? Most cooperative, or co-op, games many co-op games have difficulty levels that scale with
see players trying to meet some sort of objective. the player count or your experience. It’s like playing
You’re trying to stop outbreaks of disease in Pandemic. against a live opponent — they learn to counter what
Steal loot for fantasy heroes in Magic Maze. Hold off you’re throwing at them, and it gets harder to win.
zombie hordes in Zombicide. Identify agents and spies
in Codenames: Duet. Of course, solving the puzzle requires cooperation.
Players need to plan their moves, play to their
The game usually takes actions based on a random strengths, and help their teammates when things get
engine — like drawing cards from a deck or rolling dice. ro u g h . I t ’s s o m e t h i n g y o u m i g h t n o t b e u s e d t o a t
These actions get in the way of your goal, just like the game table, but it adds a really engaging element
a live opponent would. They reduce your resources, t o t h e s e g a m e s . I t ’s f u n d a m e n t a l l y d i ff e r e n t f r o m
throw enemies in your way, give you new objectives, competitive games, and it’s simply a ton of fun.
 10 S umm er 2 01 8

There are some drawbacks to cooperative games, though; In the end, the success of a cooperative team depends
“co-op quarterbacking” can be a problem with players who on the players. As long as everyone is there to have fun
try to coordinate the actions of everyone else and end up and try to win, you’ll have a great time. Remember not to
running most of the game on their own. It takes conscious get discouraged, too — some cooperative games are very
effort on everyone’s part to avoid this. On the other hand, hard and will take several attempts before you win. With
some players might not communicate enough and have a a bit of experimentation and some perseverance, you’ll
tendency to just do their own thing — which defeats the find the perfect co-op games for your group.
purpose of co-op games. Everyone needs to do their part
to make sure the other players are included and active.

Where’s the Depth?

The puzzle-like nature of these games might lead you
to believe that there’s not much depth involved. It
might sound like once you’ve solved the puzzle, it’s
over, and playing again would feel repetitive. With
some games, that might be true. But many co-op
games offer unique and interesting challenges that
keep you coming back.

Z-Man Games’ Pandemic series pits players against the

outbreak of several virulent diseases throughout the
world, and it’s a race against time to save humanity.
Each expansion adds new twists to the original concept:
whether it’s changing the map or even the time period,
a d d i n g n e w ro l e s o r v i r u s e s , o r e v e n c re a t i n g n e w
difficulties and conflicts such as adding traitors into
the mix. Every expansion adds variety, bringing your
team back to the table once more. One of the latest
i t e r a t i o n s , Pa n d e m i c L e g a c y, m a k e s i t s o t h e g a m e there’s no possibility of quarterbacking. Each turn,
goes through permanent changes after each play, and you can play a card or reveal a small piece of informa-
you progress through a continuing story. It’s almost tion to a teammate. And with that information, you’ll
like playing a different game each time. need to work together to put on a show for the ages.

An interesting counterpoint to Pandemic (which can But not all co-op games are designed to play with your
suffer from one player taking over) comes in the form gaming group. Codenames: Duet is a cooperative two-
of Hanabi, a game in which players need to put on a player version of the breakout word game Codenames
spectacular fireworks show. The twist is that every by Czech Games Edition. Both players seek to get their
player holds their hand facing away from them — so partner to guess specific words while avoiding others.
It sounds simple, but requires a great deal of creative
thinking to uncover your agents before time runs out.

Where cooperative games may appear to be a simple

puzzle to solve on the surface, a combination of scaling
difficulty, legacy-style games, hidden traitors, and an
assortment of unique mechanics and expansions can
keep these titles fresh. The randomness inherent in
these games also makes every play through unique.
 Your Quest Awaits

featuring

www.GamelynGames.com
 12 S umm er 2 01 8

Semi-Cooperative games
So what happens when one of your teammates beats from invading monsters, but there’s still one winner at
you in a co-op game? Dead of Winter takes your the end of the game. So every action you take could both
standard co-op survival game and adds a twist: giving help and hinder your chances at winning. If the monsters
each player a secret objective that they’re trying to meet invade, everyone loses. But if you help your opponents
in addition to the main objective that the team is working too much in the defense, they’ll win.
towards. One of those secret objectives might be that
a player is a traitor and seeks the downfall of the very If you like this idea but want a bit more complexity,
colony the other players are trying to save! Archipelago fits the bill. Players need to explore the
Pacific, harvest resources, use them to make money,
Though Dead of Winter wouldn’t be considered a casual and meet their secret objectives. But they also need to
game with its heavier theme and more time-intensive work together to keep the native population from getting
experience, it is a great example of a game that requires too restless and declaring a revolt. It’s a stereotypically
players to balance cooperation with the drive to win. colonial game, but the strategy and semi-cooperative
These “semi-cooperative” games usually see everyone nature make it a standout in the genre.
working together to avoid a specific loss condition, while
still rewarding the player who achieved the most points. Some games may even feature more direct conflict, with
one player facing off against the rest of the team. This is
If you like the idea of a traitor in your midst, Betrayal at usually the case with hidden movement games. Scotland
House on the Hill is a great choice. In this tabletop classic Yard features one player moving around the map in secret,
from Wizards of the Coast, there’s always a traitor, but while the other players need to use clues to determine
no one knows who it will be or why. As players explore where they are and cut them off before they can get to
the haunted mansion, they draw room tiles that change their goal.
the layout each game, which randomly generates one of
50 game modes. Will one of the players be bitten by a While hidden movement games typify the asymmetrical
werewolf? Become possessed by a ghost? Each play through or “one-versus-many” genre of games, they fit nicely into
is a new experience; will you make it out alive this time? the semi-cooperative space as well. The seeking players
work together, while the hidden player does his or her
Castle Panic balances cooperative and competitive drives best to win. So there’s cooperation and competition in
very well. Players need to cooperate to defend the castle the same game.
Diving Into Cooperative Games
There’s a wide world of cooperative games out there, with Another popular option that won’t throw players into
a variety of themes and unique gameplay. Choosing one the deep end is Forbidden Desert. Players need to work
to start with can be intimidating. Here are four options together to excavate the dunes to find treasure, but
that will appeal to a wide range of gamers: they’ll also need to manage their water, seek shelter
from the sun, and figure out how to survive brutal desert
Pandemic is the king of cooperative games — but it’s also storms. A random setup as well as the chance inher-
extremely easy to learn and play. Of course, surviving ent in the Storm deck provides enough variety to keep
the apocalypse and wiping out illnesses is going to be a players coming back.
challenge. But the mechanics of the game are remarkably
simple, you can play a full game in 45 minutes, and it Despite its diminutive name, Tiny Epic Quest gives players
plays up to four players (or more, with expansions). Three a lot to think about. How will your team of elves try to
full expansions means you’ll have plenty of new stuff to save the land? Close the mystic portal or slay all the
check out once you come to grips with the game, too. goblins? No matter which you decide to do, you’ll need
to work together with other players...but you’ll also try
to take all the glory for yourself.

Mysterium is perfect for fans of Dixit and Clue (though

you certainly don’t need to be either). As an asymmetrical
co-op game, one player is the troubled ghost who cannot
speak but instead communicates with mediums through
picture cards. The rest of the group will need to figure
out who was present on the night of the ghost’s murder,
uncover the suspect who committed the crime, where,
and with what. It’s a bit like Clue, but one player gets
to play as the ghost of Mr. Boddy. It’s highly thematic,
interactive, full of beautiful art, and a whole lot of fun.

A New Kind of
Rewarding Experience
After reading about these cooperative games, you might Because we’re all
be wondering if winning a co-op game is really all that fans of casual games
rewarding. In a competitive game, you get to enjoy here, I’d be remiss
the tension as each player plans their moves and the not to mention the fact that many co-op games tell
satisfaction of knowing that, if you won, you outplayed stories, too. And in co-op games, all of the players help
your opponent through strategy and maybe a bit of luck. shape the story. At the end, you’ve created a work of
art together, and you all get to appreciate it — together.
Cooperative games don’t have that same feeling. But
that doesn’t mean they’re not as rewarding; it’s just Winning a cooperative game can be a hard feeling
a different kind of gratification. Co-op games certainly to describe. Most people understand the appeal of
aren’t easy, even with more people (Pandemic is easiest triumphing over an opponent, but fewer have experienced
with two, and quite difficult with four). At the end, the thrill of defeating what amounts to an antagonistic,
if you’ve played to your strengths and helped your angry, and aggressive puzzle. If you haven’t done this
teammates when they were struggling, you’ll come out yourself, it’s time to give it a shot. 5
on top, and the fact that you conquered a rather difficult
task together is very enjoyable.
 IMMERSIVE. ELEGANT. MASTERPIECE.

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abouttdefendinggyourrislanddhomeefrommcolonizinggInvadersss
Playersstakeeonntheeroleeoffspiritssofftheelandditself,,
eachhwithhitssownnuniqueeelementallpowerss
WILLLYOUUDEFEATTTHEEINVADERS??
Color Blind:
Keeping Sight of Game Accessibility
AnnaMaria Jackson-Phelps
Board Game Blogger and
Taco Enthusiast
 17

Imagine sitting down at the table to play with a group of friends. The
board is set up, the cards are passed out, and the minis arranged. Play
begins, but it’s soon apparent that there’s something amiss. While your
friends are talking about exchanging cards or moving pieces, you can’t
tell the difference between them individually—many look the same to you.

The Challenge for Color Blind Gamers

For many color blind gamers, this is a familiar situation. see desert/field/hills, mountain, clay/forest. I always
To put it into perspective, one in every 12 men and have to ask people what the tiles are.”
one in every 200 women are affected by some form of
color blindness. Given the numbers, there’s a chance Even with the most vivid colors used for pieces,
at least one member of your gaming group is affected differentiating game pieces by color can be an issue
with some type of color blindness. for color blind gamers. Michael Heron of Meeple Like
Us, a website dedicated to accessibility in games,
There’s a host of challenges for color blind players: sums it up well: “[The] biggest issue in tabletop game
cards are hard to tell apart, cubes appear identical, design is when color is used as the only source of
even sections of the board may be difficult to read. For information on game state. There’s no such thing as
two color blind gamers, Jason Lees and Cameron Bales, a color palette that is genuinely 100% accessible to
it can be a struggle to differentiate key components everyone, although there are color palettes that are
of the game. much better than others.”

It was in a recent game of Village that Lees had difficulty Heron adds, “We’re all a little bit color blind in some
with the resource tokens. “The green-and-brown cubes circumstances. Lighting conditions come into effect,
were so tough to distinguish,” explains Lees. and this can have a massive impact on how easy it is
to tell things apart. It’s best to think of color blindness
Bales, on the other hand, points out an inability to see accessibility as something that benefits everyone — like
terrain or hex types across the Settlers of Catan board. all accessibility fixes, really. If your game isn’t depen-
“When I look at the map, I just can’t see the colors of dent on color, you’re protected against digital versus
most of the resource tiles,” describes Bales. “I think I print color inconsistencies and environmental issues.”

In Catan, the resource tiles can be difficult to distinguish for players with red/green color blindness
(original photo provided by Scott King Photography).
 18 S umm er 2 01 8

Publishers and the Manufacturing Process

At first glance, it seems like it would be a simple fix Michael Fisher, president of the board game manufacturer
for publishers to address the color blind issue in the Grand Prix International, Inc. “Typically, we see that the
design process. So why do companies design game fewest number of molds possible are invested in, and then
components to look the same in the first place? separate colors are molded across [that] common shape.
This is obviously the most economical approach given the
“I think the question you’re asking is what is more common: trend toward lower production quantities, and therefore
separate designs (and molds) for tokens/characters, or a lower number of products to amortize the upfront costs
just different colors across a common shape,” explains against.” Fisher adds:

“If the project is a higher price point item, or a much higher production
quantity, there’s more financial viability to support multiple molds
that will produce differentiated shapes (and colors at the same time).”
— Michael Fisher
President, Grand Prix International, Inc.

The main reason publishers go to game manufacturers Many new games use both colors and symbols to indicate
with similar component design boils down to cost. Colored different things, and games with physical resource
wooden cubes are cheaper than custom molds, while card- components are starting to vary the shapes from piece to
board pieces are more efficient with just a couple basic piece. Ticket to Ride is a good example of an early adapter:
shapes. Different types of tokens are harder to source trains are indicated not just by color but by a symbol, and
than various colors of the same one. Additionally, ease of the images used for the various train cars differ in the
scavenging parts for prototypes to demo is also a factor. second edition of the game. So as the board slowly fills
up with similar train pieces, players can identify which
Fortunately, more and more game publishers are starting trains belong to each player.
to take accessibility into account while printing games.

In Ticket to Ride, the corners of the cards contain symbols that match the train spaces on the board (original
photo provided by Henk Rolleman).
L a n t e r n s : T h e H a r v e s t Fe s t i v a l i s a n o t h e r f a n t a s t i c
example of changing the design to become more
accessible. The object of the game is to place tiles
covered in different colored lanterns onto the table,
earning players points. (You can see where the issue
might be with this.) But Foxtrot Games designed the
game so the colored cards and tiles also contain
lanterns with shapes that are particular to each
individual color.

In Lanterns, the lanterns of each color can also

be distinguished by their shape (original photo
provided by AnnaMaria Jackson-Phelps).
 20 S umm er 2 01 8

N e w e r g a m e s l i k e M y s t e r y o f t h e Te m p l e s m a d e industry with various [types of] color blindness, and

numerous tweaks to the game before they launched we send them images and prototypes to verify what
d i s t r i b u t i o n . “ We ’ re u s i n g v a r i o u s a p p s a n d o n l i n e w e ’ r e d o i n g w o r k s . T h e r e ’s a l s o j u s t s o m e s i m p l e
tools to check that our changes work for various rules we’re following, like making sure colored items
[types of] color blindness, and/or contrast issues,” have unique shapes or icons, reducing the amount of
explains Tiffany Caires, Marketing Director for Deep red and green used together, etc.”
W a t e r G a m e s . “ We a l s o h a v e c o n t a c t s w i t h i n t h e

Spotting the Issue

Game creation can be a very involved and detailed “ H a n a b i i s a g a m e t h a t I t h i n k s u ff e r s f ro m t h i s , ”
process. The designers constantly playtest the game continues Heron. “It’s playable for those with color
and tweak rules for months or even years before blindness, but it’s not especially easy to describe.”
s e n d i n g i t t o t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r. D e s i g n i n g g a m e Hanabi is a cooperative game that tasks players to put
elements that make it more accessible may not on the greatest firework show imaginable. The catch
even cross their mind. So, what are some things is that each player has their hands facing away from
that publishers can look out for in particular when them, and the other players give hints as to what cards
designing games? to choose in their hand. Trying to describe fireworks
without using the color can quickly dampen the fun.
“If you’re using icons or shapes to differentiate the
various parts of the game, it’s much better if they can But Heron points out that not all games rely solely
be easily described verbally,” offers Michael Heron. on cards. “Some games link color to game role for
“That helps with a number of accessibility problems components: ‘The blue pawn is the medic’ or ‘the red
but mainly it means when someone asks ‘Oh, which pawn is the soldier,’” Heron says. “That makes it hard
one is that,’ you can actually say something like ‘it’s f o r p e o p l e t o s w a p i n m o re d i s t i n c t i v e t o k e n s i f a
the bird’ as opposed to ‘it’s the slightly fuzzy blob color palette can’t be supplemented with some other
with the two smaller blobs rather than the sharper channel of information. That’s rare though. Even if
pair of blobs with the single blob.’” you’re using dice, you can investigate different face
types, transparency versus opaque, marbling patterns
versus without and so on.”
As a color blind gamer, Cameron Bales has given this
some thought. “I usually look for games with large,
clear iconography that would work printed in black
and white. That’s the simplest, safest thing,” explains
Bales. “What I’d like to tell the graphic designers
at game companies: design in color, but print your
designs in grayscale at 1/2 size and see if they are
playab le. T h i s w o u l d l e t t h e m t e s t f o r c o l o r i s s u e s
and acuity issues.”

Richard Gibbs of 64oz Games (another site dedicated

to accessibility in gaming) has four guidelines for
designers. “If it can have an icon, use an icon! If it
c a n ’t h a v e a n i c o n , u s e d i ff e r e n t s h a p e s . I f i t c a n ’t
u s e d i ff e r e n t s h a p e s o r d i ff e r e n t i c o n s , a v o i d t h e
danger combos. Learn more about color blindness
and test whatever colors you finalize with a color
b l i n d s i m u l a t o r. ”

W h i l e n o t p e r f e c t , o n l i n e t o o l s a n d re s o u rc e s l i k e C V
Simulator provide some context on what someone with
color blindness might be seeing. Also, thinking and
testing for this in early stages is huge — playtesting
s h o u l d d e f i n i t e l y c o v e r t e s t s f o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y.
 22 S umm er 2 01 8

Above: Azul’s patterned tiles provide some help for color blind players, but replacements may still be
needed for the solid-colored red and blue tiles (original photo provided by Henk Rolleman). Below: the dice
in Sagrada are only differentiated by color (original photo provided by Scott King Photography).

At-Home Hacks
What about those games already sitting on your shelf since substituted the solid-colored tiles in Azul with
that are less than perfect? Color blind gamers still new printed ones. Next Move Games has printed tiles
want to play those buzzworthy titles, so there have available that can make a great substitution for the
been numerous color blind hacks/modifications to solid red and blue tiles.
make them accessible. Callum Taylor created black and
white stickers for Settlers of Catan. Easily identifiable, Websites and forums have allowed color blind gamers
these icon-based aids are applied to the tiles so that to discuss hacks or purchase aids. Hobbyists on Board
telling terrain apart is no longer an issue. Game Geek share ideas from repainting pieces to
using dots to mark the variety of card games out
Jason Lees mentioned home modding to overcome there. 64oz Games also publishes printable hacks on
issues as well. “T he only game I’ve modded (though t h e i r w e b s i t e f o r H a n a b i , S e t , R a c e f o r t h e G a l a x y,
I’ve considered a few) is Village. What I did, which and Battleline. These work by printing to stickers,
was successful, was using a Sharpie to put a dot on then applying to the game itself.
each brown cube. That differentiated the browns and
greens. I did the same thing on the boards and cards Other gamers mentioned swapping out dice in games
so I could easily tell green from brown.” like Sagrada and Harvest Dice to colors and dice
types that were more accessible. As dice come in
Even recent releases will get the color blind hack all manner of sizes, colors, and patterns, finding a
t re a t m e n t . N e x t M o v e G a m e s ’ A z u l f o c u s e s o n t i l e - good substitution doesn’t take too much time — your
laying to create works of art. Color blind gamers have average game store usually has dice by the bin full!
Make Your Voice Heard
The best way to help make changes for accessibility
in the community is to make your voice heard. Having
trouble seeing a piece? Notice your color blind friend
is staring furrow browed at a set of cards? Email the
manufacturer or mention it on their social media page.
With the amount of competition for crowdfunding
dollars, as well as the push for inclusivity in gaming,
publishers and designers are taking notice.

Jason Glover talks about feedback changes during

PLAGUE: the Card Game’s development. “While demoing
the game at Gen Con, I had a number of people ask if
changes would be made to the game so that color blind
people could play. I had only heard this brought up one
time before by a friend of mine who is actually color
blind, but at Gen Con I heard about it from about half
a dozen people. I launched the Kickstarter campaign
without any changes to the game as far as the color
blind aspects are concerned. Guess what? I got a ton of
emails asking for a change so that color blind people
could enjoy the game. So I did make the change with
the help of our backers’ feedback.”

Comments on Capstone Games’ The Estates Kickstarter

prompted a change, as well — what was formerly a
stretch goal for a sticker sheet to apply patterns on the
floor cubes was directly integrated into the game. Clay
Ross, the creative mind behind the game, mentioned
it in an update: “It’s because of your comments and
suggestions that we came to this solution.”

Newer editions of Splendor include symbology for each

color after players mentioned it was hard to play with
just colored circles depicted on the cards. Numerous
other games are incorporating color blind accessibility
as well, directly based on feedback from players.

As more people in the community push for strides in

accessibility, issues like color blind inclusiveness in
gaming becomes the standard. Communities can be
found to share issues and offer support, while resources
are being created to finally bring those difficult classics
to the table. What’s most important is that your voice
matters and is definitely being heard.

After all, the more people we can get to the gaming

table, the better. 5
24

FORTHEWIN
The Art of Winning (and Losing)

Andrew Birkett
Freelance Journalist and Chief
Storyteller of Atheris Games
 25

Most gamers have heard of or witnessed a game gone terribly wrong:

some player takes an overwhelmingly large lead, and then proceeds
to gloat about their impending victory and further demolish the other
players’ hope. It rips the fun out of the experience for everyone, and
can dissuade those gamers from wanting to try that game again. But can
anyone blame the all-mighty winner? The goal of most board games is
in fact to emerge victorious, right?
A c c o rd i n g t o Ja m e s Hu d s o n , f o u n d e r o f D r u i d C i t y to influence player’s decisions, enable strategies, as well
Games and proprietor of Board Game Spotlight, that as form game length and pace. According to Board Game
would be wrong. He feels the ultimate purpose of Geek, the definition of a game is “something where a
gaming is to provide an escape that allows us to “engage single person or a group competes or cooperates toward
w i t h o u r f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y.” I f Hu d s o n i s r i g h t i n a goal, whereby one or more players win or one or more
believing that the purpose of gaming is to spend quality players lose.”
time with family and friends, then should any player
intentionally crush other players to the point of making Without having a win condition in which the player(s)
it an unenjoyable experience for them? And if we should emerge victorious or defeated, the game would simply
choose not to crush other players with no remorse, then b e c o m e a n a c t i v i t y. In a c o m p e t i t i ve g a m e w i t h o n l y
how can we mitigate potential negative experiences for one winner, a player should always conti nue to make
other players while still playing competitively? t h e m o s t o p t i m a l d e c i s i o n s i n o rd e r t o e n s u r e t h e i r
victor y among their rivals, even if this makes a less than
On one hand of the argument, a game designer sets enjoyable experience for other players.
victor y conditions for a reason. Win conditions are used

Does Competitive Also Mean Combative?

Ken Shannon, game designer of titles such as Tournament at Camelot and Approaching
Dawn: The Witching Hour, describes himself as extremely competitive and thereby
might at least partially agree with this viewpoint. Additionally, his idea of the main
purpose of gaming is the “intellectual engagement in a social setting.”
He further adds: “It takes the place of physical, tactical, and
strategic actions I imagine I would have done in a war.”

If the purpose of gaming is intellectual

engagement like the tactical decisions of war,
then the goal should be to crush the enemy
at all costs, right? As the expression goes,
all is fair in love and war. On the other
hand, it is not considerate to the other
gamers you’re playing with to demolish
t h e i r g a m i n g p l e a s u r e . Hu d s o n w o u l d
likely argue that the mentality of winning
at all costs would go against his purpose
for gaming.
 26 S umm er 2 01 8

“I do enjoy winning (who doesn’t?), but not at the cost someone who is bragging and rubbing it in, then that
of ruining the fun for others,” Hudson explains. “I ver y dissuades me terribly.”
much discourage ‘hyper competitiveness’ in my gaming
groups. I have seen that type of behavior suck the fun With all that being said, most gamers probably do not agree
right out of a game session. Then you have a big group of fully with either point of view, but lie somewhere in the
people not having fun, and that is why we play games!” middle. Despite the fact that Shannon is a very competitive
player, he realizes that crushing someone in a game can be
Hudson also points out that we live in times in which tough on players, especially younger players and more casual
our schedules are tight and careers and families get gamers. He has on occasion made suboptimal decisions to help
in the way of additional social interaction. Gaming other players win. Though he says that games with deception
provides the escape needed for gamers to enjoy mechanisms are ones for which he is particularly willing to
themselves, relieve stress, and spend time with family fall into this play style.
and friends. When gamers take time out of their busy
s c h e d u l e s , t h e y e x p e c t t o e n j oy t h e e x p e r i e n c e . T h e y Although Hudson is all for providing the most enjoyable
don’t necessarily have to win. experience for gamers, that doesn’t mean that he lets his
8-year-old son beat him—Hudson says his son must earn his
“I don’t think players are dissuaded by losing, I think victories. Therefore, James Hudson, Ken Shannon, and most
they are dissuaded by bad attitudes,” describes Hudson. other gamers likely believe that playing just to win with no
“I lose all the time, no big deal, but if I am losing to empathy for other players is not the best game plan.

Be the Change You Want to See

So, what can players do to continue playing competitively playing. If the veteran player doesn’t make enough of
while simultaneously making sure not to ruin the an effor t to explain the game and potential strategies,
experience for other players? they could be subjecting that ne w player to a less than
ideal play experience.
A common cause of negative experiences in gaming is
when a new player competes against a player who is This can be circumvented in several ways. Paramount
already well seasoned with the par ticular game they’re is explaining the rules thoroughly to new players to

“I very much discourage ‘hyper competitiveness’

in my gaming groups. I have seen that type of
behavior suck the fun right out of a game session.
Then you have a big group of people not having
fun, and that is why we play games!”

— James Hudson
Founder of Druid City Games
 28 S umm er 2 01 8

make sure that no one player is at an unfair advantage. A n o t h e r c o m m o n re a s o n f o r n e g a t i ve g a m i n g e x p e r i -

Additionally, these new players should be warned about ences is overly obnoxious players. These p layers can be
common pitfalls, especially in games that require build reined in by communicating with them. If they’re an
up, since early tactical errors might make the rest of adult, other players should be able to talk to them about
the game unenjoyable. Par t of that involves informing their behaviors and how they adversely affect the group.
the ne w players of potential strategies and play styles. Though it can sometimes be tough to talk to someone
Final ly, a seasoned player could tr y to test out a strat- about their obnoxious behaviors, it can be necessar y to
egy they’ve previously not tried in lieu of their usual p rov i d e a c o m p l e t e l y we l c o m e a n d f u n g ro u p f o r a l l .
strategies and actions. All gaming groups need to have r ules and procedures in
place for dealing with and resolving conflicts.

Win the Battle, Lose the Group

Ad d i t i o n a l l y, e ve n i f a c t i ve l y c o m p e t i n g f o r t h e w i n , guidelines for the group to prevent any player from
all players should always avoid certain destructive feeling attacked will go a long way to eliminating toxic
actions and behaviors. Some of those behaviors include: behaviors in your gaming group.
targeting take-that actions over whelmingly to any single
p l a y e r, t r a s h t a l k i n g a n d / o r c o n d e s c e n d i n g r e m a r k s , Though it is easy to get into a competitive mode while
gloating, disengaging anyone from the game (such as gaming, tuning back some of the more inappropriate
through serious “analysis paralysis”), cheating, tr ying to behaviors such as trash talking, gloating, and personal
bend and interpret game r ules in a manner that allows targets of par ticular negative in-game actions will go
you to beat other players, and any other behavior that a long way towards making sure your group does not
might be construed as non-inclusive to any other player. lose any members.

The most imperative thing is to make sure that ever yone A d d i t i o n a l l y, f o r s o m e p l a y e r s w h o a r e o v e r t l y

at the table feels welcomed and comfortable playing competitive, it is wise to avoid playing strictly
the game. It is critical to be open and inclusive with competitive games and instead opt for co-op games.
gaming and the introduction of ne w gamers needs to B y p l a y i n g c o - o p g a m e s a n d w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r, t h e
be a positive experience for them to continue with competitive player can avoid bringing out some of their
t h e h o b b y. U l t i m a t e l y, a l l p l a y e r s ( e s p e c i a l l y n e w more unbecoming characteristics.
gamers) should be aware that overly competitive, r ude
or unethical play styles will not be tolerated. Creating

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Board gaming is meant to be a fun escape
from the day-to-day stresses in one’s life whil e
simultaneously providing a great avenue to
connect and share memories with those we love.
Though it is reasonable to get a bit competitive,
it should never come to a point where any
one player diminishes the play experience for
another player.
Fluxx has a brand
new mechanic!

Learning Rules
will get your Brain
in gear with
anatomical trivia.
 30 S umm er 2 01 8

There are ways to ease some of the negatives

of losing for other players without having to
Where do you fall on the
g i v e u p o n o n e ’s c o m p e t i t i v e n a t u r e . H o w e v e r, spectrum? Do you lean more
it is likely impossible to completely eliminate towards conquering your
any sour notions about losing in gaming. Most
people would prefer not to lose, but ultimately a opponents like a tactical
majority of folks are less concerned about losing war general or are you all
than they are about enjoying themselves. It is
our job as gamers to work to avoid hyper-com-
for ensuring that all players
petitive play in our gaming groups and ensure have excellent, fun times
fun for all players. 5
while gaming with you? Join
the discussion by tweeting
to Andrew @AtherisAndrew
on Twitter with the hashtag:

#CGIwinning

Race to make the molecules match and be the

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A new social game of

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www.blueorangegames.com | 415.252.0372 (415) 252-0372
32

Penny
Pinching:
Board Gaming on a Budget

Luke Muench
Developer, Writer, and All-Around
Board Game Enthusiast

W
henever I suggest someone should consider delving into the rich and
varied hobby of board gaming, the one factor that deters them the
most is the seemingly large cost that comes with it. Board games can
range from $10 to well over $100, with some titles being customizable to an
overwhelming level. From upgraded components to various expansion packs,
any one game can change a $30 affair to something far more extensive and
costly. And when you are already uncertain of where you should start, this can
quickly become a deal-breaker.
 33

We live in a day and age when board gaming is on the rise, yet there are few resources made explicitly
for people just getting into the hobby. So for those who do decide to take the leap, it’s important to
find a way to be informed and make it manageable monetarily. Fortunately, this is a subject that has
been covered in recent blogs, podcasts, and YouTube shows, like my channel Budget Board Gamer.

So whether you’re new to gaming or a veteran of the hobby, here is some advice to make things
easier on your wallet. No matter who you are, saving a couple bucks is never a bad thing, and while
the subject does cater to newer members of the board gaming craze, I think the following can be
helpful to anyone throwing cash at their unwieldy and ever-growing collection.

Be Selective
As of June 2018, there are over 99,000 board games, That said, don’t expect that the first few games you
expansions, and re-releases registered on Board Game get will be your favorites. The first game I picked
Geek (BGG) — a website dedicated to all things board up, Small World by Days
gaming. So if you’re looking to pick out a game for o f Wo n d e r, n o w a d o r n s m y
yourself, make sure it’s one you really want to play. apartment wall as an art
Is the theme something that excites you? How much p i e c e ; a re m i n d e r o f w h e re
strategy are you looking for? How much luck should play I started this journey and
into who wins? How nice are the components? These how far I’ve come. So pick
are all factors that need to be heavily weighed and something that you think
considered, and some of this will come with time and looks mind-blowingly cool.
experience.

Do Your Research
There are a lot of factors to consider when looking for You also want to keep an eye out for games with high
a new board game, and you won’t have the answers to replayability — the more times a game hits the table,
most of them by simply looking at the box. Sites like t h e m o re t h e i n i t i a l c o s t i s w o r t h i t . T h e p o i n t i s ,
BGG are fantastic research tools built for this reason. if you’re going to spend the time and the money to
Find a game’s page, see what people are saying about play it, you should have a pretty good idea of what
it, what game mechanics it contains, and a handful of to expect well before you open the box.
price quotes. But don’t stop there; find some recent
reviews to see how the game has held up over time.

Hype and Type

Sites like BGG will have ranking/rating systems, and It can be easy to see positive ratings and be swept
curate a list of top rated games that fluctuate as away by the idea of a complex and involved game
t i t l e s a re re l e a s e d . C o m m u n i t y h y p e i s a l s o a re a l like Terra Mystica. But, more often than not, the most
thing, so sites might also include a “hot list” of complex games are the most expensive due to how
highly anticipated or trending games. While seemingly many components are involved. And without having
helpful, these lists can potentially be a big waste experienced the game at least once beforehand, you
of time. BGG’s list is about the overall ranking, not could be dropping a ton of money on a game that you
about the best games that fit your specific tastes. may not even enjoy.
 34 S umm er 2 01 8

Rather than focusing on the games everyone else is find games that scratch a similar itch. So while a game’s
talking about, look for types of games that you know you rank can help to indicate an overall quality of a product
like, then use resources like the BGG forum, geeklists, to the masses, it shouldn’t be a number that you rely
or the countless videos and articles on the internet to on to measure if a game will be good for you.

Dealing With It
There are deals for anything if you go looking for them, The same can said about brick-and-mortar stores,
and board gaming is no exception. Various websites with certain deals going on throughout the year. Big
will hold big clearance sales when they become name chains or local game stores may also have
overstocked, with a sale showing up on newsfeeds and regular or seasonal promotions. In a day and age
in emails every couple of days. Big names like Amazon when you can get just about anything you set your
will have annual board game sales, while associated mind to from a variety of sources, make sure it’s for
sites like CamelCamelCamel will keep track of any pop the best price you can find.
up specials. Sometimes being patient today will have
your wallet thanking you tomorrow.

Stay Informed
Speaking of sales, I’ve set up my Facebook, Twitter,
and email to bombard me with notices regarding sales,
contests, and more to help me be aware of what new
things are headed to store shelves and how cheap I
can get them for. While I’m not saying to make your
accounts become a pile of ads, consider following or
subscribing to those publishers that produce games
that really appeal to you. It could save you a lot of
time and money in the long-run. Board game forums
on sites like BGG or Reddit can also be a simple way
to stay connected to the community, and keep you
posted on new deals or new stock for popular games.

Support Your FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store)

To s o m e , t h i s w i l l s e e m t o c o n t r a d i c t m y p r e v i o u s featuring the game before purchasing. Most have some

points; going to a store to pay full price for my s o r t o f l o y a l t y p ro g r a m , p ro v i d i n g b e t t e r d i s c o u n t s
games? How will that save me money? In order to the more you support the store. And for those who
compete with online giants like Amazon and Cool Stuff are newer to board gaming, having someone there to
Inc, local retailers have come up with various reasons w a l k y o u t h ro u g h w h a t g a m e s a re w o r t h y o u r t i m e
as to why you should stop in. Many have back rooms and money is well worth the price of the game itself.
of games for people to freely play, allowing you to S t o r e s m a y a l s o o ff e r c o m m u n i t y s w a p s o r g a r a g e
try out a ton of games before you buy them. Some sales for used games.
will even give you a discount if you attend an event
 Visit builditgames.ca for all the details.

The home building game where you compete

to build your house on time and on budget.
Family fun
with your
favourite
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 36 S umm er 2 01 8

Giveaways Galore
N o w, I ’ m n o t t r y i n g t o s a y y o u s h o u l d r e l y o n
g i v e a w a y s a n d t h e p r o m i s e s o f f r e e s t u ff t o a c t i v e l y
build your collection. More often than not, those
contests won’t be featuring games that you have any
interest in. All the same, there’s no harm in entering
these contests; most of these contests are free, and
you’ll educate yourself on the types of games being
released in the process.

There’s a list of such giveaways on BoardGameGeek.com,

but some Facebook pages specialize in informing their
f o l l o w e r s o f s u c h d e a l s a n d e v e n t s . Yo u a l s o d o n ’t
want to miss Casual Game Revolution’s big giveaways, Enter to win these great casual games (US only):
which usually coincide with the release of each new CasualGameRevolution.com/latest-giveaway
issue of Casual Game Insider.

Print & Play

Free Print & Play games offer an opportunity for players to try out games on the cheap, costing only what is
needed to print the necessary cards and other components.

Some publishers, in the hopes of growing their community and brand, have freely provided their works online as PDFs.
Those interested can print off the necessary cards or components and, using card sleeves and dice, can experience
some fantastic games for relatively cheap. No, these won’t be the prettiest things to look at, but it helps inform
players as to what they like, allowing you to grow your collection early for little to no money down. And if you end
up liking the game enough, you can always go out and buy your own retail copy down the road.

You can sometimes find Print & Play copies on the publisher’s site, and BGG has a section of their site dedicated to
this. Here are four of my favorite Print & Play games worth checking out: Tiny Epic Kingdoms (Gamelyn Games), Deep
Space D-6 (Tau Leader Games), ...And Then We Held Hands (LudiCreations), and Elevenses for One (Eagle-Gryphon Games).
 3 2 Parrot

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 38 S umm er 2 01 8

Your Board Gaming Buddy

At the end of the day, you won’t be able to afford you. Not all board games are expensive, but if you’re
every game you’ve ever wanted to play, and it’s a wanting to turn your love of gaming into a hobby, it
r o o k i e m i s t a k e t o b u y e v e r y t h i n g y o u w a n t t o t r y. can start to add up quickly. So don’t just throw money
Fortunately, this hobby is rife with people with huge at a game you might not even like; figure out what
game collections just looking to hang out and play. kind of games you like, research which titles fit the
Whether it’s through your FLGS, conventions, meet- bill, and find ways to pick them up for cheap. There
ups, or word of mouth, you should be able to find are definitely ways to break into the hobby without
someone with knowledge, experience, and a wealth breaking the bank. 5
of games to play. Now, I’m not saying you should go
looking for these people just to leech off their games; Luke Muench is a regular contributor to The Cardboard
go to make friends, to hang out, and to hopefully Herald blog and host of the Youtube cha nnel Budget
join or establish a gaming group. (After all, games B o a r d G a m e r. T h i s a r t i c l e w a s o r i g i n a l l y p u b l i s h e d
are only as good as the people playing them.) As August 8, 2017 on www.CardboardHerald.com.
long as your friendship is mutual and everyone is
respectful of one another, there’s no reason not to
use your friends as a resource to learn more of what
you do or don’t like.

There you have it — some solid pieces of budget board

gamer advice that will have your wallet thanking

Our heads are filled with stories! There are Martian ruins that must be uncovered, exotic cars that must
be raced, crazy Japanese demons wrecking havoc, silly ghosts stealing socks, mutated crops being fed &
neighbors being downright annoying...
A STORY FOR EVERY GAME & A GAME FOR EVERY STORY!
www.atherisgames.com #playatheris
40

Riding Out
Riding Out the
the Storm:
Storm:
FromBoat
From Boatto
toBoard
Boardwith
withNorth
NorthStar
StarGames
Games
For North Star Games co-founder Dominic Crapuchettes,
publishing casual games floats his boat.

Josher Lumpkin
Freelance Writer and
Hardcore Board Gamer
 41

Things weren’t looking so great for Alaskan salmon fishing vessel

captain Dominic Crapuchettes.

“We were taking on water and all of our electronics

went dead,” recalls Crapuchettes, who now runs
North Star Games. “All of our radios were dead.”
A fierce storm raged outside the small boat. Violent waves caused
them to bob helplessly in the unrelenting wind and rain. With no way
to contact the shore and no power, Crapuchettes feared the worst.

“I turned on a flashlight, opened up our floorboards,

and our engine was nearly completely submerged.
Our batteries were submerged,” Crapuchettes says.
“If we’d taken in enough water to get sucked
into the air intake at the top of the engine,
then that would have just killed the engine and
we all would have been completely dead.”

With mortal dread as a compelling motivator, Crapuchettes and his

crew began frantically searching the boat for the source of the
leak. They found that a wayward tow line, typically reserved for
docking the vessel to shore, had found its way into the propeller
and somehow spun open the boat’s 12-inch propeller access hatch
inside the boat.

“We basically had a foot diameter hole in the

bottom of our boat, just gushing in water,” says
Crapuchettes.
With the hole located, they were able to close the hatch and pump
out the water, but the harrowing event terrified Crapuchettes. He
longed to get off the boat for good to follow his dream of starting
a board game company.

“I knew in my heart what I was gonna do,” says Crapuch-

ettes. “But then it played out over many years. Every
new life-threatening experience where I was
literally close to dying, I would go, ‘Okay, I’m
gonna stop.’”
 42 S umm er 2 01 8

New Horizons
Finally, after 12 seasons captaining the salmon boat, in 2003 he
jumped ship and went all in on board games. There was just one
problem: Crapuchettes had never run a company before.

“I knew nothing about business,” Crapuchettes tells Casual Game

Insider, “so I wanted to figure out how to start up a company, to
learn about entrepreneurship, and to find a business partner. So I
applied to business school and got in. I got really lucky.”

It was at University of Maryland’s business school that Crapuchettes,

then in his early thirties, met Satish Pillalamarri, who would become
his business partner and co-founder of North Star Games. Satish Pillalamarri and Dominic Crapuchettes posing at
Target with the first edition of Wits and Wagers (2006)
“Usually, your summer internship in business school is working
with a big corporation, but mine was just a summer internship didn’t want the family watching too much television, preferring
with my own company, and I convinced my future business partner more interactive ways to pass the time, such as playing games.
to join me,” says Crapuchettes. “I got a grant from the Kauffman Crapuchettes learned how to play chess by the time he was four
Foundation, which I paid to Satish, because that was basically my years old and was playing competitively by the time he was eight.
only capital at that point. So he got paid and I just worked for free.” When he was in eighth grade, he made up a game called Kabloogi
— which was banned from his school because too many kids were
Like most people who work in the board game industry, Crapuchettes playing it in class.
has been a lifelong gamer. Growing up, he says his French mother

All Hands on Deck

In the 1990s, Crapuchettes got hooked on Magic: The Gathering In a sealed deck format event, players are given six unopened
and hit the tournament scene. packs of cards from which to create a deck. It differs from standard
format, where players bring a deck constructed of cards from
“When I wasn’t fishing in Alaska, I was playing Magic,” he tells their own collection.
Casual Game Insider. “I think the first Pro Tour was in New York
in ‘95, and I got invited because I called 100 times. I didn’t take “I loved designing decks. I loved drafting a deck and designing it.
it super seriously. I was paying my way through college, and if it So really it was the game design bug that made me love Magic.”
was convenient, I went to the pro tour. And I think I earned about
$30,000 doing it over a period of several years.” Unfortunately, it was the World Wide Web and the ability of players
to share their decks that killed Magic for him.
Crapuchettes says his experience playing Magic: The Gathering
stoked his interest in designing games. “I played pre-internet. It was really hard to come up with a deck
that wasn’t on the internet that could beat internet decks. In fact,
“Part of the reason I loved Magic was because I loved the sealed I only did it once, maybe twice,” Crapuchettes tells us.
deck tournament,” he says.
 44

Great Minds Think Alike

In 2001, Crapuchettes and two other game designers started my hobby games and seeing how difficult that is. And then going
Protospiel — a convention where game creators gather to test out back to the drawing board and figuring out how to design games
their newest designs in a casual environment. The event is still that are easy to explain that still kinda capture that fun that I love.”
running today. In fact, a dozen cities now host their own regional
Protospiel conventions. Crapuchettes tried out his game Wits & Wagers on over 1,000 people
at craft fairs, toy shows, and game conventions. He asked anybody
When Crapuchettes and Pillalamarri started up North Star Games, he could get his hands on to play. Through this extensive playtesting,
they had only a modest goal in mind: to create beloved board games the designer gathered valuable information he used to refine the
that are good enough to be played by generation after generation. game. He kept only the most fun parts and ditched everything else.
The result was an incredibly engaging trivia guessing game, where
“For that to happen, a game’s gotta be something that resonates players bet on each others’ best estimations of answers.
with people and is really fun and compelling,” Crapuchettes says.
“But it’s also gotta be simple enough that you can teach it and it All their hard work on Wits & Wagers paid off. According to North Star,
has a natural progression to the next generation.” the game is the most awarded party game in history — including the
Revolutionary award from Casual Game Revolution. Further, the team was
“The edge that I have is my understanding of board games, coupled able to do something that other hobby gamers hadn’t done before: crack
with my understanding of non-gamers,” Crapuchettes continues. into the mass market. Crapuchettes and Pillalamarri got Wits & Wagers
“That’s where I have a serious edge over most anyone, even in the onto shelves at Target stores in 2006 and it has been available there ever
industry. I love board games, but I also have a lot of non-gamer since. Other titles in the series, such as the stripped-down, gambling-free
friends. I have a lot of experience with trying to get them to play version, Wits & Wagers Family, and more have also seen phenomenal sales.

Deciding What to Rule Out

The combination of North Star Games’ extensive refinement process
and setting aggressive, ambitious goals has been successful for
the business, but it also takes a lot of time and labor.

“That’s why we release so few games,” explains Crapuchettes.

And though Crapuchettes is deep down himself a hobby gamer —
two of his favorites include Diplomacy and Dungeons & Dragons
— he says an important part of his craft isn’t adding a bunch
of rules to a game, but rather removing them for a smoother
experience.

“The appetite for rules in the hobby gaming world is extremely “The end result is people notice, ‘I taught this game to my
high, so to solve a problem in a game’s design, you can always parents and they seemed to like it!’ but they don’t realize why
just add another rule. That’s such a simple way to solve a that process was so much simpler with a North Star game,”
problem compared to ‘how do I remove a rule and solve two Crapuchettes says. “But I know why! It’s because we’ve tested
problems?’” Crapuchettes says. “‘How do I remove two rules and it, we’ve tried it, and we’ve really looked at the speedbumps
add one that can solve three problems?’ So it’s just a lot harder and tried to figure out how do we remove every one of them.”
and it takes a lot more time to solve the issues with fewer rules.”
 46 S umm er 2 01 8

The Evolution of North Star

In Evolution, players design animal species to adapt to a changing
ecosystem and changes in the food supply. Using a combination
of hand management, action allocations, and a little bit of luck,
they compete to become the dominant species. As with North
Star Games’ mass market titles, Crapuchettes and his team spent
time testing and refining Evolution.

“For a hobby game of its depth, Evolution is very simple to teach.

In fact, the biggest issue I’ve had with Evolution is that the depth “Making the mechanics invoke theme was really tough,” says
is hidden too well for savvy gamers. The savvy gamers think, ‘oh Crapuchettes. “Making the game easy to learn, balanced, and
yeah that’s kinda simplistic.’ But if you get under the hood of also thematic means you throw away lots of good rules that
the game you’ll see there’s really amazing balance. You have a work perfectly fine on two levels, but just don’t nail the theme
lot of control. I just spent so much time simplifying the ruleset quite right.”
and making it so easy to learn that it hid away the depth.”
Evolution has been written about in the prestigious academic
But there’s another factor involved when writing a game like journal Nature, and is used in schools around the world to
Evolution. The game has to feel right. Theme has to be integrated demonstrate how our world selects for species who are able to
with simple mechanics so that players can imagine that they adapt in the face of developing conditions.
are actually becoming the fantastic beast in a dynamic climate.

Going All In
North Star Games’ next act will be the 2-to-8 player wild Crapuchettes describes the gameplay: “You’re vying to be
west-themed card game Most Wanted. A design collaboration the most wanted outlaw. There’s a lot of building up a
between Crapuchettes and Happy Salmon designers Ken hand, going head-to-head for high cards or pairs. It’s not a
Gruhl and Quentin Weir, Most Wanted “does for poker what legacy-style game, but it has some elements. You can kinda
King of Tokyo did for Yahtzee.” progress and incorporate other actions into the game which
bring it closer to poker, but we removed the things that
“My seven-year-old son was my biggest playtester for this are confusing to non-poker players. There’s no ‘full house,’
game,” says Crapuchettes. “It is his favorite game bar none, ‘flush,’ or ‘straight.’”
by a longshot. We’ve played over seventy times now.”
Crapuchettes says the game will make a fun and stimulating
casual game for hobby gamers while meeting North Star
Games’ standard of being easy to teach and not having any
fiddly rules.

“Any gamer that plays it I think will go, ‘Wow! I can play
this with my family!’ So the gamers, I think, are going to be
real key beachheads, because they have an appetite to try
new games to see if they’re fun,” he says. “And this game
is just packed with fun.”
 available now

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 48 S umm er 2 01 8

Risky Business
So how does running a game company stack up to
risking his life on a fishing boat?

“My stint with starting up a company and business

s c h o o l w a s i n t e n s e , j u s t i n a l o n g e r w a y, ”
Crapuchettes says. “The sleepless nights come
in waves with the company. The hard times are
always associated with taking risks. Every time
you’re growing or doing something big, you’re
taking risks. Every time you’re just kind of staying
in status quo, it’s a lot easier to sleep at night,
but your company doesn’t grow. Growth is really
correlated to the risks that you take.”

Those risks have ultimately paid off — Crapuchettes’

n e w v e s s e l d o e s n ’t s h o w a n y s i g n s o f s i n k i n g
anytime soon. 5

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 50 GAME REVIEWS: FAIRY TILE

A deadly dragon, a beautiful princess, a brave

knight: all you need to tell an adventure
spread across a fairy tale kingdom.

Naomi Laeuchli
Game Reviewer and
Casual Game Groupie

In Fairy Tile, each player is dealt an equal number of page On your turn you may place a new land tile or move a
cards and given a magic token. You draw one of your page character. Each character has its own movement rules. The
cards and keep it secret. The starting land tiles are set dragon must move in a straight line, only stopping once it
in the middle of the table, and the princess, knight, and hits an edge of the kingdom. The knight can move up to
dragon are placed on their starting positions. The goal of two spaces and can never end his movement on a space
the game is to be the first player to complete each of your adjacent to where he began. The princess can move only
page cards. Each page has a goal to be completed — for one space, but can also jump between castles. If your
example, the prince and princess must both share the same card’s goal is complete after performing either of these
forest location, the dragon must be able to see the knight actions, you reveal it, read it aloud, and then draw a new
or princess across a straight from where it’s standing, or one. You may only do this on your turn. Some goals also
the knight must visit a mountain location connected to two require you to have moved one of the related characters
or more mountains. on that turn in order to complete it.

Rather than move a character or place a tile, a third option

Fairy Tile
is to choose to turn a page, in which case you flip your
magic token up, place your current story page at the bottom
Designed by Matthew Dunstan, Brett J. Gilbert of your deck, and draw a new one. Your turn is over. On a
future turn, you can flip your magic token down to take an

30
extra action.

Fairy Tile is a gorgeous game. From the pre-painted miniatures

2-4 PLAYERS 30 MINS AGES 8+ MSRP to the art on the cards, its fairy tale essence is beautifully
captured. Sometimes you get really unlucky (or lucky) on the
cards you draw, but the ability to turn the page ensures that
LUCK STRATEGY
you’re never left stuck. The story you create as you progress is
a neat addition, and the final result is a game that feels magical
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
and sweet and requires some clever character maneuvering.
 ZENDO 51

Logic and puzzles are beautifully paired in this

intriguing game about figuring out the secret rule
behind the structures you build.

At the start of each game of Zendo, one player is Zendo is a mind bending, head scratching game.
c h o s e n t o b e t h e m o d e r a t o r. T h e m o d e r a t o r d r a w s Completely abstract, this works in its favor as it
a r u l e s c a r d . R u l e s c a r d s c o m e i n t h r e e d i ff e r e n t means players can focus solely on the puzzle. Besides
difficulty levels, and usually include some decision the rules, the game comes with a little booklet full
the moderator can make about the rule, using clips of tips for both the moderator and players, as well
to lock in their decision on the card. The game comes as some guidance on coming up with your very own
with wedges, pyramids, and blocks in three different secret rules.
colors. The secret rule dictates what kind of structures
can be made with these. So, for example, the secret When you first play as moderator, you think the easy
rule may dictate that a structure must contain at rules are a little too easy, but once you’ve taken a
least one pyramid. spin as guesser, you soon realize that figuring out
the puzzle is a lot trickier than you’d think. If you
At the start of the game, the moderator builds enjoy a puzzling good time, Zendo is for you.
two structures, one following the secret rule and

Zendo
one breaking it, and then marks which is correct
and which is not. Players then take turns building
structures. After building a structure, the player asks Designed by Kory Heath, Andrew Looney
t h e m o d e r a t o r t o Te l l ( i m m e d i a t e l y m a r k i t c o r re c t

40
or incorrect) or Quiz (each player guesses whether
it is correct or not, and whoever guesses correctly
earns a guessing token). On your turn, you may spend
a guessing token to make a guess about what you 2-6 PLAYERS 15-60 MINS AGES 12+ MSRP
believe the rule to be. If you have multiple tokens,
you can spend more than one on your turn. If you are
LUCK STRATEGY
incor rect, the moderator must build a structure that
disproves your guess but still follows the secret rule.
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
If your guess cannot be disproven, you win the game.
 52 LUCIDITY

Lucidity places you in a world of nightmares. Will you

escape your dreams or become one of them in a dice
game that’s both spooky and dark?

Throughout the game, players are collecting power points. (if you have three or more of these your turn ends and you
Once a player collects fifteen, all other non-Nightmare players must discard all your power points that match the color of
get a final turn and the player with the most points wins a die you draw from the dice bag), and Shadow. Different
the game. Each player is given a player card on which they colored Shadows give you different abilities; some can help
keep track of their dice. On your turn, you choose from one while others harm. If you have three or more Shadows of the
of three sleep tracks, which determines how many dice you same color, you become a Nightmare.
will be rolling this turn. You draw that number of dice from
the dice bag, select two of them to return, and roll the rest. After rolling, you resolve your dice by placing them on your
player card and carrying out the actions shown on the card.
Dice come in four different colors, each of which corresponds You can then choose to rest (discard one Shadow or all your
to one of the Nightmares, and each die has four possible Exhaust dice and end your turn), or you can push your luck
results. Some dice are more likely to roll certain results and (take another turn, drawing two more dice than before). You
are therefore more dangerous. The results are Power, Hunt (if may do this two times before you must rest and end your turn.
you have four or more of these you are eliminated), Exhaust
As a Nightmare, you have special abilities that activate when

Lucidity
other players rolls certain results in dice of your Nightmare
color, and on your turn you can either steal power of your color
Designed by Shannon Kelly from a player or force a player to roll a die you draw from the
bag. If all players become Nightmares, the game immediately

30
ends and the one with the most power points wins.

Lucidity is a compelling dice game with a unique theme. While

1-4 PLAYERS 20-30 MINS AGES 14+ MSRP some of the artwork is a bit dark and gruesome (too scary for
young children), it sets a distinct tone for the game. You are
faced with many interesting choices; not just when to push
LUCK STRATEGY
your luck and which dice to return to the bag, but also deciding
when it is advantageous to actively try to become a Nightmare.
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
Deeply layered and deeply spooky, Lucidity is a unique dice
game that brings something fresh to the genre.
 54 SHAKY MANOR

There are some games that make you feel like a kid
again, while providing challenges no matter your
age. In Shaky Manor, you must shake, nudge, and
tilt the right items into the right rooms while keeping
the unwanted ones out!

Each player is given a manor — a box with eight make the next round more difficult. The first player
room s connected by open doorways. The game also to five points wins.
includes several miniature objects: meeples, ghosts,
eyes, spiders, snakes, and treasure chests. There In the second game mode, players start the game
a r e t w o d i ff e r e n t m o d e s f o r p l a y i n g t h e g a m e . I n with a meeple, two ghosts, two eyes, two spiders,
the first, each player puts a meeple, a ghost, and two snakes, and three treasure chests in their manor
three treasure chests into their box, which is then box. A card is then drawn that determines which
randomly mixed about by the player on their right. items you are trying to maneuver into a room alone
A card is then drawn to show the room into which together, while the top card of the draw pile shows
you are trying to move the meeple and the treasure which room you are aiming for. Once again, the game
chests. No other object may be in that room with c o n t i n u e s t o f i v e p o i n t s . A l t e r n a t i v e l y, p l a y e r s c a n
them. Players then race to be the first to accomplish decide ahead of time to gather all of the objects not
this. You may tilt and shake the box, but cannot touch shown on the card into the target room.
any of the objects with your hands. The first player to
complete the challenge scores a point. An opponent The various objects each pose their own kind of
then chooses an object to add to the winner’s box to challenge as you move them through your manor
— with long snakes getting stopped by doorways,
eyeballs rolling all around, and rubber spiders
Shaky Manor gripping onto nearby objects. Throw in the racing
Designed by Asger Harding Granerud, Daniel Skjold Pedersen aspect of the game, and the result is often hilarious
as things go wrong, objects zoom in and out of the
target room, and your plans quickly go awry.

2-4 PLAYERS 10 MINS AGES 7+

26MSRP
Shaky Manor offers a lot of silly fun, while the game
variants mix things up. It’s a great family game, but
e n t e r t a i n i n g f o r a d u l t s a s w e l l . Yo u ’ r e u n l i k e l y t o
have anything like it in your game collection, and
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
i t ’s p e r f e c t f o r w h e n y o u w a n t t o b r i n g s o m e t h i n g
new to the table.
 THE LITTLE FLOWER SHOP 55

Beautiful bouquets and gorgeous

garlands are all in a day’s work when
you run your very own flower shop!

Each player is the owner of a florist store in the aptly reorganize you cards to clear up space, you must place
named game, The Little Flower Shop. Each of you has your a card in your trash pile. At the end of the game you
own shop window, which can hold up to eight vases and earn points for the filled vases and baskets in your shop
three flower baskets. The game takes place over three window and the money you have earned, and lose points
rounds. Each round, players are dealt seven cards. You for every two cards in your trash pile.
look at your hand, choose one card to keep, and pass
the remaining cards to the player next to you. You con- Delightfully lovely, and creatively charming, The Little
tinue drafting and passing the rest until you’re handed Flower Shop is both joyful and relaxing, with a satisfying
a single card. You may either choose to keep it or spend conclusion as you complete your window display. There
$2 to discard it and draw a random card from the deck. is plenty of player interaction, and as your display starts
to fill up, card choices become more difficult. The ability
There are several different types of cards. There are flower to keep rearranging your cards up until the end keeps
cards, which contain up to three flowers and come in the game from becoming frustrating and allows every-
different varieties. There are vases, each of which needs one to stay in the running, even if you make some bad
a specific type and number of flowers to fill it. Each vase calls early on.
can only hold one flower card. If a vase is correctly filled

The Little Flower Shop

it is worth up to four points. Baskets, when kept, are
placed in your hold area. Baskets can be bought for your
shop once in your hold area and are worth points at the Designed by Steve Finn
end of the game. There are also order cards; with these,

28
you can sell a flower card, a vase card, or both (if the
flower matches the vase’s requirements) to earn money.

You can place up to four cards in your hold area. You can 1-4 PLAYERS 20 MINS AGES 10+ MSRP
reorganize your cards at any time during the game, which
includes moving cards around in your shop window and
LUCK STRATEGY
in your hold area. Flowers can also be moved from one
vase to another. If at any time you need to place a fifth
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
card in your hold area, and you cannot or choose not to
 56 WAKENING LAIR

Many board games have sent players

delving through dungeons, but not many
have been able to turn it into a casual
experience. Rather Dashing Games has
accomplished this in the cooperative
board game Wakening Lair.

The dungeon consists of twelve room cards placed damage, and if your hero is using a matching attack, the
facedown, with a monstrous terror placed in the twelfth. hero can keep rolling as part of the same action. If you
Each player chooses a hero and puts their token on the are using items, you can roll up to two additional dice
dungeon entrance. On a hero’s turn, she rolls two dice; with each attack if you match icons on the item with icons
the combined number dictates which room card is flipped on your character card. Once a monster is defeated, you
over and filled with monsters. If you roll a room that has draw a treasure card. If you ever end your turn in a room
already been flipped, you add an additional monster. with one or more monsters, they will attack you, each
The hero then takes up to three actions, which can be rolling one die. If a hero dies, the game ends.
a combination of moving through rooms and attacking.
Shuffled into the bottom of the monster deck is the
Attacks are simple. Each monster (and hero) has a series Monstrous Terror Awakens card. When this is drawn,
of numbers written on them. If you are attacking without you reveal the monstrous terror. Once awake, at the end
weapons, you roll one die. If it matches the number on the of each turn, the monstrous terror advances one room
far left of the monster’s card, you cover it with a damage through the dungeon, bringing any monsters it encounters
token. Each monster is vulnerable to a particular type of along with it. If it exits the dungeon, the heroes all lose.
Each monstrous terror has unique abilities and powerful

Wakening Lair
attacks. The terrors also have a great deal of health
and are often hard to hit. Once the monstrous terror is
Designed by Mike Richie defeated, the players win the game.

35
There are a lot of little rules to keep track of, and
Wakening Lair is in need of player aid cards, but it does
a great job of taking a dungeon crawling experience and
2-6 PLAYERS 30-40 MINS AGES 14+ MSRP adapting it into something more casual. Each hero (which
can be played as either male or female) comes with its
own unique abilities, and since you start off with nothing
LUCK STRATEGY
and slowly increase in strength as you gather more items,
the feeling is deeply satisfying and rewarding when you
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT
finally defeat the lair’s monstrous terror.
 58 MUSE

Muse shares certain core mechanics with games such

as Dixit and Mysterium while bringing enough new
ideas to the table that it can stand apart on its own.

Players divide into two to three teams. There are two decks: the The Muse looks at both, reveals the inspiration card and the
masterpiece deck, which features richly detailed and gorgeous masterpiece is returned to the stack of five other cards, which
pictures, and an inspiration deck. When it is your team’s turn, are then shuffled and revealed.
one player is chosen to be the Muse. The team on your left then
draws six masterpiece cards and two inspiration cards. This team The inspiration card gives instructions which the Muse must follow
choses one masterpiece and one inspiration to pass to the Muse. to give one clue that will hopefully help his team guess which
of the six masterpiece cards is the correct one. For example,
Muse the inspiration card’s instruction may be to name a nonfictional
holiday or a color of the rainbow. If the team guesses correctly,
Designed by Jordan Sorenson
they get to keep the masterpiece card; otherwise the team on
their left takes it. The first team to win five cards, wins the game.

2-12 PLAYERS 30 MINS AGES 10+

25
MSRP
It would be nice if there were a few more inspiration cards
included, but there’s still a nice variety, with some cards having
you make sound effects, hum a melody, or draw shapes in the
air. Having an opposing team select both the masterpiece and
LUCK STRATEGY the inspiration card ensures that you will always be up against a
challenge — this, together with the inspiration cards, sets Muse
INTERACTIVE INDEPENDENT apart from the rest. 5

MORE RECOMMENDED GAMES

For a complete list, visit CasualGameRevolution.com/games
Protect the Infinity Stones and Defeat Thanos!

In this cooperative dice battling card game, players will recruit heroes and assemble a team to face off
against Thanos and his villainous forces in an effort to thwart him from accomplishing his master plan -
collecting all six Infinity Stones to power the Infinity Gauntlet and wreak havoc on the very fabric of reality.

Ages: 10+ | Players: 2-4 | MSRP: $49.95 | Play Time: 60+ Min

/USAopoly

© 2018 USAOPOLY, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2018 MARVEL.

 Your Turn!
60

A Spotlight on the
Gaming Community by

#CGIspotlight
Photo provided by Scott King Photography
 61

What game do you play

most often, and why?
“PitchCar. It’s the one game I play at
almost every convention and have run it
consistently for over a decade now.”
—Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower

“We don’t have

one because we
are always trying
something new. Is
that good, or bad?”
— Nina Jiron
Photos provided by
Scott King Photography

“It’s a tie: Splendor

or Codenames. Both
are quick to pick
up and entertaining
without much set up
or prior instruction.”
— Allie Heeter
 “7 Wonders Duel. My
wife and I have loved
playing 7 Wonders with
family and friends and
that love carries over to
7 Wonders Duel. Most of
our prime board gaming
time involves just the
two of us, so 7 Wonders
Above:Bruno Cathala vs. Antoine Bauza (the designers of 7 Wonders Duel). Duel is the perfect game,
Below: Hanabi deck fanned out. Photos provided by Henk Rolleman. made for two, with all the
elements we love from the
original plus some great
additional mechanics and
rules that make us want to
just keep playing.”
— Karsten Cutterer

“Because of its simplicity

and elegance — and
because most players new
to our hobby have never
seen gameplay like this —
Hanabi is the one I break out
most often to show to friends.”
— Dan “Shoe” Hsu
“I’m going to cheat and list two Not only is Cribbage a game full of
games: Cribbage and Scopa. As history and great subtle strategy, it’s
the host of The Spiel and the man also a game you can play and enjoy
behind the Major Fun Award, I while chatting with your opponent as
spend a LOT of time playing new you play. Once you have the basics of
games all across the spectrum — the game down, it doesn’t consume
from kids’ games and party games so much of your attention that you
all the way up the ladder to heavy can’t enjoy a beer (or a nice cup of
strategy games that take hours to play. tea) and a pleasant conversation while
playing. Same goes for Scopa, a classic
And I certainly relish every minute of my Italian card game I’ve grown to love over
time exploring the wonders of modern board the past 15 years.
and card games. An interesting thing happens, though,
when I am left to my own devices. Perhaps this is another way to define a casual game? I
certainly think it’s one that needs more exploration by
I return to the classics. modern designers. So many of the classic games have this
casual aspect which (I think) has helped them stand the test
I grew up playing Cribbage with my Mom. So there’s of time. And it’s certainly a big reason I play them so often.”
certainly a nostalgia angle to the question of why I play
so much. But nostalgia will only carry a game so far.

— Stephen Conway, The Spiel

Podcast and Major Fun Awards

Photo provided by Scott King Photography “Pandemic is the most frequently played
board game in our home. It’s a no brainer,
who wouldn’t relish in the illustriousness
that can only come from saving the world
from deadly diseases?
This game is an emotional roller coaster
each time it’s played [. . .] The one thing
that is consistent in every instance is that
Pandemic keeps you on your toes and lures
you back time and time again.”
— Stephanie Love

Next Issue: What game did you hate at first but now love?
Send your ideas and photos to editor@CasualGameRevolution.com and you could be featured!
 Outwit cunning forest creatures with the help of
fairy tale legends and be the first to build three houses.

Now includes
GameTrayz!

Skybound™ © 2018 Skybound, LLC. Available now! www.druidcitygames.com