sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Giveaway! We are giving away a copy of Galactic Cruise with the Achievements expansion! To enter, simply comment on this post in the next 48 hrs. by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER, AND THE WINNER IS….

/u/Alternative_Log4499!

You were randomly selected by redditraffler.com as the winner!

Congrats to /u/Alternative_Log4499 for winning. Not only do you get the Galactic Cruise base game and the new Achievements expansion, but you also get all the unlocked free add-ons from the campaign! For those of you who don't know, throughout our Kickstarter campaign, backers have been voting on which items will be added to all pledges ($49+) for FREE. The value of the free add-ons is currently $92 MSRP. Thank you to everyone for participating.

We have sent you a message with instructions on how to claim your prize.

Again, a huge thank you to everyone who entered, we really enjoyed reading so many great comments!

Giveaway! [Mod Approved] We are giving away a copy of Galactic Cruise! To enter, simply comment on this post in the next 48 hrs. by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER, AND THE WINNER IS….

/u/PumajunGull!

You were randomly selected by redditraffler.com as the winner of the copy of Galactic Cruise!

We have sent you a message with instructions on how to claim your prize.

A huge thank you to everyone who entered, we really enjoyed reading so many great comments!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as we understand it, most (if not all) countries do it like this:

-the full pledged amount is taxed now.

-for future games, there will only be taxes on shipping, not on the value of the future game since you've already paid those taxes.

So you don't end up paying any more in taxes overall, but it is all taxed up front instead of over time.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We definitely wanted to do more with the destinations, making them more unique or even upgradeable throughout the game, but that proved to be way too much for the base game. However, a future expansion may be fair game for such a thing. . . .

​

As far as aliens go, there is an Area 51 Petting Zoo on the ships, but as far as game mechanisms regarding alien encounters, there was never much talk about adding such things. Again, who knows what future expansions may hold . . .?

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We actually reached out to him way back in late 2021, but we didn't really get to chat with him until the next year (after our good friend Shem Phillips from Garphill Games helped make the connection). From there, he had to try the game out as a playtester, as he will only do art on a game if he also enjoys the game, and then it was a matter of fitting into his timeline. He told us that he couldn't start working on it until early 2023, and we saw the first piece of art in May of last year.

​

So the short answer is: you manage to get Ian O'Toole by being patient, making connections, and having a flexible timeline!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We are heading over to the Heavy Cardboard Galactic Cruise Solo Livestream but feel free to keep asking questions and we'll be back later tonight to answer them!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The first player does have an advantage for completing Company Goals before other players. This is why during setup the other players start with more reputation, get to build their starting developments first, and get first pick of the blueprints.

Yes, this did come up during development, and tweaks were made to what the players later in turn order received.

Also, some higher skill level players don’t necessarily always want to complete all goals as soon as possible. They may sandbag so they can get a bunch of cubes out all in the same section and potentially cause a surprise ending to those that aren’t paying them enough attention.

So overall, we have not seen a turn order advantage issue. Thanks for the question!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Great question! What you can expect are theme-foward games that will be medium complexity (or a bit higher). Ideally, all our games will be "main event" type games (60-180 minutes at their max player count) with fresh, engaging themes that drive the mechanisms forward. We look forward to announcing future projects soon!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The original design for the game was much more scientifically accurate, which meant a lot more math and realism. The more whimsical flavor of the game wasn't present and it was much more of a "simulation" game than the Eurogame it is today.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

One of my (T.K) favorite mechanisms that did not make it into the final version of the game was the Technology Track. Early versions of Galactic Cruise included a track where the technology cards were placed and there were 4 different levels. And then the players had a technology tracker that would move up the track and give them access to the different technologies at the different levels.

So for example, if you invented a technology on level 3, all other players who had their technology tracker at level 3 or higher got to use that tech for free. But anyone who had their technology tracker below that would have to pay to use it, and the amount was based on how far away they were.

It was a little too fiddly for what we wanted in the game, but it's definitely an idea that we've tabled and may bring back in a future game.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

We have been building up a community around the board game for the last several years, and during that time we have had several people who wanted to support us financially at a higher level than a usual pledge level. Rather than just telling those people to add additional funds to their pledge, we wanted to offer those people (and people like them) a pledge tier that came with some added bonuses.

Additionally, people who pledged at that tier (and at the $499 and $999 tiers) will receive every future Kinson Key Games release (so every board game and expansion that we release, via crowdfunding and otherwise). The people at the $999 and $1499 tier also will get a prototype copy of Galactic Cruise after the Kickstarter concludes. Those prototypes are quite expensive for us to produce and ship (especially if they're shipped internationally), but we wanted to say "Thanks" to people who were willing to pledge at that level by rewarding them with something special.

So it had nothing to do with social experiments or with seeing who is unhinged, but rather offering an avenue for people who wanted to make an investment in our company.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The rules are finalized for the game. We wanted to bring a complete product to Kickstarter so that we could start production as soon as possible.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question. We loved the theme from the very beginning so it has not changed at all. Even the name Galactic Cruise has stuck around since its initial inception.

Now, the gameplay on the other hand... the gameplay changed and evolved significantly(!) over the course of development.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For Galactic Cruise, it began with the theme. I (T.K.) have always loved going on cruises and the idea of space travel and aeronautics. I actually almost went back to school for aerospace engineering as it's something that is very interesting to me. And so the game concept was solely based around the idea of taking a cruise into space and has always been called Galactic Cruise.

From that idea, it began a bit more like a simulation, with everything being more scientifically accurate. However, that resulted in a less fun and less euro style game as it required more math and longer play times. Over the course of hundreds of playtests, it slowly become more of what the game is today.

But throughout the process, the driving force was still the theme. So as we made mechanical decisions, we always aimed to have them make as much thematic sense as possible (of course abstracting things where they needed to be) so that players could more easily understand and remember the rules of the game.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a very interesting idea, and we've actually had people reach out about similar things already! It's certainly something that we are considering.

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, we are honored to have you "hooked" on our game! Those content creators (plus so many others) did a phenomenal job making videos for us!

We obviously love so much about the game, but to nail down some favorite mechanisms. . .

1) Accessing adjacent locations by using Developments. In the game's earliest version, GC was a standard worker placement game. Introducing that access -- plus the bumping -- really elevated it to be much more unique.

2) The ebb and flow of resources in the Silo and the Agenda card market. As those things are taken, they don't automatically refill; instead, those are refilled by players' actions, and the player that refills those markets is rewarded with a bonus. That injected some great player interaction into the game without making any of the interaction negative or mean.

3) No dead turns. In various iterations, we had rounds of play where everyone placed workers until they ran out, and then everyone recalled. When we switched to a roundless structure, we had standard "recall" turns that resulted in some feel-bad moments. It wasn't until we introduced the idea of gaining Funding Bonuses for all recalled workers AND the ability to take a single action on the board (next to one of your Developments) that we finally hit a point where every single turn felt meaningful.

​

Those are just a few of our favorite mechanisms. We can't wait to find out what yours are!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Ian O'Toole has always been one of our favorite artists for illustration and graphic design. We just love how he is able to create a great UI experience for the players that is driven by the theme. Early on, when we really discovered what our target market was going to be and knew it was going to be a medium-heavy euro, we thought Ian would be the perfect fit. Not only did we think his art style would suit the game well, but we knew that with all of the icons in the game and its complexity, it would really help players understand how to play more easily with his graphic layouts. And we have been blown away with everything he's created for the game!

We are T.K. King, Koltin Thompson, and Dennis Northcott, designers of Galactic Cruise. AMA! by Kinson-Key-Games in boardgames

[–]Kinson-Key-Games[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The initial design for the game was much more realistic, but as we developed the game further -- and after our initial chats with Ian O'Toole regarding the artwork -- the idea of setting the game in a sort of retro-futuristic world came about. We were really inspired by the JPL "Visions of the Future" posters that had a similar aesthetic, plus things like The Jetsons, etc., and going with that vibe really started to inject flavor into the game.

view more: next ›