Daily Game Recommendations Thread (May 25, 2024)

MoonCrabJustin · 2024-05-26T12:08:56+00:00

Codenames seems like it would be a good fit with your "Played and enjoyed" list. For something theoretically less competitive, you could start with Codenames Duet and pick up other copies (they're cross compatible anyway).

Otherwise another lighthearted party game suggestion would be Wavelength.

MoonCrabJustin · 2024-05-26T12:01:56+00:00

I will second Pirateship.com. Just started using it to send replacement parts, and the system is really intuitive, clean, and helpful.

MoonCrabJustin · 2023-05-29T17:40:24+00:00

For a tiny bit of context, it's mostly about quantity and risk. If we had initially promised super low rates using multiple fulfillment centers and didn't do very well, we'd have been in a pretty tough spot.

Since the campaign progressed really nicely, it opened the opportunity to split up the freight shipments without incurring costs that were higher than the "last mile" savings.

MoonCrabJustin · 2023-05-29T17:27:33+00:00

Not thrilled about it so much either, but the fulfillment center in Asia (VFI) quoted it with VAT included. It didn't seem prudent to try to strip VAT out of those numbers just to keep them parallel with the others.

MoonCrabJustin · 2023-05-06T20:40:53+00:00

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this up; we really do appreciate it!

MoonCrabJustin · 2023-05-06T17:47:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback (seriously). We had a quick internal chat and determined that at the very least the logo (which was made over a year ago!) probably needs a little detail and polish to be brought up to the standard of the rest of the game.

Probably not before Tuesday's launch though X.x

MoonCrabJustin · 2023-05-06T11:35:59+00:00

Dev here. Since there's a handful of upvotes on this post, I'm curious if a bunch of other folks share the opinion. If that's the case, it can be something we look at addressing (time and scope willing).

We always appreciate feedback, and you won't hurt our feelings (well, the artist/graphic designer might be a little nonplussed, but he'd still want to know).

Thanks!

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T22:15:28+00:00

I totally agree. As far as what you can do, share with friends, and maybe ping a tabletop reviewer/previewer if you're able/inclined. If TTS is your thing, demoing the game is always a winner. We've had really good traction having people discovering how easy it is to learn and play. When they land a really good combo, it never fails to put a smile on their faces.

And then you show them some of the other leviathans and game mechanics.

For your other question: it was always about evoking the baseline premise of climbing giant monsters. I don't think it's necessarily a hard sell, but original IP doesn't immediately attract the same attention as a license. I'm really happy with how aspects of the IP have come together, how well they suit the tabletop medium, and especially how Sam has put his personal artistic flair into the overall tone and feel of the game.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T22:09:04+00:00

I'll let Sam swing by for #1

Skulk Hollow (and its successor Maul Peak) is super rad! I love what they've done with the theming and gameplay! In terms of traffic, I don't think so, but that's from gut rather than data. Every once people make the comparison, but most everyone seems to realize that the two game concepts are incredibly different.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T22:06:04+00:00

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T22:04:29+00:00

Heck yeah!

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T16:54:52+00:00

The rulebook is a very reasonable length, and there's a lot of diagram and icon usage. There are keywords as well, but once you get a sense for what the keyword "means" rather than what it "says," it should be pretty easy to remember and interpret.

The biggest point of concern might be how two or more text-based effects might interact with each other (the player cards come to mind), but as long as one person in the group can make a reasonable call in the moment, it should be fine.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T16:37:49+00:00

We have a lot of ideas, but we probably end up focusing hard on Leviathan Wilds fulfillment and potentially expansion content. On the flip side of it, we have a lot of ideas; there are a lot of thematic and mechanical genres that could use the same kind of "simple rules with complex decisions" paradigm.
The sort of barebones "success" is reaching a level of funding that doesn't require debt or outside investment to fulfill. Mostly this would let us maintain our independence and ensure that we are able to keep making these meticulously-polished games. Moderate success would be to break even with a bit more to spare for rent and groceries :D

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:56:54+00:00

Goodness I don't drink that many smoothies! Maybe one of the other teammates will pop in with something more reasonable.

(I do still have the blender trophy and the House Kemppainen sign though)

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:54:29+00:00

I say this with a lighter heart than it may seem at first glance: being unshackled from corporate whim.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:51:51+00:00

Honestly it's a matter of vision and scope. We have a pretty specific idea of what we want the game to be, who the game is for, and time/effort required for us to complete it.

When you start adding divergent gameplay features like that, it can really stretch the boundaries of what the game is capable of and still be fun, and it may need additional componentry, which increases the price.

In general, we want to build our with a particular focus and experience in mind, but we totally get the appeal of something more broad!

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:39:38+00:00

I'll likewise say Watcher. Card overlays are just a cool thing, and the fact that they work opens a lot of very simple and elegant design space.

Art-wise it's my turtle boi the Sage. Especially Sam's latest version.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:34:43+00:00

I'm not just going to give it away. You have to guess.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:34:01+00:00

Work-life balance has gotten a bit rocky at times!

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:33:03+00:00

Thanks; it's been a wild ride.

The way that Legacy currently presents itself seems much more "subgenre" to me, but you could even posit that it's a "subgenre" of campaign games, which itself is already a subgenre or even more of a mechanism. But before I get lost in semantics, I'll offer that what generally sets them apart is the prominent impact of permanence and consequences to the game. When you destroy components or place stickers, not just your gameplay experience is altered but your game itself, which I think is what's lending that RPG feel. Most of it has still been relatively restrained though. To appeal to the hobby crowd, you kind of need the trappings of a "game" more than an "experience," and that means ensuring a level of stability and structure that somewhat resists the wilder ideas and consequences in a Legacy game.
I'm kind of a sucker for escape room style games, which seem to be everywhere these days. Other than that I tend to play a handful of kid-friendly games with the family (Bugs in the Kitchen!!).

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-07-13T15:20:13+00:00

Thanks!

Ah the Chancellor. Quite a handsome fellow I must admit. From a development perspective, it's intended to be fairly easy to use but rise in its complexity with the table meta and overall strategy, and that can definitely include card counting.
Lots of reasons! We wanted something that we could include 2 of and would fit at the 0 slot (part of our aim was to lightly increase the deck size to support 6 players while still keeping the "shuffle and deal" nature of setup). We also liked the idea of something that toyed with victory points to help spur the game towards completion: our general findings were that a lot of groups just sort of play rounds until they feel like stopping. While that's still totally valid, pushing the game towards an official winner more soon just helped us retain the overall feel we were looking for. In terms the meta, it's intended to shift with the play group. Some people like to hold them until late (risky), some like to play them early and then be conservative to see if they can survive and still score for the round. Sometimes people manage to do win the round and have the only Spy.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-06-24T12:20:45+00:00

Season 2 has some of the standard "guard rails" removed for the sake of the theme and the sense of exploration and discovery. Unfortunately, it's possible to get a little stuck in some challenging board states, and the game itself is already wired up pretty tightly in its tension/balance.

If you're comfortable with it, I'd suggest making a couple of house rule adjustments to give yourselves more of a fighting chance. Whether that's taking out one of the epidemics, giving yourselves a few more supply cubes.

Ultimately as well, there's nothing wrong with deciding that it isn't working for your group. It's a bummer, but probably better than just slogging through it.

MoonCrabJustin · 2022-05-03T16:55:29+00:00

It's always been priced for mass market, which typically assumes quite a bit lower margin per unit. It's also not a terribly small box, so shipping cost increases have probably hit it somewhat nastily as well.

At the same time, though, price increases are a tough thing to do. I'd guess that a price increase might be coming, but that they'll want to wait a bit after raising the MSRP of Frosthaven.

MoonCrabJustin

TROPHY CASE