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21 Oct
Posted by Richard Bliss as Card Games, CCGs, Classic Board Games, Modern Board Games
The days seem to be getting much longer but still not enough time to get to everything.
Today the show was a bit more crowded and we were a bit more tired, not making for a good combination as you push through the crush of people. Shuffled our way over to the Indie Boards and Cards booth to get a better look at Flash Point, the hot game, straight off its successful funding on Kickstarter. Flash Point raised more than $51,000 early this year.
We sat down and went through a game with one of the volunteers. This game is HOT to use an obvious pun. The booth continued to be crowded and as we were sitting there, the last 10 copies were sold of the 450 that Indie Games brought with them. I was able to grab a signed copy as one of the last 10. I will be giving the autographed copy away next month on my Facebook page to one of my fans. You can enter the contest by liking my page at The Game Whisperer on Facebook.
The game plays fast and smooth, with great mechanics that allow a richness of play without a complexity of rules and sacrifices for flow. You are a team of firefighters, each with a unique ability, with the job of putting out the structural fire while rescuing the seven trapped victims inside. Ignore the fire and you will lose, something we discovered quickly on the first game. As the game ended I had only one thought…I NEED to play this again. We quickly set up the board and played another game there in the booth.
This time, with better focus on firefighting skills, we entered a home where it appeared a party had been going on in the front room when the back of the house exploded. Rushing in the front door, we coordinated carrying the victims out while the guy with the compressed air fought his way to the back of the house, holding the flames at bay. I was a medic, racing to help people out. I even was able to get in near the fire and rescue the family pets, a dog and cat. The sense of accomplishment from saving all those people AND their pets was a great way to end the game.
The story that builds in your mind as you play this game will provide many hours of enjoyment.
I spoke at length with Travis from Indie Games about the decision to go to Kickstarter with Flash Point and his thoughts on why the success. He said he went into Kickstarter with a very focused marketing plan that contributed to its exposure and adoption. My interview with him will be expanded at a later time.
Also stopped by the Elfin Games booth which has gone and done something completely radical. Elfin Games is releasing Therion 011, a board game based on a book, based on a band, that morphed into a mini movie.
You can get a signed copy of the game at the web site for the Band Therion. The figures in the game are in the likeness of the band members and the entire experience of the game, the music, the book, and the movie is very unique. Kudos to Will Niebling for taking a chance on something that appears to be very successful.
During the wanderings we ran into Z-Man himself of Z-Man Games. He was looking relaxed and smiling a lot. Z-Man always smiles but it would appear that the latest corporate changes have left him a much more relaxed and happy fellow. When I asked him what prompted him to sell the Z-Man company, his answer was straight forward. “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”
Hard to argue with that.
We ended the day over at MayDay games, which is selling Get Bit, TikTok Woodman, and Eaten By Zombies, all successfully launched Kickstarter games. Kickstarter is the buzz of the show. Everyone is wondering the impact it will have on the board game industry. Many are taking a wait see attitude with the belief that it is a fad that will fade. My opinion is that Kickstarter will become a compelling force in the market, bringing about a new set of opportunities.
It is 1am, the day is over, and tomorrow is the biggest day of the show, with Saturday being insanely busy. We are getting up early and making the trek into the city to attempt to beat the crowd.
Look for another post tomorrow night.
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Nothing on the whole Stronghold Games/Fantasy Flight Games dueling announcements about forthcoming re-releases of “Merchants of Venus”?