If there is a gap between your games or you just want to try something different then this is the game for you and up to 3 other players. This has all the pace you expect but in a quicker game.
This game is the dice version of Robo Rally, but this is a very good version with the correct feel for the game. You have five dice each which when you get hurt drops as low as three or four, but then you heal and go back to five dice again. There is never a time when you feal like you are always damaged as it only lasts one turn and then you are healed (yes you can take more damage but you can use the dice to try and get out of there)
The other great thing about this game is you can use any boards from the expansions or from the main game on this game which gives you lots of playability for the game in fact the Master Builder expansion even has the same size tiles as the dice game.
I feel like I learn something every day from another game publisher, whether it’s game design, operations, product design, marketing, etc. Today I thought I’d highlight some of the things our panelists love about other publishers–the types of things they want to see more publishers emulate.
Also, before we hear from our panelists, we just launched two major products on the Stonemaier Games webstore! Finspan: Sharks & Reefs and Euphoria Essential Edition (or the update pack if you already have the game and expansion) are ready to ship to you now: https://store.stonemaiergames.com/collections/latest
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Plaid Hat Games (Dillon’s pick): I like how Plaid Hat’s games often have either a subscription or continual, mostly optional content, for their game systems. It’s basically just a living card game model, but it keeps me engaged with the games. In terms of what I’d like to see others emulate, it doesn’t necessarily need to be constant new content, but in the hobby, it can often feel like we’re constantly hurrying to check out what’s new. So something to keep a game feeling alive is valuable. As a side example, I think Stonemaier does this in a different way by representing their games as different “Worlds” and by keeping their amount of releases fairly lean. [JAMEY: I previously highlighted some things related to this that Plaid Hat is doing with print on demand.]
Restoration Games (Garrett’s pick): While our hobby is often fixated on the new, I’d love to see more publishers emulate Restoration Games’ mission of breathing new life into forgotten or underrated classics. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a company look backward to ensure great legacy designs get their well-deserved flowers, combining modern production quality and mechanical updates with genuine reverence for the past. Even though this is Restoration’s core business model, seeing other publishers take a stab at this could increase the output of lovingly remastered titles that honor our hobby’s history. [JAMEY: I also think 25th Century Games does this well.]
Stonemaier Games (Aryn’s pick): I went back and forth on this a lot. But, ultimately, I’d be picking nits if I chose another thing a publisher does that I wanted other publishers to take note. So here I am writing to other publishers, take note of what Stonemaier Games is doing. Hire a team to craft a solo mode for your games. I understand not all games can have a solo mode. It’s hard to have a party game for one, for instance. I also understand this costs money, but please consider it. Stonemaier Games’ relationship with The Automa Factory is why I got into Stonemaier Games. I can play all these wonderful games that Stonemaier puts out without having to worry about another person’s availability. I can dive into the design of a game more in depth when I am able to get it to the table more often. Am I about to teach a game? I play the solo mode to further enforce the rules before I teach the game to others. [JAMEY: I am truly grateful for Automa Factory’s involvement over the years.]
Kaitlyn also chimed in with a general comment that she attributed to Stonemaier Games, but honestly I see other publishers doing this better. Check out Endeavor Deep Sea by Burnt Island Games for a great example of how you can achieve high quality with fully sustainable components. Kaitlyn says: I love seeing publishers use eco-friendly packaging. I think Stonemaier does their best; I first noticed it with Wingspan, but I think most, if not all, Stonemaier games are packaged in an eco-friendly way.
We’ll close with Skiler, who mentions several publishers and examples.
I love consistent components throughout many of a publisher’s games. For example, I believe Garphill Games offers custom metal coins designed specifically for the North Sea, West Kingdom, and South Tigris trilogies. Instead of unique currency for every game, the coins are compatible across every title in a series. I would love to see this with resources and other components in more games. They also often have consistency with their iconography across their games which makes learning new games by them way simpler. I really appreciate this!
I love the trend of missions in games, that are not legacy, but have optional progression. For example, Deep Sea Endeavor (Burnt Island Games): I absolutely love that we can play through different missions, but not feel constrained by the parameters that a legacy game inherently comes with. This isn’t necessarily new, but it feels more common and I welcome it!
I love the trend of cozy games with great art. The gameplay still very much matters, but a cozy theme with great art will get me every time. More please! (Examples of this would be Harmonies by Libellud or Creature Comforts by Kids Table Board Games.)
I love that learn-as-you-play tutorials are becoming more common. (An example of this would be Stonemaier’s Quick Start cards in Wyrmspan.)
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Huge thanks to Dillon, Garrett, Kaitlyn, Aryn, and Skiler for sharing these things they love about a variety of publishers. One thing I’ll add to the list is that I have a continued and growing appreciation for publishers who focus on one game at most every year or so. That level of focus and time spent getting it right is a luxury that not everyone has, but I admire those who are able to do it.
What’s something a publisher is doing that you love (and would like to see others emulate)?
On the final full day of our recent Ireland trip, we walked across Dublin to the Guinness Storehouse self-guided tour experience. You start at the base of a massive circular interior (it’s shaped like a pint of Guinness) and work your way up level by level, learning about Guinness–the beer, the company, and the brand–as you go. Here are a few standout business insights I learned along the way:
Quality Control (and the Veneer Thereof)
Before we even entered the building, we saw a van parked outside that read, “Guinness Quality Team: Dedicated to delivering beautiful Guinness everytime everywhere”. Right from the start, Guinness was communicating that they have a continual focus on providing the best version of their product. This is later reinforced during the tour when they talk about the “smellers” who ensure the barrels are working optimally.
This really got me thinking about more ways we can improve quality control at Stonemaier Games and how we can share the variety of systems we have already have in place, as I always want the first printing of any product to be perfect.
Branding Is Constantly Evolving
I associate Guinness with a specific can, so I was struck by the sheer variety of bottles displayed at the beginning of the tour. While the label has stayed mostly the same over the years, the size and shape of a Guinness bottle has vastly varied.
This made me think of game boxes. There really is no standard game box–modern manufacturers can make any size. While I understand the visual appeal of having games that align cleanly on a shelf, the box is ultimately a delivery vehicle for the contents within. I never want to limit what a game can be (or make a box that is much too big) based on box size consistency.
Longevity Is a Selling Point
The current Guinness label has “EST. 1759” on the iconic harp. It was interesting to see that most of the previous harps didn’t have that date, as it seems like a huge selling point to convey that the product is so good that it has lasted nearly 300 years.
Recently I’ve thought a lot about how longevity is such a great selling point for Magic the Gathering. It isn’t just about Magic lasting over 30 years; it’s also about how they tie old cards to new sets, adding depth and nostalgia to the world they’ve fostered for so long. I think there’s huge value in having a singular, long-lasting product that reminds people of its history.
It’s Okay to Revisit a Tried-and-True Formula
When I think of the Guinness beer, I think of a dark brew topped by thick foam. I assumed that was always the case, but that’s apparently not true: The “creamy white head” wasn’t introduced until 1959.
There’s constant innovation in nearly every industry and we’re always learning, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with revisiting older games to apply those innovations and lessons learned over the years. That’s what I tried to do in the upcoming Euphoria Essential Edition.
The World Isn’t Stagnant, and Neither Are We
Prominently featured at the Guinness Storehouse is Guinness 0.0, an alcohol-free version of their beer that tastes remarkably similar. I asked a Guinness employee about this version of the beer, which was released around 3 years ago, and they said that it is already a success in reducing drunk driving in Ireland and beyond. It also has a positive impact on public health, as alcohol can lead directly to liver disease.
I think there’s something about human nature that can make us a bit stubborn about changing our worldview, but the world is always changing. I know so much more about accessibility and environmental sustainability than I did a few years ago, and while meaningful sustainable change takes time to implement, I believe it’s worth constantly pursuing.
Those are just a few takeaways from my experience at the Guinness Storehouse. I’d love to hear your thoughts about Guinness or similar behind-the-scenes tours. How do they apply to the tabletop game industry and community?
You’re stumbling through the labyrinthine streets of Old Angeles; your clothes soaked in rain and neon. The city is a mix of perpetual darkness and the unending belch of industrialization. But at least you’re not alone. Your private investigation firm is staffed by the other stiffs sitting around the table. All of you are working…
1.1. Die Teilnahme am Gewinnspiel ist freiwillig, nicht an andere Aktionen gekoppelt und nicht vom Erwerb einer Ware oder einer Dienstleistung abhängig. Teilnahmeberechtigt sind alle, die mindestens 18 Jahre alt sind, ihren Wohnsitz in Deutschland oder Österreich haben und entweder Fan von www.facebook.com/amigo.spiele sind oder der Seite www.instagram.com/amigo.spiele bzw. www.tiktok.com/@amigo.spiele folgen. Fan ist, wer den „Gefällt mir“-Button auf Facebook aktiviert. Auf Instagram oder TikTok muss der „Folgen“-Button ausgewählt werden. Die Teilnahme ist kostenlos sowie unabhängig vom Erwerb von Produkten oder Dienstleistungen der AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH. Mitarbeiter*innen von AMIGO sowie deren Angehörige dürfen an diesem Gewinnspiel nicht teilnehmen. Alle, die den Gewinnspielpost mit einem passenden Kommentar auf www.facebook.com/amigo.spiele,www.tiktok.com/@amigo.spiele oder www.instagram.com/amigo.spiele kommentieren, nehmen automatisch am Gewinnspiel teil. Teilnehmer*innen sind für die Richtigkeit ihrer Angaben selbst verantwortlich. Jede Person darf nur einmal am Gewinnspiel teilnehmen. Die Teilnahme über automatisierte Massenteilnahmeverfahren Dritter ist unzulässig. 1.2. Der Veranstalter darf einzelne Personen von der Teilnahme ausschließen, wenn berechtigte Gründe vorliegen, wie z. B. doppelte Teilnahme unter verschiedenen E-Mail-Adressen oder sonstige Verstöße gegen die Teilnahmebedingungen. In diesem Fall können Gewinne nachträglich aberkannt und zurückgefordert werden. 1.3. AMIGO kann zu jedem Zeitpunkt ohne Vorankündigung und Angabe von Gründen das Gewinnspiel abbrechen oder beenden. Von diesem Recht kann AMIGO insbesondere dann Gebrauch machen, wenn eine ordnungsgemäße Durchführung des Gewinnspiels aus technischen oder rechtlichen Gründen nicht mehr möglich sein sollte.
Die Gewinnspielteilnahme ist nicht vom Erwerb einer Ware oder einer Dienstleistung abhängig. Eine Barauszahlung des Gewinns ist nicht möglich. Etwaige mit der Inanspruchnahme des Gewinns verbundene Zusatzkosten gehen zu Lasten der Gewinner*innen. Es ist strengstens untersagt, mehrere E-Mail-Adressen oder mehrere Facebook-, Instagram- oder TikTok-Profile zur Erhöhung der Gewinnchancen zu verwenden. Pro Teilnehmer*in wird nur ein Preis vergeben. Mehrfachgewinne sind nicht möglich.
3. Gewinnspielzeitraum und Prozedere
3.1. Der Teilnahmezeitraum endet am 10.05.2026 um Mitternacht. Nach Teilnahmeschluss eingehende Kommentare werden bei der Auslosung nicht berücksichtigt. 3.2. Der Veranstalter ist nicht verantwortlich für die Verfügbarkeit von ihm oder Dritten bereitgestellter Webseiten, Computersysteme oder Netzwerke oder von Telekommunikationssystemen, die für den Zugriff auf die Webseite des Veranstalters oder Computersysteme erforderlich sind. 3.3. Der Nachweis der Versendung gilt nicht als Nachweis des Zugangs beim Veranstalter.
4. Gewinnspielermittlung und -Benachrichtigung
Die Gewinner*innen werden ausgelost und benachrichtigt. Danach haben sie sich innerhalb von 3 Tagen per Direktnachricht zu melden, damit die Zusendung des Gewinns abgestimmt werden kann. Bleibt eine Bestätigung innerhalb von 3 Tagen aus, so behält sich der Veranstalter das Recht vor, den Gewinn einzubehalten. Ist der Gewinn bestätigt, erhalten die Gewinner*innen ihre Spiele. Der Gewinn wird an angegebene Anschrift gesendet. Es erfolgt nur ein Zustellversuch, es besteht kein Anspruch auf einen erneuten Versand. Die Teilnehmenden sind selbst für die Richtigkeit ihrer Angaben verantwortlich. Der Gewinn wird direkt aus unserem Lager versandt und kann daher nicht AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH als Absender aufweisen.
5. Informationen zum Umgang mit personenbezogenen Daten / Datenschutz 5.1. Im Rahmen der Verlosung werden folgende personenbezogene Daten der Teilnehmer*innen verarbeitet:
Vor- und Nachname
Kontaktdaten wie E-Mail-Adresse sowie die postalische Anschrift
5.2. Zwecke
Diese Daten der Teilnehmer*innen werden ausschließlich zum Zweck der Durchführung des Gewinnspiels erfasst, gespeichert und zur Gewinnbenachrichtigung und um Gewinne zur Verfügung zu stellen genutzt.
5.3. Rechtsgrundlage
Rechtsgrundlage der Verarbeitung Ihrer personenbezogener Daten ist Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. b DSGVO – Vertragserfüllung, wenn Sie diesen Teilnahmebedingungen zustimmen bzw. diese akzeptieren und damit ein Vertrag mit uns zustande kommt.
5.4. Empfänger Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten:
Für die Verarbeitung der Teilnehmerdaten werden auch vertraglich gebundene externe Dienstleister (Auftragsverarbeiter gem. Artikel 28 DSGVO, z. B. Lager- und Versanddienstleister) eingesetzt. Die AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH sichert die Einhaltung aller datenschutzrechtlichen Vorschriften zur Auftragsverarbeitung bei diesen Dienstleistern zu.
Eine sonstige Weitergabe oder Übermittlung personenbezogener Daten der Teilnehmer*innen an unberechtigte Dritte findet nicht statt.
5.5. Lösch- und Aufbewahrungsfristen Wir löschen personenbezogene Teilnehmerdaten, sobald sie für die genannten Zwecke nicht mehr erforderlich sind und keine gesetzlichen Nachweis- und Aufbewahrungspflichten entgegenstehen. Die datenschutzkonforme Löschung der Daten erfolgt spätestens drei Monate nach Ende des Gewinnspiels.
5.6. Rechte der Teilnehmer*innen In Bezug auf die verarbeiteten personenbezogenen Daten stehen den Teilnehmer*innen folgende Rechte zu:
das Recht auf Auskunft über gespeicherte Daten (Art. 15 EU-DSGVO),
Recht auf Berichtigung (Art. 16 EU-DSGVO),
Recht auf Löschung der Teilnehmerdaten (Art. 17 EU-DSGVO), sofern keine gesetzlichen Aufbewahrungspflichten dagegensprechen.
Ferner haben Teilnehmer*innen das Recht auf Einschränkung der Verarbeitung von Daten (Art. 18 EU-DSGVO),
das Recht auf Widerspruch (Art. 21 EU-DSGVO)
das Recht auf Widerruf eventuell erteilter Einwilligungen mit Wirkung für die Zukunft. In diesem Fall ist eine weitere Teilnahme an der laufenden Verlosung naturgemäß nicht mehr möglich.
das Recht auf Datenübertragbarkeit (Art. 20 EU-DSGVO).
Teilnehmer*innen haben zudem das Recht auf Beschwerde bei einer Aufsichtsbehörde ihres Aufenthaltsorts, ihres Arbeitsplatzes oder des Orts des mutmaßlichen Verstoßes, wenn Anhaltspunkte dafür bestehen, dass die Verarbeitung der jeweils betreffenden personenbezogenen Daten gegen die EU-DSGVO verstößt (Art. 77 EU-DSGVO).
Alle Informationswünsche, Auskunftsanfragen oder Widersprüche zur Datenverarbeitung richten die Teilnehmer*innen bitte per E-Mail an datenschutz@amigo-spiele.de oder an die unten genannte Postanschrift.
6. Anwendbares Recht Die Teilnahmebedingungen sowie Streitigkeiten oder Meinungsverschiedenheiten im Zusammenhang mit diesem Gewinnspiel unterliegen deutschem Recht.
7. Verantwortlicher Fragen oder Beanstandungen im Zusammenhang mit diesem Gewinnspiel können unter nachfolgender Adresse an den Veranstalter gerichtet werden: AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH („AMIGO“) Waldstraße 23-D5 63128 Dietzenbach hotline@amigo-spiele.de
8. Abschlussbestimmungen Die Promotion wird in keiner Weise von Meta oder ByteDance gesponsert, unterstützt oder organisiert. Ansprechpartner und Verantwortlicher ist allein AMIGO.
Der Rechtsweg ist ausgeschlossen.
Dieses Gewinnspiel steht nicht in Verbindung mit Meta oder ByteDance. Meta und ByteDance sind insbesondere nicht Veranstalter, Sponsor, Unterstützer oder Organisator dieses Gewinnspiels. Informationen werden ausschließlich durch den Veranstalter und nicht durch Meta bzw. ByteDance bereitgestellt. Mit der Teilnahme am Gewinnspiel erklären die Teilnehmerinnen, dass sie gegenüber Meta und ByteDance keine Ansprüche geltend machen werden, die im Zusammenhang mit dem Gewinnspiel stehen und sie Meta bzw. ByteDance insoweit freistellen.
In today’s flashback post, we’ll look at articles about project videos, after campaign communication, refunds and guarantees, April Fools Day, and managing stress.
Creating a Polished Project Video (#166): For the Scythe trailer, I decided to create a professional project video. Accomplishing this included selecting a capable, professional, and communicative designer, laying out the storyboard for the video, hiring a voiceover actor, find and hiring a music composer, and finally, working with the video designer to implement any final edits. Having a professionally produced video provides an opportunity to debut your video with some fanfare, something we’ve done for every game we’ve launched since this Scythe trailer.
The 4 Questions Creators Receive After the Campaign Ends (#167): I’ve noticed a pattern in the types of questions I received after each campaign. They usually consist of 4 different questions: 1. “I forgot to add ____ to my pledge. How can I do that now?”, “I didn’t pledge on time. Can I still back the project?”, “Can I cancel my pledge?”, and “My credit card didn’t work, but I still want the reward. Can I pay some other way?” Learning to expect these questions (or possibly have them answered in your FAQ) can speed up your after-campaign communications!
How Kickstarter Refunds Work and the Results of the Between Two Cities/Treasure Chest Money-Back Guarantee (#168): To refund a backer, go to the Backer Report, search for the backer, and click “Issue a Refund.” There you can refund all or part of their pledge, and they’ll see the refund on their credit card statement a few days later. If you give the backer a full refund, they will no longer be able to comment on the project. However, unless the refund is made within the 14-day grace period after the campaign ends (when the money is on hold), you will lose the roughly 8% fee charged by Kickstarter/Stripe. So if you send a backer a full $100 refund a few months after your project is over, the backer will receive $100, but you will incur a net loss on the original pledge of about $8. As for the our money-back guarantee, I can report only 7 backers of Scythe chose to send their copy back for a refund. I share this because I know it’s scary for creators to offer a money-back guarantee. I’m not saying it’s a good fit for you in the same way that it’s a good fit for us, but it can help create certainty.
How to Have Fun with Your Backers (#169): April Fools’ Day has a long tradition in relation to Stonemaier Games. On a day full of jokes, it’s tough to take anything on the internet seriously, and the last thing I want is to confuse backers. For a company, April Fools (and any time you want to have fun with your backers) shouldn’t be about fooling your customers. Rather, it’s about having fun with them in a way that demonstrates value. So don’t take yourself too seriously, absolutely don’t confuse your backers, and find a way to highlight what you already do well. Back when this article was published, I chose to announce 24/7 customer service. ;)
My Job Is Stress Relief…and I’m Not Very Good at It (#170): Oft-cited billionaire Mark Cuban took me off guard with this unexpected quote: “One of the ways to be incredibly successful no matter what you do is to reduce the stress of those around you.” I’ve ever heard this attributed to success. And I really, really like it… I’m just not very good at it. I’m starting to see how I could improve my customer service in general by changing the focus to reducing stress. And not just customer service–this is something I can do better with my business partners, freelancers, retailers, and other companies I work with. I can have better relationships and thus make Stonemaier more successful if I’m always trying to reduce the stress of those around me, often by clearly communicating and predicting future questions.
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If you have any questions or thoughts about these topics, feel free to share in the comments!
Nachdem wir einige Jahre Midgard gespielt und nebenher immer auch Inspiration in anderen Regelwerken gesucht und gefunden haben, entschlossen wir (Wilhelm Klippel aka „Fiomall“ und ich) uns 1994 dazu unser eigenes Regelwerk zu schreiben. Unter tätiger Mitwirkung von Simone (Arne), Patty (Dulmer) und Uwe (Haplo), aber auch weiteren Mitspielern, wie u. a. André. Wir waren mit einigen Aspekten von Midgard und auch anderen uns bekannten Systemen unzufrieden.
Das war der Beginn von Mag Mor, Rollenspielsystem und gleichzeitig auch Welt, auf der dieses System spielt. Und selbst nach 32 Jahren haben wir immer noch nicht die ganze Welt erkundet und auch unsere Regeln werden nach wie vor ständig erweitert, verfeinert und natürlich auch verbessert.
Mit über 600 echten verschiedenen Zaubersprüchen (plus Runenmagie) und über 110 Fertigkeiten ist unser Spielsystem sicher eines der umfangreichsten überhaupt. Da wir uns aber viel bei anderen System bedient haben und uns von D&D, Midgard, Palladium, MERS, Runequest, Das schwarze Auge etc. haben inspirieren lassen, wird Mag Mor wohl nie außerhalb unserer Spielerunde das Licht der Welt erblicken. Aber das war auch nie unser Ziel.
Inspiration haben wir auch immer aus den Fantasyromanen von Alan Dean Foster, R. A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Karl Edward Wagner, Robert E. Howard, Lyon Sgrague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Robert Asprin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Trudi Canavan und vielen vielen mehr gezogen.
Wir spielen nach wie vor mehrmals im Jahr und diskutieren dann auch immer wieder Aspekte unseres Regelwerks und bauen es um. Und obwohl es eine typische Fantasywelt mit Elfen, Zwergen, Trollen, Drachen und jeder Menge Magie ist haben wir versucht viele Aspekte unseres Regelwerkes möglichst nah an der Realität zu halten, wie z. B. der Reichweite und Durchschlagskraft von Langbögen, den Reisegeschwindigkeiten (wenn sie hier denn keine Magie zum Einsatz kommt), den Auswirkungen von Nahrungs- und Flüssigkeitsmangel und so weiter.
Nebenher wir auch immer wieder viel Zeit in die Beschreibung der Welt Mag Mor gesteckt, was vor allem in den vielen Kampagnen passiert ist, die wir dort schon gespielt haben. Es gab und gibt aber auch immer wieder Ausflüge in andere Welten. Aktuell sind wir in unserer Kampagne zum Beispiel auf Aventurien unterwegs. Das liegt auch viel daran, dass wir fertige Abenteuer (seien es nun Fanabenteuer oder Kaufabenteuer) verwenden und diese mal mehr, mal weniger für unser System anpassen. Manchmal verlegen wir die Handlung dabei nach Mag Mor und manchmal spielen wir auf der beschriebenen Welt. Mit Magie ist das ja alles kein Problem.
Auch nach mittlerweile 42 Jahren haben wir nicht die Lust am Spielen verloren. Dabei hat sich unser Fokus von Kämpfen und Looten, aus den Frühtagen mit D&D, doch sehr in Richtung Geschichten erleben, Rätsel lösen und Lösungen für vertrackte Situationen finden, verlagert.
Und es gibt noch sehr viel zu erkunden auf der Welt Mag Mor.
I recently had an excellent, candid, meandering chat with Peter Vaughan (Cardboard Alchemy), facilitated by Will from the Hungry Gamer YouTube channel. Peter highlighted some really important reasons that publishers–even experienced publishers–consider crowdfunding, including a revelation about changes in distribution and localization.
I believe that crowdfunding remains an incredible tool for all types of publishers, especially newer creators, established publishers who are undergoing an important change, and publishers who want to offer super deluxe version priced beyond the limits of retailers. Here’s a quick checklist of considerations for new creators considering crowdfunding.
There isn’t just one way to serve customers, and I love seeing publishers trying and refining different methods to accomplish that goal, even if their methods are different than ours (we wait until our products are ready to ship before launching them on our webstore, like with the upcoming Finspan: Sharks & Reefs and Euphoria Essential, both on May 13).
Feel free to check out our 35-minute chat if this is a topic that interests you or that you’ve been debating. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
The Banana Ball League, which started in Savannah, is a new type of baseball where the entire focus is on entertaining fans. In fact, Fans First is the title of the book written by founder Jesse Cole, and across several examples it’s clear the extent to which he applies this ideology.
Here are my top 4 takeaways from Cole’s recent chat with Simon Sinek on the A Bit of Optimism podcast:
Every game might be someone’s first game. The Bananas have an incredibly long wait list to watch them play–over 4 million people. So when someone attends a Bananas game, there’s a good chance it is their first game. Knowing this, the Bananas approach every game like their first (and perhaps only) chance for every fan to have a great time. I think that’s a neat approach to tabletop games too: What if my game is someone’s first game? Or it ends up being the only game they play for a long time?
Fans can impact the outcome of the game. One of my favorite rules twists in Banana Ball is that if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out. In some ways, this is akin to crowdfunding, where backers can have a direct impact on a game’s final form. In others, it’s more like a game being a living entity that fans shape over time via fan-made content (like Wingspan’s promo birds) or lore-driven decisions (like what Thundergryph is doing with Etherstone).
The fan experience is prioritized over the sanctity of the game. I love sports, but I think sometimes long-standing, classic sports forget that they are ultimately a form of entertainment, and that means evolving with the times. A brilliant example from the Bananas is this rule: After a game reaches the 2-hour mark, no new inning can begin. This effectively puts a time limit on a sport that is notorious for dragging on, instead prioritizing the fan experience.
Look at the game through the eyes of the customer. The Bananas travel around the US to a variety of baseball stadiums, and whenever they arrive at a new place, the first thing they do is walk through the stadium and look at the field from various perspectives, including the most distant seats. They do this to see the game through the eyes of every fan, as they want to make sure they aren’t just serving those in the first few rows. I love this mentality, and it’s a great reminder for me to approach our platforms in a customer’s shoes (the content we create, our website, webstores, how our games appear at local retailers, etc).
Have you been to a Savannah Bananas game? I’m hoping to go someday, and I’d love to hear about your experience.
Barbarian Kingdoms is the kind of modest board game that comes in a standard sized box with a small selection of cards, a reasonable number of tokens, and a surprising absence of miniatures. While it is nearly two years old at this point, it actually appears more long in the tooth and weathered. I wouldn’t…
The Trickster or Loki as he is also known heads up an evil team with The Enchantress and they mess with the minds of the Heroes. This gives a fight that the Heroes are fighting inside their minds as well as other with other heroes while not knowing who or what they can trust. from the graphic novels he was known as Loki Laufeyson and he was the Trickster God of Mischief, Evil, and Lies, a member of the monstrous Frost Giants of Jotunheim that was adopted and raised among the Asgardians, a group of humanoid beings from the pocket dimension of Asgard, the Realm Eternal. Born smaller than the rest of his race and rejected by his father Laufey, he was adopted by the All-Father; Odin following the war. He was taken back to Asgard to be raised alongside his adopted brother Thor. He was worshiped by the humans known as Vikings and became part of Norse Mythology. Loki grew jealous of his brother after learning his true origin and schemed against him and Asgard. His later cosmic meddling led to the formation of the Avengers, “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. He has the ability to call his wolf Fenris to him amongst many other of his baddies. The Enchantress is a being from Thors realm and in fact she has the hots for Thor and is usually wound up by Loki into attacking Thor.
So how do these work in the game. First of all you have to take on the Enchantress, wh will hit you with a hypnotic gaze. There are five different hypnotic gaze cards each with a different enchantment on the opposite side, get too many charm counters and the card gets flipped to its unique “trance” side and gives you the Enthralled trait which has an immediate effect and also causes you to take a forced action. For example you might be confused or take damage and also forced to draw a card and play it. Also being enthralled will make side schemes nastier to deal with.
Then you have to deal with Loki, but things are never simple with Loki and you have to first deal with his Avator’s who are spread out. This is where you get to play the new “Epic Mupltiplayer Mode” as each player group has to deal with their own batch of the four avators facing off against a randomly-chosen avator that gets swapped out for another each time one is defeated. Each time you defeat one, you Shatter the Illusion that allows you to actually damage the real Loki. But of course Loki is going to just sit there and take damage, once he gets down to half heath, his focus intensifys and his avators get powered up making it even more difficult.
However, there are also some Enthralled Minions, who if you manage to knock back to their senses then they will actually team up with you to help take down the villains, which could well swing the battle back in your favour.
Yesterday I announced the Euphoria Essential Edition, which combines the core game with the expansion and includes some revised rules/components, particularly the board layout. It will be on the Stonemaier Games webstore, ready to ship, starting on May 13.
While discussing the game on yesterday’s livecast, I started to reflect on the factors that result in us considering an “essential” version of an existing game (e.g., Viticulture, Between Two Cities, Between Two Castles, and now Euphoria). I mentioned a few then, and I’ve added a few more to this list:
The game only has 1 expansion, and we can combine the expansion with the game without significantly increasing the price of the essential version compared the original game’s price. This is critical, as we are always focused on price accessibility. If a $60 game and a $30 expansion combined together would still be close to $90 due to the manufacturing cost, we might as well keep them separate. But if the combination leads to some production optimization for a new price of $65, that’s great.
The combined game plus expansion is still accessible to newcomers. Any first expansion of a Stonemaier game is at least partially the result of learning from what people say about the game. Many–but not all–first expansions offer seamless additions rather than new elements that make the game more complex, making them prime for essential editions.
The game and the expansion have successfully been on the market for years. I like to give our games the time to find their audience and thrive in the wild for a long time before revisiting them before considering an essential edition (opposed to releasing the game and then creating a new edition right away).
The game is out of stock but still in demand. For us and the amazing retailers who support our games, we wouldn’t want to create a new edition of a game while there’s still ample inventory of the previous version. We also only consider games with continual sales month-to-month.
We are excited to revisit the game to offer the best version. Even if we’re literally just combining the core game and the expansion, there’s a lot of work involved, especially for the rulebook (but also potentially the box, reference cards, punchboards, etc). And sometimes–like with Euphoria–it’s even more work, as it’s an opportunity to improve the original. I spent a lot of time redesigning the board to make the order of operations and interconnected elements much easier to understand, learn, and teach, and artist Jacqui Davis completely remade the art to match the revised design. We’re passionate about all of our products, but there needs to be a special spark to revisit something that was deemed final for so long.
If there are changes, they do not negate the investment of anyone who already owns the game and the expansion. This is really important to me, and it’s why we created an update pack for Euphoria that includes the new board, updated rulebooks, and the smaller artifact cards. It’s for this reason that I try to be very intentional while weighing the importance of making gameplay changes opposed to just seamlessly combining the game and expansion.
What do you think about these reasons? Is there anything else you would like me to consider for future essential editions (none of which are in the works)?
If you’re curious to learn more about the inception of Euphoria Essential, I’ve included the latest design diary post below.
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April 23: The Inception of Euphoria Essential Edition
In March 2025, almost exactly 13 years after finishing the design for Euphoria, it was time to reprint the game. We’ve reprinted Euphoria a number of times over the years–a reprint is simply printing more of the same exact game–but this time I reached out to Morten (who had designed the Ignorance Is Bliss expansion) with the idea of updating Euphoria with everything I’ve learned about the game over the last decade.
Here’s what I proposed to Morten:
Player mats and big tokens: Remember the tiles in Euphoria that let you quickly adjust token quantities (1x, 2x, 3x, etc)? I’m thinking we could update the player mats to have those tracks, allowing us to remove the big wooden tokens.
Board and bazaar: The inclusion of the player mats allows us to use the area of the game board currently occupied by tracks for the bazaar. It might be just a little tight, though–maybe decrease the size of artifact cards? Also, I would like to offer a double-sided board (bringing back the grayscale look of the original version on one side).
Recruits: I would love to offer a single set of recruits instead of telling players to use only the new or original recruits. To accomplish this goal, I’m open to removing some of the original recruits that aren’t balanced well for the expansion changes. I would also prefer to remove the factionless recruits. They’re clever, but by nature they are exceptions to standard recruit rules.
Markets: I feel similarly about the markets–I just want to shuffle them all together. If we need to remove some markets to accomplish this, that’s fine.
Gameplay: There are 4 elements of Euphoria that I don’t fully love: It’s difficult to teach despite its weight, I’m not sure the ethical dilemmas are necessary, it feels really bad to lose a worker due to a knowledge check (or even to see someone else lose a worker), and it feels impossible to catch up once someone has 9 stars and you’re behind. I’m not necessarily saying that anything needs to change to address these issues, but this is an opportunity to do so if we choose.
[end of message to Morten]
I’ll cut to the chase on a few of these elements: The final result was that we consolidated information onto player mats, we combined all recruits (102 total: asymmetric abilities that each player has), and we combined all market tiles (34 total: worker-placement actions to construct on the board). This essentially results in Euphoria plus the Ignorance Is Bliss expansion, offering a ton of variability with everything seamlessly integrated into a single box.
What do you think about this inception story? Join us tomorrow to dive into the core elements of the Essential Edition’s board, including a few minor-but-impactful rule changes! You can also click here to get a May 13 launch notification (followed by shipping later in May).
I made a huge intentional shift in my life in 2011. I’m now 45 years old, and looking back I realize how distinctly different my life was before and after my 30th year (mostly for the better).
If I had the chance to speak to my 30-year-old self, here are a few things I might say:
1. Creativity thrives in the small windows of free time, not the big ones. For most of my 20s I hoped for big gaps in time that were completely clear of other responsibilities–weeks and months–when I could write a novel. But the two times I had a big gap of time (the summer after college and when I was between jobs), I mostly just played and procrastinated. When I turned 30, I decided to spend 2 hours every night writing the novel, and I was done in 2 months while still maintaining my day job, friendships, and other hobbies. Realizing I could do that motivated me to also spend those small windows of time to design a game, Viticulture. This is one of the biggest changes I’ve ever made in my life, and my career with Stonemaier Games wouldn’t exist without this shift.
2. A change in location won’t make me a different person. I’m an introvert with a rather crippling social anxiety regarding approaching people. I romanticized the idea of going somewhere completely new by myself to see if a different, fearless version of Jamey would emerge, so I booked a solo trip to Ireland for a few days in 2011. Not only did I learn that I much prefer to travel with at least one other person, but also found that I’m still myself–for better or worse–even in a different country where everyone is a stranger. Another way to put this is: For the things about myself that I most want to work on, there’s no magic bullet.
3. There is so much to learn after formal education. I’m incredibly grateful for the all the teachers and professors who guided me from kindergarten through college. But there’s a whole world of knowledge outside of the classroom. I’ve learned so much about game design, for example, by listening to podcasts, reading articles, and watching videos (along with actually playing and designing games).
4. Healthy living starts to take effort after a certain age. I’ve been physically active my entire life, and I was blessed with a great metabolism, so for many years I didn’t feel the need to eat with intention. That was all fine and dandy until I started running Stonemaier Games in my early 30s, a job that often involves sitting at a desk for 12 hours a day. I was no longer playing sports as regularly, yet my diet was the same as ever (and it wasn’t even terrible–I ate fruits and vegetables every day). My body changed incrementally, and before I knew it, I was 20 lbs heavier than I’d ever been. Fortunately I realized it’s never too late to change, but I wish I could tell myself what I was doing to my body and how even 20 minutes of exercise every day can make a huge difference.
5. I don’t want kids, and I’m not alone. For most of my life, I thought I wanted to have kids–I never questioned doing the same thing my parents did (I have a brother and sister). It wasn’t until my early 30s that started to realize that the creative, nurturing, and compassionate sides of myself were fulfilled and challenged better in other ways (game design, friends, cats, etc). But when my siblings and college friends started to have kids, I struggled sometimes to feel like an “adult.” But then I started to make some wonderful friends who were just as happy not having kids as I was–and I found a partner in Megan who also doesn’t want kids–and I’m so grateful for those relationships (they even helped the relationships I had with friends and family who do have kids).
me at 45
6. Money well spent makes a big difference. For the longest time, if I wanted a chocolate bar, I’d spend $0.50 at checkout at the grocery store. But one day I was shopping with a friend, and they said, “You love chocolate, right? If you love something, it’s worth paying for the best.” So I shelled out for a $5 chocolate bar, and it was amazing. This isn’t to say that I don’t still enjoy a Snickers, Kit-Kat, or Hersheys Almond from time to time. But I give myself permission to spend money on the things I love. Similarly, I’ve learned to pay for things that last–I have shoes and jeans that have lasted over a decade.
7. Every job before my career was a good use of time. I think there was a time when I didn’t believe this; I wished I could have found my path earlier in life. But whether it was waiting tables, project managing medical textbooks, or managing a nonprofit staff and fundraiser, I was learning indispensable skills and habits that have had a direct impact on Stonemaier Games’ success.
8. Loving a pet requires compassionate discipline. I adopted my beloved cat Biddy in 2007 when he was a tiny kitten, and raising him from beginning to end is one of the greatest joys of my life. Biddy loved to eat, and I gave him open access to cat food (and sometimes human food). At one point he tipped the scales at 20 lbs. He developed diabetes and required twice-daily insulin shots for the rest of his life. He died of intestinal cancer when he was 16 years old. While I don’t know if I could prevented any of Biddy’s ailments, I wish I had known earlier that I could have made Biddy’s life better overall by denying him a portion of the thing he wanted the most (kibble). Not enabling someone’s worst habit is a core part of loving them. I would truly do anything to have another month or year with Biddy–I miss him every day.
9. There is no rule that says everything must remain the way it’s always been. This applies to relationships, habits, routines, beliefs, hobbies, diet, behaviors, even our bodies. For example, for as long as I can remember, I had large protruding mole at the base of my back. I didn’t like it, but I figured it was too close to my spine to be removed. But then I asked a dermatologist about it, and she said, “Oh, sure, we can remove that right now.” Five minutes later, something that had bothered me for years was gone forever. I wish I could have known earlier that if there is any persistent element in my life that I could cut or add that would make me happier (and those around me), it’s never too late to choose to make that change.
10. Try a lot of different things to continually discover new passions. At 30, I thought I only enjoyed specific types of games and that I didn’t like party games…until I tried Telestrations, Just One, So Clover, Blob Party, and Caution Signs. At 30, I thought I enjoyed blogging as my only form of content creation…until I filmed a “my favorite mechanism” video for YouTube, tried a Facebook livecast, posted an Instagram photo, or recorded a podcast. At 30, I thought ultimate frisbee was the only disc-related sport I enjoyed…until I started playing disc golf during the pandemic and now play every week. The world is full of potential passions I have yet to try, and I won’t know if they’re for me until I actually try them!
I wasn’t sure where this list would take me, but I appreciate the opportunity to share. I’d love to hear if any of these resonate with you or if there’s something you wish you knew before you turned 30.
Rubén Hernández’s Dodos Riding Dinos was one of those games people talked about. The kind of nutty activity that combines a longstanding tabletop genre with silly dexterity elements. I mentally associated it with killer titles like SEAL Team Flix, PitchCar, and Space Cadets. These games marry the frivolous kinetic energy of flicking with a more…
Es begann alles am 6. Oktober des Jahres 1984. Damals war die 1. Auflage des D&D Basis Set gerade mal 11 Monate auf Deutsch erhältlich. Einige Interessierte trafen sich im Bücherwurm, in Bad Camberg, um einen ersten Einblick in die Welt des Fantasy-Rollenspiels zu bekommen. Heute, mehr als 40 Jahre später, spielen einige von Ihnen immer noch dieses Spiel und Ihre Begeisterung dafür hat nicht nachgelassen.
Dies ist auch der Grund für meinen Internet-Nickname NATOKH. Natokh war einer meiner ersten Charaktere in einem Fantasy-Rollenspiel und die Figur die ich am längsten gespielt habe. Der Name geht auf eine Kurzgeschichte aus dem Conan-Universum von Robert E. Howard zurück. Dort war der dunkle Zauberer Natohk (Thugra Khotan) ein Gegenspieler von Conan.
Aber vielleicht sollte ich erst einmal kurz erläutern, worum es sich bei Fantasy Rollenspielen überhaupt handelt. Eigentlich ist es ganz einfach. Eine Gruppe von Spielern, nach unserer Erfahrung mindestens 3 aber höchstens 4-5, versuchen mit fiktiven Charakteren, welche nur auf dem Papier existieren, Aufgaben zu lösen, welche Ihnen ein Spielleiter stellt. Eine Aufgabe kann zum Beispiel das Erretten einer Prinzessin aus den Klauen eines bösen Drachen sein oder aber Detektivarbeit à la Sherlock Holmes oder vielleicht auch nur Metzeln und Looten in der Art eines Dungeon Crawlers. Der PHANTASIE sind hierbei keine Grenzen gesetzt, bzw. nur die des Spielleiters.
Zuerst beginnt man damit sich einen Charakter zu erstellen. Im ersten Schritt werden einige Attribute des Charakters ermittelt, zumeist mit Hilfe von Würfeln, dies sind z.B. die Stärke, das Aussehen, die Intelligenz oder aber das Zaubertalent. Aufgrund der Attributswerte muss sich nun der Spieler eine passende Profession für die Figur aussuchen. Hier gibt es unter anderem den Dieb, den Krieger oder einen Magier. Außerdem legt man fest, welche Rasse man spielen möchte. Neben Menschen gibt es da zum Beispiel Halblinge, Zwerge oder Elfen. Allerdings sollte man für nichtmenschliche Rassen schon etwas Spielerfahrung mitbringen, da es beim Spiel noch einige Besonderheiten und Verhaltensweiten der jeweiligen Rasse zu berücksichtigen gilt.
Hat der Spieler nun die Attribute, Rasse und Profession seines Charakters ermittelt muss er sich an dessen Beschreibung machen. Ist die Figur feige oder mutig, ist sie Links- oder Rechtshänder, ist sie hilfsbereit oder ein grenzenloser Egoist, liebt sie das Glücksspiel oder ist sie ein enthaltsamer Asket. Dies alles ist später wichtig, da der Spieler seine Figur entsprechend spielen soll, er wird also zum Schauspieler, zumindest verbal.
Hat man nun eine Gruppe von Charakteren entworfen beginnt das Spiel. Der Spielleiter übernimmt hierbei die Rolle der Welt sowie aller darin befindlichen Lebewesen. Die Gruppe agiert in dieser Welt. Dies geschieht zum Teil mit dem Einsetzen ihrer Fertigkeiten, wie z.B. dem Stehlen, dem Wirken von Zaubersprüchen und ihren Waffenfertigkeiten, dem Wissen über Kräuter und Gifte usw., zum anderen aber mit der PHANTASIE der Spieler.
Nachdem wir eine Zeit lang das D&D System gespielt haben sind wir relativ schnell zu Midgard gewechselt, dem ersten deutschen Rollenspiel, da uns einiges am D&D Regelwerk gestört hat. Midgard erschien bereits 1981, also 2 Jahre bevor D&D das Licht des deutschen Rollenspielmarktes erblickte und 3 Jahre vor dem Schwarzen Auge, welches 1984 veröffentlicht wurde.
Wir haben dann einige Jahre Midgard gespielt. Da entstand auch mein Zauberer Natokh. Damals haben wir uns fast jede 2 Woche zum Spielen getroffen. Zwischendurch haben wir uns aber auch immer andere Rollenspielsysteme angeschaut. So haben wir auch ein paar Runden Sternengarde gespielt (sozusagen D&D im Weltraum), haben uns Regelwerke wie MERS (Mittelerde Rollenspiel), Runequest, Pathfinder oder Palladium. Wir haben auch ein paar Mal In nomine Satinis gespielt. Ein besonders abgefahrenes Pen & Paper Rollenspiel in dem man Dämonen spielt, mit übernatürlichen Kräften und zum Teil sehr seltsamen Phobien, wie der Angst vor Kindern oder Colaautomaten. Man spielt einen Diener des Teufels und erledigt Aufträge in seinem Namen. Das Spielsystem ist sehr satirisch und nimmt sich nicht Ernst. Wer auf schwarzen Humor und Gemetzel steht, der ist hier genau richtig. Wir haben allerdings nie eine Kampagne gespielt sondern immer nur Einzelabenteuer.
Als Gegenpol gab bzw. gibt es Magna Veritas. Hier spielt man einen Engel und ist natürlich im Auftrag Gottes unterwegs. Das habe ich jedoch nie gespielt. Überhaupt habe ich mir sehr viele Rollenspielbücher nur gekauft, um mir daraus Inspiration zu holen. Was uns zu unserer nächsten großen Veränderung führt.
Anfang der 90er, begannen wir nämlich damit unser eigenes Regelwerk zu schreiben und die Welt Mag Mor aus der Taufe zu heben. Aber das erzähle ich euch beim nächsten Mal.
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