People Behind the Meeples - Episode 296: Roman Ondrus

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Roman Ondrus
Email:	noeh@nerogames.sk
Location:	Netherlands
Day Job:	Corporate Taxation
Designing:	Five to ten years.
Webpage:	www.nerogames.sk
Facebook:	Roman Ondrus
Other:	our NEROGAMES discord - https://discord.gg/9QKE4yVK or myself on discord - Roman [NEROGAMES]#5932
Find my games at:	ultimately we aim to make our games playable on SCREENTOP.GG - it's an up and coming sandbox platform. No hassle use. Still relatively new but so far great experience using it for testing. Once it gets more features it will surely become our to-go platform.

Today's Interview is with:

Roman Ondrus
Interviewed on: 7/12/2021

Today's interview is with Roman Ondrus, part of the Nero Games team. You can find the games he's working on at nerogames.sk and eventually on ScreenTop.gg. In addition to designing games, Roman is a big fan of wombats! Read on to learn more about Roman and his projects.

Press Release - Altenor Secrets is coming to Kickstarter in September!

Intense battles, flying, a circular board to tame... Altenor Secrets is coming to  Kickstarter in September! 

2-4 players, 45-90 min, 14+, On Kickstarter as of September 14th

Altenor Secrets is a competitive battle game that takes place on a circular board made of moving rings. Paintable miniatures sculpted by Big Child Creatives and the endless tower of Altenor set the scene for this game in the Atoriums universe. This  first game from Power of Gamers offers two game modes: The Arena for competitive games and The Ordeals for more casual  players. 

A fusion of game mechanics in the heart of a rich universe 

Developed in the mysterious medieval fantasy world of Atoriums, Altenor Secrets is the first release in what is sure to be a rich  and varied line of games. 

Designed for 2 to 4 players, Altenor Secrets is a mix of different game mechanics: macro strategy, bluffing, anticipation and a  touch of luck are needed to win Arena matches. A unique and atypical board, hyper detailed miniatures, an original alliance of  miniature game mechanics, video games and board games gives players a feeling of familiarity and innovation. 

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 295: Matt Clarke

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Matt Clarke
Email:	maclarkewriter@gmail.com
Location:	Canada
Day Job:	Currently, I print t-shirts at a screenprinting studio. I'm also a freelance web-designer.
Designing:	Two to five years.
Webpage:	www.tekamuttmedia.com
Blog:	travel.mattclarke.co.uk
BGG:	Designer: Matt Clarke
Facebook:	Tekamutt Media
YouTube:	Tekamutt Media
Instagram:	@tekamuttmedia
Find my games at:	https://www.thegamecrafter.com/designers/tekamutt-media

Today's Interview is with:

Matt Clarke
Interviewed on: 7/9/2021

Today's interview is with Matt Clarke, the designer of Shipwrecked, which is self-published on The Game Crafter. The Game Crafter is a great way for designers to get their game out there, without having to work with a publisher (or while waiting to work with the right publisher). Read on to learn more about Matt and his projects!

Press Release - Goliath Coins, a new series of RPG coins, live on Kickstarter!

August 19, 2021
Los Angeles, CA
For Immediate Release

Goliath Coins are the newest series of coins released by Mythic Nation. They are incredibly detailed, large metal coins inspired by D&D 1E - 5E, Pathfinder, and other fantasy themed role playing games. Each side of the coin has amazing 3D sculpted artwork.

Goliath Coins are primarily designed as a collectible display coin for RPG gamers and fans. However, they can also be used as game markers, first player tokens, game props, or Dungeon Master/Game Master awards and gifts.

Each coin comes with a display stand. Coins are 2.25 inches in diameter, weigh almost 3 ounces, and are about 5 mm thick. They are made of a solid zinc alloy metal.

This will be the 15th Kickstarter project by Mythic Nation. The coins will be delivered by the holidays.

Mythic Nation owner Joe Ward said, “I have been designing coins for over 10 years. I believe these are the best coins we have produced. The large size of the coins really allows you to see the 3D detail.”

Goliath Coins is currently 7x funded and all Stretch Goals have been “Unlocked.”

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1719872687/goliath-coins-rpg-characters-and-monsters?ref=wnk5lq

Contact: Joe Ward
Phone: (626) 290-4540
Email: contact@mythicnation.com

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

Press Release - Travel back to billions of years ago and find the path to Life in AEON - The Emergence of Life

 Travel back to billions of years ago and find the path to Life

 

AEON is a board game for 2 to 6 players, ages 12+, which was developed by scientists from the Collaborative Research Center and the Deutsches Museum. The game is based on current scientific knowledge about the origins of the life on Earth, but requires no specific knowledge to play.

Copies of the game are available for pre-order through a crowdfunding campaign from September 8^th to September 13^th 2021.

In AEON, you represent an environment in early Earth, from deep-sea hydrothermal vents to the surface of comets in space. By drawing and placing different tiles, you and your opponents build a network of chemical reactions to produce resources like complex biomolecules and energy.

Investing those resources, you can develop a basic life form with a membrane, a metabolism, and replication. The first to establish all three features wins the game!

You can find more about AEON, the rules, and its developers on the game’s website: https://aeon-game.eu/aeon/

Pre-order the game and special bonus artwork like posters and bookmarks on the crowdfunding campaign: https://www.startnext.com/en/aeon

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 294: J.D. Brown

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	J.D. Brown
Email:	hexagamesohio@gmail.com
Location:	Fremont, Ohio USA
Day Job:	I'm a forklift driver of 23y and an author.
Designing:	Over ten years!
Webpage:	Hexagames LLC
BGG:	Hexagames
Facebook:	JD Brown
YouTube:	JD Brown
Instagram:	@HexagamesOhio
Other:	https://facebook.com/groups/2044343652540185
Find my games at:	https://www.thegamecrafter.com/designers/hexagames-llc

Today's Interview is with:

J.D. Brown
Interviewed on: 7/7/2021

This week's interview is with J.D. Brown, a prolific designer on The Game Crafter. He has 19 games currently available on The Game Crafter with a ton more on the way! So read on to learn more about J.D. and his projects, and be sure to check out his Hexagames page on The Game Crafter!

Press Release - Winchester Mystery House teams with Deep Water Games on Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House®

August 16th, 2021

Winchester Mystery House® Comes to Life in a New Board Game

Winchester Mystery House teams with Deep Water Games on 

Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House®

 

From Deep Water Games and The Winchester Mystery House LLC comes Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House, based on the most extraordinary and bizarre house ever built.  It is a sequel to Deep Water’s 2020 release Floor Plan, which was nominated for the Board Game Geek Award and is now on its 4th printing.  Floor Plan:  The Winchester Mystery House will be available in retail stores across the U.S. in Spring 2022.

 

In Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House, players take on the role of an architect designing the house for Sarah Winchester. Each round, a pair of dice are rolled, and players act simultaneously, using the dice to design the most mysterious and eccentric estate in the world. The design goals featured in the game are all real architectural and design features of the Winchester Mystery House, ranging from room designs to decor. One game might have you building the iconic Seance room, while another might spotlight the Daisy Bedroom where Sarah Winchester was allegedly trapped during the 1906 earthquake. Each game features a different six of the thirty goals, so when you play again, you’ll have a whole new experience. After all, Sarah is always building...

“Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House brings new and accessible gameplay to the Floor Plan line, from building on multiple levels using dry erase transparencies to the new unlockable Spirit bonuses,” says game designer John Brieger. “Living just a few miles from the Winchester Mystery House, it’s been incredibly fun bringing such an iconic local landmark to life.”

Winchester Mystery House is a landmark mansion in San Jose, CA, once the personal residence of Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to a large portion of the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune. After losing her husband and child, Sarah left their home in New Haven, CT and moved out west to San Jose, where she bought an eight-room farmhouse and began what could only be described as the world’s longest home renovation. Construction continued around the clock for 38 years, as the original home grew into the world’s most unusual and sprawling mansion in what some say was an effort to confuse any spirits bent on seeking revenge for their death by rifle.

 

“Deep Water Games is proud to be working with the Winchester Mystery House and Brieger Creative on this project, and we couldn't be more excited about what we have in store for you,” says Deep Water Games President Jacob Way. 

“Winchester Mystery House is undoubtedly one of the most uniquely designed homes in the world, so we were thrilled when the design team at Deep Water Games approached us,” said Walter Magnuson, General Manager of the Winchester Mystery House. “The Floor Plan game feels like a natural fit for Sarah Winchester’s incredible home. We hope that after playing, Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House, even more fans will be inspired to come visit.” 

Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House is designed by John Brieger of Brieger Creative. Brieger is a board game developer based in Sunnyvale, CA with a background in qualitative research. After leaving Apple, he founded the board game development studio Brieger Creative. Brieger Creative are the developers on the original Floor Plan game, which was designed by Marek Tupy, as well as on several other roll and write style games, including Cartographers and Long Shot the Dice Game.

Deep Water Games is a Midwest publisher and distributor of board games and board game accessories. Deep Water Games is a division of Ox Eye Media.

Floor Plan: The Winchester Mystery House is the second collaboration between The Winchester Mystery House LLC and Ox Eye Media after The Winchester Mystery House comic series releasing in October. Published by Source Point Press, the comic series is a masterfully crafted horror tale written by Joshua Werner and illustrated by Dustin Irvin, taking readers into the non-stop construction of “The house that spirits built."

 

For more information on the board game visit deepwatergaming.com. For more information on the comic series, go to sourcepointpress.com. Email: cameron@oxeyemedia.com for inquiries or interview opportunities.

For more information on Winchester Mystery House® visit winchestermysteryhouse.com or contact:  Natalie Alvanez, natalie@winchestermysteryhouse.com.   

*Game imagery as shown are working prototypes, subject to Licensor approval*

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

Weird Giraffe Games Launches 10th Kickstarter, Wicked & Wise, Designed by Fertessa Allyse

August 4th, 2021. US-based board game publisher Weird Giraffe Games is launching their 8th Kickstarter in August 2021. The game, Wicked and Wise, is a trick-taking game, in the same vein as classic games such as Spades and Hearts.

Designed by Fertessa Allyse, Wicked and Wise puts players into teams of Dragons and Mice, who are working together to expand the Dragon’s Hoard. Dragons play cards and try to win tricks; mice play their cards and use special abilities in order to give their Dragon partner an edge. 

At the end of each hand, the winning pair can choose to get gold or treasure. The treasure cards provide the dragon with powerful special abilities that they can use in future rounds. But, the team needs to be careful - whatever they don’t choose goes to their opponent!  

The teams vary based on the total number of players in the game; some player counts require a player to play two hands of cards (the “Duel”). The game also includes additional rules that can limit the amount of “table talk” between the partners in a team. 

Wicked and Wise is designer Fertessa Allyse’s second Kickstarter game. Her first Kickstarter game, Book of Villainy, was launched by Gold Seal Games and funded on July 1st, 2021. 

Art for Wicked and Wise was created by acclaimed artist Beth Sobel. Sobel has also created art for a number of other board games, including Herbaceous, Cascadia, and Wingspan. 

Wicked and Wise launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday, August 11th. Inquiries for more information and press contacts can be directed to Weird Giraffe Games Founder, Carla Kopp, at contact@weirdgiraffegames.com. 

See more information on the Weird Giraffe Games’ website https://weird-giraffe-games.square.site/wicked-and-wise

The Kickstarter is found at this link: http://weirdgiraffegames.com/WW18

Did you like this press release?  Show your support: Support me on Patreon! Also, click the heart at Board Game Links , like GJJ Games on Facebook , or follow on Twitter .  And be sure to check out my games on  Tabletop Generation.

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 293: Ethan Larson

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Ethan Larson
Location:	Montreal, Canada
Day Job:	Live balance video game designer on Dead by Daylight.
Designing:	Over ten years!
Webpage:	maniac-games.com
Blog:	almosmusicblog.blogspot.com
BGG:	almo2001
Facebook:	Ethan Larson
Twitter:	@almo2001
YouTube:	almo2001
Other:	twitch.tv/almo2001 I stream and talk about video games regularly.
Find my games at:	Boardgame Arena and iggamecenter have Linkage online. Though BGA is still in beta, so I don't think it's publicly available yet.

Today's Interview is with:

Ethan Larson
Interviewed on: 7/7/2021

This week we get to meet Ethan Larson, the designer behind Linkage and several other games. Ethan has been designing games since he was 10! Read on to learn more about Ethan and his projects.

People Behind the Meeples - Episode 292: Chuck White

Welcome to People Behind the Meeples, a series of interviews with indie game designers.  Here you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the people who make the best games that you may or may not have heard of before.  If you'd like to be featured, head over to http://gjjgames.blogspot.com/p/game-designer-interview-questionnaire.html and fill out the questionnaire! You can find all the interviews here: People Behind the Meeples. Support me on Patreon!

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Name:	Chuck White
Email:	T3chxplorer@gmail.com
Location:	United States
Day Job:	Software Analyst
Designing:	Six months to a year.
Facebook:	Robot Boxing League
Instagram:	@T3chxplorer
Other:	Discord: http://www.discord.com/invite/mQMPdDSrtZ
Find my games at:	Tabletop Simulator - it is not open to the public yet so just message me and I will run a game!

Today's Interview is with:

Chuck White
Interviewed on: 7/7/2021

Today I'd like to introduce you to a newer designer. Chuck White is working on his game, Robot Boxing League; an arena fighting deck-builder where robots battle it out and upgrade between battles. Be sure to follow along to see how the game develops!