Treasure hunting is dangerous business – ancient temples, rolling boulders and all. But even after you do discover that rare scroll or gem – there is still the matter of making sure it ends up in the right place! Artifacts Inc. hands you the responsibility of acquiring artifacts in 1920’s and then selling these to museums and collectors to ensure your firm earns the most prestige in the field. From using dice as workers to making you dive for treasure there are lots of cool twists to this one – let’s dig in!
The purpose of this post is to share my experience working with BangWee Industry Ltd., a company in China that manufactured Cauldron. Manufacturer selection is a very important step and I hope that this information will be useful to other board game creators in their search for partners.
The graphic designer and illustrator for the wonderfully whimsical The Siblings Trouble stops by to share her thoughts and advice on the creative process. I am very grateful to Kim for offering these insights and invite everyone to check out The Siblings Trouble on Kickstarter. I am a backer and can’t wait to get my hands on this game – hope you will consider supporting it as well.
This particular generic fantasy harbour is filled with activity – giants loading huge crates of livestock onto ghost ships, enormous octopus chefs offering their clients delicious sushi, copper automatons whirring into motion to turn oaks into lumber. The air is alive with the calls of seagulls and the salty sea mist. If you pay close attention though – you can sense another smell – a smoky one. That would be brains burning as players strive to predict which goods will be in demand so that they can stockpile and sell it, staking their claim to victory. Want a tight, tense game that makes you think several turns ahead? Welcome to Harbour.
Can something tiny truly be epic? This postcard-sized box stakes a claim that yest it can. And boy, does it deliver on that promise. Scott Almes, the designer, managed to pull off a magic trick of his own, creating a game that lasts less than an hour, takes minimal table space, yet feels robust and involved, packs tactical depth and flexibility. After the dust settles and the victor is crowned – it is a very satisfying and complete experience in a familiar, well-rendered fantasy world.
As the year is drawing to an end it is great to look back and reflect on what so far has been the most exciting and involved project of my life. I am talking about Cauldron, the board game of competitive alchemy that I am currently working very hard to bring to Kickstarter. In looking back what I find most is gratitude. Gratitude to many people, and I’m going to try expressing it in this post.