Sodbusters is a game simulating the frustration and perserverance of farming in the late 1800s.

From the BGG description:

The object of the game is to build the most profitable farming operation. Each player starts with a cash loan and one of 57 available sections of land, and may buy more land on any turn. On each section of land, players may plant one of four crops or raise one of four kinds of livestock.

Each turn represents one of the four seasons. The game consists of 20 turns (five “years” or full crop cycles). Each turn or season is divided into 3 phases which are played simultaneously by all players. In the “Purchase” phase players may buy land and animals and (if in season) plant crops. The “Event” phase consists of drawing cards which introduce events or conditions which may or may not affect players. For example, when a Tornado or Oil Strike event is drawn, a die roll mechanism is used to select specific land sections which are affected. In the “Harvest” phase, players sell any mature crops or livestock at the market price listed on a master Harvest card drawn for that turn.

Players may pay off their initial loan at any time. The amount due (representing combined principal and interest) grows substantially each “year”. After the final turn, the player with the most cash left after paying off the loan is the winner. Land and other permanent farming assets may not be sold to raise cash. This simulates the practice of the first generation retiring and handing the farming operation intact to the next generation.

There appears to be a lot of luck in the game.

• Comments Off on Sodbusters

Games Play UK is a licensing machine. I receive updates from them when they have new products, and they’re always advertised as “here’s a new product that would make a great license opportunity!” Very little about the game on offer is given, and for the most part they look pretty lame.

At least one game of theirs is doing pretty well: Txtpert has been licensed by USA Today for online play, and re-branded by USA Today for mobile play by Namco.

But the game also comes in both card game and board game versions, and several other licensing opportunities still exist. And, while you’re there, you may as well check out all the other games to see if I’ve overlooked potential jewels.

• Comments Off on Txtpert from Games Play UK

Available in September, Krakow 1325 AD is a four-player card game set in the medieval capital of Poland.

In this game, two players join up to form an alliance between ruthless crooks. These two teams compete for influence and riches through a fascinating card game using special Intrigue Cards. But below the surface, things get ugly: each player has a hidden Identity and secretly competes against all others, including his own team mate. These secrets are only revealed at the end of the game, when there is only room for one winner and three losers.

Intended to be the first game from something called “Geode Games”.

(information)

• Comments Off on Krakow 1325 AD Game

Ryan Daly of Newport, RI is doing his part: after starting a Chess club at a local café, he organized donations and city approval to place four outdoor Chess tables in local parks.

Each table cost $1,500 and had to be shipped from CT.

(source)

• Comments Off on Spreading the Word, One Chess Table at a Time

Twisted Game Rules are variants for board and collectible card games that can be purchased as printouts or downloadable PDFs. I can’t imagine charging people for variants, let alone for games that aren’t mine, nor buying variants, but there you go.

They’re from Black Dagger Games, makers of downloadable RPG products.

• 1 Comment

Hasbro has announced the cities that will be on their “World edition”. Montréal, Canada tops the list. The entire list is:

All conveniently without country names, for one reason only.

Hasbro adds:

Along with the 22 property spaces featuring world-class global cities, the game will include updated Chance and Community Chest cards that highlight events and culturally relevant scenarios from countries around the world. Players may celebrate at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, organize an international music festival or host a St. Patrick’s Day festival in Dublin. Additionally, the tokens, houses and hotels reflect icons and styles from all seven continents.

The game will be available from August 26.

(source)

• Comments Off on Monopoly World Edition City Preview

There’s just no way for any one person to cover all the games showing at Gen Con. However, one of the more interesting aspects I found of the games at the show was the prominence of playtest and prerelease games. To highlight just a few…

Fantasy Flight Games was running public playtests of Cosmic Encounter, Conan, and several other board games still under development. They were also demonstrating and selling a limited number of prerelease copies of Red November and the Battlestar Galactica board game. I didn’t get either before they sold out, but I’m sure to pick up both as soon as they’re available. Those who played or bought the game reported that Battlestar Galactica does a great job of highlighting the tension found in the television series. Red November is about a crew of Soviet Gnomes trying desperately to keep their submarine from sinking. I mean, what more needs to be said after “Soviet Gnomes?”

At it’s booth, Alderac Entertainment Group was selling Tomb, a couple of weeks before it’s destined to hit retailer shelves. Tomb is a competitive adventure game of dungeon delving. The game is designed to be quick to pick up and play, with little set up time.

Among RPGs there was Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone. A limited number of preview copies of this game were available for sale at the show. Succinctly put, Hellas is an RPG about ancient Greeks in space. The art I saw in the book certainly added to the epic feel. But as I heard too from those who had a chance to play it, the game mechanics do a very good job of conveying the setting.

Heirs to Olympia was another game previewing at Gen Con. This one was actually available in both RPG and miniatures versions. Both rulesets, when complete versions are available, will take players to a world “in which fantasy intermixes with the gritty realism of the actual Middle Ages.” Heirs to Olympia is a project of Countess Games.

• Comments Off on The Games of Gen Con

We focus on the games, of course. But the best thing about a convention is actually the people. And isn’t that why we love tabletop games—for the social experience. It’s certainly why here at Purple Pawn we’re happy to cover all types of games. Because the one thing they all have in common is the shared experience of the people sitting around the table.

So on that note, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Daniel Perez and Itamar Weisberg for a great dinner Friday night; Brian, Chris, and Dave for inviting a stranger to board games Saturday night; Leonard Balsera for a rollicking demo of Spirit of the Century; Darcy Burgess for a personal introduction to story games; Will for letting me sit in and then bug out on Battlelore; Don Dehm and Ryan Macklin for welcoming me to the community of gamer press; and the guys from Canada for the best game I’ve ever played where we didn’t know the rules and refused to stop playing when the game was over.

I hope to see you all again next year!

• 3 Comments