The Best Gifts This Year
December 2, 2011
You already know that we’ve got great game suggestions for you when you need them; we always look forward to the holidays as a time when we get to tell you about all the incredible stuff that has come out during the year. So once again, we’ve spent long hours playing and assessing a number of fabulous choices from a variety of categories that will help you decide what should go at the top of your holiday shopping list. It was hard work, playing all these games for you, but the results are worth it, and hopefully it will make your crunch time less crunchy. You can download the guide in .pdf format for printing, or you’re welcome to stop by the store for a glossy, lovely hard copy to thumb through. And keep in mind that these suggestions are only the very tip of the iceberg. We’ve got you covered, regardless of what’s in the pink section this year. So don’t be afraid to give us a call or stop in and let us guide you in the right direction for the best games of the year!
Have fun out there!
December Designer Demo Days
November 30, 2011
While we’re stocking our store with a ton of great items for the holiday season, we’ve also organized a number of events in December where you can meet the creators of some really awesome products right here at Gamescape. All through the month, we’ll be getting visits from a number of local game designers who will set up tables in the store and show you what they’re best at. You can give something new a try, learn a bit about the design process, or even get a game signed. Check out our featured designer visits below and synch up your shopping days with our December Designer Days – and you can bet that we’ll have plenty of all of these in stock just in case you like what you see!
Moosetache Games Demos with David Schiller & John Montague
Saturday, December 3rd 12-5pm
David and John of Moosetache Games will be bringing along demos of their two hits, Hike and Rowboat for some card-flopping fun. Hike is a quick, travelable little gem that pits players on a trek for survival against the wilds of Mother Nature. Rowboat, recently reviewed in Wired magazine, is a trick-taking game akin to Bridge or Spades with a nautical theme and gorgeous cards. We absolutely love Moosetache’s mission: to encourage creativity and spread joy!
Gubs Demo with Cole Medeiros
Saturday, December 10th 1-4pm
A Parent’s Choice Award winner, Gubs, one of the newest offerings from Gamewright, is a total blast. Also reviewed in Wired, Gubs is about collecting and protecting friendly little yellow creatures that like to hide in the forest. As noted on the box, it’s a game of wit and luck, focused on its creative use of card combinations for infinite replayability and fun. Gubs’ creator, Cole Medeiros, will be on hand to show you how it’s played and to provide some helpful tips. Cole’s (and Gubs’) story is incredible, and you can read about the way the game was born here.
Idea Duck Designer Demo with Susan McKinley Ross & Chris Ross
Sunday, December 11th 1-3pm
What’s a holiday season without Susan and Chris? Another year, another beautiful, award-winning game…or two! The delightful duo who go by the name of Idea Duck will be at Gamescape in the middle of the month to teach and sign games for their fans and customers. This year, the focus is on Susan’s great game of visual perception and dexterity, Color Stix, and Chris’ new Parent’s Choice Silver winner, DestiNation USA. In addition to these, the usual suspects will be present: Fish Stix, Skippity, Hoot Owl Hoot!, and our best-selling game ever, Qwirkle, which just took home the coveted Spiel des Jahres award in Germany this year. Don’t miss this meet ‘n’ greet!
Blue Orange Games Demos with the Blue Orange Staff
Sunday, December 18th 2-4pm
The fine folks over at Blue Orange have consistently been creating wonderful, super-fun games for kids and adults, and this year has seen some of their best. In addition to the wildly-popular Yamslam and Pengoloo games, they’ll be bringing playable copies of their entire line, including Gobblet, Froggie Boogie, Quack Quack, Double Shutter, Sumoku, and Fundomino – and maybe even some giant-sized versions, as well! Of special note this year are the games included in our gift guide: Analyze Me, Tell Tale, Dragon Face, and Sketch-It. Blue Orange has been one of our favorite companies for years, and we always enjoy spending time with them, whether it’s playing games or playtesting them.
Pathfinder Beginner Box Demos
November 28, 2011
This Sunday is a great day for heroes, for magic, and for adventure! Two of our excellent local GMs, Joshua and Alex, will be running introductory sessions of the Pathfinder RPG for anyone who would like to give it a try. They will each be taking willing players through a series of four scenarios specifically designed for the amazing Pathfinder Beginner Box. Relics, Ruins, Terrors, and Tomes will be the challenges, and all we need are some intrepid, heroic souls to see what’s inside!
If this sounds like a challenge that YOU are willing to make, come visit us this Sunday, December 4th for a fun, free gaming experience. Each GM will be running the adventures throughout the day starting at 12 noon and ending at 6:00pm. You need to bring absolutely nothing but your spirit of adventure, as Joshua and Alex will be providing dice, paper, and pre-generated characters for you to use. They’ll give you a brief introduction to the rules and a deeper background to the story, and then off you’ll go. And because Gamescape is hosting this awesome intro event, you get to walk away with the pre-painted miniature that represents the hero you play!
So if this is your idea of a Sunday well-spent, give us a call at the store and reserve a spot in one of the sessions. We’ll write your name down and save your place as long as you promise to show up on time, ready to delve into some dungeons. Time to strap on that armor…
Warhammer 40K Tanksgiving
November 21, 2011
This Tuesday, November 22nd, Gamescape’s regular Warhammer 40K night will be overtaken with the roaring guns and armored columns of the 41st Millennium! A massive battlefield will be staged in which dozens of brave tank commanders will seek to eliminate as many other armored foes as they can. The time of the year has arrived – it’s Tanksgiving!
All you need to do to participate in this event is bring your favorite Warhammer 40K tank, upgraded to your liking with a legal data sheet for us to check. What classifies as a tank? Any vehicle with the keyword ‘Tank’ in its profile. Easy as that. The fun begins at 6:00pm. Prizes will be awarded to overall winners and a special prize will be given out to the ‘prettiest’ tank of the day. After all, prettier tanks fight better!
For participants with less tank-inclined armies of the Grim Darkness (where there can be only war), the following exceptions will be allowed:
Tyranids: Any Monstrous Creature with no more than 4 Wounds.
Necrons: Monolith, Ghost/Doomsday Ark.
Dark Eldar: Raider, Ravager, Talos Pain Engine, Cronos Parasite Engine.
Tanks (including Super-Heavies) found in Imperial Armour will be allowed as long as a data sheet is attached.
Some helpful hints on game strategy: The more expensive your vehicle is points-wise, the worse it is for you when it goes up in smoke. There will be some fun objectives as well, so Fast Vehicles and Skimmers might find themselves at an advantage when compared to slower, heavy-gunned behemoths.
Warhammer 40K Tanksgiving 2011
Tuesday, November 22nd 6-10pm
Time to give TANKS.
Gamescape Designers Guild
November 15, 2011
Gamescape is extremely excited to announce the first meeting of our monthly Game Designers Guild! Starting on Saturday, November 19th 6-9pm, we will be hosting monthly meetings at the store where our brilliant cadre of local designers can playtest game prototypes, meet-n-greet each other, and discuss any or all aspects of board game design and manufacture. Everyone is welcome, whether you have your own game prototype, an idea for a game, or just want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the different processes of design and production.
Each meeting will begin with a round of scheduled playtests, where participants will have a chance to try one of several pre-selected prototypes, followed by a free-form session for open playtesting and discussions around board game design, development, and publishing.
If you would like to submit a prototype to be scheduled for playtesting at a future GDG meeting, please contact our Guild hosts, Greg Powers and Brian Powers, who will keep track of participants and what games are being playtested at a given meeting. Scheduling priority will eventually be given to players who have participated in previous playtesting sessions, but we expect it to take a few meetings before we have a diverse stable of games-in-progress to work with.
Please note that we will have generic non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) available for any participants wanting to use them, and designers are very welcome to additionally bring their own. We will also have feedback forms so that potential publishers will be able to take home ideas and suggestions in writing. The Gamescape Designers Guild is meant to be a workshop, of sorts, to help facilitate creativity and get more great games out on the market, and the environment that we’re shooting for is one of no pressure, no intimidation, and total legal creative safety.
To join in, just show up with a willingness to play, learn, teach, test, and help. You can give us a yell at the store or contact Greg and Brian via the addresses above for more info or to express your interest in bringing a game in any stage of production. We’ve even set up a board on our forums for Guild members to chat with each other in between meetings. That, especially, is a great place to introduce yourself and get your name on the list of regular contributors.
We think that the Gamescape Designers Guild is a great thing to be a part of, and we hope our creative community will use it as a service to help make their dream games happen. Be in touch with as things progress and help us make it exactly the kind of design meetings you want to join!