“The way to have Power, is to take it” – William “Boss” Tweed

Tammany Hall is a game of backstabbing, corruption, temporary alliances and taking power at all costs. If you want to rule New York, you are going to need to play the cities growing immigrant populations against one another. Help the immigrant groups who owe you political favors, call in those favors to slander your rivals and win election.

In Tammany Hall, players help immigrants settle in New York, collect political favors from those immigrant groups, send ward bosses into Manhattan to secure votes, and slander political opponents. An election is held at the end of every fourth year, and the player who uses his power base best will be elected mayor. The Mayors grip on the city is tenuous at best. After every election, the Mayor must pay off his political rivals by placing them in offices that they can wield to try and take control of the city. Every player is your friend, every player is your enemy.

~ Pandasaurus Games

Tammany Hall Kickstarter

AEG has published some fantastic Card, board, and RPG games including:

And bringing you new games like:

Now is the chance to ask YOUR questions! AEG has kindly agreed to be the next guest for “20 Questions” where You submit your questions, WE at 2D6.org gather the  most popular questions, and then we conduct the interview!

Want to know about the next Nightfall release? Interested in talking about the new Thunderstone: Advance? Curious what new secret projects are in the works over at the Alderac Entertainment Group?

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS HERE!

Who Knows There Might Even Be A Contest In The End.

Nothing is worse than Question and Answer sessions where the question you care about the most is never asked.We need YOU to submit your questions, you have until May 24th before we gather up the questions and contact AEG for the interview!

It is the 1920s, a time of much industrial building and growth. In Titans of Industry, you must invest in building factories and businesses in order to produce goods and sell them to gain victory points (VPs). Game play involves a delicate balance of money, production, and goals. The person who can best manage his buildings and meet his goals in seven years will win.

Each player starts the game with four workers and $6,000. Every turn, players first buy buildings, then place workers on those buildings or on the board. Factories allow you to produce goods, while Businesses allow you to sell those goods for money or VPs. A good player needs to balance production and sales, and encourage other players to sell with them to maximize sales. Board elements allow players to take advantage of bonuses, such as extra production, building improvements, and Corporate Strategy cards. Corporate Strategy cards help give players additional goals and direction, by specifying additional ways to gain victory points.

Three times during the game – years 1923, 1925, and 1927 – upkeep will be due, and players must pay to maintain their buildings, or will need to take out loans. Players will need to sell enough goods before then to have enough money to cover the costs, as loans are worth negative victory points at the end of the game. After year 1927, whoever has the most victory points from combined sales, buildings, and Corporate Strategy cards wins the game.

Titans of Industry, which allows 3-5 players and plays in approximately 20-25 minutes per player, is a rich worker-placement/resource-management Euro-style game.

~ Gozer Games, LLC

Titans of Industry Kickstarter

GOSU plays like a hybrid of Race for the Galaxy and Magic: The Gathering with each player trying to recruit an army of goblins made up of soldiers, heroes, magicians, and other classes – then swing it into action against the other players. Five clans of goblins are represented on the game cards, with goblins in one of three ranks. To build an army, a player must first recruit level I goblins, then build on those goblins with level II and finally level III. Those higher level goblins can be played only if a lower level goblin is of the same clan, and since goblins of the same clan have similar abilities or powers that mesh well, players tend to specialize in who they recruit to their ranks.

Each turn, a player can play a new goblin, activate a goblin, draw cards, or pass. To activate a goblin or draw cards, players need to spend 1-2 activation tokens, with them having only two at the start of each battle. Many goblins have special powers that come into play when they’re recruited, attacked, removed from play, placed with other goblins, and so on.

Once all players have passed, the player with the most powerful army wins the battle. Players keep cards in hand from one battle to the next, so laying out all your forces at once can leave you with little to do but get hit in later battles. The first player to win three battles wins the game.

~Moonster Games

“What this town needs is a pet store.” No one knows which imp said it, but every imp recognized the idea was pure genius: “A pet shop for dungeon lords? What a great idea! Yeah, and no one else is doing it! No competition! We’ll be rich!” And now you have just opened the first pet shop in town. Right next door to the other first pet shop in town. Across the street from two more.

Buy baby monsters! Feed them and watch them grow! Clean their cages!

Yes, running a pet store is exciting for an imp. But it can also be mentally challenging: What is the smartest way to win the upcoming exhibition? Which pet is best suited for your dungeon lord customer? How strong a cage do you need, and if you guess wrong, how many family members will be maimed?

Win or lose, you are sure to enjoy the grand opening of Dungeon Petz.

~ Czech Games Edition

Monsters Everywhere!

The crew of the exploration ship Znutar just wanted to cruise around the Galaxy, discovering strange new worlds and playing pool. But then their ship was invaded by the Awful Green Things . . . and suddenly they were fighting for their lives!

In this wacky two-player game, one player controls the Awful Green Things. They grow and multiply every turn – especially if they can gobble up a crew member! The other player commands the crew, frantically trying weapon after weapon (pool sticks, fire extinguishers, cans of Zgwortz) to find something that kills the monsters.

This classic game by Tom Wham first appeared in Dragon Magazine in 1980, and has been a fan favorite ever since! This edition includes Tom’s “Outside the Znutar” rules and counters, for going out the airlocks and fighting on the surface of the ship, and upgraded components: a mounted gameboard, heavy die-cut counters, and a full-color rulebook!

~ Steve Jackson Games

Intro

Review

DAR

Wings of Glory: WW2 Starter Set is a tactical air combat game set in WW2 that uses cards and miniatures.

This first set is a complete game that features four airplanes for the WW2 game series: the American P40, the Russian Yak-1, the Japanese Ki-61 and the Italian Re-2001 Falco. Other components include maneuver decks for each airplane and a rule book that includes Basic, Standard and Advanced Rules, Optional Rules, and Scenarios. A full assortment of counters, tokens, rulers, and airplane console boards complete the set, which can be expanded with additional WW2 Airplane Packs to allow for larger battles with different airplanes.

Part of the Wings of War series

~ Ares Games

Space Empires is a game in the finest tradition of 4X space games – eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate. Make no mistake, all four “X’s” are included in this game. This is a wargame where the purpose of building your empire is not to feel good about your achievement, but to destroy your enemies and burn their colonies.

One difficulty in games of this genre is that they are often either overly simplistic or tediously detailed. Space Empires has been almost 20 years in the making and, during that time, many elegant solutions have been developed to keep the theme rich without a lot of rules. The game includes carriers and fighters, mines, cloaking, a very large technology tree, fifteen ship classes from scout to dreadnaught, merchant shipping, colonization, mining, terraforming, bases, shipyards, black holes, warp points, and non-player aliens, yet the rules are short and intuitive and the game can be finished on one sitting. This is NOT a game that is hard to get into. The playtest rules are only 8 pages long for the basic game and increase to 11 pages in length when the advanced rules are included.

Exploration is easy (well, easy for you, it is actually dangerous for your ships) and fun and reveals different terrain (such as asteroids and nebulas) that affect your movement and your combat. The map is mounted.

This is a game made by people who love the genre, but play other games too.

Components:

Four and a half 5/8″ counter sheets (792 counters)
One 22 x 34″ mounted map
Rulebook
Scenario Book
Four Player aid sheets
One Pad of production sheets
Four 10 sided dice

Players and Playing Time:

1-4 Players
1-4 hours to play depending on the scenario

~ GMT

Intro

Review

DAR

The Sewers of Redpoint is a programmed adventure using Dark City Games Legends of the Ancient World rule set. These rules provide gameplay very similar to that of Melee and Wizard from Metagaming. This adventure is compatible with those games as well.

Battles are fought with counters on a hex map that is included with the game.

~  Dark City Games, Inc.

Available to buy now: bit.ly/RAMM115

Welcome back for our sixth episode of Wooden Cubes & Iron Soldiers!

In this episode we forgo a main topic and talk a bit more in depth about a few games, including 1989: Dawn of Freedom, Wings of War, Vinhos, Power Grid: First Sparks, Lords of Waterdeep, Titans of Industry, Tammany Hall, Ogre, and finally Car Wars!

As before here is the list of games we cover:

1989: Dawn of Freedom, Twilight Struggle, Labyrinth: The War on Terror, Free At Last, Wings of War, Wings of Glory, Star Wars: X-Wing, Carnevale, Warhammer, War Machine, Vinhos, Power Grid: First Sparks, Africa Corps, No Peace Without Spain!, The God Kings, Lords of Waterdeep, Settlers of Catan, Titans of Industry, Tammany Hall, Poker, Pathfinder, Dark City Games, Sentinels of the Multiverse: Rook City, 1st and Goal, Thunderstone Advance, Rolling Freight, Core Worlds, Sunrise City, Illuminati: Deluxe, Munchkin, Ogre, Car Wars, Charioteer: Racing at the Famous Circus Maximus, Circus Imperium, Road to Enlightenment, Zombicide, Zpocalypse, Kingdom Builder, Samarkand: Routes to Riches, Lancaster, Castelli

~ Joel Eddy

Opinions and statements stated by “Wooden Cubes and Iron Soldiers”  podcast are not to be considered as endorsed by 2D6.org. Visitors are urged to use their own discernment to draw their own conclusions.

AD 30  The Journey of Jesus

Events occur that not only agitate the powers that be, but also cause Jesus to be tempted. These events enable you, as the player, to assist Jesus through actions, such as reducing the threat of the leaders, having trusted apostles assist with these concerns, or bringing in more apostles. All of these actions are represented abstractly, through die rolls and moving Markers on the board.Some events push Jesus towards Jerusalem. Since reaching Jerusalem brings the game to an end, there is another action allowing Jesus to move away from Jerusalem, gaining valuable time for additional teaching and spreading His message.

Your goal of the game is to assemble all twelve apostles, maintain a high level of piety, and enter into Jerusalem. Additionally, when trying to reconstruct the beginnings of Christianity historically, it is imperative that Judas betrays
Jesus in Jerusalem. Events will push Jesustowards Jerusalem, but players should try to avoid entering too early
before all the important pieces are in place.

If you are interested in becoming a Victory Point Games playtester for this game, you need to read this article and follow its directions about contacting us. Thanks for your consideration!

In 2011, it is time to look back…a long time back! To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the original Funkenschlag, designer Friedemann Friese will take you back in time and let you relive the early beginnings of mankind. True to the name of the German edition (a literal translation of which is “Flying Sparks”), it is time for Funkenschlag: Die ersten Funken, or “The First Sparks”.

The First Sparks transports the Funkenschlag mechanisms into the Stone Age. The order of phases during a game round, the player order, the technology cards: you know all these parts from “Funkenschlag”. But what is new? What is different?

The First Sparks is much faster and far more direct. You are immediately part of the action. Each turn, each decision is important. As a clan leader you decide on the well-being of your clan during the Stone Age. You need to develop new hunting technologies and get new knowledge – to successfully hunt food or to learn to control fire. With the help of these skills, you will harvest enough food to feed your clan and spread it far enough to reach new hunting areas.

In a game of The First Sparks you are always confronted with many decisions: Which technology cards offer you the biggest advantages? When is the right time to spread your clan on the game board? Which hunting areas will grant the most food? Reaching new hunting areas or trying to secure parts of the game board for your own clan are important factors for your strategy. Empty spaces are cheaper for you to settle compared to spaces in which other clans are already settled. If you are the first to increase your clan size to 13 clan members, you win The First Sparks.

~ Rio Grande Games

Intro

Review

Game Provided by:

DAR

Mice and Mystics

Plaid Hat Games

Plaid hat games has announced a new game that seems geared to people like me, a parent who loves to game with their children.

From the Plaid Hat Games website at http://www.plaidhatgames.com/games/mice-and-mystics

“In Mice & Mystics players take on the roles of those still loyal to the king – but to escape the clutches of Vanestra, they have been turned into mice! Play as cunning field mice who must race through a castle now twenty times larger than before. The castle would be a dangerous place with Vanestra’s minions in control, but now countless other terrors also await heroes who are but the size of figs. Play as nimble Prince Colin and fence your way past your foes, or try Nez Bellows, the burly smith. Confound your foes as the wizened old mouse Maginos, or protect your companions as Tilda, the castle’s former healer. Every player will have a vital role in the quest to warn the king, and it will take careful planning to find Vanestra’s weakness and defeat her.

Mice & Mystics is a cooperative adventure game in which the players work together to save an imperiled kingdom. They will face countless adversaries such as rats, cockroaches, and spiders, and of course the greatest of all horrors: the castle’s housecat, Brodie. Mice & Mystics is a boldly innovative game that thrusts players into an ever-changing, interactive environment, and features a rich storyline that the players help create as they play the game. The Cheese System allows players to horde the crumbs of precious cheese they find on their journey, and use it to bolster their mice with grandiose new abilities and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Mice & Mystics will provide any group of friends with an unforgettable adventure they will be talking about for years to come. Assuming they can all squeak by…”

Hello and welcome Stephen Buonocore, President of Stronghold Games, to 2D6.org’s new questions and answers from the readers segment. In my opinion, Stronghold Games has done a fantastic job revitalizing gaming classics and delivering wonderful new games with some high-quality components. “Confusion: Espionage and Deception in the Cold War” and “Survive: Escape from Atlantis!” are two games that have my vote as some of the best remakes I have ever seen. Stronghold has a fairly large stable of games so far including Core Worlds and Outpost, and their latest games Lost Temple and Revolver,  just to name a few.

2D6.org: For people who may not know you, who is Stephen Buonocore, how did you become President of Stronghold Games, and what is it like entering the publishing world for a beginner?

Stephen Buonocore: Michael, thank you so much for inviting me to address your website audience!  It is an honor to be asked, and a special honor to the first one in your new segment!

Stronghold Games was born in late 2009.  From the beginning the goal, and in fact the mission statement, of Stronghold Games was simple:  “To publish only the highest-quality, finest board games in the hobby game industry”.  That’s a tall order, but one that we believed we could achieve, as long as we kept our heads down and focused.  Get the highest-quality from your printer, and ensure that the games are the best in some dimension that gamers want, either thematically, mechanically, fun, whatever the game is trying to be for the gamer.  So far… well, so good!

Early this year, I purchased the half of Stronghold Games that I did not already own, as my business partner left the company.  I became the President and sole owner of Stronghold Games at that time.  And there will be a lot of interesting things going here at Stronghold Games in 2012 and beyond…

2D6.org: What is your view of the relationship between the community and a game publisher and how important is it to a publisher to have independent game reviews?

SB: These are two separate questions….

First of all, it is critical for game publisher to make a connection with the gaming community, be it on BGG, here on 2D6, or on other highly traversed game sites and on podcasts.  It is the “Alpha Gamer” that visits these sites and listens to the podcasts.  The Alpha Gamer is the “Evangelist” for game publishers.  YOU are my core demographic, the early adopters, those who seek out the latest “hotness”, buy the games, get others to play the games, and generally spread the word to the masses.  It is very important to connect with YOU, the Alpha Gamer.  I do so by keeping a presence on BGG, working with other websites such as 2D6, and appearing on as many podcasts as will have me.  The podcasts are especially good, as they have very wide reach.  I am sure your audience has heard me on…well, *all* of the podcasts at this time.  Tom Vasel said that “Stephen is almost a podcaster, as he’s been on every podcast!” 

Independent game reviews are critical as well to spreading the word about your new releases.  You need to have these, again specifically to ensure that word is getting out about your new games.  While we would like to get dozens of people reviewing our games, we do have to be somewhat selective, and we try to get review copies to those who have a good reputation for doing a thorough and fair review, as well as those who are followed by many people.  In any case, simply getting people to do write-ups on your games is extremely important.

More on game reviews later, as I see there is another question about this at the bottom… 

2D6.org: Last month I wrote an article on 2D6.org about growing the board gaming hobby. Some of the things mentioned were greater presence at the chain stores such as Target and Barnes and Nobles and what kickstarter.com is doing for the hobby. What are your feelings on Kickstarter.com (especially how other publishers like Tasty Minstrel and Steve Jackson Games are now using it to fund games) do you think Kickstarter would be a good way for you to bring out new expansions for your currently available games? How do you feel about the larger chain stores carrying hobby games on the shelves and a larger media awareness of the hobby?

SB: Ahhh… the Kickstarter question.  I’ve had this asked of me on many occasions, and I’ve commented on this quite a bit, often being misunderstood… Maybe now, I can make my points more clear… 

My opinion in one phrase regarding Kickstarter is this:  “Caveat Emptor”.  Unlike when Stronghold Games or other professional publishers print a game (and thereby place at risk their own capital and potentially the entire company’s future), those utilizing Kickstater do not take risk.  They therefore do not *necessarily* vet their games as thoroughly as a publisher.  I say “necessarily”, not “definitely”.  There are many great games that have come through Kickstarter, of course.

When Stronghold Games announces a new game, we have ensured that this game is ready to be published and we place our own capital at risk to bring the game to you.  We are professional publishers and know all the ins-and-outs of the industry, i.e. the right printers, the right designers, the right shipping companies, etc. We are ensuring the quality of the production by putting our name and capital at risk in every game.  We have raised our brand to mean “Great Games, Great Quality”.  You cannot ensure this with Kickstarter projects.

As for professional publishers using Kickstarter, I can only see this for “Special Projects”.  Steve Jackson Games has successfully done this for “Ogre – Designer’s Edition”, which is a $100+ game.  A game such as this would be not only extremely expensive to print, but extremely risky if the market could not bear the cost and accept this older game in a collectible expensive (!!) edition such as this.  Obviously, it could with the overwhelming support that this game has received.  BTW, it is the only game that I have backed on Kickstarter, and I did so because it is a game that I wanted from the moment (about 2 years ago) when I heard that it might be done.  However, besides special projects such as this, I think that professional publishers should generally stay out of Kickstarter and put their own money and reputation on the line when they announce a new game.

The second part of this question is not related to the above:  Large chain stores carrying hobby games and media awareness of the hobby games.  I answered some of that in the previous question, but more to this:

What we are seeing now is the adoption of our hobby into the mass market…albeit slowly.  Stronghold Games had both “Survive: Escape From Atlantis!” and “Code 777” in Barnes and Nobel in 2011, and we will have “Survive: Escape From Atlantis! 30^th Anniversary Edition” in B&N again this year.  It is very very difficult to get your games into the mass market!  You can’t just force them to take the games.  You need to work with a sales agent that has a relationship with the mass market retailers.

2D6.org: Following up on the last question, Survive! is for sale at Barnes & Noble. Are there plans to place more games there? Any plans to put Survive! into Target?

SB: As stated above, it is very difficult for a hobby game publisher to get ANY games into the mass market outlets.  These outlets need to decide to take the game, not the other way around!  I’d love to have all my games in B&N, Walmart, and Target… but that is not in the cards for Stronghold Games OR ANYONE in our industry.  The acceptance of the hobby game in the mass market is just starting, though it will grow…slowly.

B&N has limited shelf space, and while they are growing that shelf space, they still are not a game store. They are the premiere “non-game store” to carry hobby games, however.  Walmart and Target needs games at very low price points AND games that are very very approachable.  “Survive!”, for instance, has the approachability factor, and it is on the cusp of the price point required… but still it is very difficult to crack into those stores.  My sales agent would love for that to happen (as they get a nice cut from me), but likely B&N will be the only mass market outlet for Stronghold Games’ products in the near future.

2D6.org: Speaking of Survive!, the 30th Anniversary edition has been announced, can you tell us how the 30th anniversary edition of Survive! will differ from the 2010/2011 version? Also on the topic of Survive!, are there any plans for an Ipad/Android version? Do you have any plans to bring any Stronghold Games to the growing tablet market? If so hopefully online and pass and play functionality will be included.

SB: “Survive: Escape From Atlantis! 30^th Anniversary Edition” (I like long names on games, ‘huh? ) differs in the following ways from our previous version:

- New artwork on the box top, box bottom, and rulebook, which displays the thematic change to early 20th century exploration of Atlantis.
– New artwork on the reverse side of the tiles, giving a more interesting, polished look.
– New, more realistic game board artwork.
– New, high-quality resin/plastic people with brightly colored, stamped numbers on the bottoms to ensure consistency and greater readability for all people tokens.
– New box tray for better storage of the components.
– Removal of the optional components (dolphins and dive dice), which helped keep costs down for this new edition, since we also…
- Reduced the MSRP to $39.95 (it was $49.95 in the previous edition), which is not something you see very often in this industry. We wanted more people to be able to own this great game! Not many companies LOWER prices, now do they…?

AND, for your website audience… until THIS SUNDAY, May 13 at 3pm EDT, we are running a “Mailing List Only” special for “Survive: Escape From Atlantis! 30^th Anniversary Edition”.  You can get a copy direct from Stronghold Games at 25% off the already lowered price (so it is $29.96), and you are guaranteed to have it shipped to you before anyone else (including Distributors and Retailers).  If you want to get your copy of “SURVIVE!”, which has been out of print now for over 6 months, get it at a discount and get it before anyone else, shoot over to our website at:

https://strongholdgames.com/store/board-games/survive-escape-from-atlantis-30th-anniversary-edition-mailing-list-special/

We will be shipping these “preorders” NEXT WEEK, so you won’t have to wait long to have it in your hands! 

The Ipad/Android version of Survive is coming out… soon…soon…   We hope to have it within the next couple of months, but a third party developer has it in their hands.  Stay tuned…

We may have other digital games in the works too, but as I don’t have contracts in place for those yet, I would rather not be specific, sorry.

2D6.org: Stronghold Games first caught my attention by bringing out fantastic remakes of classic games, does/could feedback from the community including petitions help influence which games will get the remake treatment in the future? Can you drop any hints about future remakes, original Intellectual properties, or other surprises (Core Worlds expansion perhaps)?

SB: Thanks for those kind words about Stronghold Games and how we first caught your attention.  This is *exactly* what we intended!  We needed to raise “Brand Awareness” of Stronghold Games. How does one do that?  Well, you take away the “uncertainty” for the consumer:

1.      Announce a known game that is highly in demand

2.      Announce games from highly noted designers of these known games

3.      …and suddenly, the unknown name “Stronghold Games” is put on the same playing field as these other known quantities.   We “raised” the Stronghold Games brand to the level of these games and designers.

This was our strategy from the start, as well as to then branch out into NEW game designs once we were well-known.  Our introduction of CORE WORLDS and PANIC STATION were our first forays into the new game space, and these have been great sellers, and very well-received.

We will always accept ideas for new games to reprint.  Unfortunately, many people want games back in print that are either not in great demand, or they are not currently commercially viable games designs in 2012.  So, don’t be disappointed if we say “Sorry, we can’t do that one.”  And since we are not alone in trying to locate reprints, this “well” is running a bit dry at this point…

As for hinting about “future stuff”… I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you, and since your audience is about 3 million readers, that would bring the law down on me pretty quickly… 

So, I can’t say anything right now about unannounced projects, but… well, let’s just say that you did mention something that could possibly/likely/we’ll see/maybe come to the light of day soon…soon… 

2D6.org: Speaking of remakes, the 800 lbs Gorilla is the news about Magic Realm! I appreciate your commitment to bringing these classics back to life with minimal modifications but are there plans to release a “basic” or rules -lite version section in the rulebook?

SB: Magic Realm? What’s that?  

Your question above (“plans to release a ‘basic’ rule set”) actually implies that we are doing a game by this name.  We have not announced any such game at this time.  And, for this game especially, since there are other games that are tangentially or very directly (<cough> “MoV” <cough>) related to this particular IP, I cannot say anything else… sorry… I wish I could… 

2D6.org: If someone had an idea for a game, would you be someone they should contact or do you think kickstarter.com is a better avenue for them to pursue?

SB: Stronghold Games does not accept *unsolicited* game submissions.  HOWEVER, if you make an appointment to meet with us at a convention, we will look at your game.  We go to aLOT of conventions, so if you are a major convention attendee, contact us before the con to setup an appointment.  Heck, just come by the booth and say hello!  I’m the most approachable, gregarious person you have ever met, and of course, talking about Stronghold Games, the industry, or just games in general is something that I love to do!  And you might find me at the convention watering hole afterhours where I might even tell you secrets… 

Stronghold Games is attending these major conventions this year:  Origins, WBC, Gen Con, Essen Spiel, BGG.CON, plus some local NJ cons as well.  Please come by!

[OH, and if you want to help out Stronghold Games in our booth at any of these conventions, drop me an email at info@strongholdgames.com!  We are always looking for help…and helpers are usually rewarded very well (can you say “free games” or maybe even a free (exhibitor!) badge? J)  We are definitely looking for help at ORIGINS, which is coming up soon!]

Of course, we can only do so many games per year, so over 90% of what we see we cannot do.  This is the same for even the largest publishers as well.  So… if you have something UNIQUE, it stands a lot better chance of being published by Stronghold Games.

2D6.org: How hard is it to maintain a profitable games company in this day and age? Do you think attendance at conventions helps with the success of a game?

SB: Well, like any successful business, it is hard work.  And in many cases, it is a labor of love, as the margins are relatively thin, and you have to work really hard at finding that “next great game”.  But my motto in life is “hard work never killed anyone”, so I continue forward to bring great games into the gaming hobby.  I think our success so far shows that we know what we are doing, and we hope to continue doing it even better in the future.

Attendance at conventions is very important.  It is important to be there, as you are meeting your core demographic.  I can’t tell you how many times people come up to me and say “Hey! You are the guy I heard on XYZ podcast! I love your voice! It is so great to meet you!”.  How anyone could love MY “New Yawk” accent is beyond me, but it is great meeting these gamers, actually striking up a relationship with them, and in general speaking about Stronghold Games and games in general.  It is key to getting a fanbase of gamers who will then tell their friends about you…

2D6.org: Artwork in games, how do you feel about it and what do you think is a common dollar amount a publisher will spend on artwork in games?

SB: Artwork is one aspect of a game.  There are many aspects, and you should not skimp or forget any of them, but artwork gives you “Shelf Appeal”.  The number of kudos we got for the artwork on Core Worlds is astronomical, and this definitely helped the initial push and sales of Core Worlds (though the great game play of course is what is taking the game to the next level of popularity).

As for how much we spend on artwork, that is very variable.  Naturally, a game like Core Worlds with 130 or so unique pieces of art, plus all the layout, is more expensive than average.  I really can’t be more specific with a dollar amount, but suffice to say that it is definitely one of the more expensive parts of publishing a game.

2D6.org: Finally what in your opinion makes a good reviewer? What do you want to see in a game review whether from your own company or any game company for that matter?

SB: A good game reviewer takes their time in making the review worth reading, giving a rundown of how the game is played and the components used, and generally ensuring the review is thorough.  A GREAT Game Reviewer takes it to the next level.  They provide photos.  They go into significant detail.  They play the game several times, and give their experience with the game.  They rate the game on various metrics.  You can see the difference between the reviewers on the amount of love and care that they put into their reviews.

We want to see game reviewers that take this type of care in their reviews.  We don’t expect stellar reviews all the time, but we do expect very thorough reviews.  It is not cheap to give away review copies, so we like to work with those that really “get it” and want to act like “professional reviewers”.  In essence, all reviewers are getting “paid” (with a game that is free or discounted), so professionalism (which translates into thorough reviews is what we want to see.

2D6.org: Any last thoughts or comments, Stephen?

SB: Thank you all for submitting the questions and reading this!

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Thank you all again!

2D6.org: Some really fantastic answers from Stephen. I am really looking forward to the 30^th Anniversary edition of Survive! and that fantastic price point has me tempted to order a second copy for gifting around the holidays. Thank you again Stephen!

We at 2D6.org would like to thank Stephen for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions and for being our first volunteer. ALSO for our readers Stephen has generously offered to give away a FREE copy of Lost Temple or Revolver!

How can you win? Simple, post a reply to this article stating what you liked about it, whether you prefer future segments to be written or audio, and who would you like to see as the next guest. 1 entry per person unless your question was chosen to be asked to Stephen, if so you will get 3 entries for posting below, Good luck! Remember you have to post a comment below to be entered for the contest.

1989 is an exciting, fast paced game simulating the end of the Cold War in 1989. During this amazing year, a series of democratic revolutions ended the 40 year Soviet empire in Eastern Europe. 1989 simulates the political, social and economic aspects of these revolutions using a card driven system similar to Twilight Struggle.

~ GMT Games

1989 is an exciting, fast paced game simulating the end of the Cold War in 1989. During this amazing year, a series of democratic revolutions ended the 40 year Soviet empire in Eastern Europe. 1989 simulates the political, social and economic aspects of these revolutions using a card driven system similar to Twilight Struggle.

~ GMT Games

A game on the Winter Campaign of 1776-1777 that resulted in the twin-victories of Trenton and Princeton and turned the fortunes of the war The first in a series of linkable operational games on the American Revolution.

Leaders are activated using activation points. Each leader has a cost to activate based on his rank. Washington’s Crossing uses an original system for river crossing that simulates the uncertainty of the winter crossings.

Each strength point represents 10 men. Map Scale is 1.14 miles per hex. Combat system simulates surprise, leader quality, and outflanking.

~ Revolution Games (II)