Last week I started my first look at Flashpoint; considering how it builds game arc and the nature of the puzzles it presents. This week I look at the critical role of theme in the game. A thorough smelting of mechanics and theme As I have previously written, the execution of theme is a sizeable element of Flashpoint's appeal. Its everywhere in the game: not just in the specific business of the advance fire roll, or its representational rather than symbolic art style. Rather the theme is completely intertwined with the vast majority of the game's mechanics. The fire itself is one of the most perfectly thematic co-op opponents we could hope for. It expands exponentially and somewhat erratically, just...
In my second adventure into forging designer-focused reviews, I start my look at the well-loved co-op Flashpoint: Fire Rescue and go for the world record number of colons in a blog post title. If you haven’t played this game, please read the BGG link for a description. While this review will cover a broad outline of some game mechanisms, it will assume some prior knowledge. Player activity summary Flashpoint is a co-operative game very much in the 'traditional' mode popularised chiefly by Pandemic: players are pitted against a random jeopardy creation mechanic which - if left unchecked - will result in them being overwhelmed; in this case, by fire in a house. They attain victory by reaching a given score...
I was bothered by how much the "cult of the new" is making boardgamers unhappy. It’s time to fight back! When I think back to the time that I first got into games, I notice a curious thing. Most of the boardgames that I had recommended to me back then were not that new, especially compared to the films, books or television that people were talking about. Back in 2007 – long before the explosion of popularity that we have recently witnessed – they were often at least a few years old by the time anyone said “you should try this!”. These were not traditional games, like Chess or Go but many of the classic modern titles that we still...
Eight practical tips for first time exhbitiors at Spiel As regular readers will know, I took Magnate to Essen last week. I am glad to say it was an absolute blast; even if it was also so tiring that I needed multiple early nights just to bring myself back to full human functioning. Overall, I think we did a good job. We had a ton of email sign-ups, lots of reviewers visited the stand, and I handed out every flyer we had. But there were some things we could have done better. The following lessons come from my reflections on the most intense show of my life. If you are not already an "old hand" at this and intend to...
October proved to be just as busy as September, not least because of all the prep for Essen, which - at time of posting - had just started. The first big show is under our belt: Tabletop Gaming Live Coming only 4 weeks after Tabletop Scotland there was a frightening amount to be done to get the game from Lego prototype to an attractive looking production game. As I wrote last time, it was all a bit nail-bitingly close but I am glad to say we did it! It was not only a huge success but a very useful learning experience. We knew going into it we were going to make mistakes, but we also knew that this show would...
