Yeah, I believe thematic integration is a big aspect for him, or at least it can be.
I canāt remember what game he was discussing, but I remember him being impassioned about it.
Ah, āsettingā is a good way to put it. I was trying to contrast theme with art, but I couldnāt ignore text and in the end just left what I wanted to say out of my last post.
Yes, theme, in the sense of integration of mechanisms and the feel of having to make decisions that reflect the theme, is of great importance to me. Setting, not so much, though I do have a slight preference for science fiction and real-world-flavoured games over fantasy. Art is another category again, and I always like nice art.
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Anyone looked at Walls of Scydonia? Using a catapult to fire things to knock down your oppositionās walls and towers? This appeals to the child in me so much.
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Ludology have an episode on narrative where they break it down into 3 planes:
- Player narrative - What is happening above the board āmy opponent screwed me over!ā
- Avatar narrative - Whatās happening in theme āThey stole my woodā
- Agent narrative - Whatās happening in the game mechanisms ādraw a card and lose 2 resourcesā
A thematic game is one where player aligns the avatar and/or agent. An elegant game is where the avatar and agent narratives align (rules are easier to understand since everything makes sense thematically).
If you can get all three to align then all the better. But often games donāt do enough to align agent and avatar narratives, which is when you get situations like players calling Lords of Waterdeep cubes by their cube colour rather than character class. The avatar narrative is dropped at that point for at least part the game, and threatens the wider avatar narrative elements, suggesting the game might need some amendment if that narrative is desired.
Thought it was the neatest explanation of thematic games and where they go wrong that Iāve heard.
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My wife got me Crossbows & Catapults off eBay for Christmas a couple of years ago. Itās awesome
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I absolutely love the theme, but is the gameplay there?
I mean, I already have Hostage Negotiator and Flash Pointā¦
Petty objections: I really donāt like the style in which the faces are done.
Positive points: Space-Biff. (We donāt always agree, but I like their approach.)
It seems a bit sad if I miss this game just because I hate the art.
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Expansions for {Hornet,IAF,Phantom,B17} Leader:
I will not back this unless I have first played and enjoyed the copy of Thunderbolt Apache Leader that I got cheap last year.
Worth mentioning that Jeff Beck/Uproarious seems to generally get retail/online distribution via Fowers Games. Iām not sure how helpful that might be for a potential buyer based in the UK, but as an example I bought Getaway Driver (with the KS sticker set) direct from Fowers after the Kickstarter and saved a few bucks doing it.
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Oh, the child in me that spent days playing Crossbows & Catapults with my brother so desperately wants that gameā¦
But $250CAD plus shipping is a bit dear. Like, a LOT dear. But it does look coolā¦ but I donāt play the dexterity games I already own nearly enough.
But I hope it sees retail and that it ends up cheaper!
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Iām with Marx on this one. My desire to back it is kind of over-the-top, but even the basest self-assessment has me holding back. I loved these big dex games as a kid (Torpedo Run was mine, other friends each had other games like C&C, etc.), but even then I remember them (fondly) as structured playsets, not really games. I have a hard time imagining myself getting the kind of use and abuse out of it (read: until broke, fixed, and broke again) like I did back then.
Iāve got nephews to lean on for my basest manchild inclinations, of course, but then we get down to brass tacks and theyāre tough to swallow. Sharp! $250 is an over-the-top gift, and itās hard to justify another game-for-me-for-them when Iām already sitting on $500 worth of Catacombs.
ā¦and am in for a double pledge of this.
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Very much not, alas. I have Burgle Bros. only because I stumbled over Tim a couple of Essens agoā¦
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Yeah, I kind of expected that would be the case. I havenāt taken a deeper look, is that an advantage with the Kickstarter at least? It does look like a juicy little romp. I like the idea of a classic semi-cooperative format applied to a purely cooperative game.
Well, thereās EU-friendly shipping, but how that gets to the UK all depends on politics. Which is basically a reason to eschew non-UK Kickstarters until we see how much import duties go up next year.
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If itās any consolation, most Canadian projects still end up costing a premium for me in shipping, just due to the logistics of factory-to-hub shipping. I canāt tell you how many games port in Vancouver (a few km away) from China, only to whisk off down to Florida (usually by way of the bloody Panama canal) before finally shipping up by plane and truck.
Anyway, itās a shame so many of these Kickstarters arenāt a better opportunity to get these games at a more favourable price for international buyers. Especially here, where we have a game that will be regularly available for purchase once itās fulfilled, yet no formal distributor outside NA.
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GamesLore seem to get some stock in of Fowers stuff when possible. Checking the site, theyāve got listings for any I searched for: Paperback (OOS), Hardback, Burgle Bros, Wok Star, Now Boarding (OOS), Fugitive, and Getaway Driver.
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Ooh, thatās new since I was last looking for Fowers games. Thanks!
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I think Iāve seen some in the Travelling Man before as well. Their online shop has improved quite a bit recently.
When the guys checked out Fugitive on stream I remember taking a look at https://www.fowers.games/ and being surprised they offered free shipping to the US, UK and Germany.
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That reminds me! (Havenāt looked into it yet)
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