It’s Game Time!
The Worldbuilders team has a gaming problem. We love games. We talk about games. We back way too many game Kickstarters, argue about rule variations, drool over special editions, and constantly recommend new games to everyone we run into. So maybe it’s not so much a problem as an obsession, but either way we live in constant fear that some well-meaning acquaintance will try to stage an intervention, and we’ll insist they roll for initiative.
We received a ton of games for this year’s fundraiser–enough that making you read about all of them now would just be cruel. We’ll be featuring different games and gaming companies throughout the fundraiser, but this first wave is pretty fantastic, containing over 300 games that anyone can win with just a $10 donation!
Cheapass Games
We love Cheapass Games. They make genuinely fun and innovative games that are easy to pick up and play but offer lots of variation and plenty of “gotcha” moments. You know that time during a game when the werewolf is revealed? Those moments!
Cheapass Games poobah James Ernest has a great team on his side. He’s the guy who pushed Pat to bring Tak into the real world, and his game is so good we really don’t have to sell people on it–we’re just excited to teach it to folks, who then can’t wait to show their friends. The “gotcha” moment in Tak, by the way, usually happens during someone’s first game. They understand the mechanic, and once a few pieces are on the board, the abundance of different strategies just click, and then a satisfied smile creeps over their face as all the possibilities are revealed. It’s our favorite part of a beautiful game.
This year Cheapass Games donated a bunch of Pairs decks, some Lord of the Fries, Unexploded Cow (an office favorite), and a TON of other titles, all of which are amazingly fun. You could say, with a Cheapass Game, you can’t lose! HA HA HA *snort*
…sorry.
Lone Shark Games
Lone Shark was founded by Mike Selinker, who is pretty intense if you catch him in the middle of a game, but really friendly anywhere else. He’s just that into gaming, and he’s got a great mind for strategy and game mechanics.
Pat worked with Mike and his company on their new game Apocrypha. Pat wrote some stories for the game, and its world is populated with twisted versions of local landmarks all around the Worldbuilders office (including a parody of Worldbuilders itself)!
This summer when we were at Gen Con, Lone Shark dropped off a copy of Apocrypha, along with some Mr. Whiffle promo cards for the game. It was brand new, and the buzz around Apocrypha was (and remains) strong. Game play is pretty straightforward, but the richness of story throughout the game itself really ramps up the intensity.
This fall, Lone Shark donated copies of Apocrypha, along with some exclusive promo cards. So you’re welcome to binge Stranger Things again, but if you’d like to live it, you might want to dive into Apocrypha instead…
Upper Deck
Most folks know Upper Deck for their sports cards, but their entertainment division is hardcore! Upper Deck produces a ton of classic-style board and card games with some of our favorite brands, like The Crow, Dr. Strange, and of course, Firefly.
Our dark sense of humor led us to be intrigued by Bring Out Yer Dead, a game where players try to get their family members to the most desirable graves in town. It involves grave robbing, dumping bodies in the river, and bribing grave diggers. It’s the type of wholesome family fun that really appeals to us around here. And by “us” we pretty much mean Brett. And by “wholesome family fun” we mean we feel a little guilty for enjoying it so much.
Upper Deck donated a bunch of copies of Bring Out Yer Dead, Firefly: Shiny Dice, and more, and you can see them all in our Lottery Library.
Wyrmwood Gaming
We started working with Wyrmwood Gaming a few years ago when they developed the premium Devi’s Board for the Tak Kickstarter. They kind of have the market cornered on lovely, handmade exotic wood gaming supplies, from their dice towers and boxes to their deck boxes and their Box of Hope, which we recommend you check out.
They donated a few things to our fundraiser this year, and you might want to be sitting down for this one. We have one crazy-deluxe Tak set. This one’s similar to Devi’s Box, the severely-limited Tak set featured in the Kickstarter, but it’s a slightly different design with different wood and inlays.
Behold.
You might recognize this as the Tak set we all drooled over in last year’s fundraiser–and that’s because the winner of it last year was wonderful enough to donate it right back to us, so that someone else could have a chance at this beautiful set. It’s in the general lottery where anyone can win it, as long as you select YES to winning games when you donate.
They also sent a few laser-etched wooden gift cards that will go a long way to helping you grab whatever you desire from their online store. All this is in the lottery for anyone to win.
And as an aside, if you like helping people–and you’re reading our blog during our fundraiser, so we’ll assume you do–please do look into Wyrmwood’s Box of Hope. It’s an inexpensive way to enjoy their beautiful woodcraft while helping raise money for Take This.
We have plenty more games where these came from, but we don’t want to eat into your game time. When you donate, make sure you check the box marked “games” so you don’t miss out on the fun. We can’t wait to share these with you guys–you’re going to love them!