Back to Form (May 2019 Newsletter) (Patreon)

(Make sure to vote in the next-game poll. Only a few days left)

Despite being nearly overwhelmed with work (of both the RTFM and day job variety) I made it out to Strategicon, our local game convention, and got to try a few new, and new to me, games this month.  Shown above is Escape Plan, a new Vital Lacerda game that I had been itching to try and it was quite an experience. You play as a criminal evading police, picking up stashed loot, directing motorcycle gangs and eventually fleeing the city with (hopefully) your cash in tow. I enjoyed it a lot, though after finishing it, I didn't have a huge desire to play it again. Partially that's because we had a big group though, none of whom had played it before, so it was a fairly long game. I'd definitely recommend trying it, though not necessarily buying it straight away.

What I do recommend getting your hands on is Res Arcana. This was the first game I played at the con and the only one I went back and played again. It's a whip-smart engine builder that plays quickly but has a ton of depth. The theme is pretty generic fantasy, but the strategy and timing are fantastic. After playing, my friends and I just kept talking about it and imagining different ways it could grow with expansions. Very good title.

The Brothers Murph have been trying to get me to play Viticulture for a while now and I finally did it! I played the wine game and it was...good? I definitely see why this is their favorite game, but worker placement is not my favorite genre, so I wasn't too excited by it. The mechanics of it do provide a great puzzle though, so I certainly enjoyed my time with it, I just don't know if I'll go back to it any time soon.

Another classic game I tried for the first time was Formula D. I know there are better racing games out there, but I get why people like this one. Above you'll see me foolishly rushing into a complicated turn, certain I could avoid the massive damage I was about to take. I do enjoy a game that will exploit your hubris and lay it bare for everyone to see.

And lastly, you may have heard about Above Board lately. If not, this is a comedic board game TV show that's currently in development, and I've been talking to the showrunner lately because he's a fan of RTFM! They had a celebrity guest planned for a DnD sketch they were doing but he had to drop out last minute, so to my surprise they gave me a call and asked me to fill in. I can't say too much about it, but it was a ton of fun and I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

As far as RTFM work goes, I filmed both the Middara and Terraforming Mars videos in May so now I just have to edit them both and get them out to you fine folks. The Middara 2nd run kickstarter goes live on the 23rd, so expect to see that video by then, and the Terraforming Mars tutorial should go up by the end of the month. Working on two projects at the same time was an interesting experience, but I'm glad I did it, if only to prove that I could handle it.

I'm also going to try to do a How to Teach this month, but I can't guarantee that I'll get that one out in time. This next one will be about hooking people in at the beginning of the teach so that they stay interested throughout.

Thanks for reading!