Metatopia goodies from The Game Crafter!

My Metatopia 2013 panel Prototyping Using 'Print on Demand' Vendors is being sponsored by my good friends at The Game Crafter!

Just like last year, they have sent me a box of goodies that I will be showing, describing and giving away during the panel. Learn about the many possibilities of Print on Demand and get a chance to see some of the components up close before you order.

I went through the site and handpicked some of my favorite components to show off and to hopefully inspire some designers that haven't dipped into the Print On Demand scene as of yet. I'll have cards, tiles, boxes, boards, dice, tanks, meeples and more.

Stop by and get some goodies! 10AM Saturday, D037.

Win A Free Copy of Pixel Lincoln!

Our friends at Theology of Games are running an awesome contest where you can win a free copy of Pixel Lincoln: The Deckbuilding Game!

All you need to do is the following:

1) Subscribe to their YouTube Channel at http://www.YouTube.com/TheologyofGames

—AND---

2) Comment on their double take video review of Pixel Lincoln: The Deckbuilding Game, letting them know who you agree with, Jeremiah or Scott. 

Here's a quick word from Theology of Games: 
Maybe you agree with Jeremiah, but you want to be fun and creative and play the devils advocate and make an argument that agrees with Scott, that's cool too! Video responses are also highly encouraged! The contest ends Nov. 20. We will select a lucky commenter (who lives in the US) to receive a free copy of Pixel Lincoln!

Good luck everyone! Pixel Lincoln: The Deckbuilding Game retails for $45 and weighs about 400 lbs, so this is a pretty good deal.

Also, while you are checking out Theology of Games, you might want to listen to their most recent episode of their podcast, where I was the special guest. I spill the beans on lots of behind the scenes info like "Why does the Lincoln Meeple have an afro?" and "Why is the box so big?" and "What did I learn from the Kickstarter?". It was a fun one. 

Podcast Link: http://theologyofgames.com/2013/10/22/podcast-3-and-a-new-contest-were-giving-away-pixel-lincoln/#more-4036

Help Storyteller Cards Artist Campbell Whyte

My good friend and Storyteller Cards artist Campbell Whyte has been doing a bit of travel over the last few months with his family. They spent time in Italy, Mexico and the United States picking up and creating things the entire way. Until last week in San Francisco when somebody stole all of their luggage.

Here is the whole story in Campbell's words. An open letter "to the person who took our luggage".

Hi there, we’re not sure who you are, but we’re pretty sure you know us. You probably know us really well actually, as you recently stole all of our luggage while we were on holiday.
Every. Single. Thing.
Well, that’s not fair, you did leave us with one salt and pepper shaker that was a gift, my 5 year old sons sandals and a 2014 Italian priests calendar. Those priests were pretty good looking, we’re baffled that you would pass them up.
Anyway, we hope you’re well. Really, we do. We hope that our loss has provided you with your essentials for a while, food, shelter, warmth, security. Although I’ve never been in your position before, where I rely on stealing from others to make ends meet, I imagine it is not an easy life.
I imagine you probably live in fear a lot of the time, fear of the culture you find yourself in, fear of the government, police, other people stealing from you. You must also look out at tourists like us with a great degree of resentment. Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is filled to the brim of snap happy, money dropping, grinning ear to ear vacationers. To you, we must appear as the 1%, rolling in wealth and decadence.
Although you might not believe it, this is really not the case with us. We are a small family from Australia. Myself, fiance, and our five year old son. For the past 6 years we have been saving money for our vacation.
Working full time, doing extra jobs on the weekend. Making money where we can from our arts 
practices. What you took from us that day, were pretty much all of our possessions.

Read the rest at: http://www.campbellwhyte.com/uncategorized/to-the-person-who-took-our-luggage/

I want to help Campbell out in any and every way possible, so the first thing I want to do is spread the word. I have no clue if their personal belongings can be found and returned, but I would like to hope so. If you have any way to share his story, or if you know of a great place to share it, please do. 

One of the things that I want to do to help Campbell is to auction off a piece of his original Storyteller Cards art. I'm also going to include a deck of Storyteller Cards and one of each of the 3 Storyteller Kits we offered during the Kickstarter Campaign. The proceeds will go 100% to him and his family. I will cover the shipping and all the other fees and nonsense, so that a penny isn't missed. 

The piece of art that I chose is very fitting, it's the Criminal card. It's a criminal escaping on a toy truck... probably Campbell's son's toy truck. :( 

Here is the original art:

Here is the final card:

 And here it is in a sweet frame:

It's a great card in the Storyteller Cards deck that leads to tons of stories, just like Campbell's. 

Here is a link to the auction. Please share! http://www.ebay.com/itm/171149440518?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Metatopia 2013 Panel Schedule

Metatopia is a wonderful designer-driven gaming event in North Jersey (10/31-11/3 in Morristown, NJ) that's all about the panels and focused gaming sessions. Last year, I was fortunate to attend on behalf of The Game Crafter and participate in a few prototyping / self-publishing panels with Tim Rodriguez, Curt Covert and Geoff Bottone and this year I was asked to come back. Except the big difference this year is that I am all alone!

That's right, I will be talking your ear off all by myself for two one hour sessions.

The first is all about the POD:

D037: "Prototyping Using 'Print on Demand' Vendors" presented by Jason Tagmire. In this seminar, Jason Tagmire will speak of his experiences with The Game Crafter, Superior POD, Print and Play Productions, Rolco Games and others to fulfill various projects. Topics will include how to find and meet the minimum requirements for each, and how to select the right vendor for your project. Saturday, 10:00AM - 11:00AM; One Session; Serious, All Ages.

And the second is all about screwing things up:

D065: "Self-Publishing: Learn From My Mistakes!" presented by Jason Tagmire. Jason Tagmire has self-published board and card games in short run (<250), and medium run (1000-2500). He has experienced a variety of trauma from art delays to overfunding on Kickstarter and still not having enough money to fulfill the project. In this panel, he hopes to help you avoid his mistakes. Saturday, 10:00PM - 11:00PM; One Session; Serious, All Ages.

I'm looking forward to both of these and playing lots of games in the 11 hours in-between. Aside from the panels, last year was the semi-public birth of Maximum Throwdown. I chatted about it with Michael Keller first and then played a few rounds with Alex Strang and Kevin Kulp. We also had a killer session of Alex Strang's Movie Plotz. Hoping to repeat the fun this year.

For more details visit http://www.dexposure.com/m2013.html

Metatopia 2012 recap: http://buttonshy.blogspot.com/2012/11/metatopia-recap.html

Free iOS Maximum Throwdown Scorekeeper

If you are playing Maximum Throwdown this weekend (or any time that is) AND you have an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), make sure you download the free Maximum Throwdown Scorekeeper app! It's a quick and easy way to keep score and keep the table clear.

My phone has been my preferred method of keeping score since I made the original javascript scorekeeper a few months ago. That one is still available for those without an iOS device, but it's the old prototype characters, requires an internet connection, and is as wonky as it gets. 

Check out the Maximum Throwdown Scorekeeper at the iTunes app store, and if you're up for it give it a rating too! 

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maximum-throwdown-scorekeeper/id688750255?ls=1&mt=8

This weekend in Minneapolis, MN

My good friend and Storyteller Cards artist, Campbell Whyte, is making the long trek from Australia for an all-night comic jam workshop at Light Grey Art Labs. This is in connection with their Nights & Weekends exhibition of his 8-Bit Dreams series.

The 8-Bit Dreams series is the entire reason I wanted Campbell involved in Storyteller Cards. He's bringing hundreds of the little NES inspired illustrations and you can leave with one (but not Megaman 2, DuckTales, Blades of Steel, Dr. Mario, Arch Rivals, Adventure Island or Bionic Commando.. because I already own them!). You can also stay up all night and draw pictures with him. I'm both sad and jealous that I can't make it out to this event, but hopefully you can.

Full details here and below: http://lightgreyartlabshop.bigcartel.com/product/all-night-with-campbell-whyte-comic-jam-workshop

All-Night with Campbell Whyte : Comic Jam!
SATURDAY Sept 21 -to- SUNDAY Sept 22
9pm - 5am
at Light Grey Art Lab
$20

Join guest artist Campbell Whyte for an incredible ALL-NIGHT comic making session!
Campbell has flown all the way to Minneapolis from the great land of Australia to participate as our featured artist in the Nights & Weekends Exhibition!

Campbell is a prolific illustrator/ comic artist that has created amazing projects such as his 8-bit Dreams series, his Home Time comic and many more!
Check out his work here: http://www.campbellwhyte.com/projects/

Get ready to make comics, learn all about Campbell's projects and process and be inspired! Part workshop and part challenge, All-Night wth Campbell Whyte : Comic Jam will challenge participants to make a complete 8 page mini comic, discuss, and finally print copies of their very own stories! We'll be making a late-night run to xerox our work, have time to fold & format, and participants will walk away with a big assortment of mini comics made by everyone involved!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

9 - 10pm Meet Campbell & his practice! Campbell will be showing his work, talking about his process and sharing stories with us about his 8-bit dreams series, Home Time (his comic) and his other endeavors.
10 - 11pm Participate in some technique demos, creative challenges and awesome conversation about comic-making as we head into the prompt for the night!
11pm - 3am Make work alongside Campbell, the Light Grey Team and all of your new art friends! We'll be drawing, story-telling and getting down to business.
3am Late-night photo-copying run!
3:30 - 5am - assembling, reading, sharing and talking comics!

There will be unlimited tea and coffee throughout the night and plenty of great conversation!
Hope you can join us!

We have limited spots available for participants so grab them while you can! The workshop is non-refundable, so please let us know if you have any questions before you purchase!

In the spirit of bonding and spending time with great people, we are offering a discount for people bringing a friend! Just choose the option below. Entry for one is $20, and Entry for two is $36 (Just $18 each)

**Please bring your black and white art-making supplies. Ink or black and white watercolors are suggested if you would like to participate in Campbell's demo. Feel free to bring any other supplies (No oils, spray-paint or materials that require a lot of ventilation) Drawing paper will be provided (Feel free to bring your own if you like to work on something special!) and copies of the comics are included in the ticket of the workshop!

To learn more about Campbell Whyte. take a peek at his website : http://www.campbellwhyte.com/