MY TOP GAMES FROM PROTOSPIEL CHICAGO by JOSH BALLAGH

Board Game Gumbo is pleased to present another travel blog entry. This time, Joshua Ballagh, designer and publisher of Coalition: Councils of the Republic, joins us for a recap of ProtoSpiel Chicago. Josh is a board gamer and game designer from the Acadiana area who successfully shepherded Coalition to funding on Kickstarter this year. Josh is also part of the krewe at Southern Board Game Fest that makes the GeauxPub section happen. Look for Josh (and Coalition!) at a convention near you as Josh is always willing to set up a game!,

I had the pleasure of attending ProtoSpiel Chicago this month. This convention is all about playtesting, fast feedback, and rapid iteration. I got to play games in all stages of development this weekend, and I’d like to share with you some of the most promising games. These are all currently unpublished, but hopefully they’ll see the light of day soon!

Disclaimer: this list represents games (a) that I got to play and (b) that I found compelling. It reflects both my personal taste and the relatively small sample of games I got to play that weekend. There were many, many games at ProtoSpiel that I missed out on!

I’ve rated the publish-readiness of each game from 1-5:

1: New idea, barely tested

3: Solid bones, needs iteration and polish

5: Extremely polished, ready for signing!

On to the games!

#1 – Hors D’oeuvres

By Christian O’Kelley

Publish-Readiness: 5

Game Length: 60-90 minutes

Hors D’oeuvres was by far the most polished game I played this weekend. This medium-weight eurogame asks you to curate pleasing stacks of crackers, meats, and cheeses on a platter shared with your opponents. The twist: to get ahead, you’ll need to stack hors d’oeuvres with your opponents! 

Your actions are most efficient if you place your pieces on top of your opponents’ pieces. You also get bonuses if your opponents place their pieces on yours. This means that you are incentivized to place pieces where your opponent can reach them!

I can’t say enough nice things about Hors D’oeuvres. Every publisher there was interested in it. It’s only a matter of time before you see it at your LGS! Here is everything I liked about it:

• Incredibly easy to learn
• Tight puzzle but doesn’t induce analysis paralysis
• Lean playtime
• “Frenemies”-style player interaction
• Lightly asymmetric powers

#2: Hexapod 

By Silver Vo & Aubrey Palaganas

Publish-Readiness: 3

Game Length: 30-60 minutes

I’d describe  Hexapod as “Hive meets Starcraft.” It is a 1v1 game of tactical insect warfare wrapped up in a tight 30-60 minute package. What makes this game special is that every bug has a unique way in which it moves and attacks. Combined with the game’s simple rules, this makes for awesome, chess-like game states. 

The first player to collect 10 Nectar wins. Doing so requires exploring the map, defending harvest sites, and eliminating enemy bugs. This creates a delicious tension: do you try to race your opponent to 10 Nectar, or do you go on the offensive? 

Hexapod still has lots of rough edges, but its bones are extremely compelling. I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s developed when it comes to Kickstarter next year!

#3: Santa Co

By Carla & Tiago (sorry, didn’t get their last names!)

Publish Readiness: 4

Game Length: 60 minutes

Santa Claus is retiring, and we need a replacement! Prove that you are worthy by building a toy-making tableau and delivering toys around the world. This thematic Christmas game combines the tableau-building of Race for the Galaxy with a delivery contract system. 

What makes this game compelling is its simultaneous action selection. Every round, you select one of five action cards. However, you get to take all of the actions played by any player (with a small bonus for the one you played). This creates a delicious game of chicken!

For example, I might want to take the action that allows me to add a card to my workshop tableau, but I need more cards in hand for pay for the one I want to play! If one of my opponents plays the Mall Gig action, I’ll get to draw a couple of extra cards, which will enable the play I want to make. But will they?

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Subversia 

by Ross Brinkman 

Publish Readiness: 3

Game Length: 15 minutes

This fast and furious game of espionage and regime change delighted me with its snappy gameplay loop. I’m a sucker for simultaneous action selection! This game will be a worthy entry into the 15-minute “politics and intrigue” genre. 

I don’t think Subversia is quite on the same level as Coup or We’re Doomed yet, though. In its present state, it’s missing the tension that makes its sister games so spicy.  Fortunately, Ross is experimenting with ways to fix that by leaning harder into the espionage theme. I’m very excited to see the final product!

Bricklepuck 

by Bob Kamp

Publish Readiness: 4

Game length: 5 minutes

This shuffleboard-like dexterity game is as addictive as Crokinole, but a hair more challenging! I’d be delighted to get another chance to play Bricklepuck!

Players take turns shooting cylindrical pieces across the board, but you need them to stand up when they come to a stop! If you have the standing piece closest to the center of the board, you can shoot on your opponent’s goal to score. Meanwhile, your opponent will attempt to get their own cylinders closer to the center, or even shoot yours out of the way!

The Production Room

by Jordan Brown

Publish Readiness: 1

Game Length: 60 minutes

In this game, you are a producer on a reality competition show a la Big Brother or Survivor. You must collect and leverage clout to make sure your favorite contestants win the season! This game has a long way to go, but I’m very invested in its success.

The Production Room needs to exist. There’s a ton of overlap between reality competition fans and board gamers, so it has a built-in audience. Jordan is a novice designer with a strong vision – which is exactly where I started with Coalition. It’s just a matter of finding mechanics that create the desired player experience! 

— Josh Ballagh