A Flood of Fun

The fine folks over at BoardGameNews have been posting a series of Two by Two design diaries that I wrote for them.

A wide-eyed unicorn peered out of the dense underbrush of the inland jungle. The sandy beach spread out before her and, beyond that, a grey and choppy sea that swelled to fill the bay. And there amidst the wind-tossed waves, the strangest sort of boat approached – short and squat, deep-bellied with no sail to speak of, capped by a peaked roof. Monkeys leapt and screeched across the deck and a pair of mourning doves cooed softly to each other in the rafters, taking shelter from the rain. Nervous, the unicorn watched the ark approach. The raindrops flowed beneath her hooves and out onto the beach where the ever-rising waters swallowed up the sands. She raised her head and stomped her hooves against the loamy earth, calling out for her mate on the far side of the island, praying for an answer...

Marketing - Perils and Pratfalls

Two by Two has experienced  minor delays and the publisher, Valley Games, has chosen to push out the release date to August. Delays are quite common in the industry and I'm not particularly concerned by this one, although it does mean that the game likely won't be on hand at the Origins Game Fair in Ohio. The good news is that the publisher has received the print proof of the game from the manufacturer and given it the thumbs up. That means that final copies are likely coming off the press as we speak and getting collated, boxed, shrink-wrapped, and loaded onto pallets for their journey across the Pacific. Something about that journey seems very fitting, given the game's theme.

A Tentative Release Date and a Brand New Look

Blogger just released a brand new template editor which provides me with a lot more control over the look and feel of this blog. I know, I know - with great power comes great responsibility!

Announcing Two by Two

Well, it's official. =o) Publisher Valley Games has announced the upcoming release of my first published board game, Two by Two. The cover art is by Calgary-based illustrator, Patrick LaMontagne, who quietly let the news slip last September. The origins of the game go back to November of 2006 when I first started sketching out the rules and putting together my initial prototypes. The components and rulebook are almost production-ready but it will still be a while before the game actually makes it to store shelves later this summer or fall.

So what's the game like, you ask?