The Antibyss Remark – No. 006

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Abduction Deduction (Prototype by Brian Husnick, bgg) – this was one of the fun prototypes from Protospiel Madison actively looking for a publisher! This was a standout game as it visually looked like a completed game, and it was just plain fun as you alternated between farmer turns trying to get your cows into the farm and spaceship turns where you abduct opponent cows.

Order vs Chaos (Prototype by Dana Chaffin, trimira.com/boardgames) – this was one of the fun prototypes I played at Dice Tower West this year that was actively looking for a publisher! This is a fun asymmetric 2-player tile placement as one player knows their moves ahead of time and the other doesn’t. It had fun interactions that made a seemingly unbalanced situation feel balanced.

Hood: Troubles in Sherwood (phalanx.co.uk) – this project is live on Gamefound until December 18! In the spirit of asymmetry, each faction has their own way of growing power and gives each play (as a player and as a group) a unique feel.

Games we were playing this month:

The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game (officedoggames.com) – Trick-taking games are approachable to anyone who grew up with a deck of cards in the house, but co-operative ones take the difficulty to a whole new level. I also just love their choices on art style for this rendition of the LOTR.

Raiders of the North Sea (garphill.com) – This game has been a mainstay at our house for a while and is a lot of fun whether playing with 2 people or 4 with just different strategies for each. I find it a very fun and quick game to teach to others.

STACCS (sticcy.cc) – This game has already made it full circle from the crowdfunding projects to our door.  The game is light, fun, and quick variation of crazy eights with a twist that allows for more choice in what you can play. Because the box is nice and small, this will probably find its home as a game we take travelling (as long as there is a big enough table at our destination).

Protospiel Madison 2025

It was a beautiful weekend in Madison and it is hard to believe it is my last day here and the final day of Protospiel. It was my first time attending one of these events, and I’m really grateful for all of the feedback that I got. Project Aleutian will definitely be a better game for it! It was also exciting playing other games of various types and in different stages of development.

I picked the Madison event because I have several friends who live in the area, and it was great getting to spend time with them and explore the Madison area. I made sure to enjoy Spotted Cow, squeaky cheese curds, and beautiful lakeside views.

After such a great weekend, I just want to give another big thank you to all of the players and designers I interacted with who made this weekend amazing!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 005

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Chronicles of Crime: Beyond Doubt (luckyduckgames.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until November 11! I was a big fan of the Chronicles of Crime Millennium series and this looks like it will be a fun new addition to the who done it mystery and escape room style app driven game.

Dicey Devices (origamiwhalegames.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until November 21! The aesthetic and fun theme really drew me to this one along with a fun blend of mechanics. Who doesn’t want to be a mad scientist with a death ray?

Mystic Curling Club (Asmadi Games) – this project is live on Kickstarter until December 2! This is a fun dexterity roll and flick curling game with a dash of magical powers to shake things up!

Games we were playing this month:

Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game (brotherwisegames.com) – I’m a big fan of the Mistborn books and Brandon Sanderson’s cosmere. This game really makes you feel like an allomancer as you burn metals to play cards to best your opponents. I also thought the targeting mechanic was a fun strategic element.

Terraforming Mars (fryxgames.se) – I hadn’t cracked open this classic in a while, and it won my heart all over again. It is just very satisfying and well-paced with the prelude expansion.

The Quacks of Quedlinburg (cmyk.games) – This game is just an amazing push your luck potion brewing game trying to make the best brew before it explodes in your face. There are always fun laughs and peer pressure as you try to push for just one more ingredient.

We’re Going to Protospiel Madison 2025

We are excited to announce that Antibyss will be attending Protospiel Madison 2025 (11/14-11/16) to showcase Project Aleutian! For those who aren’t familiar with the Protospiel, it is an event focused on playing prototype games with other designers, play testers, and publishers. This will be Project Aleutian’s first Protospiel and we are excited to get feedback and play several other up and coming games.

If you live in the Madison Wisconsin area and are interested in checking out Project Aleutian or other prototype games as a play tester, it is just $20 for the weekend. You can register at tabletop.events/conventions/protospiel-madison-2025. I am excited to see you there!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 004

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Mercurial: Alchemia (hyperlixir.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until October 17! If you like brewing potions and other worker placement deck builders (like I do) this is a game that you should check out!

Mystic Moon (unstablegames.com) – this project is live on Gamefound until October 22! If you are looking for a quicker and lighter potion brewing experience, check this game out and its fun art and brewing mechanics.

Marsh Hallow (forwhygames.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until October 7 (tomorrow)! Continuing with the spirit of spooktober, Marsh Hallow is a cooperative flip and write dungeon crawler game played over 18 rounds. In the game you play as a marshmallow trying to rescue your family from a fire loving cult. So, use those unique transparent movement cards to get out there and save them!

Games we were playing this month:

It’s a Wonderful World (luckyduckgames.com) – This is one of our favorite drafting games. I have been really enjoying sharing with friends because it has the right length where it is easy to play two games back-to-back once you have the hang of things. There is nothing quite as satisfying as getting your production line to combo just right during your turn.

Lost Ruins of Arnak (czechgames.com) – Speaking of worker placement deck builders, this is definitely a favorite. I just enjoy playing some adventure music, setting off into the jungle, and exploring the ruins with my trusty green compass. The theming is just so great, and by the time you are in the last round it is just an all out push to get a huge set of points.

Tigris and Euphrates (bgg, 1997) – This game has been on my “want to play list” for a long time and I finally got to play it this month (and I got to play one of the early German editions of the game too). It has such a simple turn structure but the strategy is so deep. At the end I was just left wanting to play more. Hopefully I’ll get to play it again soon, but unfortunately this one is currently out of print.

Quick Update and Books We’re Reading

First, we want to start with a bit of an update on progress with Project Aleutian. We are still making good forward movement on the game art to keep bringing the visual aspect of the game to life. Admittedly, the artwork might take a bit longer than I was originally hoping. The key thing is that we won’t be making moves to get quotes until the game is in a stable place with the components.

We are also continuing to refine the game itself by working on getting more feedback from more people. We are looking at prototype events through the fall and early spring to help get more feedback and the final touches on the game itself.

In an effort to continually push this project to be the best that it can be, I am continually looking for books and resources about different stages of the process (whether it is motivation or board game specifics). Here are a few of the books and blogs that I have read, am actively reading, or referencing and rereading:

The Board Game Designer’s Guide to Crowdfunding Your Game – Joe Slack

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield

The Twelve Monotasks: Do One Thing at a Time to Do Everything Better – Thatcher Wine

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph – Ryan Holiday

Kicking It: Successful Crowdfunding – Monte Cook and Shanna Germain

Stonemaier Games Blog – Jeremy Stegmaier

Do you have any go-to resources that you think are essential?

The Antibyss Remark – No. 003

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Endearment (duxsomnium.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until October 2! Don your finest attire and let’s go take a stroll through Jane Austen’s England. From everything I see, this game looks like its gameplay and theming will make it fun to play and great introduction for people new to the hobby.

Macaraccoon (shasnthegame.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until October 2! Cute animals making baked goods is great on its own, but I’ve been of fan of layering transparent cards in other games and I think it will be very interesting applied in a recipe fulfillment setting.

The Order (on bgg) – this project is live on Kickstarter until September 16! This is from a small self-publishing duo and it seems like it would be a quick and fun game of sabotage and satire. It makes me think of other similar games like We’re Doomed! or Exploding Kittens that I love.

Games we were playing this month:

Nemesis (awakenrealms.com) – This is one of my favorite games because of the strong sci-fi survival horror theming and how it does a great job of generating tension and suspense as you try to escape the intruders.

SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (czechgames.com) – I got to play this one at a friend’s place for the first time, and I’ll admit it was a bit intimidating at first. There are a lot of things on the board, but once you get used to the symbols it starts to really click.

7 Wonders: Architects (rprod.com) – Second month in a row with a 7 Wonders title on our list. This game is great because it can accommodate a large number of players, is quick, and is a really easy game to teach.

Email Newsletter is Live

Does the algorithm keep burying all of that sweet sweet Antibyss content? Well, I have solution for you! The Antibyss email newsletter is officially live, and there is a sign-up button here!

I started collecting emails back during the Dice Tower West prototype con with the hopes of getting an email newsletter up and running. It took some time to get everything in order, but it is finally here!

The newsletter is planned to be sent out monthly around the 15th of the month (the last thing anyone needs is more spam). Topics of the newsletter may include blog updates and content, invitations to playtest prototype games, game announcements, production and shipping updates, and special offers.

We may increase frequency around crowdfunding campaigns (to a weekly update) since that is a critical milestone for the Antibyss team. Join up, get that reminder, and beat the algorithm!

The Antibyss Remark – No. 002

Prototypes/Crowdfunding Projects to keep an eye on:

Compania (level99store.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until August 14! I mean, steampunk with crystals… sounds like a pretty cool theme to me! A cool theme mixed with hidden worker placement and area control mechanics looks like it will be a great combo.

Vine (cavernwire.com) – this project is live on Kickstarter until August 19! I always enjoy quick paced tile placement games, and the interactions from playing on your vine and a neighbor’s sounds like it will be a really fun experience.

Underisles (hatchlingsgames.co.uk) – this project is live on Kickstarter until August 14! It is a tabletop RPG that teaches players American and British sign language. I think that is just a really cool concept, and this is the third installment in the RPG series.

Games we were playing this month:

Slay the Spire: The Board Game (contentiongames.com) – I love both the board game and the video game that inspired it. I finally gave Act 2 my first run and failed spectacularly. Guess I’ll have to sharpen up my co-op skills for the next climb!

7 Wonders Duel: Pantheon (rprod.com) – 7 Wonders Duel is one of my favorite games (and Project Aleutian definitely pulls inspiration from the 7 Wonders franchise), and I finally collected the one expansion, Pantheon, I’ve been missing. It was definitely a fun twist on the base game.

Everdell Farshore (tycoongames.com) – My wife and I play Everdell in some form almost every month. This month was Farshore, which is a fun standalone variant of the original game.

Project Aleutian Artwork Process

Working on the artwork with Madelyn has been a really fun an interesting process.

The artwork for a card starts with a prompt that I write, trying to capture what I envision the card art to look like. The prompt for the image shown was “a road laced with green crystals to prevent it from wearing.”

Madelyn then takes that prompt and cooks up some concept art in the form of pencil sketches. There is sometimes a bit of discussion at this point if either of us thinks anything is missing.

I’ll then take it into my vector art platform of choice (at the beginning of the project I was using Inkscape exclusively, but I’ve been starting to use Affinity Designer 2 more), and use the sketch as a reference for the vector art that I make over it. This involves some tweaks as I’m making the vector art, and I’m also making color decisions.

After the vector art is done, I’ll send it back to Madelyn to get some more feedback.

It has been a fun and effective way of getting unique ideas from both of us into the theming of Project Aleutian.