Steven Rhodes Games Vol. 2

Thank You!
over 2 years ago – Wed, Dec 22, 2021 at 04:46:19 AM

Steven Rhodes fans,

THANK YOU for your amazing support. Because of you, we crushed our funding goal and unlocked all 13 stretch goals. We are sad to see the campaign end, but the great news is that we can (after a short holiday break) spend January finishing up Cryptozoology for Beginners, Living Well Is the Best Revenge, and Let’s Call the Exorcist. They’re all going to be DYNOMITE!

In January, we’ll launch the pledge manager powered by BackerKit, so be on the lookout for that. You’ll be able to fill out your mailing information, pay for shipping, and choose any add-ons you want (more copies of the games, including the Kickstarter Exclusives that come with them). We’ll also open up late pledges for a small window for those who missed the campaign or couldn’t back on Kickstarter for whatever reason.

Have a great holiday season… more soon!

The Cryptozoic Team

1 Day Left in the Campaign!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 07:02:24 AM

Steven Rhodes fans,

We have just ONE day left in the campaign! Thanks to your support, we have unlocked all stretch goals. As we’ve moved past the 48-hour mark, we’ve had a lot of new backers join… welcome all! We are super proud of these games and thrilled with how supportive the community has been. Help us make one last push by spreading the word!

Thanks for your support,

The Cryptozoic Team

Designer Diary: Let’s Call the Exorcist
over 2 years ago – Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 11:18:06 PM

In the third and final Designer Diary, Cryptozoic’s lead game designer Mataio Wilson takes you behind the scenes of creating Let’s Call the Exorcist. Ask any questions in the comments and Mataio will do his best to answer!

The final game in the Designer Diary series was a pretty top-down design. I knew I wanted hidden roles and social deduction. In the movie The Exorcist, Pazuzu hitches a ride on a necklace until Reagan is possessed. I loved the idea of objects holding a demon’s essence and wanted to exploit it as a game mechanic.

Early drafts included a group of players voting on which object to pick up, with the Possessed team members knowing which items were cursed and attempting to steer the other team into selecting them. From the first game, it was obvious that the Innocent team had a big advantage if they simply did nothing and waited for the Possessed team to reveal themselves. Iterations on the team-voting method devolved in all directions with no good path forward.

Hidden object and hidden movement games are a challenge to reinvent when the industry has such strong leaders in the genre, but are very rewarding when a new vein of content is discovered. This was the happy accident with Let’s Call the Exorcist. Whenever I think I’ve invented a new twist on a well-worn mechanic, I start by asking my designer friends and searching the internet for examples of it in use. This was the case with hidden objects. I was reminded that there was already a genre of games that used facedown, mixed-up cards that didn’t involve the Three-card Monte technique. But they didn’t capture the selfishness that this game was trying to highlight.

Usually, in team deduction games, there’s a moment when you figure out that not talking is the best play. I wanted to avoid this and push for constant involvement and interaction. I used cards in early playtests that would do very little to move the game forward, other than ruling out a non-choice card. I wanted those uneasy moments when new players are paralyzed with indecision to simply read a card out loud and follow the instructions, hence the card type “Mischief.” Veteran players have a better understanding of which cards to hunt for, or how many turns are needed to win before a Hail Mary play is attempted.

The big change came from a single card that rewarded a point during the game instead of at the end of a round when one team won. This one card birthed a new card type: “Blessing.” This new mechanic altered how players made decisions, and they were happy to lie to their teammates about what they had. As a result, Let’s Call the Exorcist changed from the average deduction game to one featuring untrustworthy players, which I revel in.

Finally, I had the four main cards types locked down: Holy Artifacts reveal a role tile or card to give personal information; Cursed Artifacts let you peek at another player’s role to determine if they can help you; Blessings award or take away points; and Mischiefs shuffle roles, let you peek at players’ cards, change active players, and provide other game-changing mechanics. From there, it was test after test and refining the language to make it faster to play. I really enjoyed making and playing this 4-8 player game and I hope you and your friends do too. See you in the comments section!

Thanks for reading,

Mataio Wilson

Designer Diary: Living Well Is the Best Revenge
over 2 years ago – Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 06:19:52 PM

In the second Designer Diary, Cryptozoic’s lead game designer Mataio Wilson explores the process of creating Living Well Is the Best Revenge. Ask any questions in the comments and Mataio will do his best to answer!

Have you played Shut the Box? This 12th century dice game is popular in pubs across the world, mostly focusing on gambling or settling a table’s tab. I enjoyed it with my father, as a no-stakes game that was entertaining and quick. I was excited when I was presented with a variant that focused on points as currency (although there’s nothing stopping you from using actual currency!).

What makes Living Well Is the Best Revenge stand out is the introduction of abilities when you unlock a number’s card. Unlocking a number not only gets you closer to winning the game, but opens up opportunities for more points, dice manipulation, and of course, vengeance! If the original game’s main focus is avoiding going out, I also wanted to focus on what happens when you succeed.

The Power Die and 1-6 ability cards add a layer of fun and luck that elevates the experience you can have on your turn. Once you’ve unlocked an ability card numbered from 1-6, your Power Die can trigger its special text on your turn, awarding points or knocking your opponents down a peg.

In the original game, once you rolled a result that could not be evenly divided among your locked numbers, you were out and had to wait until the game ended to participate again. I wanted to empower players with ways to narrowly avoid defeat by awarding special powers to circumvent your roll. Your ability cards numbered 7-10 are not affected by your Power Die, but are instead always on during your turn. These abilities allow you to lower or raise your roll, remove a die, and unlock your second Power Die. An early-round second Power Die can be quite powerful, but you’ll need to focus on unlocking your 1-6 abilities to get the true potential out of it.

Traditionally, each player takes their turn rolling dice and closing numbers out until they are eliminated, or eliminate all their numbers. If you are not an active player (meaning it’s not your turn), it’s easy to lose focus. I wanted players to care about what each player is doing without getting lost in a myriad of variable outcomes, and be more involved than just checking to see if their turn is up. This inspired using your Power Die outside your own turn.

When another player is taking their turn, you may roll your own Power Die, and if you roll a number that coincides with one of your unlocked ability cards, and matches any die the active player rolled, you score a point. This may not seem like much, but over the course of the game, it adds up to an advantage that is a challenge to overcome. If you focus on your lower ability cards early on, you may earn more points, but you risk getting locked out too. The risk and reward is balanced by the luck of your die rolls and the cunning of your decisions.

Thanks for reading through my game design philosophy and journey into developing in a well-established game genre. I really enjoyed sprucing up this historical favorite and I’m sure you’ll enjoy playing it against your friends, too.

Until next time,

Mataio Wilson

5 Days to Go… One Last Exclusive Stretch Goal
over 2 years ago – Thu, Dec 16, 2021 at 11:41:52 PM

Steven Rhodes fans,

It looks like we’re getting lots of new backers as we head down the homestretch… welcome, everyone! With just FIVE days to go, please continue to help us spread the word. And don’t forget about the Steven Rhodes Games Kickstarter Giveaway.

Check out the graphic at the top of the main page to see all the stretch goals we’ve unlocked thanks to your support!

We have one LAST stretch goal to go: Kickstarter Exclusive inner box art for Living Well Is the Best Revenge! Inside the top of the box, you’ll find this eye-catching image of kids who just love EXCLUSIVES! It’s also a great place to roll your dice. It unlocks when we hit $180k.

Thanks for your support,

The Cryptozoic Team