10.17.2011

a design anniversary

this week marks one year of doing board game designing. it has been both a rewarding and an enriching experience. the gaming community i belong to has been very generous with praise, playtesting and PnP constructing my games. i now have games agents in france, have signed a contract for my first published game and several others are under review by other game publishers. in fact several will be going with my agents to Essen for some one on one time with some euro companies in a couple of days.

i've been thinking about what to do to celebrate this new avenue of art in my life and i decided what better than to have a contest giveaway and offer my sincere thanks to everyone i've come to know on this road to becoming a game designer.

one of my more recent and successful games is Serica, a 2 person deck-building game about the ancient Silk Road trade routes between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty in China.





while waiting for the company printerstudio.com in hong kong to print some professional sets of cards for the game i set about, down in the woodshop, building a custom all wood edition or myself. i decided to cut the board and caddy in half so they'd store easier in a box i'lll create soon.

so, for the contest, a complete copy of the game similar to the one above will be awarded to one lucky contest entrant. i say similar because this one was build out of walnut scraps i had down in the woodshop. the prize copy may be in cherry or maple, though i do not think anyone would much mind the type of wood.

the prize: a hand-made Serica game board and wooden caddy for all the wooden bits (15 wooden cubes in each of 7 colors, 6 wooden trading meeple peoples, 2 colored wooden score markers, rules, and a professionally printed deck of the cards used in the game. all packed in a nice box and labelled.

contest dates: the contest will run from today, october 17th through the end of the month. i'll pick a winner on november 1st and post a little video of me doing so.

how to enter: simply leave a comment (1 entry per person) at the end of this post with your name and a favorite game of yours. it is ok if you live in a foreign country, all are welcome to enter.

thanks again to everyone.


137 comments:

shigadeyo said...

Awesome! I love your games and look forward to playing this one as well. Keep up the great work!

Guru said...

I'm very particular about the types of wood I use, if I win, I may have to make a special request. (haha)

Is this one of the games you're going to have published (possibly)?

One of my favorites, as little as I get to play it anymore, is probably still Race for the Galaxy.

Later:
Guru

qzhdad said...

This looks like an interesting game. Not original comment, but Race for the Galaxy is my current favorite.

bcdparsons said...

This looks awesome. I'm going to make a copy of this game anyway but a wood version would be the bee's knees.

My favorite game is probably Glory to Rome.

Melody said...

That is so beautiful, I love the colors. :) Very inspiring. My favorite game at the moment is Alien Frontiers or Space Hulk.

Jessica said...

Wonderful!

It's hard to pick a favorite so I am going to pick two. My favorite game I play with my husband (just the two of us)has to be Aton; when we play in a group, Gates of Loyang.

shigadeyo said...

Doh! I forgot to include the name of my favorite game. That's a tough one since I enjoy so many, but I'll go with "Alien Frontiers" for now.

Jessey said...

Congrats on making it to the 1 year mark Todd. I always appreciate the quality of your games and am often inspired by your explorations (I learned about nomographs from a recent game of yours and put a lot more stake in narratives after seeing what you have done with Aether Captains)!

Looking forward to more great stuff, and excited for your publishing prospects.

Favourite game, well, it has not been contested since I played it, Space Alert.

Evan Derrick said...

Yes please, Todd. Would love to own a beautiful piece of game design/woodworking from you.

As to my favorite types of games, I personally enjoy deduction and psychological bluffing games such as Scotland Yard and Letters From Whitechapel. Any game that allows you to play headgames with other players is a winner in my book.

Chris Hansen said...

Congratulations on a year of fantastic board game design! You've got some great titles made.

One of my favorite games is Hammer of the Scots. No matter what other wargame I play, I always want to to come back to that. :)

Sean said...

Wow! It's hard to believe it's already been a year. I've been following your adventure in game design and have enjoyed every minute of it.

Favorite game: Merchant of Venus - at least it hits the table more often than most.

Big Kite Guy said...

Fingers crossed on the contest, building a pnp copy of Serica right now.

Favorite game is an oldie Aquire (orginial wood version)

alkis21 said...

Fantastic wooden magic!

I have made and played your design of Aether Captains: Capek Golems and my wife and I really like it. I think this will be next.

We really enjoy Crokinole. We play a lot. It's got dexterity, sport, playfulness, tactics, and it's made of ...wood! A wonderful Hilinski piece.

Looking forward to making some more of your designs.

alkis21

Chuke95 @ BGG said...

Soooooo beautiful, a little piece of art ! your games rocks as always and your woodwork too.
at the moment my favorite game is Survive escape from atlantis, because everybody likes to play it, old, young, men, womens, gamers or not !

Jonathan said...

Unbelievable! This looks simply amazing.

My current favorite strategy games are Tigris & Euphrates, Glory to Rome and Agricola.

Anonymous said...

Very pretty Todd. Quite up to your standards! Felicitations on your One Year Anniversary, may this be the first of many.

Right now my favorite game is Balloon Cup.

Celina

1copse said...

This looks beautiful! A favorite game of mine is Through the Ages.

Justin Kase said...

This looks absolutely STUNNING!

As to my favorite game, well, my all time favorite is still Risk. First real game I remember learning to play back when I was just a pre-teen. There was something about going to Grandma's and playing with all those little colored woden cubes (and whatever that longer bar like shape was).

Now you have me looking on eBay for a classic Risk set (to go with my several newer editions).

Mark said...

Awesome! Happy anniversary and many, many happy years of crafting games in the future.

My favorite game is probably Zombie in My Pocket, since I have played it hundreds of times.

365ZED

Anonymous said...

Varduk said. I love Aether Captains pirates and traders and your game crafting is next to none.

zboat said...

I like Dune. Hope to win a copy of your game as it looks great!

posted by zboat from BGG

JT said...

Vunderbah! Love the work, Todd. As always, this looks great and I'm sure it will be a hot PnP (before someone smart picks it up for commercial publication).

Favorite game: Glenn Drover's Empires, The Age of Discovery (Formerly called "Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery).

Adverb said...

Wow, not only game design, but hand-crafted art, as well. Fantastic looking project! Can't wait to read up on it at BGG.

A favorite game would have to be Agricola. It plays two-player, which is vitally important because I primarily play with/against my wife, and she absolutely loves it, which means I get to play more often!

Congrats on getting your first game published -- that's a very exciting milestone. The first of many for you, I hope!

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite games would be Gonzaga, a lesser known but very awesome game.

You can find me on BGG under the user name "ejtracer".

dawson_osu said...

Hi, your work looks amazing, I need to check out this game!

My favorite game is Cosmic Encounter, but I'm just getting into deck builders.

I'm dawson_osu on Boardgamegeek.

JohnH said...

Todd,
Great contest idea! I'm looking forward to playing a bunch of your games that I've recently discovered via BGG.

My favorite game... a tough order. I'll go with Agricola.

Hank said...

Awesome work as usual. Would love to have this.

Favorite game of mine (and my family) is an abstract called Coerceo.

Thanks!

Hank

Ray Smith said...

A favorite game? You mean besides Aether Captains: Dread Supremacy, or Shadows Upon Lassadar? :-)

A favorite game is usually what I've recently gotten to the table. This week it's Eragra: The Game of Eras and the First Step.

Damien Sebastien said...

Wow, it's been one year already? With so many designs in mere one year, man, you're doing such a good progress. Please keep up the awesome job and cheers to many more years to come Todd!!

Hmm, too many favourite games to list out. So I'd choose blindly, and it's Navegador.

BGG: dtroy_de_rapcore

Jude said...

A 2-player trade caravan game sounds good to me. Count me in as entered, please. Thanks!

Julien said...

Great! Getting this one directly from you might help me catch up with getting everything you designed to the table!
Also, I just discovered your blog, which deals with some of my favorite subjects: boardgames, translation and food :)

My favorite game is Twilight Struggle.

Unknown said...

Wow, the wooden edition looks brilliant.

And to make this an official entry:
One of my favorite games right now is The Resistance.

-douwe

osmosisch said...

That is gorgeous.

My favourite game is Magic the Gathering.

Joan R said...

Hi! As usual, another of your amazing games... this deluxe version is superb!

Is hard to pick a single game as my favorite, but nowadays I'd vote for Arkham Horror...

marc said...

There is something special in your games and I have always an eye on them in the geek.

EG said...

Good work, very professional, I would buy it!

I love 2 player games, in fact my favorite game is Twilight Struggle...

Igor Mascarenhas said...

Pretty awesome! Happy design anniversary, you deserve much more than congragulations, all games of you that I played is just amazing.

About my favorites, I can say: Game of Thrones, AC The Search and Samurai

Scott said...

I simply can not believe you've only been been a board game designer for a year.

Your work is immaculate and distinct and, well, really just as beautiful to behold as it is to play.

Long may your work continue, and longer still may its fruits continue to warm the lives of those who behold them.

arnoid said...

Hi. My favorite game is Interspace. I really love it, cos' it has lots of customization options, modular board, so every next game is TOTALLY different. I play this game not because of wargame component, but because the spirit of frontier and space exploration. It reminds me about my childhood: Galactic express 555, Ullyses 3000: space odyssey, 2001:Space odyssey, Ascendancy(pc game), Wing commander and X-com. It reminds me about my dream to be an astronaut, find new stars, new worlds. But it hurts when you think about emptiness of space and lonelyness.
I really think ascendacy is best-of-the-best-of-the-best 4x pc game, cos' it has an unique atmosphere of space exploration, but the game itself has too much week points.
Currently i'm working on extension of interspace to make ships more customizable depending on empire level.

Tina said...

Congratulations for one year board game designing and congratulations for your first contract.

My favourite game in the moment is: glory to rom or Battlelore or Agricola or ........ very hard decision, I like so many games

Keep on game designing Todd

Rishardas said...

Thank you Todd, your games are gorgeous!
I love Agricola and R4tG at the same time :)

Good luck for Essen!

Ed said...

The game looks amazing! As far as my current favorite, I've really been enjoying Glen More lately.

BB said...

I am just getting into PnP and doing a little game design as well. Your work is impressive. Having some fun with Roboderby: Express right now, although my current favorite is Alien Frontiers.

Ágeson said...

Hello, congratulations on your design aniverssary, I'm fan from Brazil.
My favorites boardgames in the moment are A Game of Thrones and Catan, if I win the prize, I'm gonna give it to my friend Igor, he introduced your games to me, so yeah, cya.

Chris Miller said...

Looks cool - my favorite game at this second would probably be Power Grid

Matthew said...

Thanks for doing contsts like this, Todd. Way fun. currently my favorite game is Serica, of course. . . but, if that doesn't count, I will pick Dominion. (Though not an easy pick with how many games I LOVE.)

MerryHo said...

7 Wonders is my favorite right now.

This looks really awesome though!

-Mario

hawkeyept said...

Congrats! This is a great looking game (fingers crossed)

My favorite game right now is Alien Frontiers, probably because my wife enjoys it as well.

Pat

Gracie Kendal said...

Todd, you are amazing!!! A true Renaissance man!!! I love everything you do!!! COngrats on an amazing anniversary, you should be very proud!!!

So I hate to admit this, but to be honest my favorite game would have to be Trivial Pursuit :D

Cliff said...

Beautiful looking game, a true work of art. One of my favorite games is PitchCar. I enjoy playing it with my kids, my youth group and even my grandma!

Elcomandante said...

Very impressive. I love games which are easy to understand and difficult to master. Congratulations.
One of my preferred game is "Bonaparte at Marengo" for it's elegant game mechanics. I also love games such as Fauna.

Stefan (Brettner @ BGG.com) said...

Awesome work there ! Would love to put a hand on this well made piece of game.

Favorite game is Twilight Struggle by far and Dungeon Lords in second place...

Keep on the good work !

Asur said...

Gorgeous work, congrats.

(Favorite game? Age of Steam)

Daniel SP said...

Simply stunning!
Eager to play just by looking at the board.

My favourite game of All time is Imperial.

Ashlar said...

Hi

The wooden edition looks beautiful! Found the picture on BGG front page and now i am reading more about the game.

My favorite game so far is probably Railroad Tycoon, but current hot new game is Mondo.

Oonagh Taeger said...

My favorite is Carcassone Hunters and Gatherers, because it's the family game my daughter grew up on. I always appreciated its aesthetic appeal which made it feel friendly and nice to use, and love the memories of how, thanks to Zoe's gaming sensibilities, it became semi-competitive, semi-cooperative, with bargaining, helping, lots of mercy, and horror of the nasty meadow-stealing tile!

Brent said...

I just discovered your game today and am eager to try it out. My favorite game of the moment is probably Vinhos, but Puerto Rico has been my standing favorite for years.

JollyGreenGiant said...

Thanks for your great designs and a great contest!

Zen Benderly said...

A favorite game of mine is Homeworlds, an excellent perfect information strategy game for the Icehouse Pyramids game system.

wedgeex said...

This looks completely beautiful - I wish I could construct game pieces/boards like this!

Myh favorite game has to be Dominant Species at the moment.

Wesley Kinslow

Shawn said...

This look fantastic and very interesting!

I have been playing a lot of Dominant Species lately and it is my current favorite.

jbmoby said...

I have ordered several artscow games that you have designed, and I look forward to following your career in game design as it progresses.

Congrats on Ragnarok being picked up and thank you for offering this give away.

Right now, the games I am hot on are Eminent Domain and Homesteaders, but my all time favorite is Pandemic.

Caleb said...

Looks amazing!
My favorite game is Catan.

Maurits said...

Great artwork. I don't know the game, but it looks great for sure.

My favorite game is Stone Age, so I'm excited about the new expansion: Style Is the Goal.

Unknown said...

This wooden version looks fantastic; I love the artwork and the elegance of the design, and the game sounds great - I've downloaded the P&P and hope to play it soon. One of my favourite games is Let's Catch The Lion (Dōbutsu Shōgi) another beautiful little game with lovely wooden pieces.

topdeckgames said...

It is very kind of you to give away something so fine. Thanks,
Dan

Daniel said...

It's been a lot of fun seeing all of the designs you've made over the last year. I'm actually kind of surprised it's only been a year. Congratulations on your successes in publishing! My favorite game right now is probably Puerto Rico.

rorshaq said...

this looks v nice :) and very generous of you!

my fave game is Starcraft: tbg - EPIC FUN!!!

Hanamigi said...

Wow, that set is fabulous!

My name is Ettore Gislon, I'm from Italy and I believe that my favorite game is...

Puerto Rico.

Why? Because ot's the only damn thing my friends are willing to play, so I got to loving it.

One day I'll make them play something else.
One day, my revenge will be upon them...

poke450 said...

This looks really great! My favorite game would have to be Dominion.

Ben Allen

Jeremy said...

Beautiful physical design! Interested to learn more about the game.

One of my favorite games is Age of Industry.

(Auricle on BGG)

Brenton said...

This looks amazing, and I would love to have a copy.

As for favorite games: boy, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? I think that my current favorite is probably Small World with its combination of subtly strategic gameplay and easy accessibility for newcomers.

Jeremy said...

Congrats! I'm just getting into design myself and enjoying the journey. That set looks beautiful; I'll have to check out the game even if I don't win.

Even after a few years of playing the whole spectrum of hobby games, my favorite is still Stratego. In fact, one of my prototypes is a multiplayer game that tries to capture the feeling I get playing Stratego while accommodating a higher player count.

greg pepper said...

I think it looks stunning, and the game reads as it will play well.

good luck on your next game and wood choice :^)

Samantha RD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Samantha RD said...

That board is absolutely stunning - I love wooden bits, so a wooden board is awesome - still want to get a nice Crkinole board one day - like a mini pool table :D

Currently, one of my favourite games is Shipyard - I love being able to build these strange monstrosities in ship form and then send them trekking through the canals.

Tom said...

This looks amazing - can't wait to play it!!

As for favorite game - I would have to say the classic Diplomacy.

Tom said...

This game looks amazing - can't wait to play it!

As for favorite game - I will stick with a classic - DIPLOMACY.

Thanks and keep up the GREAT work!

BomberMouse said...

Wow, that looks incredible. It's nice to see a P&P game with an attention to detail, I sure wouldn't mind having one of those.

My favorite one still is Agricola.

Queso y aceitunas said...

Congratulations for the initiative. Serica find it quite interesting.

The game I enjoy most is Go, followed closely by Die Burger von Burgund.

Thanks for the contest!

ChelseaSquare said...

Continued good look with the new game. It looks like a winner.

My favourites are Glory to Rome and Cosmic Encounter

Gabriel said...

Great thing your doing here and with games in general! My favourite(s)? Heavy economics like Age of Steam or 18XXs.

JYoder said...

Looks very cool! My favorite game these days is Summoner Wars.

D said...

This looks great. I already off to look for your pnp version

Unknown said...

Beautiful. Great work!

My favorite game is Knizia's Samurai.

CzG said...

Amazing colours. Amazing job. As usual.

dsl said...

I'm in.
love your work.

dsl said...

ho, and my favourite is puerto rico

Indigo Potter said...

Your game is beautiful. A favorite game of mine is Roads & Boats.

Marc said...

Man, that's pretty - but I also agree with the suggestion to put it on cloth map. Might be neat.

Favorite game? I'd have to say 1960: The Making of the President.

Thanks for running the contest!

Unknown said...

congrats on your game!
my favorite game of the past couple years is Dominant Species...
thanks...

Kvamzi said...

This game looks both beautiful and interesting, reminds me a little bit of Traders of Carthage. Nice work!

My current favourite is Dreamblade, which is also a 2-player game.

EOL (Eric O LEBIGOT) said...

Thanks, Todd.

One of my fav games? Race for the Galaxy and all its expansions. Why? because thanks to the many different cards, two games never play the same, and because it's a game where strategy and tactics are both important.

Your personal copy of Serica looks truly beautiful! Congratulations.

ReverendPain said...

Absolutely awesome board. Right now my favorite game is Puppet Wars.

asmanp said...

Serica looks amazing...great job!

One of my favorite games is Glory to Rome.

Thanks for running this contest.

Aleixo said...

Hi, beautiful work. I am a boardgame designer/addict from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and would love to win this.

My favorite game is Cuba! :)

davebliz.ssi said...

Wow, a very impressive board you have made. My favourite game is Rommel in the Desert. Thanks for running this contest.

mildthrill said...

mildthrill here from BGG. Love Tigris and Euphrates. Your board looks very nice, I'd love to win a couple of my own.

Fox said...

Thanks for the contest!

At the moment one of my favourite games is Mansions of Madness.

Fox said...

By the way, I'm robi_wan on BGG :)

TmGergo said...

it's really fantastic what you achieved in one year! i already ordered most of your games via artscow, and the others are on my wishlist, too.
i would be really happy to a copy of Serica, too.

keep up the amazing work you are doing!

Jeff B said...

The game looks stunning and I appreciate the opportunity you're providing. Traders of Carthage is a game I've been playing a lot lately, and your board somehow reminds me of it.

TmGergo said...

oh, and forgot my favorite game: definitely Ghost Stories

John Patrick Yu said...

I hope you get to publish one of your games. Also congratulations on making it 1 year in publishing I hope you can make more interesting games like this one.
A game that I am always interested in playing is Container, due to the high player interaction.

Doomfinger said...

Just saw this game on the Hotness list, and it looks like it deserves to be there. One of my favorite games is Pecking Order.

David Walker

james said...

This looks like a neat game, and your handmade set is beautiful. Wish I could make something like that from "wood scraps!"

My wife and I currently favor Traders of Carthage very much.

For my son, it's almost always Memoir 44.

Jude said...

"jude said...
A 2-player trade caravan game sounds good to me. Count me in as entered, please. Thanks!"

I forgot to list a favorite game and I can't edit my post, so here's a few of my favorite games, and only count my entry once! :)

Merchant of Venus
Trailblazer (1981)
Perry Rhodan
Medici
Pergamon
Princes of Florence

Judy Krauss

Ernie said...

Very nice design and the gane looks like a lot of fun! And two-player is definitely something I need for me and the wife. One of my all time favorites is War of the Ring.

bennnnnn said...

Awesome! My current favorite would be stone age

- ben

codeben@gmail.com

jesuska said...

great design !
thank you for this giveaway, i hope i can be picked =)
cheers from france ! my favourite game atm would be "dungeon lord"

Brian Hoier said...

I am impressed with your woodworking talent! Very nice indeed.

My favorite game? Right now it is Last Night on Earth.

Thanks,
Brian Hoier

DW said...

Wow - that is beautiful!!! I don't know the game but I know I want to play it just looking at this!

Thanks for posting...

David Williams
8355 Chestnut Blvd.
Broadview Heights, OH 44147

dwilliams5000@gmail.com

DW said...

Whoops - forgot to mention a favorite game...

Right now I am loving Stone Age... Played it online - loved it and then picked it up in a trade on Boardgamegeek.com... Even better on the gaming table!

Thanks again...

Dave

Clint said...

Hi Todd, congratulations on your anniversary!

Thanks for letting us all enter into your contest! One of my favorite games is Galaxy Trucker -- top notch game where it's all most fun when everything is going wrong.

Congrats again!

Nathan said...

Thanks for letting us enter this contest, and congrats on the one year!

One of my favorite games is Dixit--I love the creativity and the social aspect of it.

Thanks again!

Nathan

lorna said...

Looks like a great game, I'm impressed with all your ideas!

tankerfirstofficer said...

Your work is incredible! I have many favorite games, but if I had to pick one, I would select Tigris and Euphrates.

Jim M said...

The game looks stunning - great work!

My favourite all-time game is Civilization, the old Francis Tresham design published by Avalon Hill (amongst others).

Kevin said...

This would be awesome!
Currently, my favorite game is Earth Reborn.

Hélio said...

Congratulations on your achievement, I'm sure it's the first of many!
My favourite game: Brass

comandantedavid said...

This is a beautiful game, but I am still waiting for your Faerie Child...

One of my all-time favorites is Fjords, for its combination of gameplay and stunning but simple art.

Thanks!

Dasz said...

Fantastic looking game with a stunning board. Hope the project runs well!

My favorite game is brass. Easily the best economic game!

Niclas said...

Great looking game.

My favorite game (at the time) is Cosmic Encounter. There's always something new going on and crazy combos unfold every minute.

JSOW said...

Absolutely stunning!

Favourite game... Powergrid, no Dominion, no BSG, no Liers Dice... ahh hell I'll play anything.

Can't wait to play Serica with my daughter.

Eduardo G said...

I'd love to get this amazing looking copy. I have been playing Combat Commander: Europe like crazy lately, so I'd say that's my favorite.

P C said...

Amazing looking game! Very generous contest too :) My favourite game is the classic Carcassonne

Wren said...

Congratulations on a year of bravely doing something you love! This game looks beautiful!

My current favorite would have to be Qwirkle - I keep asking my partner to play even though I almost always lose. I also love Carcassonne and Seven Wonders...

Keep designing!
Renee

Seafields said...

I'd love to win a copy of this game, looks beautiful!

Petr Janda said...

Well, I have more than 200 games and its hard to pick the best of best. One of my most favourite games is, believe it or not, game If wishes were fishes. I prefer simplicity and niceness.

Thank you for opportunity in this contest. Petr.

Bewulf said...

An amazing end to year one / start of year two.

My favorite game is Hybrid.

schwarzott on bgg said...

Happy Anniversary!

I'm christopher, my favourite game is Race for the Galaxy.

If I win i could pick up the game locally!

Thanks for running the contest, looking to play this win or not.

jpbartleby said...

Beautiful looking game. I'm teaching Through the Desert by Knizia to some kids, so the desert theme of this one caught my eye.

enhorning said...

Hi,

I'm Ola Mikael Hansson (aka enhorning / unic on BGG), and my favourite game is *Star, an abstract game.

cagedsoul said...

This really is a beautiful set... just one of many of your designs (or redesigns) I've queued up to PnP myself. Thanks for all the hard work. As soon as I get some plays under my belt of some your designs I'll do my best to leave feedback.

todd said...

****PRIZE UPDATE****
yojmibo, who is the winner, seems to not be a BGG user and has no info in his google profile through which i can contact him. yojimbo, if you are out there, please contact me at info@aanpress.com and provide me with your mailing details.

james said...

I believe this is a terribly belated, "I may be your yojimbo" post.

I will my google account to complete this posting, and if as I suspect it appears as Yojimbo... then it's an old nick I have used that's still around (!). (I have emailed you privately with further details.)

If so, I feel I owe about ten thousand apologies for being unavailable to check back.

But, at least one more loose end in our lives can be tied up ;-)

james said...

Looks like it.