Kris and Maureen were on location this past weekend at Who’sYerCon in Indianapolis, IN to share The Dark Titan and kick-off recruiting for our new volunteer corps, The Torch Program*.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and found the con already in full swing with the game library hopping and the open gaming area full. We saw several familiar faces and met lots of new friends.
Agranok tried to scare us up some Torch applicants and managed to hypnotize a few fans of our games that first night. We moved to the open gaming room around 8pm and played games until 11, giving some new players a chance to tackle The Dark Titan.
Saturday morning came and after scavenging for breakfast we headed back to the Wyndham Indianapolis West to meet some more gamers, recruit some more volunteers, and play some more games. We got to tell a bunch of people about the Panic Line and saw our games coming and going from the game library all day. That evening we played some Dead Panic as well as Castle Panic with The Dark Titan.
Who’s Yer Con is a free gaming convention that is open to anyone who wants to play. It has a very friendly, laid-back vibe and every one we met was a having a great time. We hope to get a chance to get out and do this con again in the future.
*We’re working on a web page for The Torch Program, so if you are interested in volunteering and teaching Fireside Games games to others stay tuned as we bring the application process to a computer near you! Also feel free to ask about the program when you see us in person at events coming up this summer!
We’ve been playing the new Castle Panic expansion, The Dark Titan, a lot recently with the official release date, the launch party, and International TableTop Day. We’ve noticed some players appreciate having a little help keeping some of the new rules in mind when they face one of the new Monsters.
We totally understand, these new threats are scary! To help you out we have more than just the Cavalier and Support Tokens. We have How to Play videos!
The official The Dark Titan How to Play video covers it all, but if you need some specific help check out these handy break-out videos dedicated to specific topics. You can also review the rulebook on the pages listed below for each new element.
1. Support Tokens – want a quick overview of how these guys work for you? Check out pages 8-9 of the rulebook and watch this:
2. The Cavalier – this fancy new defender has several special rules that apply to him. You can learn more in the rulebook on pages 4-5 and in this video:
3. The Boom Troll – support is all well and good, but what about those new threats? Learn what the Boom Troll will do in this video and on page 7 of the rules:
4. The Dark Sorceress – She’s one tough lady! Her effects are lasting. You can read about her on page 8 and in this video:
5. Agranok, The Dark Titan himself! – No matter which of the 5 levels of Agranok you face, he is sure to make your day a little tougher. He and his heralds are covered on pages 6-7 in the rulebook and by Justin in this video:
Just in case you want even more panic in your game, you CAN play The Dark Titan with The Wizard’s Tower expansion! That’s a lot of Monsters, but you can do it. We believe in you. For instructions on how to incorporate both expansions in your Castle Panic gameplay watch Justin’s video on playing the two together:
We had representatives on the ground at two additional events for International Table Top Day this year. We’re excited the growth of the company has provided us the additional staff so we can play games with more people in more locations on more occasions in the future.
The Flame Hat made its debut at The Malted Meeple for International TableTop Day. Pretty swank, huh?
First up, we started the day in Hudson, OH with Kris and Maureen on location at The Malted Meeple, a gaming cafe that offers a wide variety of snacks and beverages (craft beers and sodas, and hand-crafted milkshakes!) as well as an extensive game library. Kris debuted the Flame Hat in her intro video for the event. You can watch it in action below:
The Malted Meeple main gaming area. This area was packed all day!
We got set up in an event space off the main room around 11 AM and there were already several gamers at other tables enjoying games. We were set up to handle demos of Castle Panic with The Dark Titan, as well as Dead Panic and Bears! Partway through the day they broke out a copy of Munchkin Panic to show a few gamers how they were different and get a couple more demos underway.
We were running multiple demos all day. Our tables were always full!
Aside from the event room we had copies of the games out at tables in the main room among the throngs of people who kept the staff at The Malted Meeple hopping all day with milkshake orders and lots of snack prep! There was rarely an empty table and the place stayed full well into the evening. Maureen even played a couple of raucous games of Bears! right at the bar!
A rare moment you could actually see the bar, they were so busy all day and even had to call in extra staff!
It was great fun to see our games making the rounds and meet some big fans who came out specifically for Castle Panic swag. We even got to see our Troll coasters all over the place with each drink order!
Image courtesy of The Malted Meeple. Our Troll coasters in action!
Next up, a few hours later and entire time zone away, Edgar and Gabby were at Dragon’s Lair Comic & Fantasy in Austin, TX for their in-store event!
They ran several demos of Castle Panic with The Dark Titan as well as a few with Castle Panic and BOTH The Dark Titan and The Wizard’s Tower expansions! Edgar also ran some people through some exciting games of Bears! They ran out of space and time as the tables remained full all day, but managed to talk to a lot of people about the upcoming Bears! Trail Mix’d expansion to Bears! as well as the forthcoming The Village Crone, expected out this fall.
Image courtesy of Dragon’s Lair Austin Edgar giving the Castle Panic + The Dark Titan + The Wizard’s Tower demo
Dragon’s Lair is an awesome store and they planned a big event with several game companies represented and lots of open gaming happening. The staff there was very accommodating and supportive and the event attendees were great fun. There were even a few people who survived The Dark Titan! It was a long day full of fun, Castle destruction, and awesome people.
We look forward to future events at Dragon’s Lair and hope to see more of the Austin gaming community out at events like this. Thanks to the folks at Dragon’s Lair and The Malted Meeple for helping us have such a successful International TableTop Day!
Kris & Maureen will be back at The Malted Meeple later in the month as we are in their Publisher Spotlight this month. So if you are local in Ohio and missed TableTop Day you get a second chance at the fun. Check our calendar and watch our Facebook for information on the next visit.
You’ll be seeing more of Edgar as well as he heads up our new volunteer corps, The Torch Program. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Fireside Games, we are currently actively recruiting for the Austin area as well as for GenCon 2015. Contact us for more details.
Anne-Marie and Justin took a whirlwind trip to LA to attend the flagship TableTop Day event at Geek & Sundry’s secret Headquarters in Burbank. The day started off early with people lining up to get in. The “secret” headquarters weren’t so secret with giant, inflatable G&S logos everywhere, so it was pretty easy to find.
Justin and Anne-Marie got there early and were able to see the place while it was still empty. Geek & Sundry has a pretty sweet soundstage to work with!
Since we were sponsors of TableTop Day, we were given a VIP table where we could show off The Dark Titan. We had help this year from local game gurus, Eric Burgess and Devi Hughes. These two were awesome, running demos and keeping players entertained all day long. We couldn’t have done the event without them! Plus Eric brought famous strawberry donuts from The Donut Man, which of course Justin had to try.
Before long, the doors were open and gamers came flooding in! Tables were filled and many games began. People were excited to try The DarkTitan, but a lot of the people that came by the table hadn’t played Castle Panic yet at all. They soon realized they were getting a special treat when the designer of the game taught them how to play!
Devi gets some players started on a game of Castle Panic with The Dark Titan.
Felica Day kicked things off with a quick speech and was there all day playing games with people and shaking hands. Geek & Sundry had a library where players could check out games, as well as a merchandise booth where you could get a drink or pick up some sweet G&S swag!
While Eric and Devi taught some demos, Justin and Anne-Marie went out into the crowd to visit with fans and take in the whole event. We found some Bears! players, and Anne-Marie was able to teach the game to them, but she didn’t get the highest score that game!
There was a photo op with a couch and cutout of Felica Day that got a lot of attention that day as well as a Loser’s Couch. Here our buddy Patrick from Crash Games poses with a group of players that were defeated.
It was a great time with a great feel to it. Justin took this panorama shot standing in the middle of the soundstage, which kind of gives you a little bit of the feel of the whole thing.
Click to enlarge
The event was so large, they had to extend it out of the soundstage and into a tented area in the parking lot. And it was NEVER empty.
We also encountered a group of Munchkin players diving into the world of Munchkin Panic, so we stopped to talk with them. Once they realized they were talking with the designer of the game, they wanted to get their photo taken with Anne-Marie. It was a lot of fun to meet fans of our games at this event, since so many of them are new to gaming they are very passionate and very excited to meet the creators in person.
There were also 3 food trucks at the event providing Hawaiian shaved ice, Japanese-style hotdogs and gourmet grilled cheese. The lines may have been long, but it was worth it.
Later in the afternoon, Wil Wheaton arrived and thanked everyone for coming. It’s fun to see how drawn to him people are, and he really does make a great ambassador for gaming. He was running a live stream on Twitch that should be available shortly, and we’ll let you know once we have access to that.
We ran a bunch more demos and made a lot of players happy. Even if Agranok did crush their towers, players still left with smiles on their faces.
Eventually though, 6:00 rolled around, and it was time to close down the event. Wil and Felicia gave a very nice closing speech reminding everyone that this hobby brings us all together like nothing else and also pointing out that this year TableTop Day was celebrated on every continent on the planet, including Antarctica! It was really great to be a part of something so big, and we hope everyone had a blast playing games with old friends and new ones. Thanks to everyone that helped organize an event, or just joined one to make it more fun!
We are honored to be the featured publisher for The Malted Meeple’s Publisher Spotlight in the month of April.
The Malted Meeple is a new game café that recently opened up in Hudson, OH, not too far from where our Marketing Manager, Maureen, is based. The Malted Meeple is owned by the fine folks who also own and operate Ravenwood Castle in New Plymouth, OH.
The Malted Meeple offers snacks, hand-crafted milkshakes, and craft beers alongside their selection of board games you can play on-site with your party. This is a family-friendly environment and they encourage gaming for all ages. We are really enjoying this growing trend of game cafes and encourage you to seek one out in your neighborhood for a fun dining/gaming combo experience.
In honor of our spotlight, The Malted Meeple is showcasing some of our games this month and Kris and Maureen will be heading out to their location on International TableTop Day on Saturday, April 11 to play games with patrons and hand out some fun promos.
If you are in the area we invite you to join us on April 11 for a fun day full of games, milkshakes, and good friends!
We met the Malted Meeple/ Ravenwood Castle team last year in person after email correspondence and fun social media banter. They have grown to be fast friends of ours. We are happy to be able to participate in their new endeavor and to welcome another great place to get together and play games to our growing list of game stores around the country.
Ravenwood Castle (New Plymouth, OH) is run by the same family. A great place for a getaway and some gaming in a real castle!
This year for International TableTop Day we are spreading the love of gaming around by participating in several TableTop Day events.
Justin and Anne-Marie got called up to the big leagues, folks! They will be in Burbank at Geek & Sundry’s flagship party to teach Castle Panic fans all about The Dark Titan. It will be our first time at the TableTop studios and we’re excited for this opportunity.
We will also have official representatives at two other locations around the country to celebrate this gaming holiday in style.
Edgar, our new Volunteer Program Coordinator, and several of our awesome volunteers will be at Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy in Austin, TX sharing our games and getting to know the local Austin area gamer community. If you are in or around Austin, be sure to stop by and say hi and welcome him to the Fireside family!
Kris and Maureen will be at The Malted Meeple in Hudson, OH. The Malted Meeple is a newly opened gaming café that serves fancy milkshakes and craft beer alongside gaming fun. They are featuring Fireside Games in their Publisher Spotlight for the month of April, so if you like our games and are partial to ice cream or beer, you should swing by and see what they have to offer. (Kids are very welcome, it is a family-friendly atmosphere.)
We will be showing off The Dark Titan, the brand-new expansion to Castle Panic. We’ll have other games in the Panic Line available as room and interest allow. Castle Panic was featured on TableTop in 2013. You can watch the episode if you haven’t seen it yet to get up to speed on the base game in preparation for this year’s events.
Our special Castle Panic towers are exclusive to International TableTop Day and are included in the retailer kits distributed before the event. Ask your FLGS about them and the other awesome swag included in those kits. We will also have our special Level 6 Agranok promo cards for The Dark Titan at the events we’ll be attending, so be sure to ask for one if you see one of our representatives.
We want to see what you’re playing and who you’re playing with! You can use the official International TableTop Day hashtags #GatherYourParty and #tabletopday to tag your photos, or tag us using @firesidegames, #CastlePanic, #TheDarkTitan, #DeadPanic, or #MunchkinPanic.
Let’s fill the world with fun on Saturday, April 11, 2005 and show everyone how awesome boardgames are!
It’s official, The Dark Titan is now available everywhere! Last Saturday, we headed out to local Austin store, Wonko’s to celebrate the release of this highly-anticipated expansion to Castle Panic.
We started up our first few games and then took a brief break to slice up another one of our now famous cakes! Jarred once again went above and beyond by creating a fabulous cake featuring the Dark Titan himself, Agranok, looming out of a Castle-shaped base. Agranok was chocolate-covered Rice Krispies, and the cake was chocolate with cherry filling. The towers were ice cream cones filled with cake, so the entire thing was edible. To top it off, Jarred placed two small containers in the cake that when filled with dry ice and water caused spooky smoke to flow out over the Castle, just like the cover of the game!
After being devoured in his delicious cake form, the Dark Titan came back for revenge in board game form! Game after game saw walls crushed and towers destroyed as players felt the wrath of Agranok!
Agranok was defeated in our first game and the Castle survived, but our next game wouldn’t fare so well. Once again our villain showed no mercy to children, as these excited young gamers were about to find out when he made his way into their Castle along with a few Heralds for backup.
As the afternoon went on, we started up new games to let players try their hand at the new expansion. Here, Anne-Marie gets a family up to speed before they dive in.
In between games, Justin and Anne-Marie signed copies of the base game as well as both expansions. Wonko’s could barely keep up with demand as they sold out of The Wizard’s Tower and The Dark Titan was flying off the shelf! The day ended with many happy gamers going home with new games, promo cards, happy memories, and bellies full of cake. We wish all our fans out there the best of luck in taking on this newest challenge. Here’s to many more successful battles and saved Castles!
San Angelo is small town in West Texas that was founded in the 1800’s when the U.S. constructed Fort Concho in an attempt to defend frontier settlers from hostile attackers. It seems very fitting then that San Angelo would be the final stop of The Dark Titan Cometh tour. After all, here is where many brave defenders would make their stand against one very hostile, 8-point attacker and his army of monsters!
San Angelo also happens to be the home of Specialties Games, Toys, & Gifts, one of our favorite stores that we first visited back in 2013 during our West by Southwest tour. We arrived on Monday afternoon and were quickly greeted by owners George and Linda Bell and a crowd of enthusiastic players. After visiting for a short time, we set up a game of Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, and The Dark Titan and the great battle began!
The first game got off to a terrifying start after losing the Wizard’s Tower to a boulder early in the game. Our players fought on through a roller coaster of last-minute saves and heroic comebacks, but in the end the ominous foreshadowing from earlier in the game came true as a Trebuchet knocked down the last tower right after our heroes had cleared monsters from the Castle ring. There was much sadness.
But not for long!
Our second group of players (and 1 returning player from the first game) took their places around the table and the battle with Agranok was begun again.
This time our players kept their wits and their walls up, and things went much better. At least for a while . . . Then the Wizard’s Tower was destroyed and the game took a turn for the worse. Agranok was destroyed shortly after entering the battle, but he brought back 3 of his Heralds before succumbing to our defenders blows. The sudden appearance of the Orc Warlord pushed 2 Heralds into the Castle ring, and despite the players best efforts, the final tower fell under attack from a Herald, and the land was cast into darkness.
That’s never something you want to see . . .
During all this medieval combat, we visited with our friend Rick Perez from Let’s Level Up as well as several other fans who we hadn’t seen since our 2013 visit. There were lots of games signed and cookies eaten as well. (Thanks to Linda for providing snacks!) It was a great afternoon and a fantastic way to finish off The Dark Titan Cometh Tour! We said our goodbyes, packed up the minivan, and headed out for a quick bite to eat before hitting the road for Austin and some well-earned rest.
With the tour ending, that means it’s your turn to finally face down Agranok! The Dark Titan will be officially available for sale on April 1st, and if you order it from our web store, you’ll receive the special promotional Level 6 version of Agranok that we’ve been handing out during the tour. This is an exclusive card that you won’t find anywhere else, so gather your friends and see if you can make your stand against the Dark Titan!
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