Author: Justin De Witt

Fireside Games in New York AND at GenghisCon XXXVI

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Last weekend we were all over the place! Anne-Marie traveled to New York City for NY Toy Fair and MunchkinWorldNYC, while Justin held down the fort in Denver and introduced new gamers to Castle Panic at GenghisCon XXXVI.

New York City was COLD! Being a Texan, Anne-Marie was shocked by the windy winter weather, but she managed to find the best company and warm up at various events, including her autograph session at the Munchkin pop-up store put on by our friends at Steve Jackson Games.

Anne-Marie signed copies of Munchkin Panic at Munchkinworld NYC. She hung out with Steve Jackson and John Kovalic while there.
Munchkin Panic was on display on-site at NY Toy Fair!

 

She met with several other business contacts there for Toy Fair and discussed some super top-secret projects! Yep, we are going to tease you with that and not share any details until the ink is dry. *wink wink*

We have a new game coming out this fall and Anne-Marie took this opportunity to get feedback from some of our distribution partners, who are all getting very excited about it. We’ll be sharing more details on this game next month at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas. (Hint: This game will catch you under its spell.)

There was no mistake on where to go to set up!

In the meantime, while Anne-Marie was taking the city by storm, Justin kept The Dark Titan Cometh Tour on track with a demo appearance at GenghisCon XXXVI. This convention is put on by the Denver Gamer’s Association and was rocking the boardgames and other tabletop gaming. Justin’s table was busy all day!

He was able to share The Dark Titan expansion with some really excited fans, as well as introduce new players to the joys of Castle Panic.

We would like to extend special thanks to The Wizard’s Chest in Denver, CO for helping us secure a demo space at the convention and for promoting our games to their customers during the show.

Several games going at once!
Agranok and the Cavalier are about to face off!

 

UP NEXT

We will be continuing The Dark Titan Cometh Tour this weekend with a booth at the Colorado Baby & Kidz Expo, and then heading out to Salt Lake City early next week. See the full schedule of our appearances on our Events Calendar.

The Dark Titan Attacks Adventurer’s Quarter!

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Our last store visit in Colorado was to Adventurer’s Quarter in Arvada, a fun town with a variety of shops and “small town” feel to it. After stopping at the Grandview Tavern and Grill for some pre-game fuel, we headed down the street to Adventurer’s Quarter to get setup for the big demo.

Within minutes we had our first game up and running. Veterans of the base game were eager to dive in and see what all the fuss was about!

Surviving the initial wave of Monsters is always key and though they lost a few walls, they held fast and hunkered down for the next wave. Agranok made an early appearance and quickly made his way to the Castle, smashing Towers to dust as he advanced.

Things were getting tense, when a well-played “Drive Him Back” saved the last few towers and gave the players a chance to finish the Dark Titan off with a slew of Archers, Knights, and Swordsmen. Battered, but not beaten, our heroes fought on finally bringing down the last Monster with 2 Towers still standing, for a rousing victory!

The next group was waiting in the wings and gathered at the table for what would be the most nail-biting game of the night. This time, in addition to new players, we even had a few familiar faces from our demo at the Haunted Game Cafe join in to help! Despite a strong start, things soon went bad as Agranok arrived with a rush of Monsters and pushed to crush the Castle.

Danger draws near!

Agranok was wounded and then hit with a Nice Shot card, and finally finished off by a suicidal charge from the brave Cavalier, but not before he had smashed our player’s defenses to splinters. A lone Monster worked his way into the broken Castle and was 1 space away from the final tower.

The last player drew up to his full hand, desperate for a card that would work in the Castle ring . . . no luck, he discarded a useless card and drew . . . the Barbarian! The entire store rang with the cheers from our table as we lived to fight another day! There were several more close calls before the game was over, but in the end the final Monster fell and the lone surviving Tower stood as a symbol of victory!

You only need 1 Tower left to win!!!

 

We had one more game that night with a fan who arrived late and that ended in a close, well fought victory as well. In the end, the gamers of Adventurer’s Quarter were all victorious and sent the Dark Titan crawling back to where he came!

Our thanks to the crew at AQ for helping us put on a great event! The next appearance is an unscheduled stop at Genghis Con XXXVI! Thanks to our friends at The Wizard’s Chest, Justin will be at a table outside the vendor hall this Saturday from 10 to 6! Come by the Radisson in Aurora to check out all the great events, vendors, and maybe try your hand at taking on the Dark Titan yourself!

The Dark Titan Terrorizes the Haunted Game Cafe!

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It may have looked like a bright, sunny day in Fort Collins, Colorado, but inside the Haunted Game Cafe shadows fell as huge monsters wreaked havoc on brave defenders!

We arrived at the second stop on The Dark Titan Cometh Tour, The Haunted Game Cafe, late in the afternoon. This awesome coffee shop and game store combo is dripping with ghostly ambiance, from the ghosts and spiders hanging on the walls to the appropriately named drinks like the Zombie Elvis and Vampire’s Kiss. We met with the owner, Gary Sproul, and started setting up on a few of the many gaming tables available.

Before we unleashed Agranok upon the masses, Justin took a few minutes to talk with Mark and Randy of The Boardgame Corner. We talked about The Dark Titan Cometh Tour and some of the awesome new elements in the expansion. Look for that interview to be posted on The Boardgame Corner’s website soon.

Once we unpacked our gear, it was time to slay some Monsters! We had quite a crowd that was eager to make their stand, and we quickly had 3 games up and running. The first game was Castle Panic with The Dark Titan expansion, and our team started strong, with the defenders keeping the Monsters at bay early.

The first game of the night is setup and ready to begin!

That changed when a series of Elite Monsters all arrived in the same arc and a rush of Heralds brought a level 4 Agranok onto the field. There are 5 levels of Agranok in the game, with level 1 being the least powerful and level 5 being the most dangerous, so once the level 4 was revealed, the team knew what they were in for. They made short work of the Elites, but Agranok stomped his way into the Castle, and before our heroes could drive him back, he was able to destroy their final tower.

“Don’t worry guys, it’s just an 8pt Monster and his friend charging toward our broken Castle. What could go wrong?”

Another table saw both expansions combined for a Wizard’s Tower–Dark Titan extravaganza. This was an experienced team that used their Wizard cards wisely to keep the monsters under control. There were several moments of panic when walls were falling faster than they could rebuild them, but some clever cardplay and tough choices meant that when a level 3 Agranok finally arrived, they were ready. Agranok charged the Castle but was defeated by a flurry of magic spells and steel weapons. Huzzah!

Mixing both The Wizard’s Tower and The Dark Titan makes for some great battles.

Over on another table, the gang from The Boardgame Corner was getting their chance to try out the expansion added to the base game. A rush of Elite Monsters proved to be no problem for this crew as they knocked down wave after wave of attackers. Some bad rolls and even worse draws saw the Castle damaged, but not defeated. When the Heralds finally summoned Agranok, our heroes whittled him down to his last few points. They were poised to finish him off with a brave charge from the Cavalier, but a Monsters Move token took the Dark Titan out of their reach and their last Tower crumbled under his claws. “We were SO close!” Mark laughed, with a huge grin.

Mark and Randy from the Boardgame Corner try out The Dark Titan

We played more games and then had an informal Q&A session, where Justin talked about his design process and even teased some ideas for future Castle Panic expansions. The Boardgame Corner filmed a short segment that gives a closer look at some of the components in The Dark Titan, so be sure to check that out once it airs.

We wrapped up a great evening with a short interview with Gary, and filmed a look at his amazing hangout. Watch our video, and we’ll see you at the next stop on The Dark Titan Cometh Tour, at Adventurer’s Quarter in Arvada, CO, on Tuesday, February 10th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.!

The Dark Titan Cometh Tour Begins!

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The preview event for The Dark Titan, the next expansion to Castle Panic, has begun! We arrived in Denver late Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon we headed over to Shep’s Games in Aurora to start the tour.

Shep’s Games in Aurora, CO. The start of The Dark Titan Cometh Tour!

After talking with Shep, we set up our new banners and dove right into the first demo of The Dark Titan. The crowd was small but enthusiastic about seeing the new game! First up was the basic version of Castle Panic combined with The Dark Titan.

The table is ready, the banners are up, let’s play some games! Notice the free promo cards up front!

Things were going well until the Elite monsters arrived all at once, in the same arc. Shortly after that, Agranok himself appeared and our brave crew of Castle defenders began to wonder if they would be able to survive the onslaught.

The Elite Goblin, Elite Orc, and Elite Troll all showing up in the same arc at the same time, what could go wrong?

Giant Boulders rained down on the Castle and many brave Swordsmen and Knights were used to defend the walls from the incoming tide of Monsters. Thanks to some clever cardplay, Agranok met his end and the battle raged on. Our heroes rallied for a final turn, bringing out the Cavalier to charge into battle, but the Dark Sorceress appeared and her ability to reduce everyone’s hand size proved too much and the last Tower fell to the monstrous horde.

The Cavalier stands alone in the wreckage of the once proud Castle.

Clamoring for revenge, our heroes started up a second game. This time, we tried it using the Alternate Rule “A Man’s Home Is His Castle,” in which each player chooses a Tower to represent him/her in the game. Despite our heroes best efforts, the tension to protect their own Tower proved too much and once again the Monsters trampled the Castle to dust.

A third game saw Anne-Marie jumping in to help provide backup for the team and new players taking on the challenge.

Anne-Marie jumps in to help out our brave defenders!

Many Monsters were destroyed, and the players rebuilt damaged Walls as fast as they were knocked down. The Dark Sorceress fell to some powerful card combinations and at one point in the game, the Cavalier helped to clear all the Monsters from the board.

The Cavalier has taken care of business! And business is slaying Monsters.

Sadly, it would turn out to be too little help as a rush of new Monsters, including Agranok, brought serious damage upon the Castle, ending with the Dark Titan himself breaching the Walls and destroying the last Tower.

The Dark Titan himself made it inside the Castle. Not sure if that Tar token is going to save us . . .

The last game of the afternoon was a full combination of Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, and The Dark Titan. Magic spells were furiously cast, and the Monster horde advanced tirelessly. The Dragon, Basilisk, and Necromancer did their best to destroy the Castle, but thanks to a last-minute casting of Wizard Quake the game ended with 2 Towers still standing. VICTORY!

It was a great ending to a great day, and the perfect beginning to our demo tour! Thanks to everyone who came out to Shep’s Games to get their promo card and help us fight off The Dark Titan.

For all our Colorado fans, be sure to come see us at our next store event at The Haunted Game Café in Fort Collins on Saturday, February 7th, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.! Check out the full tour schedule to see where else we’ll be in the coming weeks.

2014: A Year In Review

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2014 was an amazing year for Fireside Games. We appreciate all the opportunities that came our way this year and would like to especially thank everyone who plays our games and shares them with new players. We love making games as much as you love playing them.

We put our heads together and came up with our Top 5 Highlights from 2014.

  1. Now that’s a cake!

    Celebrating 5 Years of Castle Panic – It was such fun getting to share behind the scenes details and talk directly with our fans at the Google Hangout and the official Birthday Party, sharing the Oracle as a bonus game piece, reminiscing about the early days and hearing from all of you as you shared your Castle Panic memories, and the cake, oh yes, the cake!

  2. Company Growth & New Staff – A major step forward for Fireside was expanding and growing the company with the addition of Kris and Maureen to our full-time staff. Kris has elevated our Customer Service to enviable levels and Maureen has helped keep our planning on track so we get to see more of you out and about in the world. We look forward to more expansion in the coming year and being able to serve you even better.
  3. Upgraded Website & Ecommerce – Our website got a great-looking facelift with added features and lots of helpful information for our long-term fans and new customers alike. The addition of e-commerce has allowed us to bring you the fun branded merchandise you used to only be able to get a conventions, like T-shirts, patches, and replacement pieces.
  4. New Avenues for Sharing Our Games – Our games were shared with new fans through foreign licensing (Munchkin Panic is already available in Russian and German, with more languages underway for it and other titles!), a fantastic show at GenCon, and being featured in articles, blogs and on top game lists (from Boing, Boing to Boardgamegeek.com) across all our titles. We were fortunate to enjoy new partnerships with Steve Jackson Games and Texas Frightmare Weekend, and be published in Rue Morgue and SciFi Now Magazine!
  5. Expanding the Panic Line – With the release of Munchkin Panic we have expanded our line of Panic games, which already includes Castle Panic and Dead Panic, by giving you another unique play experience built on familiar mechanics with new features and objectives. We were also very excited to get How To Play videos up for all our games to make learning more accessible to everyone who gets a copy of one of our games. We even have small, break-out videos for many of the new twists in the different Panic games so you get the best experience and training you can.

We are taking some much needed rest time in the next week, but are already working on big plans for 2015. We invite you along for the ride. It’s going to be amazing!

Castle Panic Snowflake Pattern – FREE Download!

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Add a little Castle Panic cheer to your holiday with this FREE snowflake pattern.

It’s easy to make and you can use them for fun, gamer decor this holiday season. Hang them on your tree, on a window, make a garland of them, or just attach one to that special package under the tree… you know, the one that holds The Wizard’s Tower expansion for the Castle Panic player in your life!

How To Make Your Very Own Castle Panic Snowflake

  1. Download and print the PDF pattern.
  2. Cut out the circle template
  3. Fold the circle in half, then in half again to make a quarter circle.
  4. Fold the quarter circle in thirds, using the grey lines as guides and keeping the pattern wedge visible.
  5. Cut away the grey areas of the pattern. Be careful around the skinny parts!
  6. Unfold the snowflake and revel in your creativity!

Happy Holidays from Fireside Games!

Want to get this kind of thing delivered to your inbox? Join our monthly newsletter mailing list! We shared this pattern with our subscribers a few weeks ago.

“The Dark Titan Cometh” Tour Dates

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We’re taking this show on the road!

Fireside Games will be traveling to the mountains January–March 2015, bringing “The Dark Titan Cometh” Tour to Denver and Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.

Here are the dates and venues we currently have booked. Check back often as we may be adding more!

January 25    12–5pm    Shep’s Games    Aurora, CO
February 7    6–9pm    The Haunted Games Cafe   Fort Collins, CO
February 10  5–9pm    Adventurer’s Quarter    Arvada, CO
February 25    5–9pm    Blakfyre Games    Pleasant Grove, UT

February 28    6–10pm        Game Haven    West Jordan, UT
March 2    6–10pm        Game Haven    Bountiful, UT

March 4    6–10pm        Game Night Games    Salt Lake City, UT
March 7    12–4pm        Dragon’s Keep    Provo, UT
March 9    7–10pm    Dragon’s Keep    Lehi, UT
March 12    5–8pm        Game Haven    Tooele, UT
March 28    12–7pm       Game Depot    Tempe, AZ

 

The Dark Titan is the next expansion to Castle Panic, our cooperative tower defense board game. It is scheduled for a Spring 2015 release. You can learn more about The Dark Titan and it’s related base game, Castle Panic, and additional expansion, The Wizard’s Tower on our website.

Ask Fireside – Our Favorite Holiday Traditions

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This time of year is all about traditions and the enduring sense of wonder and excitement that the dawning of a new year can bring. We would like to share some of our favorite traditions, both old and new, with you.

Kris, Customer Care Manager

When I was a kid I loved hiking out into the woods to find and cut down a Christmas tree. It was usually just me and my dad and maybe one of my brothers. It was a nice quiet time spent outside.

As an adult, New Year’s Eve is my favorite. It’s all about expressing gratitude for the past year and hope for the new.

 

Anne-Marie, CEO

My favorite childhood holiday tradition was baking cookies for the Christmas tree. My mom used a special sugar cookie recipe that made cookies unusually thick. We stuck a toothpick through the tops of them before we baked them, decorated them after they cooled, and then strung yarn through the holes to hang them on the tree. My brother, sister, and I would sneak cookies off of the tree until Christmas day.

My favorite current holiday tradition is lighting farolitos (candles set in sand in paper bags). When Justin was growing up in New Mexico, his family adopted the tradition that originated with Spanish merchants, who were influenced by Chinese paper lanterns, and then picked up by the Roman Catholic church as a way to symbolize hope that the spirit of Christ would be guided to the home. Typically, roadways and driveways are lit to show the path to the home. There’s something warm and comforting about seeing those little flames against the cold.

Justin, Chief Creative Officer

My favorite holiday tradition from when I was a kid was that we would get to open one present on Christmas Eve. It was always a really big deal and I would spend the days leading up to it looking over all my presents trying to pick that special one.

Now that I’m older, my favorite holiday tradition is probably decorating the outside of the house with lights. While I don’t go as overboard as I do for Halloween, I do get a kick out of trying to be creative with strings of white and multi-color lights.

Maureen, Marketing Manager

On Christmas Eve when I was a kid we would get to give and open the presents we had bought for each other (Christmas morning was for Santa). I grew up with 4 siblings. I love GIVING presents & I am terrible at waiting, I would spend the week leading up to Christmas begging to be allowed to give someone something. I was always giddy about getting to see everyone’s faces when they opened my present to them.

As a “grown-up” I still love giving presents more than getting them. But I also really love the new tradition we started with friends for New Year’s Eve. We have a themed party and everyone dresses up in costumes to match. We drink, play games, and all look fabulous doing it!

What are your favorite holiday traditions? Share in the comments below!

Monsters, Monsters Everywhere!–New Monsters in The Wizard’s Tower

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Retailer location map

We’ve covered magic (Wizard cards) and fire. What’s left? MONSTERS!

There are many new threats in The Wizard’s Tower box, and they will test your mettle to its limits.

In this video, Justin talks about the new, standard Monsters that join the fight from Centaurs to Ogres, and Imps to Gargoyles.

You will be removing some of the base game Monsters and replacing them with these new Monsters. (See page 3 of The Wizard’s Tower rulebook for the new Monster “recipe.”) Some of these Monsters have special immunities and special vulnerabilities. Some will only spawn alongside other Monsters. Some are just really hard to kill with higher health points than you may be used to!

Flying Monsters

In the expansion there are even Monsters who fly! You have to use Archer cards to hit these Monsters. Knights and Swordsmen are useless against them. They are also immune to the perils of the Giant Boulder! Justin explains how you fight them in this video.

Mega Boss Monsters

Last, but certainly not least, are the Mega Boss Monsters. These Monsters are so big, they aren’t just Bosses, they are MEGA! Four- and five-points make these guys tough to kill, plus they come with extra abilities that stay in effect as long as they are alive. They can also move in unpredictable ways, so you’ll need to stay alert to properly strategize their demise. Mega Boss Monsters are covered on pages 13 & 14 of the rulebook. The game also comes with handy reference cards players can easily refer to when a new Monster is drawn.

You can learn more about all the Monsters in the videos shared above, as well as in the rulebook (pages 11-14). Be sure to also check out our FAQ page for specific Monster effect questions and those occasional scenarios that give you pause.

Happy Hunting! May your Wizard’s Tower remain standing & the cards be on your side!

For the complete playlist of The Wizard’s Tower videos, check out our YouTube Channel, or past blog posts.

Bringing the Heat–How Fire Works in The Wizard’s Tower

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If you’ve been following this week’s blog series on The Wizard’s Tower expansion for Castle Panic, you know how to set up the game by removing certain Monsters and replacing them with new ones, swapping a Tower, and shuffling in the new Castle cards. You’ve also discovered the Wizard deck and all the wondrous magic it holds.

Today we are going to teach you about FIRE!

With this expansion you will encounter Monsters who breathe fire and can catch your Castle structures on fire! But don’t worry, there are ways to put the fire out and even use it to your advantage. You are now able to catch Monsters on fire as well! After all, Dragons are only flame retardant on the INSIDE.

Watch the video for a full explanation of the different ways fire will play a key role in your game play.

How to Set Monsters on Fire

Some of the Wizard cards allow you to set Monsters on fire. When on fire, Monsters will take 1 point of damage for each flame token on it during the Move Monsters Phase of a player’s turn. You can use this new mechanic as part of your strategy by catching Monsters on fire while they are in the Archer ring and letting them burn themselves out before reaching your Castle.

What Happens When the Castle Is on Fire

Among the new Monsters included in The Wizard’s Tower expansion are a few Monsters who can breathe fire and will catch your Castle on fire! Castle structures on fire are weakened and can be destroyed with no damage to the Monsters (they will not take damage when hitting a flaming structure) on that turn. However, a Monster knocking down a flaming Wall will take on that flame token and on his NEXT movement he will take fire damage.

Your Castle structures can handle up to 2 fire tokens and remain standing. However, the third fire attack by a Monster will destroy the Wall or Tower automatically. No Monsters are injured.

How to Put out Burning Castle Structures

Players are able to extinguish flaming structures by playing 1 Brick or 1 Mortar card on their turn for each flame token on the structure. If there are multiple flame tokens on a Wall, you will need multiple Bricks or Mortars to put out all the flames. You may also use the Fortify Wall card to extinguish all flame on a Wall, but you do not get to also fortify that wall.

For more details on how you will be interacting with Fire see pages 7 & 8 in the The Wizard’s Tower Rulebook.

You can also check our FAQs page for The Wizard’s Tower if you have questions about other mechanics and situations.

Wizard Cards in Castle Panic: The Wizard’s Tower

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Games Magazine 2011 Traditional Games 100 Award

One of the biggest changes to Castle Panic when you add The Wizard’s Tower expansion is the addition of the Wizard deck of cards that infuse the game with magic and new abilities for the players.

How Do You Get Wizard Cards?

Players can obtain Wizard cards during Phase 2 of their turn: Discard and Draw 1 Card. You can only get one Wizard card per turn this way. You cannot draw up to your full hand in Phase 1 from the Wizard deck. You may also obtain a Wizard card during your Trade cards phase if another player is willing to trade you one from their hand.

The Wizard deck is only available to players while the Wizard’s Tower is still standing on the board. If the Wizard’s Tower is knocked down by the Monsters, you lose access to that deck of cards and all the magic within.

What is in the Wizard Deck?

The Wizard cards include new ways to attack Monsters, including cards that you can play against Monsters that are still in the Wizard Card examplesForest. Remember, in the base game, you cannot attack Monsters until they enter the Archer ring. The cards with Forest play options have a tree symbol on them to help remind you. There are also some new cards with the Castle symbol you will recognize from the base game as indicating you can use them against Monsters that have entered the Castle ring.

Some Wizard cards require you to play them with another card such as a Hit card or to “pay” to use the card with an additional card. An example of this is Mystical Manufacturing, which requires you to play a brick or mortar card with the Wizard card to be able to rebuild a Tower.

Oh, yes, you can rebuild a Tower! You need the Mystical Manufacturing card to be able to do so, but this gives you an additional chance at survival by allowing you to recover from a lost Tower.

Watch this video for a quick overview of the Wizard deck and what you get when you add The Wizard’s Tower expansion!

Of course, the expansion doesn’t just make the game easier, we’ve added lots of new Monsters with new abilities and movement effects. Stay tuned for further videos that explain the mayhem that comes with the expansion. You can see a full list of the Wizard cards, as well as the Monsters and new Castle cards, in The Wizard’s Tower Rulebook.

Need replacement pieces? We’ve got you covered if a Troll has gone missing or your cards are showing wear. Check out our webshop where you can get new pieces and the special Castle Panic Promo Pack of past promotional game pieces with in-game effects, as well as some extra fun swag!

The Wizard’s Tower–How to Set Up the First Expansion to Castle Panic

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You are pretty sure you have mastered Monster slaying and are looking for a challenge.

You’ve check our guide for How To Tell if You’re Ready for The Wizard’s Tower and decided to take the plunge.

Here’s a helpful video on getting the expansion to Castle Panic set up with the base game.

You will be removing some of the old Monsters and adding new, including Mega Boss Monsters! You get new Castle cards and a whole new deck of Wizard cards. You also get to upgrade one of your standard Castle Towers.

A helpful tip: All The Wizard’s Tower pieces (and cards) have a little wizard hat icon on them so you can easily switch back to the base game if you need a win to boost your morale.

Have a question about the rules? Check out our FAQ page for The Wizard’s Tower. Remember, a lot of the rules for the base game carry over, so if you don’t see it in The Wizard’s Tower rulebook double check the Castle Panic rules.

If you have any advice for new expansion players, share it in the comments. We’re all in this together, after all!

Burgers & Boardgames – What Do Dining and Gaming Have in Common?

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Emerald Tavern Game Cafe Austin TX
Emerald Tavern Game Cafe in Austin, TX

It looks like the world at large is catching on to what we’ve all known for years. Games are fun. And places you can go to play games are fun places.

Aside from our go-to places to play games with friends and strangers, such as libraries, hobby game stores, and our friend’s house for game night, there is a new growing trend with Game Cafes. Take the coffee shop idea and add board and card games to the mix and you get a place you can meet friends for a sandwich or cup of joe AND a game of Castle Panic. And you don’t even have to bring your own copy.

The Atlantic recently shared an article about the spread of Board Game Cafes around the world and spoke to the possible reason for their growing popularity: “the rapid proliferation speaks to something deeper: the need to connect with people in a public/private space, the need to have a meaningful interaction that doesn’t use emoticons, and perhaps the need, in an increasingly complex world, to work with friends and family toward a clear goal.”

Fireside’s CEO, Anne-Marie, was just discussing this same topic (why board games are drawing in new fans) on her podcast interview with The Gaming Careers‘s resident interviewer Steven Ruduski. She cited smartphones as a possible trigger for the recent increase in board game popularity.

“I actually think it’s because of smartphones. People are turned back on to gaming again because games are so easy to find and play on their phones and it has kind of really reminded people of how fun games are to play. I think the nice thing about table top games is they are significantly more social than playing an app on your phone. So I think that has really reminded adults that you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy games.”

Ruduski seconds that sentiment saying, “It’s that social aspect.” He goes on to explain that he is a big RPG fan, but as an adult it is hard to get a group of friends together who have 12 hours for a campaign. “But a board game, you capture a lot of that same social interaction with predefined times, a time packet of 40 minutes, 90 minutes, and then you get to go home.”

The idea that modern tech has spurred a resurgence in good old-fashioned hanging out is echoed by Devon Trevelyan in a recent article by The Daily Free Press. “Online gaming has taken such a turn, [to the point] where you can communicate with people across the world. I like that, but I think there is a real quality about face-to-face interaction and laughing with your friends when they’re in your presence.”

Trevelyan runs Knight Moves, a gaming cafe in Boston, MA, that champions the casual, comfortable feel of European cafes and strives to pair it with the social community that gaming imparts.

What do you think? Is there is a connectedness people have been missing with all the tech in their lives? Do boardgames help fill that need?

We’d love to hear about game cafes in your neighborhood! Tell us your favorite place to hang out and play games in the comments below.

Sources:

“How Board Games Conquered Cafes” by Hana Schank for The Atlantic.

“Boston Restaurants Offer Diverse Culinary Experiences” by Heather Goldin & Ayush Kumar for The Daily Free Press.

The Gaming Careers podcast with Anne-Marie over at thecompanybard.com.

Can You Handle the Heat?

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So, you’ve been playing Castle Panic for a while now. You still have a good time, but you are wondering if there is more. Well, I’m here to tell you there is SO MUCH MORE! The Wizard’s Tower is the first expansion to Castle Panic and it really amps up the excitement and challenge of the game. There’s also the not-so-little matter of The Dark Titan, the second expansion that is due out in the Spring of 2015, which brings all new threats and some fun new twists.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Not everyone is ready to tackle the Mega-Bosses right out of the gate. It is a good idea to hone your Monster-slaying skills before taking the leap. If you need some help mastering Castle Panic, check out our How To Play videos in the How to Defend Your Castle post for some pointers from the designer, Justin De Witt.

“How do I know if I’m ready?” you may ask. We’ve put together this helpful guide.

How to Know if You’re Ready for The Wizard’s Tower:

1. You win more often than you lose (if you lose at all anymore), and you often have all or almost all of your Towers still standing.

2. Somebody in your gaming group says, “Castle Panic? Isn’t that a kid’s game?” and you want to shake them up a bit.

3. Fire has always held an allure for you and you want a fun way to play with it without actually getting burned.

4. You find yourself saying, “Oh, it’s just a 3-point Troll” when placing Monsters and long for more variety in your trophies.

5. You wish you had magical powers and have always wanted to face off against a mythical Monster such as a Dragon or a Chimera.

If any of these describe you, you may be ready for The Wizard’s Tower. But be warned, the forest is full of dark and dangerous things and the Castle will be depending on you.

Already playing The Wizard’s Tower? Tell us how/when you knew you were ready to advance. What is your favorite addition to the game from The Wizard’s Tower? Tell us in the comments.

If you are interested in purchasing The Wizard’s Tower, you can do so at your Friendly Local Game Store or through our web store.

How to Defend Your Castle

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How To Play Castle Panic

Been wondering what this Castle Panic game is all about? Now you can satisfy your curiosity with our Official Overview video where Justin gives you a succinct explanation of the objective, the mechanics, and what you need to do to win.

This is also a great video to share with your friends to if you are already a fan of the game and want to get them into it. It does some of the preliminary teaching for you, so you can get straight into playing the game with them on your next game night!

Is your interest piqued? Then may we suggest further viewing satisfaction with our Official How To Play video. In this video, Justin takes you through game setup, the order of play on a player’s turn, and some special Monster tokens that affect how the Monsters behave and even some tokens that interact with the Castle differently than Monsters.

After watching these videos you should be fully prepared to band together with your friends and defend the Castle!

Once you’ve mastered the base game of Castle Panic, you’ll want to consider adding The Wizard’s Tower expansion! It adds magic, fire and more Monsters!