Origins Fun Planned

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Origins Game Fair. Where Gaming Begins

We can’t believe Origins is next week! We’re so excited to see everyone there. Come by booth 106 for free demos of Hotshots and Kaiju Crush (our new games this year), free promos and coupons for $5 off each game purchased, and special discount and sale items. We’ll also have play events every night in the Gaming Hall.

 

 

Demos: Be among the first to play our new games Hotshots and Kaiju Crush! Although they won’t be for sale until later this year, you can check them out at Origins. We’ll also have easy, step-by-step, self-guided demos of Bears! and Here, Kitty, Kitty! if you haven’t played those games.

Promos: Stop by to pick up the special River Tile promo for Hotshots and the Siphon Portal promo tile for Kaiju Crush. We’ll also give away the following promos with the purchase of the games they support.

  • Here, Kitty, Kitty!: Milkshake
  • Dastardly Dirigibles: Smoke Bomb
  • The Village Crone: Silver coaster
  • Castle Panic: 2017 ITTD Tower
  • The Wizard’s Tower: Crossbow coaster
  • The Dark Titan: Agranok Level 6
  • Engines of War: Jury Rig
  • Dead Panic: Laser Sight
  • Munchkin Panic: Potion of Mwahahaha!
  • Bloodsuckers: Midnight Sun
  • Bears! and Trail Mix’d: Alarm Clock and scoring sheets

Deals: In addition to receiving $5 off coupons for every game purchased at our booth, we will have discounted games and special items for sale.

  • Dead Panic: $30 (reg. $40)
  • Munchkin Panic: $25 (reg. $40)
  • The Village Crone: $30 (reg. $50)
  • Bloodsuckers: $20 (reg. $40)
  • 2017 International TableTop Day Tower: $5
  • Fireside Games Mug: $5
  • Fireside Games Tumbler: $5

Events: We’re also hosting play events for the first time at Origins! We’ll be in the Gaming Hall from 6:00 to midnight, and here are the games you can get in on each night.

  • Wednesday: Here, Kitty, Kitty!
  • Thursday: Dastardly Dirigibles
  • Friday: The Village Crone
  • Saturday: Castle Panic with all 3 expansions

Hotshots Available September 20!

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Hotshots, our cooperative, press-your-luck, firefighting game is back on track! We took some time to revise some components, making them even better, and now we are super excited to announce that Hotshots will be available September 20!

The flame minis came out great, and they really need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Here’s a photo to tide you over for now.

Hotshot Flame Tokens

We’ll be running demos at Origins this year, so come check us out at booth #106 to try the game for yourself. In addition we’ll be posting a video close-up, and How-to-Play video soon.

If you can’t wait until then, you can download the rules here and start your firefighter training now!

Kaiju Crush

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We are so excited to announce that Kaiju Crush is coming to a store near you this November! Tim Armstrong came to us last summer with an intriguing limited grid movement system with public objectives, and our own Justin De Witt thought it would be a blast to see giant monsters using those movements to stomp around a city. And of course, if you have giant monsters stomping around a city, you’ve got to have them fighting. After months of playtesting and iterative design work, we are proud and relieved that the files are off to the printer!

The premise of Kaiju Crush is that giant monsters have descended on the same city to fight for supremacy. On your turn, you’ll choose to use either your own Movement Card or a Shared Movement Card that’s accessible to everyone. Those are the only movement choices you’ll have on your turn. However, the Shared Movement Card will be changing throughout the game. When a player uses their own Movement Card, they swap their card with the shared one.

Using a Movement Card will land your Monster on a new City Tile (crushing it). You’ll pick up that City Tile and put one of your Territory Markers in its place. Both the City Tile and the Territory Marker help you gain points based on the Objective Cards. Some objectives give you points for the number of Territory Markers connected or unconnected, some give points based on how many or few City Tile Groups you claim, some give points for shapes you create on the city grid, and still others give in-game bonuses for the leader in City Tile Groups. So, although your movement is limited, your options are guided by the objectives you’re focusing on.

Then, there’s the fighting. I know, I made you wait 3 paragraphs before talking about the fighting! There are 2 ways to fight: 1) when you crush a building adjacent to another Monster and 2) when you land on a Territory Marker with another Monster. To fight, you’ll draw 5 Territory Markers and look at the underside. There, you will find 5 symbols that represent the way that you are fighting: firebreath, claw, tail, kick, and spikes. These symbols are part of an intransitive combat system, like so.

Each Monster has their own unique combat ability (as well as Special Abilities that change each game). The winner of the best of 5 rounds gets to choose a Combat Victory Token at random, whose value ranges from 1 to 3. If the challenger who landed on a Territory Marker with a Monster wins the battle, that challenger gets to replace the loser’s Territory Marker with their own. Very useful for meeting those objectives and/or preventing an opponent from meeting theirs!

When no Monster can move, the game is over, and the Monster with the most victory points is supreme! We’ve had a blast playtesting this game, and we can’t wait to be able to get out there and play it with you. In the meantime, we’ll be getting up our webpage for the game, posting rules, showing a how-to-play video, and all that good stuff!

Munchkin Panic Live Q&A!

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Join Steve Jackson Games and Munchkin Panic designers Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt from Fireside Games on Facebook Live this Thursday, 5/4, at 5:30 p.m. Central time for a Q&A about the game! We’ll also be giving out a copy of Munchkin Panic, signed by Steve Jackson!

Here’s your chance to ask us all those burning Munchkin Panic questions you’ve been storing up! You have been storing your burning questions haven’t you? Ask your questions with the tag #AskFireside and we’ll pick the best to answer on stream! Tune in to the SJ Games Facebook page for the live stream!

Munchkin Panic banner

Engines of War How-to-Play Videos!

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How to play Engines of War video

If you’ve been wondering what it’s like to build catapults, lay traps, and fight off siege engines in Engines of War, the 3rd expansion to Castle Panic, we’ve got what you need! You can now check out our Engines of War how-to-play videos to learn how to use the Engineer to build equipment, survive the Shaman, and more.

If you’re already a pro at building and want to combine Engines of War with the other expansions, check out our videos for playing with The Wizard’s Tower and The Dark Titan!

If you’re ready to try your hand at all this crafting, pick up a copy of Engines of War and experience how the Panic is building!

Dastardly Dirigibles Gets FatherGeek Seal of Approval!

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Father Geek Approved

Our Steampunk card game Dastardly Dirigibles has already received some really great reviews, including one from the crew over at FatherGeek.com. They took a look at our game recently and gave it their official seal of approval.

Father-Geek-Logo

If you’re not familiar with Father Geek, Cyrus and his gang put a unique spin on the typical board game review. After a detailed overview of the game, the final review is actually 3 perspectives from different groups.

The Child Geeks give their thoughts as a group of younger players. The Parent Geeks give their feedback as adult players who may or may not consider themselves gamers but definitely view the game as a parent. Lastly, the Gamer Geeks take a more hobby-oriented view of the game since these are veteran players with a lot of experience.

In order to get the Father Geek Approved badge, a game has to be approved by all 3 Geek groups and we are very proud to say that Dastardly Dirigibles did just that!

Father Geek Approved

Each group had some great comments on our splendid construction creation.

  • The Child Geeks noted. “Each time you play a part, everyone else gets to play a part, too. This means that playing parts on your turn is not always a good thing.”
  • The Parent Geeks commented, “I like how the game subtly opens up to you. I thought it was just a race, but now I see it has more to do with pacing and positioning than anything else.”
  • The Gamer Geeks were intrigued as well saying, “This is a solid game. Light but it has depth. You need to be strategic about your card playing timing and always have a backup plan.”

Our favorite comment comes from Cyrus, Father Geek himself, in his description of the gameplay.

“The game forces players to play cards, but it does it in such a way as to make it feel like it’s doing you a favor.

‘What’s this? Your opponent just played an engine? Guess what? You can, too! Yeah, we’re all winners!’

The game just sold you a beautiful lie, and you’ll buy it each and every time, too, with a smile. When you are forced to play a card, you are also forced to change your Guide sheet in a way you may not particularly want.”

You can check out the entire review for yourself, and if you’re intrigued, feel free to grab a copy!

Dastardly Dirigibles Game Review

Critical Condition Interview

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Critical Condition

Critical Condition logoWhile it’s always fun to sit down and talk with somebody about our hobby, some interviews are just more fun than others.

A few weeks ago, Justin sat down with Jeffery from the Critical Condition Podcast and this was definitely one of the fun ones.

If you’ve ever wondered how Fireside Games got started or what games Justin wishes he could design, this is the podcast for you.

In addition, they discuss some interesting tidbits about the nature of the hobby game industry, cooperative vs. competitive game design, and even get into the history of Bloodsuckers!

Give your ears a treat and take a listen HERE.

Engines of War Demos Roll On!

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Engines of War Builds the Panic

Engines-of-War-Available-Now

Time to add ballistas, catapults, and spring traps to Castle Panic! Game stores across the USA will be hosting free Engines of War demos January 7–8. Read all about the game here, and find a participating store near you from the list below to start building your own engines of war!

Arkansas

Dragon’s Keep Gaming Room (Fayetteville), 479-249-8888

 

Arizona

Imperial Outpost Games (Glendale), 602-978-0467

 Game Depot (Tempe), 480-966-4727

California

Comic Quest (Lake Forest), 949-951-9668

Crazy Squirrel Game Store (Fresno), 559-431-0188

Game Kastle (Fremont), 510-651-4263

 

Colorado

Crit Castle Games (Aurora), 303-745-4140

Shep’s Games (Aurora), 303-690-0566

Enchanted Grounds (Littleton), 303-795-0772

 

Connecticut

Regency Gaming (Mashantucket), 860-917-1111

YFN Tabletop Shop (Newington), 860-436-2213

 

Florida

Emerald City (Clearwater), 727-398-2665

 

Georgia

Heroes and Villains (Warner Robins), 478-322-0004

Prime Time Gaming (Macon), 478-257-7018

Tyche’s Games (Athens), 706-354-4500

 

Idaho

Gameopolis (Idaho Falls), 208-529-8026

Safari Pearl Comics (Moscow), 208-882-9499

 

Illinois

Red Raccoon Games (Bloomington), 309-828-9196

 

Indiana

Deck Factory Gaming Center (Fort Wayne), 260-498-2153

Good Games Indianapolis (Indianapolis), 317-493-1423

Secret Door Games (Elkhart), 574-350-2295

 

Kansas

Wizard’s Asylum (Wichita), 316-262-6642

 

Kentucky

Legendary Games (Richmond), 859-575-7284

The Louisville Game Shop (Louisville), 502-456-2734

 

Maryland

Looking for Games (Rockville), 301-378-8550

Neverland Games (Hagerstown), 301-739-4263

Play More Games (Gaithersburg), 240-801-9375

Walt’s Cards and Games (Dundalk), 301-466-9603

 

Michigan

Acropolis Games (Adrian), 517-577-6192

Destiny Games (Canton), 734-404-5548

The Gamer’s Wharf (Grandville), 616-551-3881

Pandemonium Games and Hobbies (Garden City), 734-427-2451

TC War Room (Traverse City), 231-943-0248

 

Mississippi

Dark Knights Gaming (Long Beach), 228-236-7580

 

Missouri

Game Nite (St. Louis), 314-270-8440

Cards ‘n Stripes Games (Republic), 417-647-5151

The Fantasy Shop, South County (St. Louis), 314-842-8228

 

North Carolina

Cape Fear Games (Wilmington), 910-798-6006

Red Door Games (Richlands), 910-430-0132

Scott’s Collectibles (Kannapolis), 704-784-2277

 

Nebraska

The Game Shoppe (Omaha), 402-991-8699

Gauntlet Games (Lincoln), 402-420-5060

Sparta Games (Omaha), 402-934-8330

 

Nevada

Games Galore (Reno), 775-826-7788

 

New Jersey

Arcana Toys Games and Hobbies (Washington), 908-223-1120

Elite Battlegrounds (Green Brook), 732-424-0744

The Game Room Store (Woodbridge), 732-636-1111

 

New York

Alterniverse (Hyde Park), 845-233-4234

Dragon Snack Games (Buffalo), 716-833-0740

The Game Gamut (Pittsford), 585-218-0988

Legendary Realms Games (Plainview), 516-595-7088

 

Ohio

In the Ball Park (Lancaster), 740-653-5955

The Rook OTR (Cincinnati), 513-954-8191

 

Oregon

Haven Gaming (Salem), 503-990-7570

Red Castle Games (Portland), 503-774-4263

 

Pennsylvania

The Game Table Café (Mechanicsburg), 717-695-0836

 

Tennessee

The Game Cave (Hermitage), 615-678-5768

 

Texas

Dragon’s Lair (Houston), 832-761-0072

Flash Candy and Toys (Lockhart), 512-668-5075

 

Utah

Game Haven (St. George), 435-627-0616

Fongo Bongo Games (Riverton), 801-938-5962

Mystic Hobby Games (Sandy), 801-571-8258

 

Virginia

The Island Games (Centreville), 515-599-0360

 

Washington

Fantasium Comics & Games (Federal Way), 253-874-3084

 

Wisconsin

The GameBoard (Sheboygan), 920-453-4263

I’m Board! Games and Family Fun (Middleton), 608-831-6631

Pegasus Games (Madison), 608-833-4263

Check Out the Rules for Engines of War!

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Engines of War Rules

Engines of War, the 3rd expansion to Castle Panic, hits stores in just a few weeks! Here’s your chance to check out the rules and prepare yourself for the next siege of your Castle. Learn how to build and fire Catapults, Ballistas, and deploy Spring Traps. You’ll want to learn about your enemy as well so you can better face the Breathtaker and Shaman. Don’t forget to ready your defenses against the Battering Ram, Siege Tower and War Wagon.

It’s all here, so download a copy now and prepare for battle!

Engines of War Rules

How to Play Here, Kitty, Kitty! Video

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Here Kitty Kitty Video

Have you wanted to learn how to play our crazy cat collecting game, but only had 3 minutes and 47 seconds to spare? Well you’re in luck! We’ve just posted the official How to Play Here, Kitty, Kitty! video so now you can learn everything you need to know about stealing, er . . . collecting all the cats in the neighborhood in just a few minutes!

You can also find this video on the Here, Kitty, Kitty! games page.

Uplifting Reviews for Dastardly Dirigibles!

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Dastardly Dirigibles reviews

Another day, another set of great reviews for our plucky little airship building card game, Dastardly Dirigibles!

The Deseret News weighs in:

Dastardly Dirigibles is a relatively simple design with some interesting elements that come together under a delightful theme.”

 

The wonderful folks over at Mid-Life Nerd Crisis have declared:

“This one may be my new favorite game! A++”

 

Jason Meyers over at I Slay the Dragon.com has written a great review of the game absolutely chocked full of Victorian slang praise! Highly recommended reading for the fashionable steampunk.

“Like its behemoth titular airships this one’s head rests loftily in the clouds.  Its nonchalant and mischievous twist on set collection honors its Steampunk inspiration and gives it a distinctiveness.”

Dastardly Dirigibles Parts

Dale Yu at Opinionated Gamers.com has this to say about our airship escapades:

Dastardly Dirigibles is a filler with meaningful decisions… and I’m enjoying it a great deal.” “. . . the perfect addition to my “games to play with non-gamer family” as well as nice opening game for game nights.”

Dastardly Dirigibles Opinonated Gamers

Patrick Cossel over at The Forge Herald had some great things to say about our game:

“To the person, we all agreed this game was a lot of fun.”

Dastardly Dirigibles Forge Herald ReviewNot only that, but we were awarded the Forge Herald Stamp of Approval. Quite splendid indeed! We love hearing about folks enjoying building their airships and knapping a good part from their fellow engineers. May the winds be at your back!

 

 

Wizard World Comic Con Austin!

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Wizard World TV

Last weekend was Wizard World Comic Con Austin, and it was a great show!

We arrived on Thursday to set up our booth and were immediately put in a good mood. The Austin Convention Center is what’s known as a “Drive-On” show, which means they allow vendors to drive their vehicles right onto the show floor to load and unload. Since we usually have to transport all of our booth materials into a show from parking lots that are far away, we really appreciate this. Boy does being able to park the van right next to the booth make setup easy!

Setup at Wizard World Comic Con

Wizard World Booth Ready

The show started on Friday afternoon, and we immediately got to work showing people all the fun to be had with cats, airships, and spaceships. Comic Cons are known for lots of amazing costumes, cosplay, and crazy creatures, and Austin was no exception. The aisles were filled with bow-tied Doctors, Harley Quinns, Stormtroopers, and more. We managed to grab a few photos of some of our favorites, including this amazing rendition of Khan.

Wizard World Khan
See more at http://bit.ly/2d4tefv

We also fell in love with/were terrified by this father and son Predator duo.

Wizard World Predators
Did you notice what he’s holding?

Of course, another big draw to a Comic Con is the chance to meet all sorts of celebrities from movies, TV, books, and all corners of the geek universe. This show featured Sebastian Shaw (The Winter Solider), Bruce Campbell, and tons of other famous faces. We’ll admit you don’t get into the board game hobby without being a bit of a geek yourself, and we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to meet some of our favorites. Since we just happened to have Star Trek Panic with us, and William Shatner was at the show (coincidence?), we had to get a photo taken of all of us.

Wizard World Shatner

He was super nice, and it was great to meet the man behind the Captain in person after all these years!

He even autographed a copy of the game.

Signed Star Trek Panic

There were two more guests that I was especially excited to see. If you saw the TableTop episode featuring Castle Panic, you might remember Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt being pretty darn entertaining. Well, they were at the show this weekend, and I can confirm that they are also pretty darn nice people! Not only did they happily sign my copy of Castle Panic, but we chatted for a few minutes. I learned they still play the game at home, and I even got to hug Yuri. It was pretty awesome!

Wizard World Signed Castle Panic

I now have signatures from 3 of the 4 players on the Castle Panic TableTop episode on 1 cover. All I need is Andre the Black Nerd, and I’ll have the complete set!

I took a side trip to get my album cover to the original Flash Gordon soundtrack signed by Flash Gordon himself, Sam Jones! Hey, it can’t ALL be about work, right?

Flash! A-aaaaah!

It turns out that we even made a (very) short appearance on the local morning news show when they did a feature on the convention. How cool is that?!

Wizard World TV

We met tons of great people at the show and had a blast introducing people to our hobby. If it sounds like something you’d like to experience for yourself, there is probably a Comic Con coming to a city near you. Check out their complete schedule here, and let your geek flag fly. Trust us, it’s worth it!

The Panic Line Variations: Similar Elements. Worlds of Difference.

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Panic Line Differences

 

Panic Line Variations

 

One of the best developments to come out of Star Trek Panic is a better understanding of the whole Panic line. It would drive us crazy when we’d be at a convention happily demoing and we’d overhear this conversation between two friends walking by.

Friend 1: Ooo, Dead Panic. What’s that?

Friend 2: That’s just Castle Panic with zombies.

“No!” we wanted to say, “It’s a whole different experience! Come back! We’ll show you!”

Panic Line VariationsNow, friends are debating which variation in the Panic line is their favorite. That, of course, means they are talking about the differences among the games. To help the discussion, here are the ways each game connects and differs in the Panic line.

 

CP-Panic-Line-1

 

 

 

 

 

Castle Panic

Overview: Castle Panic is the cornerstone of the Panic line and what started it all. It’s a friendly, cooperative tower-defense style experience that appeals most to light gamers and families. It’s often referred to as a gateway game, a game that can be used to introduce new people to the board game hobby. It’s the nicest of the Panics.

How It Plays: In Castle Panic, you work together to defend the 6-tower castle in the center of the board against the monsters coming out of the forest at the edge of the board. The board is set up in colored concentric rings that the monsters move through to get to the castle in the “bull’s eye.” You use cards to hit and slay the triangular-shaped monsters in specific rings and colors. It’s like a conveyor belt of evil! When the monsters are hit, you rotate them down to show how many health points they now have. To win, you must slay all 49 monsters and have at least 1 tower left standing.

Panic Line Variations

How It Forms the Foundation: The concentric-ring design of the board, the triangular-shaped monster tokens, playing cards to hit/slay the monsters, and rotating the tokens to track damage are the elements shared by all of the variations in the Panic line. Beyond that, the ways that the other themes integrate with the system (changing objectives and rules and introducing additional mechanics) create unique experiences.

 

DP-Panic-Line-1

 

 

 

 

Dead Panic

Overview: Dead Panic is the first variation in the Panic line and has a much more cinematic feel than Castle Panic. The way players excitedly retell the game afterward sounds more like a movie. The new mechanics make it a better choice for people with some experience playing modern board games, although this is not a brain-burner by any stretch. The lack of gore in the art makes it a good choice for families who enjoy a little zombie-slaying together as well. Our favorite memory of demoing this game was to a father and son, who had this exchange.

Son: Dad! I can’t believe you killed me with a chainsaw!

Father: Son, I had to! You were a zombie!

Dead Panic has also had a surprisingly strong appeal to tween girls. Something specifically empowering about cutting down all of those undead coming at you.

How It Plays: In Dead Panic, you play as characters in the game with special abilities. You search the hunting cabin in the center of the board for items and weapons you can use to hold the zombies at bay while survivors attempt to bring radio pieces to you. After assembling the radio pieces, you have to call the rescuers and make it out into their van in the woods to escape to safety. If you die in the process, you return as a zombie and fight against your former teammates. Players who have experience with Castle Panic often make the mistake of trying to defend the cabin. You will die doing that. This game is all about escaping the zombie apocalypse while you can.

One-Does-not-simply-meme-1

How It Differs: In addition to the introduction of characters that can move around the board and have abilities, the possibility of dying and returning on the opposite side of the battle, and the change in objective, Dead Panic also includes Event cards that change up the conditions of the board each round. And instead of simply marching straight toward the hunting cabin (as monsters move toward the castle), zombies are attracted to humans and will rotate toward any in their line of sight. Those changes create a completely new experience. No one has ever played Dead Panic and said, “Yeah, that’s just like Castle Panic.” Usually, they breathlessly jump up from the table and yell, “I can’t believe we made it out!”

 

MP-Panic-Line-1

 

Munchkin Panic

Overview: Munchkin Panic is most like Castle Panic in its basic play. That was a decision to introduce Munchkin players to the foundational Panic mechanics before throwing them into the full Munchkin-meets-Castle-Panic experience that the More Munchkin Mini-Expansion provides. We should have known better. No need to coddle a Munchkin player after all!

Evil-todler-meme

How It Plays: In the basic setup, you work together to defend the castle towers against the Munchkin monsters emerging from the forest. Unlike in Castle Panic, these monsters are carrying treasure. When you slay the monsters, you draw cards from a treasure deck that you can combine with the Castle cards for stronger attacks. The Castle deck also now includes Curse cards that you can use to thwart opponents and end up with the highest monster-point count. Playing for individual points is one way to play Castle Panic, but it is the ONLY true way to play Munchkin Panic.

How It Differs: The differences really shine with the More Munchkin Mini-Expansion. (Did we mention that it’s included in the base game? It is! I know, right?!) With the expansion, you no longer have to defend that needy castle. It’s all about the points. In fact, if you are in the lead, you might want to play Monster Enhancers to help take down some towers and end the game quicker. Now the card combos take on a deeper dimension, and the negotiating gets intense. No polite, mutually beneficial trades happening here. It’s all about the art of the deal! You also pick a character based on the Races and Classes from Munchkin and use their ability to gain an advantage. Unlike Dead Panic, though, the characters do not appear in the game and are not in any danger themselves. Why risk your own skin?

 

 

STP-Panic-Line-2

Star Trek Panic

Overview: The latest entrant to the Panic line has brought a whole new level of excitement. (Munchkin Panic is a little jealous. Dead Panic is eating brains—again. Castle Panic just wishes everyone would get along.) The objective here is to fend off enemy threats while trying to complete 5 missions. It comes with a model U.S.S. Enterprise that players maneuver (what?!), the enemy’s attacks are ranged, and the defensive responses are based the direction the Enterprise is facing. There might also be a little cloaking going on . . .

Panic Line Variations

How It Plays: Players work together as members of the original Star Trek crew, with special abilities drawn from their functions on the T.V. series, to defend the Enterprise while completing 5 missions. The missions are based on episodes from the original series and the classic Klingon, Romulan, and Tholian enemies provide a lot of the Star Trek flavor.

How It Differs: The prime difference (see what we did there?) is in the change in objective. You must complete missions while defending the central structure (in this case, the Enterprise). Completing a mission may require committing certain cards, maneuvering the Enterprise, and more. It borrows the concept of how character abilities work from Dead Panic, but the actual abilities are based on the world it’s set in (Star Trek, for those not following along). There is no discarding. You get what they came to space with. (OK, you do get to draw and trade each turn.) During the Play Cards phase, you may also maneuver the ship 1 space clockwise, counter-clockwise, or forward. And a lot of decision-making goes into whether to use cards in defense/repair of the Enterprise or in completion of the missions.

The best thing about the Panic line variations is that you don’t have to choose. Let your mood pick your Panic. Up for a friendly, welcoming game? Castle Panic’s the one. Ready for a heart-pumping, edge-of-your-seat, “will-we-make-it-out-alive?!” time? Dead Panic will do the trick. Need a back-stabbing, treasure-grabbing good time? Munchkin Panic pairs nicely. Feeling bold, adventurous, and ready to reunite the crew? Star Trek Panic does the job. It’s all about choosing your experience.

TLDR-Panic-Line-1

For more on the differences between Castle Panic and Dead Panic.

 

Here’s a teaser for Star Trek Panic (that attention-hog).

 

And for how-to-play videos of all of our games check this video out.

4 Out of 5 Stars for Dastardly Dirigibles!

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Dastardly Dirigibles Guslado

Our steampunk airship game continues to sail to new heights! Two new rave reviews for Dastardly Dirigibles have arrived and we wanted to share them with you.

Internet vs. Wallet has declared Dastardly Dirigibles to be a great game for some light family fun.

“We found ourselves coming back to this one often.”

Meanwhile, over at Guslado’s Games, Guslado gives a recap of his Gen Con experience and awards our game 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you good sir, and a most dapper countenance you have there!

Dastardly Dirigibles Guslado

It warms our cogs and gears to hear about the love for Dastardly Dirigibles. Best of luck to all of you as you race to build those beautiful blimps!

Happy Birthday Gene Roddenberry!

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Gene Roddenberry and large Enterprise model

If you’re having fun with Star Trek Panic, we’ll gladly take some of the credit, but you really owe a hearty “thank you” and a “Happy Birthday” to Gene Roddenberry. The creator of Star Trek was born this day back in 1921. Before launching one of the biggest science fiction franchises ever, he won 2 medals in World War 2 as a pilot and even became a Sergeant in the LAPD.

USS_Enterprise_three_foot_model_in_Gene_Roddenberrys_office
Image CBS/Paramount

His vision of a future where Humanity is better than it is now inspired millions and made for some amazing stories and adventures along the way.

Perhaps one of the primary features of Star Trek that made it different from other shows was, it believed that Humans are improving – they will vastly improve in the 23rd century.” – Gene Roddenberry

We lost the “Great Bird of the Galaxy” in 1991, but his creation lives on. We are incredibly proud to have been given the chance to be a part of the Star Trek legacy and we hope Mr. Roddenberry would approve. Happy Birthday Gene!

“A Must-Play For Fans of Steampunk”

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4 airships from Dastardly Dirigibles assembled

Jeff Provine over at BlogCritics.org just posted a great review of Dastardly Dirigibles! His review covers the gameplay and artwork and comes away with smashingly good praise indeed!

“Going beyond simple icons, the art shines through as each suit stands out, whether in polished white with golden statuary, weighty cast iron hefted by over-sized engines, or the stitched-together Wild cards with banners and tablecloths mixed into the blimps.”

Dastardly Dirigibles steampunk airship card game airships

“Famous for its innovative mechanics in Castle Panic, Fireside takes time-tested suit-matching play and raises it to the stratosphere with Dastardly Dirigibles.”

Jeff wraps up his review with the summary that “Dastardly Dirigibles is great fun for family and light gamers and a must-play for fans of Steampunk.” If you’d like read more, check out the full review here. To see what all the fuss is about, grab a copy from our store and come away with the exclusive Smoke Bomb promo card!