News

by Justin De Witt

As Seen on TV! Orphan Black

If you are a fan of Orphan Black, you may have recognized a few familiar "faces" in the new Season 4 set location, Rabbit Hole Comics. In episode 2, "Transgressive Border Crossing," formerly separated clones Sarah and Cosima are reunited in a secret lab in the basement of a Comic shop. When Sarah and Mrs. S enter the shop we get a good little "geek out" when they pan the shop and there is an eye-catching display of our favorite games. We caught this quick picture to show off a little. Forgive our proud little hearts. :) Games shown: Bears!, Castle Panic: The Wizard's Tower expansion, Castle Panic: The Dark Titan expansion. You can even see a bit of Bloodsuckers and The Village Crone if you look closely!

by Justin De Witt

International TableTop Day 2016

International TableTop Day is almost upon us! Quick! Grab some friends and a couple of games and plan a day around it! We will be visiting a few local game stores in Austin, TX on the day (April 30th this year) and invite you to join us. Anne-Marie and Justin will be at Wonko's Toys & Games from 12–2:30 PM CT and then from 4–6 they will be at Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy-Austin. They will be playing Here, Kitty, Kitty! and showing off an early copy of Dastardly Dirigibles (releases in July)! If you aren't in the Austin, TX area but want to find a local place to meet some new gamers and hang out for the day's festivities, check out the list of participating retailers on the official Geek & Sundry International TableTop Day page to find one near you. We have also partnered with Geek & Sundry on the official retailer event kits and there will be special, exclusive Castle Panic promo towers at 300 stores around the country. Check with individual game stores to see if they will have a kit and how they will be distributing the goodies, it will vary by location. Hosting an event with your friends at your house or neighborhood hang out? Be sure to use the official #tabletopday hashtag to connect with people near and far! You can watch the 24-hour live stream on Twitch and see what gamers all over the world are doing to celebrate gaming this year.

by Justin De Witt

Here, Kitty, Kitty! Review Round Up: Part Deux

As if you needed more reasons to covet your very own copy of Here, Kitty, Kitty!… but here you go! Another group of reviews have been rounded up and it was way easier than herding cats. "Start channeling your inner cat lady, because Here Kitty, Kitty!, by Fireside Games, is a kitten collecting frenzy of quick playing fun." - Gameosity Over at Blog Critics they found the gameplay "lively with laughter atop its solid base of scheming, making it a perfect game for cat-lovers and game enthusiasts alike." To put it another way, "fun gameplay that is light enough for casual gamers while still giving more hardcore players opportunity to analyze strategy." It's nice to know we achieved our goals with this one! Matt Quiett, from Nerd's Domain, says, "I give Here, Kitty, Kitty! a 4 out of 5 stars… It’s fun, light and enjoyable." Jess from Gameosity couldn't agree more. "The game is fast, fun, and light, with a good dose of silliness thrown in. Each card has hysterical illustrations that really bring the game to life." Of course, what is a review round up for a cat game without a few good cat puns? Special thanks to Kentucky Bored Gamer who supplied a healthy dose of them in his review: "The game play is fast and furr-ious. The rounds go quickly and there is a lot of fun to be had… So, Should you buy this game? YES! Not only is this game a GREAT family game in general, the cat theme is purr-fect for any cat lover or gamer that is new or old to board gaming." Over at Toys Bulletin they had a blast playing it, "…it is an enjoyable game experience from start to finish." And the Bizarre Brunette declares, "If you are a crazy cat lady like myself, this game must be in your closet." And the art? Well, of course it is still getting lots of love: "The art by Tony Steele is bright and entertaining, featuring cats in all kinds of poses…make the deck so entertaining that players may have to work to focus on their game." - Blog Critics The art for this game… is beautiful and fitting to the theme. It's playful and a bit of a "cartoony" look which is nice and really does fit the theme and game play." - Kentucky Bored Gamer "Complements are also in order regarding the artwork and illustrations shown on the game cards...they were superb and made you smile every time you examined a card." - Toys Bulletin If that's still not enough to convince you to visit your Friendly Local Game Store and nab a copy of your very own, how about this? Troy Stegner for the El Paso Herald Post expresses his approval while inventing a new rating system. "I give this game 4 out of 4 cans of tuna."

by Justin De Witt

April Events - Where to Play Our Games

Our games will be featured at the following events this month in Game Libraries, Demos, and Play-to-Win Events thanks to our partners with the Envoy Program from Double Exposure. The games available to play at each event may vary, please consult the individual conventions for details. Who's Yer Con* Bloomington, IN 4/1–4/3 Tric-Con Spring* Sioux City, IA 4/1/–4/3 MEGA Spring Meltdown Derby Line, VT 4/2 Emerald City Comic Con* Seattle, WA 4/7–4/10 GameFest* Denver, CO 4/11–4/13 Greenhill Ultimate Brain Race** Addison, TX 4/17 LexiCon* Lexington, KY 4/22–4/24 MEPACON* Scranton, PA 4/22–4/24 BABSCon** Burlingame, CA 4/22–4/24 PretzCon* Omaha, NE 4/29–5/1 CharCon Bonus Round* Flatwoods, WV 4/30–5/1 * Play-to-Win ** Library

by Justin De Witt

Review Round-Up for Here, Kitty, Kitty!

Tomorrow you'll be able to get your own copy of Here, Kitty, Kitty! at a game store near you. And it is already getting high praise. Let the early reviewers tell you what they love about it and convince you to adopt one of your very own! The artwork and theme win big with this one. Of course, you probably already guessed that, since who can resist a bunch of adorable kitties? "It's silly fun and the artwork on the cards is really excellent…" says Go Fatherhood. "I love the artwork. This game pulls no punches on any of the humor," raves Rick Perez of Let's Level Up. "The artwork in this game is tremendously humorous. There are just so many funny cards that I just got a good chuckle at, which I think should be commended because I think that the artwork is fantastic." What about game play? This game is so much more than just a pretty face. While it is simple to learn, there is a depth to the game that leaves players desiring another go to hone their strategies and grow their hoard of kitties. GeekDad declares, "Here, Kitty, Kitty! is a fun little family game. It’s easy to learn and plays quickly." "We all had a great time with this fast, simple game, so much so that when we finished, they immediately both asked for us to play a second game," comments Go Fatherhood reviewer, Dave Taylor, about playing this game with his kids. Tricia Victor from Golden Distribution was delighted by the added intricacy in the game. "My favorite part of Here, Kitty, Kitty! was the depth of strategy that was involved… It was fascinating to watch everyone's strategy to obtain kittens evolve from one game to the next. Here, Kitty, Kitty! is competitive without anyone realizing how much movement, placement & area control happens with the neighborhood cats." Let's Level Up agrees, "There's plenty of room to be strategic, both on the offensive side and the defensive side, and there are a lot of important decisions that you make while you're choosing your two actions. There are a lot of opportunities to think outside of the box." Here, Kitty, Kitty! is simple to learn, and will be a great filler or light game for your next game night. You can play it with an emphasis "…good old fashioned fun…" (InternetvsWallet), or take it a little more seriously like Perez did, "If you're a fan of 'take-that' games, Here, Kitty, Kitty! is amazing in that regard." Final Verdict Well, we'll just let them tell you… "…a fantastically fun game… I think it's fabulous and 'purrrfect.'" - Rick Perez, Let's Level Up "It is a family friendly, lighthearted game… that will keep everyone coming back to the table for more." - Tricia Victor, Golden Distribution "Buy this game. You and your family will love it." - Internet vs Wallet "Definitely recommended and a game I'm sure will move onto the active shelf." - Go Fatherhood "It's easy to learn, appropriate for families, and features adorable plastic miniature cats." - Ryan Morgenegg, Deseret News "… it is AWESOME!.. this one really is the cat's meow…" - Third Eye Games You can watch Let's Level Up's full video review below, or choose any of the links above to view the full reviews shared in this article.

by Justin De Witt

Here, Kitty, Kitty! FREE Demos at a Store Near You!

Here, Kitty, Kitty! is coming to a store near you on April 1! No fooling'! Want to hone your cat-hoarding skills? Check out one of the stores participating in our official launch event with FREE demos on April 2 and 3 from our partners with the Envoy program. Below is a list of the stores that have signed on to host demos. Please contact the store directly for demo times: Participating Stores Dragon's Keep Gaming Room Fayetteville, AR Game Castle Santa Clara, CA Crit Castle Games Aurora, CO Legacy Cards Comics, Games, & More New London, CT Emerald City Clearwater, FL The Adventure Game Store Davie, FL Tyche's Games Athens, GA Other Realms Ltd Honolulu, HI The Armchair Adventurer Honolulu, HI Secret Door Games Elkhart, IN The Game Annex Fort Wayne, IN A+ Comics and Games Lexington, KY Modern Myths Northampton, MA Play More Games Gaithersburg, MD All About Games Belfast, ME Acropolis Games Adrian, MI The Loaded Die Ferndale, MI Highlander Games Minneapolis, MN Dark Knight Gaming (Southern Geek Fest) Long Beach, MS Red Door Games Richlands, NC Hobbytown USA Lincoln, NE Arcana Toys, Games, & Hobbies Washington, NJ Elite Battlegrounds Green Brook, NJ Fallout Shelter Highland Park, NJ Alterniverse Hyde Park, NY Legendary Realms Games Plainview, NY Diversions Gaming & Hobby Newbury, OH Old School Gaming Toledo, OH Recess North Olmsted, OH Game HQ Oklahoma City, OK Six Feet Under New Holland, PA The Temple Games Pawtucket, RI Blockhouse Games & Comics Mansfield, TX Mage's Sanctum Austin, TX Roll2Play Coppell, TX The Gathering Place San Angelo, TX The Island Games Centreville, VA Your favorite local game store not on the list? Ask if they received one of our exclusive Launch Kits for access to the special Milkshake promo card. You can also encourage them to participate in future new release events throughout the year. They can contact our Marketing team to get details. Here, Kitty, Kitty! has been getting a lot of positive buzz lately, watch our blog for a review round up coming later this week.

by Justin De Witt

FREE Bears! Demos in stores for Release of Second Edition

The Second Edition of Bears! is now available at stores across the country! To celebrate this and help you and your friends get up and playing faster, we are partnering with the Envoy program to bring in-store demos to a store near you! Below is a list of the stores that have signed on to host demos (listed by State). Please contact the store directly to get demo times: Dragon's Keep Gaming Room Fayetteville, AR It's Your Move Games & Hobbies Oakland, CA Crit Castle Games Aurora, CO Elm City Games New Haven, CT Labyrinth Games & Puzzles Washington, DC The Adventure Game Store Davie, FL Other Realms Ltd Honolulu, HI The Armchair Adventurer Honolulu, HI Gameopolis Idaho Falls, ID Cat and Mouse Games Chicago, IL Red Raccoon Games Bloomington, IL Better World Books Goshen, IN GameQuest Fort Wayne, IN Secret Door Games Elkhart, IN Hero Complex Games & Entertainment Wichita, KS A+ Comics and Games Lexington, KY Play More Games Gaithersburg, MD Acropolis Games Adrian, MI The Loaded Die Ferndale, MI Highlander Games Minneapolis, MN Dark Knight Gaming (CoastCon) Long Beach, MS Red Door Games Richlands, NC Your Local Game Store Matthews, NC Hobbytown USA Lincoln, NE Arcana Toys, Games, & Hobbies Washington, NJ Alterniverse Hyde Park, NY Dragon Snack Games Buffalo, NY Legendary Realms Games Plainview, NY Play the Game, Read the Story Syracuse, NY Old School Gaming Toledo, OH Recess North Olmstead, OH Zimm's Realm Ada, OK Guardian Games Portland, OR The Temple Games Pawtucket, RI Roll2Play Coppell, TX The Island Games Centreville, VA Pegasus Games Madison, WI Your favorite local game store not on the list? Let them know we will be offering these in-store demos throughout the year with each new release and they can participate in future events. They can contact our Marketing team to get details. Will you be playing along at home? Download Bears! score sheets and scoring reminder cards!

by Justin De Witt

Dastardly Dirigibles Coming Summer 2016!

Happy Birthday, Jules Verne! In honor of a man whose imagination and fantastical inventions on the page have inspired amazing technologies to be born in the real world, we are excited to announce another new release coming your way in 2016! Dastardly Dirigibles are coming to airspace near you this summer. Professor Phineas Edmund Hornswoggle, famed airship builder, is retiring and you are an engineer competing to inherit the Hornswoggle factory! Build your airship from different parts of 9 beautiful suits. Each time a part is added, ALL players MUST add the SAME part–which may replace an existing one. Use Special cards to your advantage or to thwart your opponents. The round ends when the first airship is complete. But you score only the suit used most in your airship. The player with the highest score after 3 rounds wins! Dastardly Dirigibles is a game full of surprises and visual delights. The tarot-sized cards feature gorgeous Steampunk artwork. You will have a hard time choosing a favorite airship suit! This card game will hit stores in July 2016. It plays in an hour, accommodates 2–5 players, ages 8 and up, and has an MSRP of $19.95. Dastardly Dirigibles joins Bears! and Here, Kitty, Kitty! as part of our line of fun, friendly competitive games priced $25 and under. Share our official press release with your favorite mad scientist or engineer!

Subscribe to our emails