We’re thrilled to announce that we have retained KidStuff PR effective February 1, 2023. This respected firm will handle our media, influencer, and awards relations, with a focus on promoting My First Castle Panic and Castle Panic.
One of a very small number of public relations agencies focusing only on children’s products and toys, KidStuff PR offers a unique and targeted approach to publicity, promotions, and creating a buzz. The 29-year-old agency’s specialization has led to close relationships not only with key media influencers, but also in the toy industry community.
KidStuff PR has fostered relationships with a vetted group of over 200 influencers for over a decade. Recently, the agency has mentored and sought out partnerships with influencers who are families of color to diversify the life experiences of influencers who review clients’ products.
KidStuff has a strong track record of supporting smaller publishers in crafting and communicating company and product stories. After hearing from families who have bonded over our games for so long, we’re eager to have even more families find time around the table together through the reach of KidStuff.
About KidStuff PR
KidStuff PR takes a light-hearted approach to writing and content creation, but founder Lisa Orman takes seriously the job of providing reporters with stories about the best products and services for children and families. Every month, she receives dozens of calls from prospective clients but only takes clients for whom she has a true passion, since it helps her do a better job, try harder, and makes work more enjoyable. She has been awarded many recognitions in her field and in the industry, notably one of the only people to receive two Women In Toys awards: for best Consultant and Online Social Networker. Find out what the buzz is all about at www.KidStuffPR.com.
It may be hard to believe that Castle Panic first made its appearance on game tables almost 13 years ago in September of 2009. Since then, it’s been an amazing journey filled with adventures and stories as we added to the world with 3 expansions and 3 variations. After all those battles, the time has come to update everyone’s favorite cooperative tower defense board game. We are incredibly proud to announce the upcoming release of Castle Panic second edition!
The entire Castle Panic line is getting all new, bright, colorful art, a wide variety of diverse characters, and a few updates to make the game play even smoother. It’s still the same great cooperative game that players have loved for over a decade with a fresh new look.
What’s Different?
The biggest change is to the artwork, which makes the game look like it came right out of an animated movie. This is the same artwork used in the Castle Panic DeluxeCollection offered on Kickstarter in 2021.
New card designs make it easier to tell cards apart and to see what part of the board they affect.
The board is refreshed as well and now includes iconography to help color-blind players identify the different areas of the board more easily.
The game comes with a custom die that’s colored to match the medallions in each arc of the board.
The weight of the card stock used has been increased to provide a more satisfying feeling in your hand.
Lastly, the Castle has a name now! After asking our fans to submit their best ideas and vote on their favorite, we can all proudly band together to defend Castle Bravehold.
The rules are staying the same for Castle Panic. For The Dark Titan and Engines of War expansions, a minor change has been made to a few Monsters. The Dark Sorceress, Breathtaker, and Shaman are now all Mega Boss Monsters, like the Dragon from The Wizard’s Tower. This standardizes some rules that previously had those Monsters using their own ruleset.
When’s the Next Expansion Coming Out?
We are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new expansion, Crowns and Quests!
This expansion adds 12 playable characters with unique abilities that allow players to take on a role in the royal court defending Castle Bravehold. Each character is assigned to one of the six towers at the start of the game. If that tower is destroyed, the character is lost, and the player must continue without that ability.
You’ll need those abilities too, since there are now quests that the players must try to survive to win the game. At the start of the game, players choose 1 Standard Quest and 1 Endgame Quest. Until both of those Quests are completed, the pile of Monsters will refill over and over.
Standard Quests include searching for magic scrolls, looking for a cure for a plague of madness, holding off magical stones that cause the Monsters to spawn closer and closer to the Castle, and much more. Once the Standard Quest is achieved, players move on to the Endgame Quest, which they either complete or perish trying. Endgame Quests feature challenges such as collapsing caves to stop the flow of Monsters, racing against time to destroy a cursed obelisk, and placing magical portals to teleport the entire Castle to safety. There are 11 Standard and 7 Endgame Quests to choose from, providing hours and hours of replay as players explore all the different challenges.
Because none of the components in Crowns and Quests are combined with components of the base game or the other expansions, this new expansion is compatible with both the first and second editions.
What if I Want It All?
For players that are looking to collect the entire second edition all at once, we are launching the Castle Panic Big Box second edition at the same time. This (not surprisingly) large box contains Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, The Dark Titan, Engines of War, Crowns and Quests, 6 promo towers, and 7 promo cards. The custom box also comes with a vac tray insert to hold all the items.
When Can I Get It?
Castle Panic, Crowns and Quests, and the Castle Panic Big Box will be on store shelves on November 30. The Wizard’s Tower will hit store shelves January 25, The Dark Titan on February 22, and Engines of War on March 22.
Thank you to all the amazing artists that made this new edition possible: Justin Chan, Anthony Cournoyer, Jakab Ferdinánd, Javier Guzman, Maggie Ivy, Tad Lambert, Britt Pezzillo, Quel. This line looks amazing because of your talent and dedication to the project.
We hope all of you are as excited to see this fabulous new version on your table as we are!
We’re excited to announce that the Castle Panic Deluxe Collection is now live on Kickstarter!
Now you can defend the castle with all new art, wooden tokens, Monster minis with rotatable bases for tracking damage, plastic Castle and game pieces for the base game and all of the expansions, and a brand new expansion with a royal court and quests.
The campaign offers a variety of configurations to suit every fan. Have the Big Box and are looking for minis to add? You’ll want the Castle Panic Deluxe: Plastics Only pledge level and the Deluxe Expansions Plastics Only add-on. Looking for all the upgrades but not into minis? You’ll want the Castle Panic: Wood Edition pledge level. Want it all? Pick the Castle Panic Deluxe Collection.
New Expansion
This Kickstarter features the premiere of the brand new expansion Crowns and Quests in deluxe format. Become a member of the royal family or inner circle. Choose from a variety of playable Characters with unique game-changing powers. Survive the attack while attempting to complete Quests such as retrieving magical items, destroying a cursed temple, teleporting the entire castle to safety, and more.
Check out the pledge levels here:
Castle Panic: Wood Edition: Complete game that includes all new art, plastic castle pieces for the Walls, Towers, Fortify Token, and Tar, plus wooden Monster tokens for Castle Panic base game ONLY.
Castle Panic Deluxe: Plastics Only: Includes plastic castle pieces for the Walls, Towers, Fortify Token, and Tar, plus all the Monster minis for Castle Panic base game ONLY.
Castle Panic Deluxe: Complete game that includes all new art, plastic castle pieces for the Walls, Towers, Fortify Token, and Tar. Includes wooden Monster tokens and plastic Monster minis for Castle Panic base game ONLY.
Castle Panic Deluxe with The Wizard’s Tower Deluxe and Playmat: Complete games that include all new art, wooden tokens, plastic castle pieces and plastic Monster minis for both Castle Panic base game and The Wizard’s Tower. Includes the playmat.
Castle Panic Deluxe Collection: Complete games that include all new art, wooden tokens, plastic castle pieces, and plastic Monster minis for Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, The Dark Titan, Engines of War, and Crowns and Quests. Includes the playmat.
You can also combine your pledge levels with these Add-ons:
The Wizard’s Tower Deluxe: Complete game that includes all new art, wooden tokens, plastic Wizard’s Tower, and Monster minis for The Wizard’s Tower ONLY.
Crowns and Quests Deluxe: Complete game that includes all new art and plastic pieces for Crowns and Quests ONLY.
Deluxe Expansions Plastic Only: Includes all the plastic pieces and all the Monster minis for The Wizard’s Tower, The Dark Titan, Engines of War, and Crowns and Quests.
Playmat: 20” x 20,” neoprene version of the board
This game will NOT be sold through distribution. It will be available on our website at an increased price. Don’t miss out! Back this project today!
The official new date for the Kickstarter launch of the Castle Panic Deluxe Collection has been decided: May 11!
We’re excited to offer all new art, wooden tokens, Monster minis with rotatable bases for tracking damage, and plastic walls and towers for the base game and all of the expansions. They will be available in a variety of configurations to suit every fan. In addition, we’ll be rolling out a brand new expansion that will include a royal court and missions! Sign up now to follow the campaign.
First off, we wanted to thank all of you for your patience while we’ve been cranking away on getting this project ready for its relaunch. The big news is that as of today we are art complete! This means we have all the new art done for Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, The Dark Titan, and Engines of War.
It’s a big step and we’re pretty darn excited! We are still working on completing all the minis and that’s going to take a while, but we are making good progress there as well. In addition, we have a lot of graphic design, logistics, and packaging issues to figure out, but it’s all moving ahead.
Which brings us to the next big announcement. Based on where we are and what needs to be done, we are going to plan on relaunching this project on Kickstarter as the “Castle Panic Deluxe Collection” and we are scheduling that launch for March. We won’t have the preview page up for a while yet, but we’ll let you know when we do.
We hope you’re as excited as we are to see this project relaunched, so if you want to follow along, be sure to keep up with us on our social media. Thanks again for all your support!
Looking for something a little spooky? Make this Halloween frightfully fun with 25% off horror titles from Fireside Games. In Dead Panic, you’ll search your cabin for items and weapons to hold off the zombies and sprint to the van to escape. Take too many bites, though, and you’ll join the undead against your fellow teammates.
Or vie to become The Village Crone by sending out familiars to gather resources for spells you’ll cast on unsuspecting villagers and complete your Witch’s Schemes. Either way, you’ll have a hauntingly good time!
We’re thrilled to announce that My First Castle Panic has been awarded a Hot Diggity Seal of Approval!
The Hot Diggity Seal of Approval is awarded to the best products for families and pets. Their seal “signifies innovation, quality, entertainment and/or educational value, and a commitment to excellence.” Thank you to the team at Hot Diggity. We are honored to be chosen!
If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing your preschoolers play My First Castle Panic independently for hours, you’ve got to check it out.
We are pleased to announce that Castle Panic Deluxe launches on Kickstarter June 9! The beloved, best-selling, cooperative, tower defense game hits the table like never before! Featuring all new art, deluxe components, monster minis, and plastic castle pieces, this limited edition is the ultimate version of Castle Panic!
The game includes 31 Monster minis with spinning bases to track damage as well as a full Castle!
All new art and graphic design!
Click the link below to be taken to the pre-launch page and sign up to get notified when the project goes live!
Our party game Stringamajigis coming June 17! After various delays and shutdowns, we are excited to announce that Stringamajig has reached the warehouse and is making it’s way to game stores everywhere. The official street date will be June 17 and we can’t wait to see what kind of wacky string drawings you’ll come up with!
If you want to get a peek at how this combination of drawing game and charades plays, check out our How to Play video here.
With all the disruption that the COVID-19 virus is causing for families, retailers, and the board game industry, there is a lot of uncertainty about the near future. Because of that, we’ve decided to delay our upcoming releases. First, we’ll be holding off on shipping our party game Stringamajig. Because of all the stay-at-home orders issued by states, counties, and cities, it would be very hard to ensure the game is widely available. We don’t want to frustrate customers or retailers, so we’ll be holding that game back until we know more. The good news is that the game is on its way to our warehouse now, so we can start shipping it out as soon as it makes sense. We’ll be reaching out to retailers and distributors for guidance on the best time to release Stringamajig.
Additionally, we’re postponing the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for Castle Panic Deluxe. The original plan was to launch on March 31st, but that game is at a high price point. We don’t want anyone to feel pressured to have to make difficult financial choices when it comes to entertainment in this environment, so we’ll hold off for now. We’ll announce a new launch date once we see things turning around. In the meantime, we’ll keep working on spreading the word about how exciting this game will be once it goes live!
If you want to stay up to date, make sure to follow us on social media (Facebook,Twitter, Instagram) so we can give you the latest news.
Stay safe everybody! We’ll get through this and play some great games together soon!
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected people in unexpected ways. We’re all trying to be careful and prevent the spread by staying home, which presents other problems. How do you stay entertained? How do you entertain the kids? This also affects stores, since people aren’t walking in and buying as much as they normally would.
This got us thinking about what we could do to help. We have the kind of product that can help get people through this kind of time, but we want to do it in a way that helps game stores.
So, while we are all being careful and protecting one another by staying home, Fireside Games is offering 25% off all products on our website. And if you name your favorite local game store in the Order Notes section, we’ll send that store 25% of your payment. We’re calling it the Play-at-Home sale and we’re hoping it can make things a little easier for families as well as our retail partners.
There’s no coupon code needed. Your discount will be automatically applied, and it’s good towards any purchase on our site, not just games.
We hope you’ll all stay safe and take care of each other in this uncertain time. We’re looking forward to when we can all get together and play games with you again. Until then, we hope this Play-at-Home sale helps your stay-at-home go a little smoother.
Trouble putting your thoughts into words? Try putting them into string!
Announcing Stringamajig, the new party game from Fireside Games that mixes the creative challenge of a drawing game with the hilarious antics of charades—with a string. The game hits stores this April, and we couldn’t be more excited!
Here’s how it works
Each player is given 60 seconds to draw a shape with a loop of string, move it around, and interact with it, trying to help other players guess that word and as many other words in the time allotted.
Choose your word by drawing the top card from the deck, which lists 4 numbered words. The word you can choose is indicated by the numbers that are on the back of the card that is now on top of the deck.
Draw your word by using the loop of string to make a shape and then interacting with it while the other players make guesses. Strum that guitar, move the tentacles on your octopus, or spin the rotors on your helicopter! The game really shines with the creative drawings and funny interactions with the string.
Score 1 point for every word that was guessed correctly, and each player scores 1 point for every correct guess they made.
Challenge words score 2 points, but are harder to draw:
2-Player: Make your drawing in the air with another player.
Don’t Look: Draw with your eyes closed.
Forbidden Word: Guessing a certain word costs you a card.
After everyone has had 2 turns as the drawer (or 1 turn in a 7+ player game), the game is over and the player with the most points wins.
Stringamajig is laugh-out-loud fun for 4-10 players, ages 13 and up, plays in 20 minutes, and retails for $19.95. Get this game on your table and see which of your friends is a Stringamagenius.
Today marks the official 10-year anniversary for Castle Panic! Ten years ago today Castle Panic first hit store shelves and launched not only a new game on the market but a wild adventure for us. Of course, we’d been working on the game for years. I started tinkering with the idea for Castle Panic back in the early 2000’s, but it was only a side interest then.
The early versions of Castle Panic were rather primitive . . .
When we finally realized the potential for Castle Panic, we formed Fireside Games and released the game. I still remember getting that first box of sample games from the factory, I was so excited that I cracked it open and immediately texted a photo to Anne-Marie. I was like, “Holy cow, this is really happening!” And I was more than a little nervous.
Sample games arrive!
We knew we had something special with all the testing and feedback we’d received over the years of working on our tower defense game, but we weren’t quite prepared for just how much players would be enthralled with defending a cardboard castle. Our first print run (which we thought would last us for at least 3 years) sold out in about 10 weeks and left us scrambling to catch up.
We celebrated the launch of the game at one of our favorite local game stores, Wonko’s Toys & Games. Eric and Denise made us feel super welcome and became great friends as well.
We had old friends and new show up to our big release party!
Once the game was actually available, the rest became a whirlwind of managing press, scheduling reprints and keeping up with all the great feedback we were getting. People loved the game from the start. One of the neat things that happened early on was when Scott Nicholson featured Castle Panic on his vlog “Board Games with Scott.”
This was back when board game reviews were still kind of a new thing, and Scott giving us high praise like he did was amazing and really helped spread the word on our game.
Castle Panic was then featured on Season 1 of TableTop and has gone on to win multiple awards, all while continuing to make hundreds of thousands of people happy—if not a little panicked.
The next few years had us working hard on expansions. The first to be released was The Wizard’s Tower, which let me introduce fun ideas like magic and fire to the base game. After that, I wanted to introduce a really big villain to the game and that turned into Agranok, the nemesis featured in The Dark Titan expansion. The third expansion was inspired by the idea of letting players build traps and weapons they could use anywhere on the board. That evolved into Engines of War with some terrible monsters to balance it all out, of course.
In addition to expanding on the world of Castle Panic, we took the game in whole new directions with our variations. Almost as soon as we released Castle Panic, we had fans requesting a zombie version of the game. It took a while to get all the elements to work the way I wanted them to, but Dead Panic ended up being a really fun, cinematic twist on our original game.
A few years later, we partnered with our friends at Steve Jackson Games and got to work on MunchkinPanic. This time, Anne-Marie worked on mixing the “all-for-one” spirit of Castle Panic with the “all-for-me” attitude of Munchkin, and the result was a hilarious take on a cooperative game that includes plenty of backstabbing.
It wasn’t long after that when we started talking with USAopoly about a licensing opportunity that turned out to be part of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the original Star Trek. As a big fan of all things Trek, it was a real treat to be able to blend that amazing world with the tense gameplay of Castle Panic. I’m very proud of how Star Trek Panic turned out, especially when I hear from fans that we did the license right.
As part of celebrating the 10-year mark, we’ve come up with some fun new additions to the world of Castle Panic as well. First, we released My First Castle Panic, a preschool version of the game that doesn’t require any reading but still provides that “all-for-one” sense of excitement.
Next up, we put the base game and all the expansions together in one box along with a sweet insert and all the promo items we’ve ever made. The Castle Panic Big Box was released in July and has already made a lot of gamers happy.
And for fans who already have all the games but want a cool place to put them, we are running a pre-order for the Castle Panic Big Box BOX. It’s the same box from the Big Box, but it only includes the insert, promo items, and updated rulebook, so you can fill it with all the castle goodness you already have.
That pre-order will end on September 30th, so if you’re interested, there’s still time to get your own box!
Another long-awaited item that’s new for this anniversary year is the Castle Panic Playmat. This neoprene mat is sturdy and easy to store, with a non-slip bottom to make sure it stays in place. It’s the same size as the actual game board and features the same art, so it’s a great way to enhance your game or replace a worn board.
Mmmm . . . rubbery playmat
The last item for this year is the 2019 International TableTop Day Promo Tower. We’ve been making a special tower every year for the last 5 years now and each one brings a special ability to your game. This year’s tower lets you move all monsters in the same arc as the tower back to the forest when that tower is destroyed. Good stuff!
The best news is that we are nowhere near finished building the world of Castle Panic! We’ve got new games coming out next year to bring even more panic to your table, and we’ll be sharing more info on those as soon as we nail down the details.
We couldn’t have done it without you, our fans, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this game the success that it is. Thank you, and good luck defending the castle!
From pins to playmats to the perfect storage solution, we’ve added a bunch of new items to our online store.
The Big Box . . . BOX: For fans who have everything Castle Panic (or almost everything) and just need an awesome place to store it, we are excited to offer the Castle Panic Big Box Box for pre-order. It’s the same collectible box and insert, plus the promo items and rulebook, first offered in the Castle Panic Big Box but without any of the other components from Castle Panic or its expansions. We’ll be taking pre-orders for the Big Box Box until September 30th. Then we’ll update everyone with the final shipping information. This will be the only way to get the box, so if you don’t pre-order, you won’t be able to get it.
Kitty Pin: If you missed out on the Pin Bazaar at Gen Con, we’ve got you covered with the Here, Kitty, Kitty! Pin. Now you can take home the big orange kitty from the cover of Here, Kitty, Kitty! with this adorable pin.
Promo Tower: Looking for a new promo? The 2019 International TableTop Day promo tower is now available. This special piece features a rule where all the Monsters in the same arc as the tower are pushed back into the Forest if the tower is destroyed.
Playmat: The Castle Panic playmat makes a great way to upgrade your game, or the perfect gift for the Castle Panic fan who’s looking for something special. It’s the same size as the game board with the same artwork but printed on 1.5mm neoprene.
You can find all these plus games, promo items, mugs, tumblers, t-shirts, and more anytime by visiting our store. Bring fun home with just a click!
Gen Con is here again! And we’re excited to see everyone for the 10-year anniversary of Castle Panic. We’ll have events, cool new tchotchkes, demos, and our new releases this year: My First Castle Panic and the Castle Panic Big Box.
Events: We have events of all of our games in Hall D: White. There are 3 tables in the hall going throughout the convention. And Justin will be dressed as a wizard to host games of Giant Castle Panic outside of room 212, by the escalator, in the afternoons. Almost all of them are sold out, but you can search for open events here.
Castle Panic Playmat: Have the whole line of Panic games? How about a playmat to upgrade your copy of Castle Panic? We’ve got you covered!
Pin Bazaar: We’re participating in the Pin Bazaar again this year! For the first time, we’ll be offering a pin of the kitty shown on the cover of Here, Kitty, Kitty! Fans of Castle Panic will also love the 10-Year Anniversary pin from Origins 2019 and the Monster Face pin from 2018 Gen Con. You can buy them for $4.95 a piece or get one free with a purchase of $40 or more.
Promos: With a purchase of any game, you’ll receive a free promo. You can also simply buy a promo if you already own the game. We’ll even have the 2019 International Tabletop Day Tower for Castle Panic there!
Deals: In addition to all of the games in our catalog, we will have a special discount bin where you can pick up games at great prices before they go out of stock.
Stop by and see us at booth #1316. We’re so excited to see you there! Safe travels!
Ten years ago, we launched Fireside Games with the release of Castle Panic. Back then cooperative games were still a new category, and we weren’t sure how well our tower defense game was going to be received. It didn’t take long to realize Castle Panic had a lot of fans, and they wanted more!
Over the years, we’ve created 3 expansions to keep players on their toes, and one of the questions we get asked most often is “Can I buy all of them at once?” Now, as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Castle Panic, we are super excited to announce the Castle Panic Big Box coming in July!
For the first time ever, we’re offering Castle Panic, The Wizard’s Tower, The Dark Titan, and Engines of War all in one awesome box. This limited-edition collection includes full versions of all the games as well as 12 promo items. We’re including all the promo cards we’ve created for all the Panic games, as well as all the promo towers originally created as part of International TableTop Day. We’ve even turned a few non-card promos into playable cards. The promo cards include Any Color Hero, Feather, Crossbow, Fickle Fortune, All for One, Agranok Level 6, and Jury Rig. The promo towers included are from 2015 all the way up to the brand-new 2019 tower, each with their own rule.
In addition to the promo items, we’ve revised the rules so now all the games are included in a single, comprehensive rulebook. The new rulebook includes setup guides that make it easy to play with any combination of expansions.
The game box features a plastic insert tray with storage for every piece from every expansion, making it easy to setup the game and get started. Plus, the bottom of the box lid has a handy image showing where every component is stored in the tray to help with putting the game away.
It’s been an amazing 10 years and we hope players are as excited for this great collection as we are. The Castle Panic Big Box makes a great way to complete a game collection or start a new one.
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