We are so thrilled to announce that My First Castle Panic has won the PAL Award (Play on Words.com). The PAL Award was established to recognize “exceptional toys, games and books/media that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language” and is led by Erika Cardomone, MS, CCC-SLP. Erika’s training as a speech-language pathologist and her 15 years of working and playing with children has prepared her to analyze and offer keen insights on how products can support learning and communication.
When Ms. Cardomone saw My First Castle Panic, she recognized the ongoing developmental focus on the game. Her review specifies the way My First Castle Panic helps children sequence information, use temporal words (such as first, next, then, and last), tell stories, and develop language generally. She also notes how the cooperative nature of the game encourages conversation and strategic planning. You can read her full review here.
It’s an honor to be included in such a stellar group of products and to be acknowledged for the language support inherent in My First Castle Panic. We feel seen!
Engines of War 2e is available now in your favorite stores! We’re so excited to announce that today is the day you can pick up the second edition of Engines of War, the expansion to Castle Panic that adds a simple economic system to the game experience. With a brand-new look for this expansion, players are introduced to the Engineer to build new weapons and defenses. Monsters are always lurking nearby, and this Monster army attacks with new ranks and powerful Siege Engines! Good thing players can order up a barricade or a catapult.
The new Resource deck and Engineer build options provide new interesting choices. Should you set a Spring Trap for that Troll coming into the Red Swordsman area? Or shoot the Ballista at the Breathtaker in the Blue Archer space?
The new Monster abilities and threats also require broader strategy decisions. Should you take out the Shaman, who heals all Monsters in the same color for 1 point of health every turn? Or focus on whittling down the Battering Ram, which takes no damage from Castle structures, before it gets to the Castle ring? Every new Monster affects the conditions of battle differently.
The new Keep, Catapult, and Ballista tokens enhance the 3D look of the game. It’s fun to actually place the defensive weapons on the board as the Monsters approach.
The Second Edition includes not only all new art but also heavier card stock and a few rules updates.
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.
Witches aren’t just for Halloween anymore! Find out why YOU should be playing The Village Crone through recommendations from gamers like you in this Review Roundup for our newest game (released September 30).
Dave Banks at Geek Dad flatters us with his comments on the components and gameplay quality, “I really appreciate Fireside’s devotion to quality, both in gameplay and components. Everything looks and feels top-notch, making for a great gaming experience… …I think Fireside is great at coming up with little twists that affect gameplay positively…”
“The game is easy to learn and play, but offers enough depth to keep players interested,” according to Mike N. over at Nerds of a Feather in his recap of the best games at GenCon.
Caylie Sadin from Nerdy But Flirty fell in love with The Village Crone when she first saw it at GenCon 2015, “The game is really fun to play, the art is beautiful, and the theme is awesome.”
She really likes the thematic use of spell-casting in this one: “One of the mechanics that makes the game super enjoyable is that every time you cast a spell, you have to say the incantation too. It helps players get into the spirit of the game.”
The Domestic Geek echoes Nerdy but Flirty with her praise, “I can’t get enough of this game.” You can watch Brittany’s Unboxing Video and her Video Review over on her blog or YouTube channel.
Jeremiah from Theology of Gaming enjoys the thinking aspects of the game:
“The interaction is great, the board is constantly shifting, and there’s a lot of guessing who’s doing what and trying to block them, or at least trying to stop other players from moving the pieces you need out of the ares in which you need them. You’re right, it is very much puzzle-like. And I like that a lot!”
The praise for this game is summed up nicely by Ryan Morgenegg over at Deseret News, “The Village Crone has a great theme and beautiful components.”
There you have it, folks! The Village Crone is a worker placement, resource management game with a puzzle-like quality and continually shifting landscape. Learn more about The Village Croneon our information page and pick up a copy at your Friendly Local Game Store today!
Well, that was a whirlwind tour! Thirteen stops in 25 days across 6 states! No wonder we’re tired.
The leaves are changing colors and there is a distinct chill in the air. It must be the approach of autumn and the time of Witches. It’s also the 12th stop on our Something Wicked Tour as we visit Crossroad Games in Standish, Maine!
This was a quick visit on our tour as we setup The Village Crone and spent some time chatting with Lacey and Chuck about the game business while waiting for some players to finish up another game.
Pretty soon it was game on and our players wasted no time in getting down to the business of scoring schemes. Familiars were flying and Villagers were changing to frogs and back into humans faster than you could say “Eye of Newt”!
The next game was just as fun, with the Forge filling up with frogs and some quick scoring at the end that took everyone by surprise.
We stuck around to sign some games and visit with fans, then it was time to hit the road.
It was a dark and stormy night… The 13th store visit on the 13th of October. Coincidence? We think not! But we couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up our Something Wicked Tour here in New England!
We made our way to Diversions Puzzles & Games in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and met up with the Events Coordinator, Ian, who let us have our pick of tables in their very cool play space downstairs.
Diversions is another one of those “Tardis-esque” game stores that has a really small front window, but once you get inside it just keeps going to reveal a massive amount of clean, open space filled with well-organized games, clearly displayed and more puzzles than we’ve ever seen in one spot. The downstairs play space is really big and made for a really great place to run our last demos of the tour.
We had barely set up the game when the first group gathered around and before you could say “Broomstick” we had a 6-player game up and running. As more gamers flocked to see what was happening it became clear we needed to spread the fun, so we set up a second game and ran another group through that.
Once the first game ended we had just enough time to catch our breath and take some photos before we got our third group started. This turned into a huge battle with players getting caught in a defensive battle of trying to use Protection to stop the other players from completing their schemes. It may seem like it works on paper, but it’s a losing strategy and sure enough, both players ran out of ingredients and couldn’t recover. But minutes after finishing the game, there was nothing but discussion of new strategies and “next time” plans being made.
We’ve had a lot of fun crisscrossing New England, catching some of spooky sights, playing games with so many people, and getting to see more of the Friendly Local Game Stores that keep board gaming accessible and fun. Thanks for joining us on our journey. We hope you’ve had fun following along. Now make sure you pick up your own copy of The Village Crone and bring fun home!
There is a crispness in the air and something whispers on the wind. Fall approaches, as does the witching hour. We invite you to join us as we bring The Village Crone to game stores across New England with the Something Wicked Tour!
Our newest game is full of spell-casting and witchy fun, and releases in September. We are hitting the road to traverse the Northeast United States, teaching new witches how to play and visiting some spooky places along the way.
Anne-Marie De Witt (designer of The Village Crone) and Justin De Witt (co-owner of Fireside Games) will be making the following stops to demo The Village Crone, talk about game design, share promos for the game, and generally be enchanting! We hope to see you along the way.
Tomorrow you’ll be able to get your own copy of 
