Category Archives: Special Events

FreeStarter Game Design Community Group Hug Giveway

  May 20, 2013 - 10:00 am | Dicey Curves, Fellow Designers, FreeStarter, Jump Gate, Others' Works, Special Events
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FreeStarter Game Design Community Group Hug Giveway

I’ve been chatting over past couple weeks with a couple of game design friends — namely Grant Rodiek from Hyperbole Games, AJ Porfirio from Van Ryder Games and Chevee Dodd – about how we all met through the online game design community, and that most of  us already have almost 1000 Twitter followers (Chevee is … special ;) ).

FreeStarter GroupWe wanted to have some sort of event to celebrate this and share some of our games with those who are following us on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

So, we came up with the overly silly “FreeStarter Game Design Community Group Hug Giveway,” where each of us are giving away 2 games for two different drawings:

The Serious Gamer Drawing … The entrant who wins this will receive free copies of:

The Casual Gamer Drawing … The entrant who wins this will receive free copies of:

Entering the contest is easy. Follow these 2 Steps!

1. Follow each of us on Twitter:

2. Email Grant at grant@hyperbolegames.com. Tell him which drawing you wish to enter: Serious or Casual.

If you are anti-Twitter for some reason, we can make that work out as well … we each have a website/mailing list and/or Facebook page as well as our Twitter accounts — we just want to spread the online connectedness love in one way or another.  So, if the Twitter thing seriously doesn’t work for you, send me a note and we’ll find a way to go you in.

FINALLY … for those of you that DO follow us on Twitter, you’ll be seeing links to discussions and other silliness as the week unfolds … please join in and help make things even merrier. :)

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Watch for “FreeStarter” this Coming Monday …

  May 17, 2013 - 2:47 pm | Fellow Designers, FreeStarter, Matt Worden Games, Others' Works, Special Events
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Matt Worden Games Logo - 2013Do you like to get free things? Do you like to participate (at least vicariously) in silliness on the way to the free things? Do you have a soft spot for folks who try really hard to be creative and witty (but the jury is still out on each of those points, of course)?

Then follow me on Twitter and see what happens on Monday! #freestarter

http://twitter.com/MattWordenGames

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TGC’s Shrinkwrapping Crowd Funding Project

  March 12, 2013 - 10:32 pm | Fellow Designers, Special Events, TheGameCrafter.com
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TGC's IndieGoGo ProjectTheGameCrafter.com, which is the site I use for publish-on-demand for most of my games, has their own crowd-funding project on IndieGoGo to help them add shrinkwrapping to their offerings.

I was all set to write-up a pitch for you all to take a look at the project and offer your support if you could … but then Noble Valerian already did an excellent job of just that.

So … please read Noble’s description of the project, and why it should be funded: http://www.noblevalerian.com/1/post/2013/03/the-game-crafter-indiegogo-campaign.html

Thanks for considering it! :)

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Current Happenings

  November 4, 2012 - 9:22 pm | Board Games, Jump Gate, Magistrate, Special Events
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Matt Worden Games LogoWhile this is normally a pretty slow time of year for me (things really crank from Con of the North time in February through GenCon in August, andthen sort of change into a slow-mo through Fall and early Winter) I have been up to a few things.

I’ve been making a few updates on Facebook and Twitter — so, that’s a good place to get daily info on what’s up.

First, I’d like to direct your attention to a copy of Jump Gate that I have entered into the 2012 Jack Vasel Memorial Fund Auction at BoardGameGeek.  I will sign it and write an inside-the-cover message (if the winning bidder wants that sort of thing) … and I’ll ship it to anywhere in the world.  So, if you’re still looking to get a copy of the game and/or want to back a great gamer-focused charity, then put a bid on the thing.

Second, I’m happy to see that FatherGeek has had a chance to play Dicey Curves with the DANGER! Expansion, and really seems to like it, as do his little geeks.  I’d love to play a game with that crew — it has to be a blast!

As for games I am working on right now … lately, my time has been spent working out a simple dice game that recently popped into my brain.  I’ve put up a generic set of rules here: Simple Dice Game (Code Name: SB) (149)

MagistrateI do have a theme planned for the game, along with a specific target market … so, my next steps will be to get a nice prototype put together and get it tested by some folks.

Finally, I am continue to edge Magistrate forward. All of the post-GenCon changes have been worked in, I’ve figured out what would all go into the updated prototype, and I’m slogging my way through an updated rulebook … and, if you know how I work, you know that the rules-writing thing is a bit of a hang-up for me.  So, wish me luck and send me encouragement. ;)

 

 

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Game Stores & Distributors: Half Off Wholesale on Final Sets of Jump Gate (2nd ed.)

  September 26, 2012 - 11:12 am | Jump Gate, Special Events
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Box top artwork for 2nd Edition of "Jump Gate"

It’s time to reclaim my basement!

I have the last sets of Jump Gate (Second Edition) taking up space in my basement … and it’s time for me to get rid of them and convert that space over to something more family-friendly and useful.

To do that, I would like to sell as many of them as quickly as possible.  So, that means I’m quite flexible and willing to negotiate if someone has a great (and reasonable) offer to take a bunch of them off my hands.

To kick it all off, I will be offering them all for half-off the original wholesale pricing for stores (both online & FLGS) and distributors.  If you’ve bought from me in the past, you’ll know what that means.  If you haven’t purchased from me before, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you the full details.

Preliminary Artwork for "Jump Gate" 2nd Edition Box BottomAlso, there will be no shipping costs within the U.S. for orders of 5 or more copies.  Outside the U.S., I will split the actual shipping costs with you 50/50.

I will be e-mailing all of my previous store/distributor customers to let them know of this … but I am always happy and excited to work with new customers as well.

For those of you who aren’t game store buyers or distributors, but would like to get a copy of Jump Gate: START HERE, and then e-mail me if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for. :)

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Subtilla Stealth cache: The Winners

  May 1, 2012 - 9:46 pm | Subtilla, Subtilla Stealth cache
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Subtilla, mid-gameWell, that was fun!!

Today, the Subtilla Stealth cache finders/keepers give-away (rules here … clues here) came to an end, as the physical cache was found.  The final location was in the woods along the walking path north of the driving range at the Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center in Plymouth, MN.

The instant winner, by finding the cache, was Dan Peterson, from Brooklyn Park, MN.  I will be shipping out his copy of the game in the next couple of days.

The following 4 “eFinders” sent me e-mails naming the correct location: Jaime Habel (Iowa), Cameron Roberts (New Zealand), Brenden Johnson (Minnesota) and Hank Panethiere (Illinois).

Of those eFinders, the winner of a copy of Subtilla through random drawing is Brenden Johnson, from Lakeville, MN. Once I get his address, I will ship his copy out as well.

Check out the official BGG thread for more details around the clues and how Dan went about finding the cache.

Keep an eye out for another give-away like this sometime in June! :)

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Subtilla Stealth cache: The Clues [COMPLETED]

  April 27, 2012 - 1:46 pm | Subtilla, Subtilla Stealth cache
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Subtilla Stealth cache - the box

(Last Update: Monday, May 1, 2:21 pm — THE CACHE HAS BEEN FOUND!  Need to do a final tally on the eFinders.)

The Subtilla Stealth cache (pictured to the left) has been hidden, somewhere out in the world, and we are looking for 2 winners:

#1 – Whoever physically finds the box

#2 – A randomly selected “eFinder” among those who e-mail me the right answer

For full RULES information, CLICK HERE.

The clues for this finders/keepers puzzle will all be listed in this post.  I’ll be giving out new clues about once per day until the thing is found.  I will be updating this post as each clue becomes available.

If you are in the mood to discuss things, you can do that in 4 different ways:

  1. Post a comment directly to this blog using the form at the bottom of this page
  2. Join in on the main thread at Board Game Geek: http://boardgamegeek.com/article/9043789
  3. Post comments to the related item on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MattWordenGames
  4. Talk amongst yourselves, using whatever means you’d like. ;)
eFinder Scoreboard (final standings):
eFinders: 6
Correct City Guessed: 6
Correct Location Guessed: 4

So … here are the clues:

(more…)

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Subtilla Stealth cache: The Rules [COMPLETED]

  April 27, 2012 - 9:11 am | Subtilla, Subtilla Stealth cache
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Subtilla

UPDATE: THE CACHE HAS BEEN FOUND!

The clues were in another post: CLICK HERE.

I will be putting out the first clues for the Subtilla Stealth cache later today (once I’ve actually hidden the target).  So, I thought I would use this post ahead of time to specify the rules around how this thing will work.

Finders/Keepers: This time, due to the package size/content/value/etc., I will not hide the actual game out in the world … instead, I will hide a VHS tape box (a picture of what you’ll be looking for will be shown in the clues post).  Inside it will be a note about how to claim your free copy of Subtilla. The person who finds the box and contacts me according to the info on the note will be sent a copy of the game on me.

Here are some general points about where the box will be found … not really “clues”, just guidelines:

  • It is somewhere in Hennepin County, Minnesota
  • It is on land that is for public use and not overly difficult to get to
    • Please read and follow any signs regarding local ordinances/laws/rules, especially around official “open” hours and public use areas
  • There is only 1 box that is hidden … the note inside will give you all the information you need to claim your free game … please take the box and note with you to treasure forever (no littering!)
  • There are no other tricks or gotchas to this give-away … you do not need to buy anything or make any promises or sit through any presentations … you find the box and contact me and I’ll send you a game: simple as that!

NEW – “eFinder” Winner: There will also be a second winner of a free copy of the game.  This winner will be drawn from everyone who e-mails me a specific description of where they think the box is hidden.  The description has to be good enough that it could be handed to someone in the area and they could figure out where to find the box just from your description.

The details around being an eFinder are:

  • You need to e-mail your location guesses to me at matt@mwgames.com
    • Include your name, your location (general city, state and/or country is fine), and the description of where you think the box will be found
    • If you want to include other info around how you are known on the Internet (website, BGG user name, etc.), that would be cool too
  • I will NOT reply to your e-mail to tell you if you are right or wrong or “close” or “warm”, etc., or give any other sort of direct help
  • DEADLINE: I need to receive the e-mail before the physical finder/keeper has contacted me
  • You *MAY* (and are encouraged to) revise your guess by e-mailing me again, as long as I get it before the deadline and you make it clear that you’ve e-mailed me already and that you’re just updating your location description
  • From all of those e-mails that guessed correctly, I will randomly draw a single winner of a copy of Subtilla
  • Again, as I stated above:  There are no other tricks or gotchas to this give-away … you do not need to buy anything or make any promises or sit through any presentations … if you are the winner selected from those who guess correctly via e-mail, I’ll send you a game

Any questions so far?  Please let a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer it.

Enjoy!

-Matt

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“Subtilla Stealth cache” Finders/Keepers Give Away Coming Soon

  April 26, 2012 - 8:55 pm | Subtilla, Subtilla Stealth cache
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Subtilla, mid-game

In the coming days, I will be hiding a copy of Subtilla somewhere out in the world … most likely in the Minneapolis suburbs and providing clues as to where you might find it.

It’ll be similar to what I did in February with the “Jump Gate geocache” give-away.

I will have “lost” that copy of the game somewhere … give out clues that should help you figure out where it is … and then it’s “finders keepers” at that point.

I did learn my lesson from last time … this one will be trickier! ;)

-Matt

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Warriors of Destiny, Father Geeks, Games and Games

  February 19, 2012 - 10:29 am | Conventions, Dicey Curves, Fellow Designers, Jump Gate, Jump Gate geocache, Subtilla, TheGameCrafter.com
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Playing Dicey Curves with Cyrus and JeffSaturday was a long (yet fast), fun day of meeting people, talking about games (and gamers) and playing games of Dicey Curves, Subtilla, and Space Mission.

I need to give a big “thank you” to the booth babes of the day (they each got to wear my secondary booth badge labelled “Warrior of Destiny”): Whitney Watts (pictured to the right), my wife Britt, my daughter Anna, and my son Seth.  Whitney has a bad tendency to beat me at my games — winning Dicey Curves twice (once as a playtest of the DANGER! Expansion) and also winning Subtilla twice.

Playing Dicey Curves (with DANGER! Expansion) with Whitney WattsThere was also a Father Geek sighting (see picture above and to the left).  Cyrus Kirby of FatherGeek.com and another local Twin Cities game designer named Jeff spent (also a TGC user) a couple hours at my booth to talk games and gaming, watch a game of Subtilla, and then play both Space Mission and Dicey Curves.  I also gave Cyrus a sneak peek at what’s up with the DANGER! Expansion.  Good times and glad to have these guys stop by.

The rest of the time was spent doing more games-playing and games-talking and even got some more discussion in with Donovan about multiple things, including additional progress on the “Magistrate” prototype.  Met a couple of people who had liked the “Jump Gate geocache” contest I ran a couple weeks ago.  They reassured me that I can keep the clues tricky, knowing who the target audience is. ;)  So, we’ll see what I work out for my planned “Dicey Cache” find-it-keep-it event in April.

In the main room where my space is located, the miniatures games have definitely taken over today.  I love the way these games look.  Here are a few examples:

(more…)

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