Returning to where it all began
over 3 years ago – Tue, Dec 01, 2020 at 04:05:25 PM

Over a year ago, after UKGE, I was sitting in an airport with Isaac Shalev, co-designer of Seikatsu, among other titles. Isaac has been a friend for many years, one of the rotating hosts of On Board Games, and vocal fan of Unreal Estate.

We began discussing how Unreal Estate might be reimagined, and then we, dare I say, began designing! Eventually our boarding calls sounded, and we parted with words that went something like this, "Isaac, I really  like what we've laid down here. If you want to reach out to Jason and set another game in the Unreal Estate world, I'd be very interested."

Well, the conversations took place, and just about 1 year later I'm excited to announce...

Fairywood

Fairywood promises to bring the same beautiful and clever card play to your table, but with entirely different mechanics than Unreal Estate.

In Fairywood, players will start with a hand of 2 cards, and scoring criteria for 3 rows in a tableau. Using a mechanism called a straddle draft players will stake their claim on buildings by placing their marker between multiple cards. After all players have laid down their markers, they'll then draft a card to their hand, and play a card to their tableau, building their neighborhood. In true Unreal Estate fashion, some of the buildings will have special powers and synergies. At game's end, score is based on the criteria for your rows as well as majority of building color.

I'm not sure I've done a very good job explaining what we've got here, but suffice to say that if you like Unreal Estate, Fairywood will sing to your gaming soul. We're a ways out from realizing Fairywood, but we wanted backers to be the first to know. You are the ones who helped us start it all.

Black Friday is here!

If it's been a minute since you checked us out, pop on over and see how much has changed. It's Black Friday, and we've got our sale going on: free US shipping + a Guild pin with a purchase of $35.

Our newest titles--The Kringle Caper, Rare Roses (in partnership with Cravon Studios), and Chiseled (in partnership with Copper Frog)--are very much in the spirit of Unreal Estate, and there's no better time to stock up.

I hope you are well in this unprecedented year, and that the holiday season will bring you much joy. The Guild is going strong, and I'm hopeful for a very exciting 2021.

Playfully,

Marc

Endangered...alive on Kickstarter!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 03, 2019 at 12:34:45 AM

Endangered needs your support! 

Citizens of Guildmore!

As gamers there are many stories we come together to enjoy, from western to sci fi, farming to fantasy, and many more.

Today the Guild launches a game of a different stripe. Can a game change the world? Endangered dares to believe it can. By gathering around the table, we can raise awareness for the stewardship and responsibility we share for our planet's diverse life.

We hope that in supporting and playing Endangered you not only have a great time gaming, but also embrace the sense of urgency around saving our planet’s fauna.

So let’s get to it. Endangered is live on Kickstarter. Help us bring this game to life. The Guild needs your support, and so do the animals.

Playfully,

The GuildMaster

Shikoku Day!
about 5 years ago – Mon, Feb 04, 2019 at 03:43:07 AM

Citizens of Guildmore, we come to you with a proclamation from the Mayor: today is Shikoku Day!

As Backers of our very first campaign, you may recall that we chose to publish Stroop, our second game without Kickstarter. Well, we're at it again, but this time with Shikoku, our first localization.

If you enjoy Unreal Estate, Shikoku is right up your alley. It plays just a bit longer than UE, about 30 minutes.  It plays a slightly higher player count (up to 8), but still feels great at 3-5. Most importantly, it is extremely accessible to nongamers, but has good tactical decisions from round to round as you jockey for position.

As I say in my company e-mail going out later today, I'm taking a chance with Shikoku. I'm using company money, not Backer money, to bring it to life. While this is known as "traditional" publishing, these days it's the path less traveled by small companies like mine. So check it out, and if you think Shikoku is for you, you can preorder Shikoku now with FREE shipping in the US, and discounted shipping outside the US.

Thanks for taking time to read this. I hope UE still gets to the table every so often--my family played twice this week!

Playfully,

The GuildMaster

Our Next Project
over 5 years ago – Wed, Sep 12, 2018 at 08:11:57 PM

Citizens of Guildmore! It's been a while. I wanted to reach out briefly and let you know that we just launched our next game on Kickstarter: The Artemis Project.

This is different from Unreal Estate in just about every way. This is the Guild's first step into larger games, excepting our co-publication of Endeavor: Age of Sail. This one's all us.

It's another brick on our path to become your #GameNightGoTo, where we provide a wide breadth of play experiences.

Give The Artemis Project a look, and if you think it's a valuable addition to your game shelf, please pledge. If not, no worries. Please consider sharing the project with gamers who might give it a shot.

See you soon, Citizens!

Playfully,

The GuildMaster

A Sneak Peek
about 6 years ago – Tue, Jan 30, 2018 at 12:46:27 AM

To you that have supported us previously, we go live at 9 tomorrow morning. Feel free to check out the video and the campaign. We hope to see you there: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burntislandgames/1508813296?ref=433593&token=de981c5c