Board Games

The Lowry Agency In Association With Arcane Wonders Release A New Mage Wars Arena Video

arenaWe had the immense pleasure of working with Scott Morris and Arcane Wonders again on a second video for the Mage Wars Game series. In this video, we built up the combat example of “Brogan vs. The Hydra” found on page 30 of the new Mage Wars Arena Core Box Set.  Thank you Scott and Arcane Wonders for their incredible support and we sincerely hope this video brings to life the thematic awesomeness of Mage Wars Arena.

Company Website: http://www.arcanewonders.com/

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arcanewonders

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MageWars

Company Twitter: https://twitter.com/MageWars

Company Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100746770073454853640/posts

If you have any questions about how we can help you with your video product, voice over, music production or any other type of media please contact us here: Contact

[video_lightbox_youtube video_id=”2yzpbnu5FKU” width=”800″ height=”600″ auto_thumb=”1″]

Official Press Release Here: http://www.prlog.org/12503044-new-mage-wars-arena-by-arcane-wonders-video-developed-by-the-lowry-agency.html

 

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Folklore: The Affliction Now on Kickstarter – Video by The Lowry Agency

Folklore: The Affliction

 

Folklore: The Affliction

 

The Lowry Agency announces the release of a new promo video for Folklore: The Affliction, now on Kickstarter.

The Lowry Agency/Club Fantasci in association with Greenbrier Games and True Fire Studios have developed a new promo video for Folklore: The Affliction. For more information about video production, please contact The Lowry Agency.

Folklore: The Affliction Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mfHrXjwKeQ

Folklore: the Affliction is a dark fantasy role-playing board game for 1-5 players that does not require a game master. Adventure in a land steeped in fear, myth and superstition. Hunt or be hunted by creatures of antiquity and legend. Explore dangerous locales to find clues to the sources of evil sinking claws into the heart of the land, and decimating the populace. Defend the weak from the scourge of witchcraft and the demonic, the taint of lycanthropy and vampirism. Advance through highly immersive stories of epic scale with multi-layer character development in an on-going quest to drive the darkness back into the hell from which it came.

Folklore: The Affliction is a very unique game that was quite the challenge to develop a video that expresses all that Folklore brings to the table. We feel that we captured the essence that is vital to the role-playing aspect of this board game. It was a true privilege to work with Greenbrier Games and Twin Fire Productions on this project. Please consider backing it on Kickstarter.” states David Lowry, President The Lowry Agency

Folklore: The Affliction launched on Kickstarter today. To support it, please click the link here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gbg/folklore-the-affliction-0

Contact
David Lowry

Official Press Release: http://www.prlog.org/12499469-new-folklore-the-affliction-by-greenbrier-games-twin-fire-studio-video-developed-by-the-lowry-ag.html

The Lowry Agency Announces Their New Quick Sell Video Series

David Lowry

David LowryThe Lowry Agency reveals their new quick sell series for games targeted for industry distributors and retailers.

Sep. 21, 2015 – Nashville, TN. — ] The Lowry Agency (http://www.thelowryagency.com) in association with Club Fantasci (http://www.clubfantasci.com) have announced their new video series entitled Quick Sell to the board game, role-playing game and card game industry. The series is based on a growing need for publishers to distinguish their game from other games coming out at such a rapid pace in this new era of gaming.

The Quick Sell series came about after several meetings and conversations with several industry professionals after seeing a need for deeper marketing and positioning in the industry. With so many new games coming to market through traditional and crowdfunding sources, the ability to cut through the white noise is more important than ever.

“The Lowry Agency is dedicated to bringing top notch marketing tools and skills to the gaming industry in an effort to bring sales to a new level. With the “cult of the new” phenomena going on, we felt like it was extremely important to develop a tool for publishers and distributors to help get their games in front of the people selling them. To help them generate interest, knowledge and selling points for the retailers and their staff. It’s a learning tool that if used, should help everyone on all sides of the industry.” States David Lowry – President, The Lowry Agency

The first game in the series to be featured is “Nevermore” by Smirk & Dagger Games (http://www.smirkanddagger.com.) “Nevermore” is a unique drafting style card game designed by Smirk & Dagger President Curt Covert with spectacular artwork by Hannah Kennedy. “Nevermore” is loosely based on “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe.

David Lowry also runs the board game/role-playing game blog Club Fantasci (http://www.clubfantasci.com) in which with the help of several other people, review board games, wargames, role-playing games, post industry interview, host contests as well as act as a news source for the industry.

Contact for Smirk & Dagger Games:

Curt Covert

smirkanddagger@gmail.com

ABOUT THE LOWRY AGENCY

The Lowry Agency is full-service artist management/development, public relations and promotions agency. We work with musicians, actors, speakers, voice over artists, entertainment companies, music coordination/supervision for film and TV, board game industry and event promotions.

Media Inquiries for The Lowry Agency:

Contact: David Lowry

david@thelowryagency.com

Official Press Release here: http://www.prlog.org/12494895-the-lowry-agency-announces-their-new-quick-sell-video-series.html

Club Fantasci Link: http://clubfantasci.com/2015/09/23/the-lowry-agency-announces-their-new-quick-sell-video-series/

New Mage Wars Arena by Arcane Wonders Video Developed by The Lowry Agency

The Lowry Agency/Club Fantasci in association with Arcane Wonders developed a new 7-step battle demo video for Mage Wars Arena. For more information about video production, please contact The Lowry Agency here.

Find out more about more about Mage Wars Arena here: http://www.arcanewonders.com/category/magewars

Arcane Wonders: www.arcanewonders.com

For more information about The Lowry Agency: www.thelowryagency.com

If you like what we bring you, please vote for us here: http://www.boardgamelinks.com/links/details/1420

Club Fantasci on Facebook: www.facebook.clubfantasci

Club Fantasci on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/clubfantasci

Club Fantasci on Youtube: YouTube

Club Fantasci on Google+: Club Fantasci

Heroes of the Colosseum is Now Available

Heroes of the Colosseum

 

 

Heroes of the Colosseum Now Available

Two Hour Wargames announces that Heroes of the Colosseum is now in stock and available to the public.

June 8th , 2015 – Lake Havasu, AZ. — ] Two Hour Wargames (http://twohourwargames.com/) in association with  Lock ’n Load Publishing (lnlpublishing.com) are excited to announce the release of “Heroes of the Colosseum.” Designed by Ed Teixeira, “Heroes of the Colosseum” brings the power of two games in one box as players battle it out as both gladiators in the historic Roman Colosseum era and also compete in all out chariot races providing furious action no matter which game players choose.

In the first game of Gladiatorial Combat, player may:

  • Rules to personalize your gladiators, making each truly unique.
  • A way to generate Non-Player Gladiators, opponents totally controlled by the game mechanics.
  • Two full color arenas, beautiful counters, and Roster Sheets to represent the gladiators and their equipment.
  • Quick to learn, but hard to master, combat rules that accurately reflect the gladiatorial way of combat.
  • An easy to use Campaign System, to track the success of your gladiators, as they rise in abilities.
  • Three different locales to fight in, from the Fringes of the Empire to Rome herself, where only the greatest gladiators can gain their freedom.

The second game of Chariot Racing allows player to:

  • Rules to personalize your charioteer, making each truly unique.
  • A full color Racing Oval, beautiful counters, and Roster Sheets to track your chariots.
  • A unique mechanic where, unlike other chariot games where you fall behind and out of the race, each player is always in the race, making critical decisions each and every turn.
  • An easy to use Campaign System, to track the success of your charioteers, as they rise in abilities.
  • A way to generate Non-Player Charioteers, totally controlled by the game mechanics.

Components:

  • 2 Game Manuals
  • 12 Player Cards
  • 2 – 11”x 17” Maps
  • 1 – 8.5”x11” Map
  • 2 Player Aid Cards
  • 112 – counters

One of the exciting things about “Heroes of the Colosseum” is the fact that it can be played as a stand-alone game, a solo game against the mechanics themselves or even as a long running campaign allowing for players to keep stats for a “circuit” type of game play and constantly improve on their characters so they grow as the campaign goes on.

Get more information or purchase Heroes of the Colosseum from its official product page (http://lnlpublishing.com/Heroes-of-the-Colosseum).

Check out the promotional video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHvEgCzCa8 and be sure to subscribe to the Two Hour Wargame channels to see more promo videos.  Box art and other art assets are available by contacting david@thelowryagency.com.

ABOUT TWO HOUR WARGAMES

THW Game Design, parent company of Two Hour Wargames, has published over 70 games. We have been in business since 1998 and have won an Origins Award for Best Miniatures Game of the Year 2006 – All Things Zombie as well as other awards.

ABOUT LOCK ’N LOAD PUBLISHING, LLC.

Lock ’n Load Publishing, LLC. are a leading developer-publisher in both the table-top and video games.  Since 2006 Lock ’n Load Publishing has developed and published 75+ of historical, strategy and fantasy games with many award-winning titles in their portfolio spanning both digital and table-top platforms.  Lock ’n Load Publishing’s mission is to provide new game designs and redefine how people play games.

Media Inquires for Two Hour Wargames:

Contact: David Lowry

david@thelowryagency.com

Official Press Release here:  http://www.prlog.org/12464163-heroes-of-the-colosseum-now-available.html

 

The New Video For Mage Wars by Arcane Wonders

Mage Wars

 

Mage Wars

This is our latest video that we did for Arcane Wonders and their amazing game Mage Wars. If you have any questions about how we can help you with your video product, voice over, music production or any other type of media please contact us here: Contact

Company Website: http://www.arcanewonders.com/

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arcanewonders

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MageWars

Company Twitter: https://twitter.com/MageWars

Company Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100746770073454853640/posts

Thoughts after the ASTRA Toy & Game Convention in Nashville, TN.

Monday morning I was on Facebook to see if Mayfair Games had posted my review of Star Trek Catan which they did because (thank you) they understand social media much better than just about all the rest of the of the board game publishing companies and I noticed in their social media posting that they were at an ASTRA Toy & Game Convention in Nashville just one block away from the Starbucks I was sitting at working so I jumped online and registered and high-tailed it down there to check out what was going on!

It was a great event with lots of fun toys and board games which is of course what I was interested in and a great energy with very friendly vendors, store owners, reps and staff. Granted most of the product is aimed at children but some of the games were amazing no matter what the target market was and real credit is due to the designers on their originality and the ability to put together games that allowed for different levels of playability at the same time so any age can play the challenge will better fit each player without the parent or adult having to throw a game for the children to win. There was some great solo player games, a few original party games that looked like a blast, one being Donkey from Cleveland Kids and Spontuneous from Spontuneous Games Inc. It was amazing to see so many great educational, fun toys and games. Things have come a long way since I was a kid.

As mention earlier Mayfair Games had a booth there demoing Catan Jr. which is my daughters favorite board game and a game more for adults called Five Points that looked very interesting. Asmodee Games had a presence there as well for both kids games like Timeline, another of my daughters favorites and 7 Wonders which is a great gateway game for the older crowd. I’ll have reviews of many of these games out soon so stay tuned for that.

Like any sales convention, you can tell who is experienced by their booth personality and who isn’t. There were a handful of people who didn’t try engage anyone as they walked by and others that were all about demoing their product which is the whole reason they are there. Creating interested and sales is the whole point of the convention. There were some very talented sales people there and that was fun to watch!

I spent many hours talking to reps and publishers and for the most part across the board whether it be through my normal connections or just talking with this crowd, many really don’t understand or utilize social media to even a 10th of its potential. Sure many of them have witter accounts and Facebook pages but most publishers just post once a day whatever the product that day is and they never engage their fans, reviewers or anyone. Social media is about engagement. This industry has got to learn to embrace this medium and utilize it before board games become passe again. All these companies have a marketing person who might have to do it all, but that is no excuse. Mayfair Games is great about posting their reviews (thank you from all of us reviewers,) Catalyst Game Labs is the best that I have come across so far that understand social media in this industry with email blog updates that are constantly engaging and interesting, Twitter posts with replies to their followers, constant Facebook updates and most of it isn’t a sales push, it’s an attempt to engage their customer base.

Learning to use social media properly is critical to any business today. If the manpower isn’t available, there are of course options like interns to help run it, but there just isn’t any excuse any more. Social media has been around to long to not have put a plan in place. Remember, it’s not about how many likes are on a Facebook page, it’s about how many people are talking about you and engaging with you. I can’t wait for the day with publishers engage with their customers and help blow the door of our favorite hobby.

Batman Arkham City Escape The Board Game Review by David Lowry

Batman: Arkham City Escape The Board Game

Batman Arkham City Escape The Board Game

 

Alarm klaxons are blaring across the Gotham City night. A light cuts through the dense terror consuming the city. The people are panicking, as they know what those alarms mean, a jailbreak from Arkham Asylum. The one place all of Gotham City’s worst, most dangerous criminals are being kept off the streets from terrorizing its citizens. Across the night sky, the light is the beacon of hope for Gotham City as the signal calls for the criminal’s worst fear…. Batman.

Publisher: Cryptozoic Entertainment

Game Designer: Matt Hyra

Players: 2

Ages: 15 to adult

Playing Time: 30- 45 minutes

Contents: 126 Game Cards – 40 Villain Cards, 40 Batman Cards, 8 Utility Belt Cards, 10 Ally Cards, 10 Gargoyle Cards, 18 Setup Cards, 1 Batman Character Pawn, 8 Combat/Action Dice, 1 Batman Experience Die, 1 18” x 33” Game Board, 1 Utility Belt Board and 12 Charge Counters

Suggested Retail Price: $45.00

Parental Advisory: Safe for kids

Batman: Arkham City Escape The Board Game Components

Batman: Arkham City Escape The Board Game Components

Batman Arkham City Escape The Board Game is a two player that pits one opponent as Batman and the other as the criminals that Batman must face and recapture before escaping the walls of Arkham City Prison. The first player to 10 points either by Batman capturing 10 Victory Points worth of Villains or the Villains escape with 10 Victory Points of Villains and Hostages is the winner in this board game based on the wildly popular Batman Arkham City video game.

 

 

The game board is two sided to give a bit of variety to the movement and cards placements available to both players. Side A is the side recommended for use the first couple of plays. Each player then shuffles their 9 set-up cards (there is a set of nine for Batman and the Villains) and deals out 5 cards. Both sets of 5 are then shuffled together and randomly put face down on the board over the spaces marked by the The Riddler Trophy Symbol.

 

The player who is playing Batman takes the Utility Belt Board and chooses 4 Utility Belt Cards from the 8 possible and secretly and places them face down on the board in any order.

Batarang Utility Belt Card

Batarang Utility Belt Card

 

Remote Electrical Charge Utility Belt Card

Remote Electrical Charge Utility Belt Card

Each player then shuffles their deck of 40-cards and deals them selves 5 cards. There is no hand limit for either side in this game. Batman’s deck is full of combat maneuvers and the Villains deck is packed full of Villains and Action cards.

Strike Combat Card

Strike Combat Card

 

Two-Face Villain Card

Two-Face Villain Card

The Villain always goes first in this game. The villain starts every round rolling 4 dice to see how many actions they will have this round. Each A (Arkham City) sided die is a success, every Batman symbol is a failure so each turn the Villains will get between 0-4 actions unless card texts determine otherwise.

Hush Villain Card

Hush Villain Card

The Villain Actions:

  • Place up to 5 Villains from your hand onto the entry row of the map, face down.
  • You may perform this Action once per turn.
  • Move all facedown Villain cards 1 space in any direction.
  • You may perform this Action only once per turn.
  • Move 1 face-up Villain up to 2 spaces in any direction.
  • You may perform this Action multiple times during your turn, but not on the same Villain.
  • Move 1 face-up Villain holding a Hostage 1 space in any direction.
  • You may perform this Action multiple times during your turn, but not on the same Villain.
  • Draw 1 card.
  • You may perform this Action multiple times during your turn.
Counter Combat Card

Counter Combat Card

Batmans Actions:

  • Move Batman once per turn using one of the following 3 options
  • Move Batman 1 space in any direction
  • Grapple to a Gargoyle up 2 spaces away from Batman. Batman may move to any number of Gargoyles as long as they are no more than 2 spaces away.
  • Move from one Sewer space to the other Sewer space (2 on the board). Batman must currently be on one of the spaces to use this option.
  • Flip any number of Utility Belt gadgets face up. In order to use the gadgets they must be face up and have charges left on them to use.
  • Fight any number of Villains that in Batman’s space. Batman must fight when either he or a Villain move into the same space. If Batman starts a turn in the same space as a Villain he can chose whether or not to fight that Villain.
  • When Batman is in a fight, the player may play any number of Combat cards to aid Batman in capturing that Villain. These cards can becombined for Combo points or Batman may chose to not play any combat             cards unless a card text says other wise.
  • Each Batman symbol is a success so if Batman ties or surpasses a Villains Capture Rating, Batman is successful in capturing that Villain and adding them to the Victory Point pile. After a successful capture, Batman get to roll the XP die and receive the reward shown on the die.

 

Batman can’t fight the same Villain in the same turn. If Batman is able to clear the board of all Villains and all facedown cards including the Setup cards, Batman instantly wins the game. If at anytime either player runs out cards to draw, reshuffle the discard pile.

 

Combat cards have a combo point value up in the left corner. Each point is worth 1 die to Batman during his combat roll. There are only 8 dice in the game so while Batman may play more that 8 combo points worth of cards, he will never role more than 8 dice. Many of the Combat cards have a text to resolve.

 

If Batman doesn’t roll enough Batman symbols to capture the Villain, many of the Villains have a retaliation text on their card to have a negative effect on Batman.

Mayor Quincy Sharp Ally Card

Mayor Quincy Sharp Ally Card

Security Guards Ally Card

Security Guards Ally Card

When the Villains move around the board, if they stay facedown, they have a better chance of making it to the other side and escaping. However, if they land or pass over a space with a facedown setup card, then they and the setup card are flip over and depending on what that setup card is, its text may activate almost immediately. Batman has some allies that get revealed this way, which give Batman a benefit. The Villain also has half of the board covered in their setup cards with give them bonuses.

 

Batman: Arkham City Escape The Board Game is a quick romp that really doesn’t feel like the video game it was based on at all. Batman is a bit trickier to play than the Villains and it requires a few plays to get the turn sequence down and see what the different Utility Belt gadgets really do and how to best use them. There is a bit of strategy to this game but it is not heavy by any means. It is a decent enough game especially for kids that are really into Batman or die hard Batman fans, but it doesn’t scratch that Superhero itch that needs to be scratched. While I enjoyed playing the game more after a a couple games, it isn’t one that make have to have it in my collection. I wouldn’t turn down a game, but there are much better 2-player games out there that give you that satisfied feeling of having really just been challenged. This is just another fun game that is decent to play but doesn’t really knock it out of the park.

 

The components on this game are well done. The cards are good weight; the board is large with plenty of room for the cards to be played on it. The artwork on the board is ok, but not amazing. The box art on the other hand is visually eye catchy and well done. The rulebook sticks with Cryptozoic Entertainments usual format and is easy to read. The game is easy to understand but the rulebook could do with a bit more examples or details to better understand how a few of the situations work out. The box itself is big and if no expansions are forthcoming, it is to big. But if expansions are forthcoming then there is room to spare to hold extra cards.

 

I am not sure that what you get is worth the $45.00 you have to spend to get this board game compared to others as there isn’t that much to it component wise except for understanding how much the licensing might have to play into that cost.

 

All in all, Cryptozoic Entertainment has put for a solid effort and made a game that is enjoyable for a light gaming session as long as you aren’t expecting a major Batman fix.

 

I will give this game about a 6.5 out of 10 stars as it does lack depth and doesn’t quite live up the game it is based on. However, for a quick game it definitely has its moments of providing a bit of that game excitement and stress we all love. [rating=6.5]

I was not provided a review copy of this game.

[amazon asin=B00ASX2WDM&template=iframe image]

Gaming Resources

Reviewers:

Board Games:

The Dice Tower

Shut Up & Sit Down

The Esoteric Order of Gamers

Board Game Quest

Role-Playing Games:

G*M*S Magazine

Publishers:

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG)

Arcane Wonders

Asmodee

Bandai

Cryptozoic Entertainment

Days of Wonder

Evil Hat Productions

Fantasy Flight Games

Fireside Games

Game Salute

Gamelyn Games

Gamewright

Green Ronin Publishing

Hans In Glueck

Iello Games

Mayfair Games

Out of the Box

Paizo Games

Playroom Entertainment

Privateer Press

Queen

Rio Grande Games

Stronghold Games

Upper Deck

Wizards of the Coast

Wiz Kids Games

Ystari

Z-Man Games

Miscellaneus:

Board Game Geek