So, something arrived in the mail this week. I'll give you a hint: it's my beta copy of Galapagos, and it's glorious. I'm- not that great at hints.
Beta is in full swing and we've had some great games. It's fun (that's good, right?), high-energy, and doesn't feel like a drag in the long game. One of the best news blips I have to report is the fact that there is very little I have to change for the retail release outside of minor rules tweaks and clarifications. There is one big one though: Each player starts with ATCG. This is to say that you can, potentially, buy one of the most powerful cards on turn one. It also means you can TRY to buy one of the most powerful cards and, in effect, ruin the rest of your game. Go ahead. Mess with the gene pool. Maybe your kids will have venom. Maybe they'll have too many limbs.
Another thing I'm mondo jazzed about (because I only know adjectives from the eighties) is that fact that I'm on a seven game losing streak. I designed this game and I can't seem to win it. This is a good thing. It means there aren't any overwhelming balance issues. Not to say the game is balanced, or fair. It wasn't designed to be either. It has wild mood swings. But if the creator can't seem to catch a break, I'd say we're cookin'.
Oh, did you want to see this mug? Let's roll that beautiful bean footage:
Here's the un-boxing in all of its glory. Look at all that loot. God, it looks like candy. I just want to eat it. Especially that strawberry bonbon spider. Okay.
Here's a shot of the hex tiles. Just look at those sweet, sweet baby boys.
And here's a typical setup of a game, angled for marketing goodness. The beta copy is five bucks cheaper than the retail, so, even if you just want to eat it, you're getting your money's worth.
xoxo (CW) Alex
Posted Monday, Jul 22nd 2013 @ 18:05