On 19 April 2009, one year and one day after 93 Made Pty Ltd was created, the original 93 Made website was launched. In the brief time before 93 Made Games was officially a business, this website served as our main online façade. However, over the following 6 years, the changes to our website would mirror our growth as a company. We are now very proud to welcome you to our new website and travel back in time to show you how it has evolved since its beginning. 93 MADE PTY LTD (2009)Back in early 2009, we were still figuring out what we were going to do (besides entertaining and teaching people) and the idea for Viewpoint had only been conceived a few months prior and was competing with a range of other ideas to be our first released game. The original website also covered tuition services provided by Julia Carroll, our Director of Education, which would then become Julala's Tuition. It was a scrappy website which had an, admittedly, terrible logo but it had some fancy drop-down menus. 93 MADE GAMES [Mark I] (2009-10)Along with the development and release of Viewpoint, the website was revamped to focus on our design, marketing and tournament activities. We had a Top 5 Viewpoint leaderboard on the front page and the first flat version of our 93 Made Games logo. As you can see below, we kept the hex-circle theme going throughout the website. You can also see that development of Viewpoint Reflections and Monster Town was already underway in 2010. 93 MADE GAMES [Mark II] (2010-13)Whilst the website was still hard-coded in a text editor, 2010 saw a step up in content and quality to match the increase in offering from 93 Made Games. For the first time, our games could be purchased from the website. A mailing list, polls and a wide range of cross-promotional links were also added. The website would showcase the release of Viewpoint Reflections, a brace of award short-listings and recaps from many exciting expos and conventions occurring for the first time in Australia. 93 MADE GAMES [Mark III] (2013-15)In 2013 we revamped the website to better highlight our activities and improving artwork and graphic design. Not only were our released games showcased but we added print and play versions of our developmental games. Details of our Indie Distribution and 3D Design & Printing services were also added in 2014 and 2015, respectively. With everything that was going on in the company, including more and more indie games to distribute, our little website was beginning to burst at the seams. 93 MADE GAMES [Mark IV] (2015+)So here we are, six years after the launch of our initial website, with a brand new website and new logo to boot. We've updated the website to focus on our three pillars - Design, Publishing & Distribution. You can find out about our released and developmental games at Our Games and the Australian-designed games we proudly distribute for other independent publishers at Indie Distribution. We've included a fully-fledged, security-enabled webstore, that we'll be adding to in the near future. We'll keep you updated on all of our major activities and milestones via the Articles section where you'll also be able to comment on what we blog. There's also a Twitter feed on the front page (woo!) as well as a Retailer Portal that we'll be improving as we go. We really like this new website and hope that you do to. Feel free to drop us a line with suggestions on how we can make it even better. Until next time, keep your eye on the prize!
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93 Made Games returned to Mega Games in Penrith, NSW on Saturday, 11 April 2015 for International Tabletop Day. The gang got to show off a bunch of games to the eager attendees, including playtest games No Fish! and The Winking Dead and other indie games the company has recently started distributing, such as One Zero One, Elevenses, Pack of Heroes, Pocket Sports and El Luchador Fantastico Grande. International Tabletop Day is a celebration for all the fans of tabletop gaming. A single day where the whole world is brought together in a common purpose of spending time together and having fun.
93 Made Games reviews the year that was and looks ahead to the big events and milestones that will be taking place in 2015. 2014 in review.
Preview of 2015.
This is just a snapshot of what we've got planned for the year ahead so stay tuned to the 93 Made Games website for more fun and shenanigans in 2015. 93 Made Games is an independent Australian tabletop game design and publishing company. We're also helping independent game designers and publishers in Australia to promote and distribute their games.
93 Made Games are showing up in all types of media these days. During the Monster Town demo tour, Sean and Anthony were interviewed by Mark Rickards on Hobart's Edge 99.3FM radio The Dice Men Cometh program. Monster Town was also discussed on an End Game Games' Tablepop episode. You can listen to The Dice Men Cometh interview and End Game Games episode by clicking on the respective logos below. Monster Town - Bite off more than you can chew. Ever dreamt that you were fighting monsters in a B-grade horror film? Maybe you had just encountered Monster Town.
Monster Town is around the corner… literally. After 5 long years of development, 93 Made Games are only a couple of days away from launching the Kickstarter campaign to crowd-fund the full production and distribution of the Monster Town card game. The team has organised in-store and in-club events around Australia and have plenty of rewards on offer for those brave enough to take a journey to Monster Town. Monster Town is an expandable card game set in a fictional city whose denizens include all manner of supernatural beings, such as Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies. Players command their gang and wage brutal combat against each other as they journey through Monster Town. The backstory of Monster Town is told in reverse narrative, where the first game is actually the last chapter in an intriguing chronicle. Each expansion adds to the story and unravels the mystery behind the appearance of the Dark Spire - an ethereal power source that has warped the citizens of Monster Town. We have carefully chosen Kickstarter rewards that will appeal to gamers, game designers and those who appreciate of original pieces of art. Backers of the Monster Town Kickstarter campaign can pledge for lots of exciting loot, including copies of the four gang decks and the Kickstarter-exclusive Reinforcement Packs (additional cards with which to expand your gang deck), limited edition artwork and autographed prints, and even a reward where you and your friends can create your own gang… and we’ll produce it for you! Seeking crowd-funding for Monster Town via Kickstarter has allowed us to offer an immersive experience for all types of gamers, from dedicated gamers to casual gamers, and even non-gamers. Whilst playing Monster Town is the main game, we are encouraging anyone who is interested in the supernatural, horror or fantasy to get into the spirit of Monster Town by dressing up as their favourite supernatural being and attending one of the Monster Town tour events. Heck, even if you just want to hold your own Monster Town party without us (we may shed a tear), send in your photos and we’ll post them on our website. The best-dressed at each of the tour events will get a booby prize. The Monster Town tour will kick off with LIVE LAUNCH PARTY at Mega Games in Penrith. Be there for your first look at Monster Town in all of its frightening glory. Be sure to stay tuned to the Kickstarter page (when it goes live) for a list of official Monster Town tour events. Anyone who attends an official tour event, and pledges for a reward containing Reinforcement Packs, will receive an extra Reinforcement Pack for each and every one of these events they attend. Just be sure to let us know who you are at the event so we can be sure to get you your extra packs once the campaign is over. There is so much more to tell you about but, for now, check out our Monster Town Kickstarter Theatrical Promo and then pledge until your heart is content once the Monster Town Kickstarter page goes live (from 8 p.m. on Friday, 11 April 2014 (AEST)). Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. Since Kickstarter's launch on April 28, 2009, over $1 billion has been pledged by more than 5 million people, funding more than 50,000 creative projects.
Gamers will get their first look at the Monster Town beta prototypes during International Tabletop Day activities hosted by Mega Games in Penrith, NSW on Saturday, 5 April 2014. Viewpoint, Viewpoint Reflections and NinjitZoo will also be on show as part of the International Tabletop Day festivities at the PretzCON games convention in Omaha, Nebraska and g33k3 (pronounced “geeky”) pop culture convention in McKinney, Texas. International Tabletop Day is a celebration for all the fans of tabletop gaming. A single day where the whole world is brought together in a common purpose of spending time together and having fun.
93 Made Games Managing Director, Sean Carroll, talks about his unexpected experiences at PAX Aus 2013 - the first Penny Arcade Expo held outside of the United States. Warning: This article contains many “shout-outs” to the wonderful people that I met at PAX Aus. Alright, I've been to plenty of expos and conventions over my time as both visitor and exhibitor and have learnt to generally ignore the hype coming from organisers. In all fairness, show conveners need to big note their expo; otherwise, who would bother to show up in the first place. This is what I thought PAX Aus would be like. The PAX Aus website was replete with event listings and exhibitor names but I was very ho-hum about the whole thing apart from the fact that I would get the chance to join some great people on the Indie Board Game Design Panel. I was so blasé that I booked a late flight out on the opening day of the expo and an early flight back on the closing day. Thus limiting my expo exposure to less than half of the time available. [Cut to the PAX Aus Queue Room at 4:30pm on Day 1] I strolled in and I was like, “OK, the Queue Room is bigger than most expos I've been to.” It was impressive; however. I didn't want to be hasty in judgement so I took some time to check out the other halls after getting my speaker pass. The pass came in very handy for jumping queues all weekend. I can't complain about a little rock star treatment. [10 minutes later, cut to the Expo Hall] I stepped through the front doors and looked out across a dimly-lit hall that was filled wall-to-wall with buzzing stands and towering wide screen displays offering the ultimate in PC and console gaming experiences. I thought, “Hmmmm, well, this is rather promising but I'm only a casual computer gamer. I like electronic games but I just don't get as much time to play as I used to.” Even so, I took some time to walk around and check out the latest games from local and overseas developers. [20 minutes later, cut to The Big Top] After walking past line after line of expo-goers queuing for hot food, seminars, DJ sets, special invitation events and so on, I reached The Big Top. This is where my cynicism was finally tipped over the edge. (It only took 30 minutes!) I peered across the vast expanse of The Big Top, which was populated with rows of modern consoles, costume-clad pop culture fanatics, herds of gamers with their heads down in their portable consoles, columns of tabletop gamers playing released and play-test versions of games, more hot food, retail stalls and, my personal favourite, retro consoles! I was in pop culture heaven... and I wasn't alone. The preliminary figures from the show conveners claim that there were at least 35,000 unique visitors to PAX Aus. That's more than half the current population of my home town. For the next few hours I took in the whole experience as I ambled around The Big Top. Even though the expo was massive, I ran into some familiar faces, including Andrew Lum from Aetherworks. He was playing Magic against enthusiastic newbie Nicole, whilst her friend Ben watched on. Nicole almost demanded that I sit down and was all too accommodating when I asked if I could challenge her to a game or two. After conversing with Ben for a while, I found out that both he and Nicole were also Sydneysiders. The number of people venturing South for PAX Aus was quite astounding. Time ran out for playing Magic as I had to dash to meet with the other panellists. I ran across to the board game free-play tables and was met with an extremely welcoming reception from Alex Dijk and Paul Nicholas from Blue Room Games, Wesley Lamont from RAEZ, Anthony Sweet from Handwritten Games and Thomas Eliot from Sixpence Games. We went through our game plan for the following day's panel, which didn't take long as everyone was extremely professional in nature and definitely new their game design theory and practice. Everyone had to run off after the meeting so I took this opportunity to grab a snack and continue wandering around The Big Top. After filling my belly, I decided to settle down in the Retro Consoles area where I would spend the remainder of Day 1 playing old favourites such as Mega Man, Space Invaders and Batman (the 1989 movie version). Day 2 was a bit more business-orientated as I caught up with industry luminaries such as Gerard How from Paradigm Infinitum Games, Christopher Badell and Adam Rebottaro from Greater Than Games, Dann May from Game Salute and Sol Green from EuroGameFest. Gerard and I discussed plans for a big Southeast Asian release of Monster Town, Zombie Viewpoint and the re-release of Viewpoint and Viewpoint Reflections. I had a chance to try out some games seen in Australia for the first time but the clock was against me again as I had to hot-step it to my 6:30pm rendezvous with the Indie Board Game Design Panel. I won't harp on too much about the panel as the other guys prepared a video of the panel, which you can watch below. I will say, however, that imparting wisdom to up and coming game designers is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a game designer and publisher. I think Alex and Paul would say that having groupies cheer you on is also boast-worthy. Kudos Hannah! After the panel, Melissa Rogerson from Boardgames Australia, organised a few tables for the panellists to demo our games. Once again, this was an awesome experience as I got to share Viewpoint with other gamers and got to know some more game designers in the process. A big wave goes out to Tom, Diran, Rebecca and Lachlan. Thanks for letting me win at least one of the games. A “heya” also goes out to Jeremy and David from LXG. I'm looking forward to seeing you next year in God's Own Country for some more gaming shenanigans. The demos didn't stop there as I got to play-test Anthony Sweet's latest creation - Breakwater - until Day 2 closing time. I love the New Orleans voodoo/steam punk theme. This is going to be a great game so I recommend that everyone buy it. Be sure to buy Alex and Paul's game NinjitZoo, Tom's game Professor Pugnacious and Wez's game Gaeon as well. With the business and panel out of the way, I squeezed in some time on Day 3 in the Expo Hall and The Big Top playing PC and console games and snapping up some bargains from the retail stalls. I said my goodbyes (rather see-you-laters) to Anthony and Wez as I made my way out of PAX Aus 2013. Without a doubt, I will be back next year... and this time... I'm bringing reinforcements. PAX Aus 2013 was the first Penny Arcade Expo held outside of the USA. Go to the PAX website for more information on all Penny Arcade Expos.
93 Made Games Managing Director, and designer of Viewpoint and Viewpoint Reflections, Sean Carroll, will be guest speaking on the Indie Board Game Design Panel at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Melbourne this year. Sean will be joined by other designers including Alex Dijk and Paul Nicholas from Blue Room Games, who created Ninjitzoo!, Anthony Sweet from Handwritten Games and Wesley Lamont from RAEZ. Panel topics include the stages of game design (from concept to release), reasons for becoming a game designer, getting the most out of play-testing and ways to get your game published. If you're going to PAX or will be in the general area then be sure to take some time to drop in and listen to the panel and also to get your hands on some free games. The panel will be speaking from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Skippy Theatre on Saturday, 20 July 2013. PAX AUS 2013 is the first Penny Arcade Expo held outside of the USA. Go to the PAX website for more information on all Penny Arcade Expos.
The list of games on show at the Carnival of Games keeps growing and continues COG's theme that there will be something for everyone! There will be games for kids, teens and adults, card gamers, board gamers, Eurogamers, CCG enthusiasts, tournament gamers, casual players, girls and guys. Some of the games are listed here as well as details of the main tournaments and competitions that will be held throughout the day.
SETTLERS OF CATAN TOURNAMENT The Settlers of Catan was one of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside Europe. Over 15 million games in the Catan series have been sold and the game has been translated into thirty languages from the original German. The game has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex. The players in the game represent settlers establishing colonies on the island of Catan. Players build settlements, cities, and roads to connect them as they settle the island. The game board representing the island is composed of hexagonal tiles of different land types which are laid out randomly at the beginning of each game. Now you can play in a tournament of this classic game. RULES FOR THE TOURNAMENT
MAGIC GRAND MELEE Dust off your decks and fight it out at the Magic: the Gathering Grand Melee Event to determine the best Wizard at the Carnival of Games. The Grand Melee is brought to you by the League of Extraordinary Gamers, a Brisbane based club who have been running Grand Melee events and leagues since Magic: the Gathering emerged in the early 1990's. RULES FOR THE TOURNAMENT
PRIZES: The winner of the Grand Melee will receive one Magic booster pack per player in the tournament. i.e. If there are 12 players then the winner receives 12 Magic booster packs. The set(s) will be determined on the day. Viewpoint is a fun-packed and easy to learn card game for 2 or more players aged 7 and up. Be the first player to reach 100 points by looking into the future, spying on other players and blindsiding your buddies!
Just when you thought December was going to be a quiet month for gaming, the Carnival of Games will be in town to eliminate your pre-holiday boredom. 93 Made Games, Mega Games, Good Games and several other industry participants have teamed together to put on a show designed for gamers of all types, from kids and adults who enjoy sitting down to play a fun family-oriented card game to those who have dedicated themselves to some of the most strategic board games on the planet. The Carnival of Games will have something for everyone! What’s better is that entry into all side events and most of the tournament games is free! Anyone can just walk on in and sign up to play one of their favourite games, browse the stands of some of the best games stores in Australia or just relax at the main stand and try out some of the newly invented games. Wait! It gets better… there will be tons of prizes handed out all day. This includes gift vouchers, booby prizes, games, cash, trophies and much more. So let us break down what you can do when you turn up to the Carnival of Games:
Now all you need to know is where and when… the Carnival of Games will be held at Parramatta RSL, O’Connell Street, Parramatta NSW on Sunday, 5 December 2010. The day will start at 10am and wrap up at 5pm. A schedule of events for some of the key events is shown below. 10:00AM to 1:45PM - MEGA GAMES VIEWPOINT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 11:00AM to 1:00PM - SETTLERS OF CATAN (maximum of 12 players) 1:45PM to 3:00PM - VIEWPOINT STATE OF ORIGIN (NSW vs. QLD) 3:00PM to 5:00PM - MAGIC GRAND MELEE (Vintage Constructed) The timing for each event includes registration, meal breaks and award ceremonies. Check out the website for more details on the Carnival of Games and key events. Viewpoint is a fun-packed and easy to learn card game for 2 or more players aged 7 and up. Be the first player to reach 100 points by looking into the future, spying on other players and blindsiding your buddies!
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