Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse – Call for Reviewers
Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse was born the week before the Mint Tin Games – Pirates & Aliens Kickstarter started in September of last year. The inimitable Kate tossed an empty Altoids Smalls tin onto the table and challenged me to create a game with it.
Mint Tin Pirates and Mint Tin Aliens are pretty small in their Altoids-sized tin, but the mini tin for Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse is less than half the volume – it makes microgames look monstrous!
A game Kickstarter is nothing without reviews.
There’s no doubt that most of the backers for Mint Tin Games – Pirates & Aliens backed the project because of reviews.
Here’s what we’re looking for in a reviewer:
- Online presence. A half dozen reviews online as blog posts, BoardGameGeek reviews, audio podcasts, and/or a videos.
- Accuracy and thoroughness. Reviews that are accurate to the gameplay and style of gamer who would enjoy the game. Matching potential backers’ expectations is more important than being funded. While this game is highly affordable, I hate seeing someone spend their hard-earned cash on a game that won’t get played..
- Availability. It takes a lot of your time to play, ponder, and think about a game. As a reviewer, you’re able to imagine how the game will feel a year down the road after many plays with time to explore strategies. This is a tiny and light game, but there are still some subtle strategies that can be applied (and many lightning fast decisions). Grasping that in just a few plays makes for a well trusted reviewer. Then it takes time to photograph, record, write, edit, and publish a review. Only you know your schedule and timing is tight. The Kickstarter starts August 11th and runs for only 20 days. But reviewer copies may not get in your hands until 2 weeks before the KS.
- Location. We had some non-US reviewers on the last one and that worked out fine. The cost and time for shipping makes it challenging but if this game fits your style and you have reviewed other small light games, then you’re be a good fit.
Our first games went to many reviewers including a few that don’t like short casual filler games. I’m not sure why they asked to review them so I thought I’d spell out what I think this game is to help see if it matches your style.
- Filler, light, and casual. It’s a 5 to 10 minute game. It can be played with different strategic approaches but it’s still only 5 to 10 minutes.
- Simultaneous and competitive. No turn order, just simultaneous live play as fast as you can roll dice. It’s about surviving with limited resources available. You have to get your team into the fallout shelter faster than your opponent.
- Tiny components. 12 millimeter dice, mini meeples, and 8 millimeter cubes. It’s small to handle and requires fast rolling. This can be modified and you can play one roll at a time (great for kids and maybe even helps with math skills).
- Self-published and direct distribution. I’m all about making games at home and showing that if I can do it, anyone can (and should). This means some creative manufacturing and not big corporate polish. I emboss these lids manually, I affix the game label by hand, and I “hope” to hand ink stamp some of the game components (read: they are not laser centered). I source 100% in the US and don’t make these for retail distribution to keep player cost down. BUT . . . they’ll be available online after the Kickstarter, on Amazon, and in our local friendly Portsmouth game store.
- Family-friendly. Like Mint Tin Pirates and Mint Tin Aliens, the text is gentle without words like kill or dead. I’m a big kid at heart and the worst in this is mentioning that the monster will eat you which I may change to the monster will get you. Overall, I hope this is pretty innocent for the apocalypse.
In return for your review, I’ll ship two deluxe games to whoever you like. Maybe you do giveaways, run contests, or want to donate to a charity (so far we’ve donated over 100 pairs on the first Mint Tin Games). Both can be shipped to one person or one to two different people – whatever works best for you (even to you for stocking stuffers).
Plus you’ll get the final and complete Kickstarter Deluxe edition. The reviewer copies have the complete base game and mini game mat, but not the custom minted manhole cover and not the mini game journal or mini game poster. Pennies and prototype images will be included to help visualize the deluxe goodies.
We have some reviewers lined up but would love more. Of course we want great reviews to include in and help the Kickstarter.
I hope this helps match this game with the type of games you personally like.
Those are the best reviews, when the player identifies with you and trusts your recommendations.
Kickstarter Rewards (may change and multiples are also available):
MTMA – 1 copy of Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse with Manhole Expansion, 1 Mini Apocalypse Mini Game Poster, and Mini Apocalypse Soundtrack download.
Total pledge with shipping: US $12, Canada $17, World $22
MTMA DELUXE – 1 copy of Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse with Manhole Expansion PLUS an extra manhole cover coin for your own variants, 1 Mini Apocalypse Mini Game Poster plus 1 Mini Apocalypse Mini Game Mat with 1 Mini Apocalypse Journal, and Mini Apocalypse Soundtrack download.
Total pledge with shipping: US $19, Canada $24, World $30
What this kind of plays like:
Escape – The Curse of the Temple except it’s competitive and has a monster that will eat you. Also, instead of dealing with jewels, your team functions a little like a worker placement game.
You can “block” the Fallout Shelter (FoS) by getting your 5 in first (Kate loves doing this). It’s also a little “resource management” if you decide to grab a cube with your RECON PAIR because once you “create” this pair, they act as one meep, so 2 can move back in on one move (I like doing this and activating the monster asap).
At first glance, this game may seem all luck-based but keeping it as open as possible with few rules allows it to maximize the mechanics of a simple pair d6 dice. A Google search of “strategy for craps” yields 9.5 million results and millions of dollars have changed hands with Craps. Amazon has over 1,400 books on Craps!
But this isn’t Craps, it’s the apocalypse and it fits in your jeans’ watch pocket!
Chaotic real-time rolling keeps this fast and it’s not so easy to make decisions in this highly disruptive environment. While 7s are the highest probability in rolling a pair of d6s, it’s what you do that can mean the difference between a win, a loss, or devastation by the monster (two endgames – one player wins or no one wins).
- do you get your entire team to their feet first?
- get one to their feet and then into the shelter?
- keep knocking your opponent down?
- keep tossing them out of the shelter?
- get your entire team in to block your opponent?
- get a recon team in and out right away to get the monster to notice you, putting pressure on your opponent?
- claim the manhole cover on the first 7 to really amp up the monster?
- go for a quick win or save your entire team?
- be a hero if you’re losing?
- fling the manhole cover to reopen the shelter and maybe lose to the monster?
- sacrifice yourself to keep the game going and possibly win?
- decisions, decisions, decisions
I have a list of some reviewers who have expressed an interest for Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse and I will reach out to you by Saturday (I hope!). =)
I’m hoping for two dozen interested and available reviewers on this short notice.
If you think this game fits you and your readers, contact me via Twitter with your review site URL.
Thank you! =)
Reviewer Update
It’s easy for me to miss someone, here’s a list of who I have addresses for as of July 19th:
- Kurt A.
- Matt B.
- Tiffany B.
- Mike B.
- Jacob C.
- Maurice F.
- Michael F.
- Erin H.
- The Hatc…
- T.R. K.
- Roger L.
- Timothy M.
- Amy P.
- Reuben Q.
- Christoper R.
- Francois S.
- Tess VB.
- Page W.
- Curt W.
- Diversions Crew
If I’m supposed to have you here, bonk me on the head and send me a Tweet.
Deadlock endgame in Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse
A Mexican Standoff is a cinema cliche.
I prefer the term deadlock with a definition of
a situation in which two competing actions are each waiting for the other to finish
It’s an exciting point in a movie and hopefully exciting in Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse. It can be the actual endgame or the penultimate endgame (lol, I love that word!). =D
I didn’t map this out and I’m not that clever; I let the numbers do the work and get out of the way (by being careful that rules don’t constrict these interactions).
It’s like the ancient pyramids.
In 1859, John Taylor wrote that ancient Egyptians understood the mathematical concept of Pi and the proportions of the great pyramid represented the radius and circumference of Earth. The latter being a phenomenal accomplishment since ancient people were supposedly clueless about the size of Earth.
Perhaps ancient Egyptians understood Pi very well, but Taylor’s “discovery” was due to something simpler.
Measuring tools used to build the great pyramids included wheeled instruments. They would mark out X revolutions for various measurements. The nature of using full revolutions automatically means everything is related to a circle and thus to Pi.
I apologise to big math brains out there (looks at Tessa) but the point I’m trying to make is that what I call “natural systems” have automatic interactions that you don’t have to plan out.
That’s the case with this deadlock in Mint Tin Mini Apocalypse.
In this pic, the fallout shelter has 6 inside so only one more can go in. Both players have sacrificed a meeple onto the monster’s die to keep the game going (this cancels snake eyes which would have the monster win), and both have 1 standing outside. Another snakes eyes has been rolled and blue calls it out – Snake Eyes!
- If neither sacrifices another meeple, the monster wins and each player gets 0 points.
- If yellow sacrifices a meeple and blue rolls a 7 to get its last meeple in, and rolls another 7 to close the lid (you need 4 in to close the lid), blue wins with 3 points and yellow gets 1 point for being selfless.
- If yellow sacrifices a meeple and either player rolls snake eyes (both keep rolling till the end) before blue closes the lid, then the monster wins and we each get 0.
The deadlock boils down to taking an action for possibly 1 point or taking no action for 0 points (and the ethical issue of humankind’s survival!).
Why would you ever care about earning 1 point if it means your opponent earns 3? If you’re keeping score in a journal for a badge (bragging rights) or playing in a tournament.
You can view the game as being luck-based (and it is) but you can also view your 7s as “luck-based” resources. You’ll roll 7s 16% of the time and you both have the same odds – the luck is balanced – it comes down to planning.
What you do with those 7s.
Kate uses an overarching strategy that helps dictate what she does with her 7s. I tend to be “spontaneous” and all over the place (read: spaz). She wins more often but my games always feel different to me (lots of “dang, should have done this, not that” moments).
Note: in this pic, I decided to “use” the manhole cover to knock down the monster rather than risk Kate claiming it as a second chance to open the shelter (but that “consumed” two of my 7s).