26 Apr 2015

DIY games and more

by | posted in: games | 0

I’ve written before about publishing your own game and believe it’s something that many people can do. Years of giant established “gatekeepers” who decide what you will like are quickly falling by the wayside. They will try to keep hold of their places (and profits) and make it seem that anything less than “real” published games are somehow inferior.

Thank goodness YouTube changed that for many incredible musicians. And Kickstarter has done this for musicians, authors, and game designers.

There will always be a place for these gatekeepers but, thankfully, they aren’t the only conduit between creators and individuals.

Today, if you want to share your music, your books, your games, and whatever else, you have the ability to do so. And if your stuff resonates with others, you’ll find success. You could be the next Catan or you could be very happy being out there to a few hundred people. Either way, I think creators and individuals win.

All of this to say: if I can do it, so can you.

I’m not anything big, by any measure, but it’s been very satisfying to get our games out there and for those of you with that game, book, song, or whatever sitting on the back burner, take another step – it doesn’t have to be world domination and it can be as big or small as you like.  =)

Maker Movement continues for Mint Tin Games with a heavy-duty aluminum DIY game display for our only brick-and-mortar game retailer Diversions in Portsmouth, NH

 

an interesting box, some sandpaper, high-gloss paint, laminated graphics, and mounting tape make a kitchy display box for Mint Tin Pirates and Mint Tin Aliens for our FLGS of Diversions in downtown Portsmouth

 

Diversions is a great FLGS and truly part of the local community. They host a zillion events including our game design meetups which is where Mint Tin Pirates truly got launched!

Thanks Diversions! =)

24 Apr 2015

Mint Tin Games – Roller Derby Ref Approved

by | posted in: games, Mint Tin Aliens, Mint Tin Games, Mint Tin Pirates | 0

I am a volunteer ref for local roller derby leagues.

This means that when I show up to officiate I don’t find myself in a big locker room where I can hang my stripes up and stretch out. In fact, sometimes we are lucky to fit us all in where they have us.

Being an official at these games can lead to downtime for us between games and at half-time. It can be 10 minutes to over an hour depending on the events.

Well this leads into me saying how much I love mint tin games.

I have a gear box that I carry everything in. Shirt, skates, gear, extra wheels, tools, basically anything and everything I need in an emergency. So that doesn’t leave a lot of room for me to have some big box board game. The fact that these games literally fit in a mint tin means that I can store them without having to carefully reorganize everything to make it all fit.

Now to touch on another wonderful part and that is the time aspect of these games. There is a very little learning curve which is a plus because I don’t want to spend the whole half explaining this great game just to have to pack it all up.

Also with the rules modified to be able to stop at any time and be able to quickly do some quick addition and have a winner is beautiful.

So for example, this past weekend we were stuffed in a small hallway. Just enough rooms for a couple of chairs and standing/sitting room only. So with the 20 minute half, I was able to set up Pirates, explain the rules, go through a demo turn or two, and have 10 minutes of play which was enough to have the other ref I played win.

Rinse and repeat during intermission between the first and second game. Get the call that we have to report back to the track and it’s just pack it up, throw it back in my gear box, and no worries.

Let me say that this game is a blessing to me and refs in the locker rooms.

Thanks subQuark for the great games!

“Scooby” Drew Ziegler