Want to run a board game company?

As some of you already know, I’ve decided to start my own board game company called Off the Page Games! Whaaaa? Really? Yes. Yes I am. Not only that, but I’m going to document my process of starting this business through YouTube videos. If you’ve ever wondered what it would take to start your own board game company, check it out, subscribe and follow along as I’ll be posting a new video every week detailing my process. Now I’m not claiming to be an expert, but I’ll share with you what I’m doing and also react to suggestions from you as well! Here’s the announcement video, and then the first video of the series is below that.

 

For a long time Sen and I have been asked why we don’t just run our own publishing company and we’ve always answered that we would rather spend our time designing games than running a business. So what’s changed? Well, I recently ran the Kickstarter for my Fail Faster Playtesting Journal and learned a lot throughout that process, so I feel like I have more of the skills that will be needed. Also, one of the games that Sen and I designed was with a publisher that no longer exists – so we got the rights back. This game was based on my favourite comic book of the last 20 years. When discussing what to do next with the game, it was the creator that recommended that we do it ourselves! So here we go!

I hope you follow along and help me out whenever you see me do something that’s not so smart! 🙂

Jay Cormier

Advertisement

Meeple Mountain Loves Godfather: A New Don!

Our new-ish game, Godfather: A New Don has kind of flown under the radar a bit, which is unfortunate because we’re really proud of how we handled the IP and that we came up with a new experience for gamers. Well, add Meeple Mountain to the growing list of reviewers that have really enjoyed the game! They reviewed the game, saying “If rolling dice, area control games, or The Godfather theme are your cup of tea then you’ll certainly want to leave the cannolis and bring along The Godfather: A New Don.”

Thanks for the review Meeple Mountain!

Junk Art in top 1000 on Boardgamegeek!

Junk Art now marks the third game that Sen and I have designed that made it into the top 1000 on boardgamegeek! Our top rated game is still Belfort, sitting near the 300 mark and Akrotiri is our second, sitting at around 600. Junk Art has a chance to reach higher than both of these due to the number of units that are being sold and the fact that it currently has a higher average than both of those games! That’s pretty neat. On one hand, it’s just a metric that doesn’t mean a ton – but on the other hand, this is a rank that is determined by the people who’ve (hopefully) played the game and rated it on bgg.com. So we are thankful to all of you have rated it – whatever you rated it – and we hope to have other games enter this prestigious list some day soon!

-Jay Cormier

Two more fantastic reviews for Junk Art!

Wow – the reviews are coming in strong now! Junk Art has been reviewed by my favourite reviewer, JonGetsGames, as well as by Board Game Authority. Both really loved the game and praised the replay value! Check out the video from JonGetsGames below and the written review from Board Game Authority here.

-Jay Cormier

Promo video for D&D: Rock Paper Wizard

Wizkids put together a fun promo video that highlights how Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard is played! This is our new game – designed by Sen and I – AND Josh Cappel! That’s right – the artist guy who has done some of the best art for board games, also co-designed this one (AND he did the art! So double Josh awesomeness). We’re really proud of this game and feel like it really offers something new in the gaming world – and we’re super stoked that we got the D&D license for this game. How cool is that?

It’s 1 minute long – so you can’t NOT watch it, right?

-Jay Cormier

Another fantastic review of our new game, Godfather: A New Don!

Our new game, Godfather: A New Don has come out of the gate rather slowly. It’s flown under the radar for a bit but now the reviewers are finally getting their copies and getting it to the table…and they’re loving it! It’s so great to see people enjoying the game and discovering the smaller nuances to this title. Raf from Ding and Dent said some very nice words including:

This system of favors and options is the quiet brilliance of this light game.

It’s rare that a game that’s this good slips under the radar

The area control field is a crowded one but A New Don has made a powerful move into the “Best Gateway Area Control Game” neighborhood.

It punches above its weight class while still being approachable and accessible.

For justice you might go to Don Corleone, for gaming I’m going to A New Don.

Thanks so much for the praise Raf – much appreciated!!

-Jay Cormier

Game Informer loves Junk Art!!

Game Informer, which is better known for its video game news and reviews has posted a new review of our new game, Junk Art – and they loved it! Matt Miller raves about the game in his column, Top of the Table! Here are a few of my favourite quotes:

“I’m here to recommend a brilliant new game about creativity, engineering know-how, and a steady hand.”

 

“These vibrant wooden pieces seem ill-suited for construction, but the more you play, the more you find intriguing ways for the different pieces to fit together.”

 

“Designers Jay Cormier and Sen-Foong Lim have done a remarkable job in providing twists on the formula.”

 

“depth and sensibility afforded by smart, heavily play-tested design”

 

“It’s an easy recommendation for virtually any game group”

Thanks for the awesome review Matt!!

-Jay Cormier

Geek & Sundry reviews Godfather A New Don!

After 10 games, we finally got a game reviewed on Geek & Sundry! Charlie Theel wrote a
glowing review of our new game from IDW Games, Godfather A New Don. I really like his review style too as he infuses his own commentary throughout explaining how the game works. Reads more like a review and less like a rules summary. Here are a few quotes that stood out to me:

“It’s relatively simple and straight forward yet it’s incredibly smart.”

“It’s simple and elegant as you have a few options, but it never overwhelms.”

“While A New Don has an immediate impression of relying on extreme randomness, that’s far from the truth.”

“The most remarkable aspect of this
design is how everything is simultaneously so tight and loose.”

“Whatever occurs has a positive aspect and it keeps everything level emotionally. I really can’t emphasize too much how central this is to the fuzzy warm center of the design and why this game is so outright fun.”

Love it! Thanks so much Charlie!

-Jay Cormier

More Godfather: A New Don Reviews!

A couple more reviews of our newest game, Godfather: A New Don from IDW Games has just popped up online! Both of them like the game (though both have issues with some colour delineation on the board – understandable).

The first is from Tahsin at Board Game Quest. Some of the things I liked about what he said:

It’s a testament to the skill of the designers that they’ve managed to squeeze so much game into such a short playing time.

More than anything else, players who love manipulating number collections and judging comparative positions will find a hidden gem here.

a product that stands out in the realm of lighter games.

The other is a video review from Game Boy Geek. Here’s what I liked about what he said about the game:

It only takes 45 minutes but in that time I felt you had a lot of good decisions to make.

The Godfather A New Don is a good area majority game.

That felt like a good full experience.

And here’s his 2 minute “Allegro” review in case you don’t have time to watch his full review!

 

Thanks for playing and thanks for the reviews!!

-Jay Cormier

First review of Godfather: A New Don!

Alright people – the first review is in for our new game, Godfather: A New Don…and it’s a great one! Travis Williams from Tech Raptor gives a very concise rundown of the rules and then offered up his opinion. Here are some of my favourite quotes:

The Godfather: A New Don is a great gateway game, but it’s also a great hobby board game.

The Godfather: A New Don also succeeds in keeping players engaged, even during other players’ turns.

It plays quickly, can be taught in about 5 minutes, and provides a surprisingly high amount of player interaction and player choice considering the low component count and simple, straightforward rules.

If you like high levels of player interaction, and even remotely like the theme, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this game.

Fantastic! Thanks for the wonderful review Travis! Read the entire review here.

-Jay Cormier