August '22 Update: Games Coming Soon...
The Fox Experiment will be on Kickstarter starting on September 6! You can sign up here to be notified when the Kickstarter page is live. And then the Asian expansion for Wingspan will be available after that! You can sign up here to be notified when preorders are live. Or, for either one, tell your local game store that you want a copy when they come in.
In this newsletter:
Game Updates
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous media
Critter of the month: Hickory Horned Devil
Game Updates
The Fox Experiment
The Fox Experiment is inspired by an experiment in Russia that bred foxes into something close to domesticated dogs. The game is played over a series of rounds in which you select foxes, breed them by rolling and arranging dice, and fill out a dry-erase card to represent your new pup. Then the pups become the parents for the next round! The right foxes will help you make upgrades, complete studies, and please your sponsors, gaining you points to win the game.
There’s lots more info on the Pandasaurus website. You can sign up here to be notified when the Kickstarter page is live. The game will also be in retail sometime next year, but Kickstarter is a good way for the publisher to gauge demand and get that first print run rolling.)
Wingspan
Stonemaier published a blog post about some changes that will make new copies of Wingspan more environmentally sustainable. This includes using FSC-certified materials, switching plastic trays over to a material made from sugarcane waste, and making eggs out of wood instead of plastic. I’m really excited about this for Wingspan and also for the spillover effects it may have for other publishers using the same manufacturer in China.
The Asia expansion is still on track to come out this fall (the exact timing is hard to predict due to ongoing turbulence in manufacturing and shipping), along with an optional big box designed to hold all Wingspan content. You can sign up to be notified when they’re ready via this signup form. For every signup, Stonemaier will donate $1 to a charitable organization that benefits birds in Asia, including BirdLife International, Animals Asia, and Flight. Here’s the latest card that Jamey shared:
Upcoming Events
Sept 20: I’m doing an AMA on the r/Boardgames Subreddit (2 eastern time) Come on over and ask me anything!
Sept 22: I’m doing a talk for the Museum of Design Atlanta (6 eastern time).
Miscellaneous media
Looks like I don’t have any interviews to share since my last email. So I’ll pass along a podcast I’ve been really enjoying: We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle. (And apparently I’m not alone in loving it.)
Critter of the month: Hickory Horned Devil
I was on the way out of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens last week when we happened upon this huge, spiny caterpillar in the path. It was at least 4 inches (10 cm) long. We ended up following it around for 20 minutes, calling people over to look at it.
Us: Hey, wanna see an amazing caterpillar?
Them: Um, ok, I guess? [begrudgingly come our way]
Them: OH MY GOD THAT *IS* AMAZING!
Wishing you amazing things —
❤️
Elizabeth