February Update: Mariposas info, convention plans...
In this email:
Mariposas info
Wingspan Oceania info
My 2020 conference schedule
Recent press and podcasts
Bird of the month
Game updates
Mariposas
AEG has created a website and Board Game Geek page for my game Mariposas, including making the rulebook available. Mariposas will release straight to retail this August and will be featured at AEG's Big Game Night at Gen Con.
Mariposas is a game of movement and set collection based on the migration of monarch butterflies. Every spring, millions of monarchs leave Mexico to spread out across eastern North America. Every fall, millions fly back to Mexico. However, no single butterfly ever makes the round trip. I've been fascinated by this amazing journey for a long time, and I'm so happy to be bringing it to life in board game form!
Wingspan Oceania expansion
I've also been working on the next expansion for Wingspan, which will cover birds from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea). They have so many cool birds. On a per capita basis I have heard more from this region of the world than anywhere else about how badly they want their own expansion!
Given the horrible wildfires in Australia, Jamey Stegmaier decided to announce the expansion earlier than he normally would, and made an incredibly generous offer: for everyone who signed up by January 21 to be notified when the expansion is ready (likely much later this year), he'd donate $1 to WIRES, a wildlife rescue group working in the affected areas. The final donation was $7,439 USD ($10,834 AUD).
You can still sign up for a notification about the expansion here, and I'll be passing along info in my emails as the time approaches.
2020 Schedule
After last year's crazy schedule I'm trying to pace myself! As of right now, I am planning to be at:
Unpub: May 21-24, Hunt Valley, MD
Gen Con: July 31-August 2, Indianapolis, IN
Mariposas will be featured at AEG's Big Game Night on and in their booth on Saturday
I'm also speaking at the Games and Education pre-conference on July 29.
Pax Unplugged: November 20-22, Philadelphia, PA
Recent Press and Podcasts
I did a long video interview with my friend Jesse at Quackalope. His videos are so gorgeously edited! We also did a How to Play Wingspan video that uses the new Swift Start cards.
I did a short audio interview with Playability Podcast on accessibility and women in board games.
And a written interview with Uses This about the tech I use for board game design.
I also wrote up 3 games for Polygon: Most Influential Games of the Decade
Wingspan was on lots of Best of 2019 lists, including: Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Vulture, Paste, Board Game Quest, Game Informer, and Everything Board Games, It also won or placed in reader's polls at Brettspiel News, the Board Game Ranking Engine, Board Game Revolution, and 3 Minute Boardgames.
Tussie Mussie also made a surprise appearance as runner up for Best Portable Game of 2019 on Board Game Revolution.
3 Minute Boardgames awarded me the "Nick Garden Memorial Award for Service to Gaming" for being a "torchbearer" for more diversity in board game design. I'll try to keep bearing that torch!
Bird of the Month: Great Horned Owl
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a super-cute quiz that will tell you "What bird are you most like?". I got Great Horned Owl: "Soft-spoken and retreating, you often appear to be sleeping on the job, but are extremely observant and powerfully effective when you act. A loner who sticks close to home, you are tender and gentle with your family and keep in close contact with your partner." Fair enough.
My spouse and I were in Mexico for the last month, and visited several caves. At one, a guide told us where we could sit to watch millions of bats coming out at sunset. And who else did we hear also waiting for the bats? A great horned owl, hooting nearby. The bats were such a show we came back to watch again the next night, and actually saw an owl swoop down into the cave. Dinnertime.
(Photo by Tim Lumley)
Thanks for reading! Wishing you all the fun games and all the pretty birds --
Elizabeth