September 2021 Update
Hello everyone, I’ve just returned from the annual retreat of my local mushroom club, which many of us fondly call “mushroom camp.” You can check out some of the beautiful things we found here! In this newsletter:
Upcoming events
Game updates (and playtesting!)
Interviews I’ve done recently
Critter of the month: migrating monarchs
Upcoming Events
I’m skipping the big board game conventions this year but have started going to some smaller events like the aforementioned mushroom camp. Up next:
September 18 (this Saturday): I’ll be at the pop-up Gen Con event at Labyrinth Games here in Washington, DC. The Gen-Con-specific part (new games, door prizes, etc) is sold out — but you can come playtest over at the SE Neighborhood Library. There will be a bunch of designers there!
Game Updates
Wingspan
I just started beta testing the Android version of the digital game. It is surprisingly useable on my phone. So exciting! In case you missed it, it’s already available on Steam, Switch, and iOS.
Tussie Mussie
I just approved the final versions of some of the rules cards for the expansion(s) that will ship in a couple of months. I see they’re now up on BGG: Ribbons, Orange Flowers, and Greenery. If you missed the Kickstarter, you can preorder here.
Playtesting
I’m continuing to playtest the next Wingspan expansion, and I’m really excited about a new game I’ve just started working on about the mycorrhizal relationships between trees and fungi. If you’re local (to Silver Spring, MD), and like to spend a lot of time talking about what you like and don’t like about a game, sign up for my new playtesting list and I will try to rope you into playing.
Talks, Interviews, etc.
Slate published a long profile of me. It’s a bit grandiose — I am certainly not single-handedly doing *anything* — but it’s beautifully written by someone who clearly loves Wingspan. Someone even came out and took pictures of me!
I gave a talk for the Generation Analog conference — which is mostly aimed at people doing research on boardgames and RPGs — about things I wish we knew more about in the boardgame industry.
I was on the Think Like a Game Designer podcast.
I was on the podcast The Design of Business | The Business of Design.
Critter of the Month: Migrating monarchs
The birds and the monarchs are starting to head south. Here’s a pretty monarch that I saw on the way to a playtest the other day. May you all your offspring get back to Michoacan, little monarch! We’ll play a round of Mariposas for you.
Happy (northern) fall!
❤️
Elizabeth