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“All the best games are easy to learn and difficult to master. They should reward the first quarter and the hundredth.”
I added that law to how we analyzed our games, and that is what led to signing such amazing games as MonsDRAWsity, Welcome To, Fantastic Factories, and Floor Plan.
If you ask any board game publisher their most asked question when they tell people not familiar with games what they do it is almost undoubtedly, “OH! Like Monopoly?”. The second most asked question is probably “Oh, so you design the games or do you do the art?”. My initial answer to this question was “No, I am not creative”.
That answer didn’t last long, it was almost always countered with a notion about how running a business IS a creative endeavor. Those people were right and now my answer is “My creativity lies in helping creators create. Be it selling the games or figuring out how to print them affordably”.
It is easy to think of businesses as impersonal entities that just are looking to turn piles of money into slightly larger piles of money, but in reality a business is an expression of someone’s creativity, philosophy, and what they wish to accomplish in life. As I have grown as a person I realized how my journey and experiences are reflected in what I want from Deep Water Games, and how they grow and change as I grow and change as a person.
So let’s go behind the creative process of how I arrived at these three simple concepts;
1.) Our games should be easy to play.
I believe that games are for everyone. Play is the universal language, and I think if more people played we would have a much different planet. The current hobby of games can be overwhelming and downright scary to join. That doesn’t make what others enjoy wrong, it just gives us a different mission, introducing more players to the hobby by making games almost anyone can play! This of course opens up to new challenges of making games that are easy, but still have the depth that best reflects the joys of our hobby. Our hope is that people will find our games, fall in love with the hobby of games and then maybe even venture into the aforementioned “overwhelming and downright scary” games.
2.) Our games will represent everyone.
Increasing representation is a conscious act, so we are making sure it is foundational to our company. When I first started Deep Water this was a simple statement of “we will never make a game about a castle”. As I gained more perspective I understood why there were 1000 games about castles, familiarity. It is easy to make a game about a castle because everyone knows a castle and most people appreciate castles, but European castles are not representative or relatable to a large majority of the world population. That doesn’t mean we won’t use familiar themes, Floor Plan is a great example of how we took a familiar subject of building houses but made sure it had representation built into the game from the ground up.
3.) Our games will be affordable.
Making games more accessible is not just about the rules and who we represent in the game, but about how people are able to consume the games we make. When I was growing up my mother had to make tough decisions about what to spend her money on. She was a single mother, and nowadays I can appreciate her decision making but as a child I distinctly remember having to stress over the price of a game that looked fun. We can’t pin affordability to a certain dollar amount like we once did, but we are constantly pushing to make our games as affordable as we possibly can.
Deep Water Games’ Mission Statement:
Deep Water Games’ mission is to bring more people to the table by making games more accessible.
Here is what the owner of Brieger Creative said about the game:
“What playtesters love about Space Bound is it makes itself approachable through many lenses. You can engage with it as a toy, as a game of dexterity skill, or as a strategy game and have a great time together… Also, it’s got magnets. What could be better than that?”
The game is already creating buzz as a prototype copy was shown to the Shut Up & Sit Down crew at SHUX ‘22—check out their latest podcast to see what they had to say about the preview.
In 2023, space discovery will be as simple as setting up Space Bound on your game table, dining room table, or even your floor!
Here is what designer Matt Leacock said about the game:
“The playful nature of Space Bound’s toy-like ships belie the fact that this can be a thinky game if you want it to be. Through clever play, you can outsmart your opponent by using the tactics of popular miniatures games – without the burden of complexity and setup time that those games usually have. You can get playing right away.”
If you are attending PAX Unplugged this December we will be showcasing a preview of the game at Booth 4046 throughout the show.
But you don’t have to wait that long to see more! Sign up below to see some behind the scenes photos and follow the journey from our minds, to your table. We’ll be highlighting our designer and publisher diaries as we head towards this 2023 release.
With more than 3,000 backers on Kickstarter, Gladius supports two to five players who will play as cunning Roman spectators trying to make the most money by betting on and rigging the gladiatorial games. Through the skillful use of underhanded tactics, players can help and hinder teams to alter the outcome of each battle.
“Our team is excited to add Gladius to our catalog and start co-publishing it with the great team at Cat Quartet Games! We fell in love with Gladius early in their journey. They have done such a great job creating, promoting, and kickstarting the game so we are honored to join forces and take it to the next level!” says Jacob Way, President of Deep Water Games.
Gladius has already gathered critical acclaim, including a Seal of Approval from the Dice Tower’s Tom Vasel, the PAX South Tabletop Indie Showcase, Luci People's Choice Award 2018, Bit Awards Tabletop Game of the Year, and comes highly recommended from Kickstart Gaming Magazine.
“Thematically, Gladius works perfectly: nefarious tactics, gambit & intrigue to stay ahead of the game... After all isn't this what Rome was built upon!” says Kickstart Gaming.
Gladius is designed by Victoria Caña & Alex Uboldi of Cat Quartet Games and features art by Cheryl Young.
"We’re so excited to announce that we're working with Deep Water Games to co-publish Gladius. [Chief Operating Officer] Nolan [Nasser] and Jacob are such cool people, as are the rest of the DWG team. It's a dream come true being able to bring Gladius to life and into players' hands. We know players will enjoy the game as much as we loved making it!” says Caña.
Gladius is available for pre-order now. Will you walk away with toga pockets brimming full of gold, or will you be left without a single denarius to your name?
Deep Water Games is a division of Ox Eye Media. Cat Quartet is a boutique board game publisher that focuses on bringing fun, fast, and accessible games to the world.
]]>MonsDRAWsity is coming to your favorite local game shop next friday (12-11-20) and we couldn't be more excited! It's only the second week of December but the release has really put us in the Holiday Spirit. So, we're starting the gift giving early with the MonsDRAWsity Launch Day Give-a-Way!
The winner of the Grand Prize will co-design a brand new playable monster card
AND
Recieve a $100 Amazon Gift Card
AND
Recieve MonsDRAWsity and all MonsDRAWsity-related items for life!
There's only one Grand Prize available, but five other prizes will also be given away. So make sure to check the Deep Water Games Facebook or Twitter pages on Monday to find out how to enter your name into the drawing! The winner's will be announced during the all-day MonsDRAWsity Launch Day Stream. Follow us on twitch to stay updated
The City of Gloomhaven can be a tough place to make it as an adventurer and being in the right party is key to survival. The Jaws of the Lion are the top of the mountain in the hierarchy of the city, but their latest job goes sideways, and Anaphi, the mindthief, is to blame! Get ready for Quatryll punk bands, drug dealing Inox street gangs, and a dark God sleeping beneath the surface, eager to destroy the world. Welcome to the city.
Welcome to Gloomhaven: Fallen Lion
Written by Publisher Travis McIntire and illustrated by Tyler Sowles Gloomhaven: Fallen Lion will be in your local comic shop on Wednesday, Dec. 30th.
“This is our chance to tell a more visual story that isn't beholden to the mechanics of a board game, where we have to stop all the time and find excuses to have drawn-out dungeon battles. There's still going to be lots of fighting, of course, but the pacing of a comic and the art will allow us to inject a lot more flavor into the world. You'll get a much better idea of the city of Gloomhaven itself, as well as the characters and how they move and act in combat.”
-Isaac Childres
Gloomhaven is a fantasy-themed, campaign-based tactical board game for 1 to 4 players designed by Isaac Childres and published by Cephalofair Games in 2017. It is the No. 1 rated board game of all time by BoardGameGeek, which has also given it six Golden Geek awards in 2017 for best game of the year, best strategy game, best cooperative game, most innovative game, best solo game, and best thematic game, and the Gloomhaven franchise has been backed by over 100,000 people on Kickstarter.
“The world of Gloomhaven is one of the most rich, detailed and unique in the fantasy genre. And somehow, there was still a ton of room for us to stretch creatively, adding story details, and creating new characters. Collaborating on the first Gloomhaven comic has been a privilege and putting a tiny bit of our own stamp on a world loved by so many people has been amazing. I can't wait for people to get it in their hands!”
-Travis McIntire
]]>As many of you know we've recently become the new publisher for the award winning solo puzzle game: Crystallo.
You may have heard, we inherited a bit of a mess from the previous publisher but we've almost got it sorted out! We're on the last step: finishing kickstarter fulfillment.
Currently we've moved the fulfillment to our backerkit to get accurate shipping info! If you'd like to pre-order Crystallo you can find the hosted pre-orders here:
If you backed the Crystallo Kickstarter we've got a quick update for you!
Thank you all for your patience and support through this. We're excited to bring you Crystallo!
That is awesome, but if you haven't filled it out yet please do. I know there are some looming questions I will cover below.
1.) "It is more expensive than what I was told for the game and shipping."
We understand that the pricing isn't exactly the same as what was said in the campaign. We decided on the normal prices as to hopefully help make sure everything is fulfilled within the VERY limited budget due to the Zafty gaffes, also because of where the product is we are fulfilling from the US to international locations which is expensive. If you have comments or concerns about that please email us at issues@deepwatergaming.com.
2.) "I received everything why do I need to fill this out?"
You don't, but getting a confirmation that you did receive your package and it is all good would be great. Anything not answered will probably just be marked as a "yes I received it" in a couple of months when we close the project.
3.) "What about the money I spent on Zafty's store?"
https://airtable.com/shrxH6RmhknVY4clL
That is all we have for now. Please make sure to send your questions or concerns to issues@deepwatergaming.com. If you have emailed us and haven't heard back yet don't worry, it could be due to the issue being a fulfillment issue (which will be addressed during fulfillment) or that our team hasn't gotten to that part of the inbox yet.
Thanks!
Deep Water Crew + Liberty
]]>A hand numbered limited edition white metal variant cover of No Heroine #1 with art by Chris Callahan. Don't miss out, this variant cover in this special white metal edition is limited to only 75 copies!
Written by: Frank Gogol
Art by: Criss Madd
Cover art by: Chris Callahan
No Heroine is a very special comic not only to us but to the writer Frank Gogol as well. The story pulls from real life experiences with how drugs have impacted the lives of loved ones. Frank created a supernatural universe of drug dealing vampires, and a recovering addict/vampire hunter, in order to tackle brutally human themes that many people can relate to.
Don't forget to check out the rest of our premium collection!
Source Point Press Premium
We at Deep Water Games stand for fighting racial injustice. We stand with the protesters. We stand for a country united, where our people and communities do not have to fear for their lives every day. Our hearts are broken, but our spirits are not.
Inclusiveness and tolerance are a pillar we built our company on. What we love about board games, comics, art, they are all things that bring people together, form community, and connect us. While we do not condone violence, rioting, or the destruction of property it's important for everyone to look at the bigger picture here. Innocent people are being attacked, arrested, and dying. So, we are committed to doing what we can do to help the disenfranchised, the protesters, and communities that are struggling right now. Black lives matter.
]]>I wanted to take today to just highlight something that makes us the company we are. Our artists and writers. And give you some exciting updates!
We've been getting a lot of awesome photography of our products lately and thought it'd be a great opportunity to showcase these incredible photographers.
Bebo Was the first photographer we worked with as soon as we started and have been working with her ever since. You can find all her incredible work at https://www.beboldgames.com/
Nickles Has just started getting into product photography but is already blowing us away with these shots.
We were artist first in our approach to creating MonsDrawsity. So far, the game has artwork from 20 professional artists AND includes some little touches by everyone on the team! (you can see some of our drawings on the box) This gorgeous shot was taken by Todd at Imagine All The Meeple
We have 3 fresh new expansions coming for Claim later this year and we couldn't be more excited about this game! One of our favorite things about this game is Mico's incredible artwork.
...We loved it so much we decided to turn the universe into a comic!
Claim is written by Greg Wright, author of Monstrous and Illustrated by the one and only The Mico! This is being published By Source Point Press the comic division of Ox Eye Media
Speaking of Comics and Monstrous, we're super excited for all the new Monstrous stories coming!
More issues of Monstrous Baba Yaga are coming! Check out some of the concept art and panels for it!
We could honestly go on and on all day about the art and stories we make. We are creators and crafters, writers and artists. Bringing these worlds to life is our passion.
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