A multi-module expansion for the Golden Geek Award nominated card game Villagers, from designer & illustrator Haakon Hoel Gaarder.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Stretch Goal #9 Unlocked!
almost 3 years ago
– Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 10:58:41 PM
Hello villagers!
Hope you all had a great weekend. It was unusually hot here in the UK so I spent most of the time in the garden with my feet in a paddling pool, being splashed by a 3-year-old. Living my best life right here :D
I have a little bit of news about the card sleeves - a couple of people asked how thick they'd be, and the answer is 100 microns. The cheap "penny sleeves" tend to be 40 microns and Paladin sleeves, for example, are 90 microns, so ours are right at the top of the scale.
I can also report that all the card art for Shifting Seasons and stretch goals is now finished! When the Kickstarter campaign for Villagers finished, there was still a lot left to do and it was almost year until the game was delivered. I can't make any promisees, but we will aim for a much faster turnaround on this one. We need to finish the packaging design and the rulebook, and prepare all the print files, but we now have the assets we need to do that.
But anyway - we hit another stretch goal last night, which means the mysterious severed hand collector can finally be revealed! This was an easy one and I think possibly for the first time, someone guessed his name correctly. No points though, it was too easy :D
The Glover greatly boosts the value of Leather cards, and on top of that, because he's a Solitary type he doesn't take up a valuable spot on a Tanner. The Leather suit is usually reserved for four and five-player games, but you can include him at lower player counts by removing the Grapes suit.
So as I'm sure you're aware, this campaign will end in three days, on Thursday 22nd at 9pm GMT. This leaves us just long enough for our last two stretch goals. The final one is worth waiting for, but before we get to it we have a card featuring what might be my favourite artwork of the entire expansion. Behold!
Sinister Fish Games & Haakon Gaarder do not condone barefootedness in proximity to sharp objects.
This guy looks like he might have stayed up way too late doing whatever it is he's doing, and I think many of us know just how he feels. He must have a really urgent order to finish. What do you think his job is? And just for fun, while we're on that subject, tell us what your villager card would be called and what it would do in the game? Can't wait to hear these!
Stretch Goal #8 Unlocked!
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, Jul 17, 2021 at 04:56:37 AM
Hello again villagers!
Before we dive into stretch goals, I have something to show you. If you already subscribe to the brilliant Semi Co-op on any of their social media platforms, you might have seen today's post: A VILLAGERS CARTOON, wasn't it awesome?!
If you're not aware of Semi Co-op, they are Rachel and Heinze from the Netherlands, and they make a weekly web comic about board games. Today they posted A VILLAGERS CARTOON, and it's awesome!!
So, to business - another stretch goal has been caught stealing apples from our orchard and has been duly disciplined. We've added another card to the free stretch goal pack, which now makes for 13 extra cards with more still to come!
So who is that dashing spoon-carving individual, I hear you ask...
Why, he's a Spooner of course, and if you have him in your village early on, you're going want to collect food cards more than ever because his Bronze symbol means that he pays out 1 gold for every food symbol in your village, every round!
This leaves us needing another stretch goal to aim for. Any guesses who this fine fellow is?
That's it for now my fine friends. I will see you in the comments!
Stretch Goal #6 Unlocked!
almost 3 years ago
– Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 11:25:14 PM
Hello villagers!
It's stretch goal unlocking time again! I'm a little late posting this update because my head chose today to render me incapable of looking at screens. So I've been resting with my eyes closed and eating Carly's home made lemon cake, plus painkillers.
In my absence we absolutely flew through our current stretch goal! I'd like to say that's what happens when I'm not watching, but actually it's because this morning I posted an update on the original Villagers campaign, and many of them have very kindly joined us on our new adventure!
So what have we won? I asked you to guess who this new villager was, and as predicted none of you got it right, but you gave some funny answers so that's something.
The Acquisitor could be a real goldmine for a player who specialises in any of the three original non-basic suits: Grapes, Wool, or Leather, increasing the value of all of those cards in any game where she appears.
Up next, we have more cards for the Countess solo mode: two handy helpers who work the same way as the Jester, providing a once-only boost. Having a total of three such cards allows the player to further tweak the difficulty of the Countess mode, using all three of them if they wish.
But who are these enigmatic strangers, and what do they do?
I'm feeling generous today so I'm going to reveal two stretch goals! This one might be a little easier to guess...
That's all for today, and I'm headed back to bed where I belong. We'll speak soon.
Stretch Goal #7 Unlocked!
almost 3 years ago
– Thu, Jul 15, 2021 at 08:26:41 PM
Hello villagers!
We're really crushing those stretch goals, aren't we?! We just passed 6,400 backers, which means another goal bites the dust. Let's see what we won...
These cards will prove to be a real boon against the Countess, so if you're finding her too much of a challenge, you can add them to your village at the start of your game and use them when the time is right.
However, we're thinking that "Burglar" might not be the most appropriate name, so it's up for debate. The best I can come up with is "Outlaw" because he looks like a Robin Hood type character, rescuing people from an evil authority figure. Let us know if you have any ideas!
Our next stretch goal has already been posted, and we're looking for 6,700 backers to find out more about this spoon whittling person.
And with that, I'm really late for bed. We will talk again soon!
Stretch Goal #5 Unlocked!
almost 3 years ago
– Sat, Jul 10, 2021 at 08:08:58 PM
Why, hello there villagers!
It's me again, and do you know why? Because we only gone & unlocked another stretch goal!
This time we're adding a nice lady who does NOT weave hats from spaghetti or nachos, or conjure them from nothing, or any of the other ridiculous suggestions made in the comments.
They are straw hats, and she is a Hatter, selling her wares to the bored villagers in your hand who have nothing better to do than shop for hats.
Get your bald-spot concealment devices here!
Being rewarded for having cards in your hand is an interesting situation early in the game, because it might allow you to rely less on getting early builders (who pull cards out of your hand) and concentrate on food instead (which puts cards into your hand).
This card goes into the FREE STRETCH GOAL PACK with all the others, and there are more to come, which leads us neatly on to our next stretch goal...
It is impossible to guess the name or function of this new Solitary villager, but there will be two of them, and they can be very profitable, especially at a higher player count. Imagine what could happen if you had both of them! Oh, you can't, because you don't know what they do... but you will if we can reach 6100 backers!
A billion points to anyone who can guess the name and function of this card.
In Focus
Another board gaming channel on YouTube that is quite new to me is run by Thanos (not that one) from Boardgame Stories. He's particularly interested in the stories that games can tell, and I think he might love board games more than anyone has ever loved anything. At the very least he really likes them. Either way, Thanos' passion for the hobby is obvious, and his videos make me smile.
This is a quick three minute overview of Shifting Seasons he posted the other day, and you'll find his longer look at the expansion on our main campaign page.
And that is where I must leave you once again. Enjoy guessing what that new stretch goal is :D
