This is a copy of the “script” we used to organise Brainwaves Episode 145. It is not a full transcript but should give you an overview of the news as we reported it. Quotes are in italics.
Headlines
Spiel des Jahres Nominations
https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/nominierte-spiele-2024.html
https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/162128/spiel-des-jahres-nominations-for-2024-captain-flip
- In a live video stream on Tuesday, 11th of June, chairman of the German Spiel des Jahres organisation, Harald Schrapers, and co-ordinator of the Kinderspiel jury, Christoph Schlewinski, announced the nominations for the organisation’s three annual board game awards:
- – the Spiel des Jahres, which is the main award,
– the Kinderspiel des Jahres, literally translated as children’s game of the year, but more akin to the family game award, and
– the Kennerspiel des Jahres, which is often translated as the connoisseur’s game of the year, but in reality, it is more for people who are familiar with the hobby, and not necessarily expert gamers. - Every year a panel of judges nominate games that were released in German in the preceding 12 months.
- For 2024, the nominations are as follows:
- – Spiel des Jahres:
– Auf den Wegen von Darwin (In the Footsteps of Darwin) by Grégory Grard and Matthieu Verdier published by Sorry We Are French
– Captain Flip by Paolo Mori and Remo Conzadori published by PlayPunk
– Sky Team by Luc Rémond published by Kosmos / Scorpion Masqué - – Kinderspiel des Jahres:
– Große kleine Edelsteine by Wolfgang Warsch published by Schmidt Spiele
– Die magischen Schlüssel (Magic Keys) by Markus Slawitschek and Arno Steinwender published by Game Factory / Happy Baobab
– Taco Katze Pizza Junior (Taco Cat Pizza Junior) by Dave Campbell and Thierry Denoual published by Blue Orange Games - – Kennerspiel des Jahres:
– e-Mission (Daybreak) by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace published by Schmidt Spiele
– Die Gilde der fahrenden Händler (The Guild of Merchant Explorers) by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert from Skellig Games / AEG
– Zug um Zug Legacy: Legenden des Westens (Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West) by Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock and Alan R. Moon published by Days of Wonder - There is also a long list of games for each of the three awards, which you can find on the website – which we’ll link to in our show notes.
- The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Berlin starting at 6pm local time on Sunday, the 21st of July.
- Of course, it is always great to see an organisation promoting the hobby to a wider audience, but unfortunately, things aren’t all rosy.
- During the livestream, Harald Schrapers highlighted the continuing lack of women in the board game industry. He said that out of the 351 games that the jury looked at, only 2.6% of them had female designers.
- It is clear that more work needs to be done.
- However, the Brainwaves team still congratulates all nominees.
Meeple trademarks
https://gamefound.com/en/projects/cogito-ergo-meeple/meeple-inc/updates/9
https://web.archive.org/web/20101130212607/http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unity_Games/message/2301
EU trademark: https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/marke/registerHABM?AKZ=016791741&CURSOR=0
German trademark: https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/marke/register/3020211016416/DE
US trademark attempt: https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=98576863&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch
- Just before we recorded the last episode of the cast, news had reached us that the publisher which was called Cogito Ergo Meeple at the time, had received a cease-and-desist notification in relation to their game Meeple Inc.
- The notification was issued by Hans im Glück, a subsidiary of Asmodee, which owns the trademark to the word Meeple in Europe and Germany.
- The word refers to the wooden player tokens that look like little people and first appeared in Carcassone in 2000.
- Now you may be thinking that the word is so ubiquitous in the hobby that such a trademark would be impossible.
- However, Hans im Glück was able to successfully register a trademark for the term Meeple in February 2019 with the EU’s patent and trademark office.
- The original application was made in June 2017 and originally refused in 2018, but after amending it, the trademark was granted one and a half years later.
- The EU trademark covers a wide range of types of products, including software, computers, smartphones and smartphone accessories, jewellery, watches, keyrings, books, magazines, stickers, crockery, clothing and many more.
- Most importantly though, the EU trademark doesn’t cover toys and games.
- However, Hans im Glück successfully registered the trademark in Germany on the 2nd of February 2021 and that trademark does cover toys and games.
- While the origins of the term Meeple aren’t 100% certain, our research showed that the word seems to have been created in 2000 on a Yahoo forum by someone with the name “Alison Hansel”.
- In response to the cease-and-desist letter, Cogito Ergo Meeple renamed itself Cotswold Games, and the owners, Joe and Maddie Adams, posted this as an update on their Gamefound campaign for Meeple Inc.:
- We were a little surprised as the term is used so frequently in the hobby. We thought Meeples belonged to all board gamers, it appears they don’t. We of course have zero interest in using anyone else’s IP so we think the best option is to do as they ask. Fortunately, whilst it creates a fair amount of work for us in the short term, this will not affect the game very much – all gameplay will remain exactly the same and the artwork will only be changed to replace the meeples with our new characters…. Mumans! … But more on them in a moment.
- It is not clear why Hans im Glück have sent a cease-and-desist letter to Cotswold Games, but not other companies.
- A quick search shows that there are a number of German companies and websites that use the term Meeple and there are games on the German market that have the term in their name. Yet, they don’t seem to have been contacted by Hans im Glück about it.
- Here are some examples:
– Happy Meeple, a website where you can play many board games online (https://www.happymeeple.com/de/),
– Meeplebox, an online board game store (https://www.meeplebox.de/),
– Meeple King, a web store for board game accessories (https://www.meepleking.de/),
– Meeple Circus from Matagot and distributed in Germany by Pegasus Spiele, a dexterity game in which you do what all gamers do when setting up a game (https://pegasusshop.de/en/product-line/games/family-games/702/meeple-circus) or
– Meeple Land from Blue Orange Games and available in Germany, a game where you build the most renowned amusement park of all time (https://www.brettspiel-angebote.de/spiele/meeple-land/4085/?umrjsdwz2k). - Understandably, many in the community have expressed surprise that the 2019 trademark hasn’t been the subject of legal action before now.
- Yet, it seems other companies have tried to trademark the term Meeple in the past. A search of the EU’s patent and trademark office’s register shows that on the 20th of January 2021, a Belgium company called Sylvester Events BV tried to register Meeple as a Dutch trademark. Of course, Hans im Glück successfully blocked the trademark registration on the 17th of May 2021.
- Now, in another twist to the story, on the 30th of May 2024, Corey Thompson, co-owner of YouTube channel Above Board TV, and Marian McBrine, Gen Con’s event manager, applied for a trademark for the term Meeple in the US.
- The application is still awaiting examination, but we will give you an update as soon as we hear more.
- Thank you to Adam Richards for bringing this to our attention via Discord.
Hachette Boardgames UK and Laurence King partner
https://www.hachetteboardgames.co.uk
- Hachette Boardgames UK, a distributor of over 150 games in the UK and subsidiary of Hachette UK, has announced that they are partnering with Laurence King Publishing, one of the world’s leading publishers of creative illustrated books, gifts and games and part of The Orion Publishing Group.
- The partnership will see Laurence King’s series of board games, card games, and puzzles enter distribution through Hachette Boardgames UK.
- The Laurence King games line offers a multitude of family-friendly titles, often based on TV series, films or books.
- One such title is the Shakespeare Game, in which players put on a series of Shakespeare’s greatest plays in a bid to found The Globe Theatre and stage a performance there.
- Philip Contos, Deputy Publisher at Laurence King said of the partnership:
- “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Hachette Boardgames UK to bring our flourishing games and puzzle range to a wider audience by expanding our distribution. Their passion for bringing families to the gaming table is one we share at Laurence King, and we’re proud to offer titles that do exactly that.”
Updates
Dicebreaker core staff fired
- A couple of episodes ago we covered the acquisition of the Gamer Network by IGN. Gamer Network owned several gaming-related sites including PC games site Rock, Paper, Shotgun, and tabletop games site Dicebreaker.
- Although the Dicebreaker site may continue under IGN’s ownership the core staff that ran the site have been fired. The Editor Matt Jarvis, staff writer Alex Meehan, and video producer Michael Whelan have all been fired.
- Wheelan tweeted
- No idea what IGN will do with the brand in the future but if you haven’t already been able to tell from the multiple lay offs and no posts, the Dicebreaker as you knew it is no more
- At the time of recording, we don’t know if Dicebreaker will return at all.
Evil Genius games continue to live up to half of their name
https://evilgeniusgames.com/blog/our-technology-code-of-ethics/?ref=rascal.news
- In episodes 131 and 136 of the cast we reported on the battles between RPG publisher Evil Genius games and streaming platform Netflix. That fight was over a Rebel Moon RPG, based on the Zack Snyder film of the same name
- We followed that with reports of staff not getting paid and the head of the company’s drive to integrate AI and NFTs. Around that time they issues a statement saying that was not their intention.
- Turns out it was though.
- Rascal News have reported that the company are pressing ahead with the integration of NFTs into their future RPGs. These plans were revealed at Consensus 2024, a show that
- [brings] together all sides of the cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web3 community
- Dave Scott, CEO of Evil Genius Games, pitched to a panel there saying
- “What we’re really excited about is the idea that we can use blockchain to be able to control the value and to create value around the objects which make up your character. That’s going to be a really important component of it. If you actually create, for example, an adventure on our system, that’ll be something that you own as the creator from here on out.”
- The article goes onto show that Scott plans to ‘mint’, turn into tradeable digital assets, all aspects of a character sheet and leverage the IPs they already have to attract people to the products.
- EN world also reported on the almost total collapse of the company earlier in the year. We urge you to give both sites a read and your support.
- https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-rise-and-fall-of-evil-genius-games.702617/?ref=rascal.news
- Discussion:
TTWU negotiations
- We’ve been covering the evolving story of Tabletop Workers United (a branch of Workers United NY/NJ), the emerging trade union of several board game cafes in Brooklyn, New York, including Hex&Co, the Brooklyn Strategist, and the Uncommons.
- On 5th of June, they began negotiations regarding contracts with the owners of the 5 biggest board game cafes (including the 3 previously named) in New York City- Jon Freeman and Gregory May.
- Collective bargaining negotiations began with Freeman and May’s lawyer Andrew “Andy” Hoffman strolled in fifteen minutes late and conducted the contracts with what Rowan Zeoli in Rascal described as “a combative and dismissive attitude”, in what appears to be the latest of a series of attacks.
- Previously in negotiations, Hoffman reportedly told the bargaining committee “you should all burn in hell” and called the members “[swear word] disgusting,” and “Low class, disgusting morons” during ongoing negotiations, although according to Freeman and May, these comments were related to suggestions regarding Workers United and tweets made on the account without union approval.
- There will be no further in-person negotiations for four months, as Freeman and Hoffman are on holiday. Meetings will be held on Zoom, though Hoffman has rejected a request to record the meetings for the union, stating a “chilling effect” and an “unfair labor practice” by recording bargaining meetings as people should be able to be “free to speak their minds.” What that means, we will not speculate here, but Hoffman has described the demands as the “insanity of the woke”.
News
UKGE People’s Choice Awards
https://www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/content/news/peoples-choice-awards-2024
- Not done with UKGE news. The People’s Choice Awards were announced at the close of the expo.
- Voted on by attendees, the 19 categories cover the sheer breadth of games on display and sale.
- We won’t cover all the winners here but some special mentions being made to Lacuna by Mark Gerrits which won Best Abstract game, and Spots by Alex Hague, Jon Perry, Justin Vickers, which won best Dice Game, and Salvage Union, published by Leyline Press, which won Best Roleplaying Game.
Jogo do Ano
- As important as the Spiel des Jahres is, other European countries have their own awards. France has the As d’or, and, pertinently, Portugal has the Jogo Do Ano, which announced its nominations recently.
- Voted on by SpielPortugal, Evacuation, Hegemony, Nucleum, Horseless Carriage and Scholars of the South Tigris
- As seen from the nominees, the Jogo do Ano leans towards what some would call the heavier side of the gaming table.
- Winner to be announced in either September or October.
Game Brewer is Closing
- In a statement dated 6th of June 2024, Rudy Seuntjens from Game Brewer, a Belgium-based board game publisher that started around 7 years ago, announces that the company is going to close down.
- Known for games such as Gùgōng, Paris, Amygdala and most recently Algae, Inc., Game Brewer points to increasingly competitive market conditions that have made it challenging for the company to remain profitable.
- In their statement, Rudy thanks all of the company’s fans and explains what happens next:
- Bone Wars, Algae Inc., and the Stroganov big box will be our final releases. These games are currently in production and will soon be available in very limited quantities. Rest assured, all our crowdfunding backers will receive their pledged games.
- Rudy also asks everyone for support and help the company wind down without being in debt:
- Despite careful planning, we find ourselves with a stock of 9000 board games. To ensure we can settle all our obligations, including author license fees, and conclude our adventure debt-free, we need your help in purchasing this stock.
- Because we are offering competitive discounts and it is the very last time we will be appealing for your support, we are calling this stock sale our GoodBuy campaign.
- All games, except new releases, are available at a 25% discount and previous crowdfunding supporters are entitled to additional discounts.
- In closing, Rudy says:
- Thank you for the amazing journey and your incredible support. Let’s make these final moments memorable and ensure that Game Brewer ends on a high note!
- There is no mention of redundancies or how many staff are affected, but the Brainwaves team hopes that everyone can find work afterwards.
- Atomic Mass Games, a publisher of a number of tabletop miniatures games and one of the studios owned by Asmodee, announced on the 13th of June the end of development on their Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: Armada games.
- Star Wars: X-Wing was first released in August 2012 and a second edition of the game came out in September 2018.
- Star Wars: Armada was first published in 2015.
- Both games now come with a huge number of expansion packs that allow players to build their favourite Star Wars space ship fleets.
- Quoting rising production costs as well as global manufacturing and pandemic-related challenges, the company said it had become very difficult to continue producing high-quality, pre-painted miniatures for these games.
- However, all is not lost. In their announcement, Atomic Mass Games said:
- Although development is ending, we are not stepping away from these games entirely. Atomic Mass Games will continue to support tournaments and Organized Play for both games, with OP kits to be found in your local shops, culminating in the Open World Championship at AdeptiCon in March 2025.
- Atomic Mass Games finishes by thanking everyone for their continued support and dedication.
- Shortly after the announcement a community group sprung up pledging to carry the game forward. They posted this to various groups around the internet
- Dear X-Wing Community,
- By now most of you have read the news of AMG ending development of both Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: Armada.
- After that news went public, a group of players representing communities across the world came together to create a unified organization to take community stewardship of X-Wing. This group includes the people behind several high-profile X-Wing communities and resources, and our collaborative goal is to keep the game healthy and guide it into the future. This is not an exclusive or closed group, and we will strive for transparency at all times.
- Rest assured that we will do our very best to make sure that the end of the official development does not mean the end of this game that we all love. We are still in the early stages of defining what needs to be done, and more communication will follow as the details become available.
- For now, keep playing the game, and look to the future with hope and anticipation. Today marks the start of a new chapter in the X-Wing story, and we are out to make it the best one yet
- Feel free to reach if you have any questions, but communication will keep coming as soon as it is ready
- May the force be with us
- The post was signed by groups across the globe.
- Discussion: Is Atomic Mass Games trimming down their product line? There have been complaints by fans of X-Wing for a while that the company was slowing down on supporting and updating the game. So maybe that was the beginning of the end back then. (Oliver has a guest post on his blog about this.)
People on the Move
Liz Davidson becomes solo game specialist for Leder Games
- On a Bluesky post dated 19th of June 2024, Liz Davidson, owner of media outlet Beyond Solitaire, which was a runner-up in this year’s Golden Geek Awards, and co-designer of Night Witches, announced that she is joining Leder Games, publisher of games such as Vast, Root, Oath and Fort, as Solo Game Specialist.
- Liz said in her post:
- I could not be more excited, because I’m about to do very cool work with very cool people.
- Leder Games responded to the news in a post on Twitter (X):
- We are INCREDIBLY EXCITED to have Liz join the team! Expect awesome things to come.
James Hewitt and Sophie Wiliams join Warcradle
- Warcradle Studios, the publishers of various skirmish miniatures games including Dystopian Wars and Firestorm Armada have made two new hires.
- James Hewitt and Sophie Williams are joining the team.
- Sophie joins as the Game Development Manager. In Sophie’s words, she will be
- taking a key role in contributing to the design and development of Warcradle’s games while also managing the team and leading in long-term planning and organisation. I LOVE organising and scheduling, so this is a dream!”
- James is joining as the Lead Game Designer. James says of the job
- I’m leading the charge as part of the Games Development team. We’re going to be responsible for creating, testing and expanding a whole line of tabletop games set in the Dystopian Age – not just Dystopian Wars, Wild West Exodus, Mythos and Armoured Clash, but also board games, card games and roleplaying games!”
- James and Sophie are both veterans of the games scene in the UK having previously worked for Games Workshop, Modiphius, and many others including some independent projects.
- We wish Sophie and James all the best in their new roles!
Jobs, Opportunities, and Events
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TabletopJobs
Tabletop Scotland
6th to 8th of September, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh
Iain
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Outro
Medieval game pieces
- In the push for new games, it is sometimes easy to forget the origins of our hobby.
- In a castle in southern Germany, evidence of games from the mediaeval period have been unearthed. The castle is located in the Reutlingen district of southern Germany’s Baden-Wurttemberg region.
- The find includes a six-sided die, pieces resembling flowers and a chess piece.
- Jonathan Scheschkewitz of the state office for the preservation of monuments in the local area said
- “In the Middle Ages, chess was one of the seven skills that a good knight should master, It is therefore not surprising that known finds mostly come from castles.”
- It is thought that these pieces were played with as they show evidence of having been handled.
- The pieces will go on display in two exhibitions in the region and are also available to view online in a full 3D rendering.
- Discussion:
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