Hey Reader!

Emily Vincent here.

We all play games because they're fun, but some games also manage to nail funny. It's a tricky balancing act when you add humor to a game design, making sure that the humor doesn't overpower the game mechanics while also figuring out how to keep things funny over multiple plays. And on top of that, everybody's sense of humor is different, making it challenging to find something that has broad appeal. Striking that balance takes a lot of iteration and playtesting. But all the hard work is worth it when you hear the laughter around the table.

​

Two New Games by Fertessa Allyse

Not just one but TWO games designed by Fertessa Allyse hit retail in the last couple of weeks, both with a strong comedy bent!

Mansplaining

Mansplaining, a co-design by Fertessa Allyse and Mondo Davis, from Breaking Games, is a party game where everyone's a know-it-all. Try to get others to guess your topic, always starting with "Well, actually..." and sneaking in as many detail words as possible.

Check out Mansplaining!

Book of Villainy

From Gold Seal Games, Book of Villainy is a medium weight strategy game in which you play as a B-list villain building a tableau of story cards describing your dastardly deeds.

Fertessa playtested Book of Villainy way back at the very first Protospiel Online in April of 2020. It's so exciting to finally get to see it in its finished, physical form!

Pre-order Book of Villainy!

​

Chomp by Clarence Simpson

Dino Dinner Time by Clarence Simpson, another game tested during that same April 2020 Protospiel Online, went on to become Chomp, one of the 4 small games in the bundle from Allplay (formerly Board Game Tables) that recently funded to the tune of $500K+. Score points for feeding your dinosaurs and fulfilling your goal cards, being careful not to let them eat each other in this 36 card micro game. Pre-orders are still open if you missed the campaign!

Pre-order Chomp!

​

Protospiel Online is coming May 5-7!

Tickets are on sale for our next Protospiel Online, May 5th through 7th! Join us for three days of playtesting with game designers from around the world. Early Bird pricing is available through April 24th!

Buy Protospiel Online Badges!

​

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more awesome events, community opportunities, and updates about games tested at Protospiel!

~Emily

​

P.S. If you have something you'd like to see featured in our Community Newsletter, you have 3 options -- either submit an official feature request, reply to this message, or post in the #🙌share-your-wins channel in the Protospiel Online Discord server to let us know the details. We'd love to celebrate you!

​