Unpub Preview: Cosmic Critters
BludleOne of our upcoming events is Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub.) This is not an event I will be able to attend, and it is being managed by James Mathes of Minion Games. Games coming to Protospiel-Milwaukee register through a different entity, and by doing so don’t get a page here on Unpub.net. This is our first time with this type of partnership and we’re testing these policies out. One way we can support the games and designers coming to this event is through these previews. So, today we continue our series of previews of games coming to Protospiel- Milwaukee.
Many designers are bringing several games to this two day event in the heart of Milwaukee. Matt Worden is no exception. He has a catalog of great game designs from which to choose, with varying themes, levels and play styles. The first game we're previewing from Matt is his family card game Cosmic Critters. (Note: Sooo much alliteration is coming to Milwaukee... I can't...it's...I want to go there!)
Let's hear what Matt has to say about his cosmic and critterful creation...
What was your inspiration for Cosmic Critters? A couple of years ago, the Protospiel event in Ann Arbor hosted a card game contest, which I didn't enter ... but what I came up with at the time (themed around placing people with the best hotel based on their wants) is the basis for this game.
What is your favorite part of Cosmic Critters? The bidding system. And the adorable little critters.
To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about it? Not sure yet ... it's still pretty wet.
What has been the most challenging part of designing Cosmic Critters? Providing enough variables to have a wide range of bidding outcomes without making it too hard to keep everything straight in a person's head. I also didn't want there to always be an automatic win ... I want room for players to take some risk.
What advice would you give to players attempting Cosmic Critters for the first time? Take some chances on what you bid on.
What has surprised you most in play-tests of Cosmic Critters? It's still a very new design ... so I'm still getting a feel for how it works.
People who like___________ will like Cosmic Critters. Why? Silly pattern-matching games or games involving bidding with foggy information.
What do you hope to accomplish at Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub)? I'd like to play through the game a couple of times and try a few things out to see how the player interaction works out.
Tell us anything else you want to say about Cosmic Critters that I haven't asked or you haven't said already. Target audience would be family game night, or "give the kids something to do" ... with a bit deeper set of mechanics at work than your typical mass market game.
Bring the kids and come to Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub) to have some fun playing Cosmic Critters by Matt Worden!
