Gaming industry veteran Cory Jones has announced the creation of tabletop gaming subscription service QST and the launch of the QST Kickstarter campaign. Pronounced “Quest,” the service offers a brand-new, small form factor tabletop game directly to subscribers every month. Each game is a collaboration between three creative visionaries from different fields who work together to deliver the different elements of the game: concept, design, and art. These high-profile creators include Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, and Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game designers Adam and Brady Sadler, among many others. The Kickstarter campaign offers backers the opportunity to get the service at a reduced price of $12.99 a month and receive exclusives, including the chance to own a game only ever offered to Kickstarter backers.
The list of renowned creators for the first year of QST is divided up in terms of concept, design, and art. Working on game concepts are Jordan Weisman, Marv Wolfman, Nolan Bushnell, Dan Povenmire, Paul Dini, Justin Roiland, Jhonen Vasquez, Monte Cook, John Kovalic, R.A. Salvatore, Cory Jones, and Brom. The creators working on design are Matt Hyra, Adam and Brady Sadler, Matt Riddle, Richard Borg, Florent Grenier, Bruno Faidutti, Ben Cichoski and Danny Mandel, Paul Peterson, James Ernest, Seiji Kanai, Adam Poots, and Matt Fantastic. The art for the first year of QST will be created by Jakub Rebelka, Robb Mommaerts, Dan Brereton, Eduardo Vieira, Skinner, Yoshi Yoshitani, Jon Vermilyea, Tan Zhi Hui, Erol Otus, Walt Simonson, Ben Templesmith, Vincent Dutrait, and Mihajlo “the Mico” Dimitrovski.
The collaboration between the three creators of each game begins with the person behind the concept defining “the big idea,” as he dreams up the themes, worlds, and story elements of the game. Next, the designer takes the concept document and works “top down” to bring the theme to life and make the most compelling game possible. The game may be a literal interpretation of the concept or an in-depth exploration of one specific aspect; the main criteria is to find the fun. Once the design is complete, it is handed over to the artist, who crafts a distinctive visual appearance and components that bring the concept and game design to life. Some of the QST artists come from parts of the art world that have not been represented in tabletop gaming before, so they will bring a distinctive perspective to their work.
Each set of three creators will determine the components needed in the small form factor box (4.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches)to bring the game to life, which could include—but are not limited to—cards, tiles, meeples, timers, dices, and spinners. QST games will target 2-4 players and a standard playing time of 30-45 minutes, but the creators are given free rein to adjust this however they see fit.
One of the goals of QST is to create truly collectible board games. The company will utilize high quality game production and packaging and feature art that will never be used again in that form, with a one-year, mandatory “cool down” period before a game is considered for reprint. In the case of a reprint, the art and packaging will be different and will not include any sub-promo materials, such as minor additions from the designer, variant cards, or small extra components.
QST is offering those that support the Kickstarter campaign a discounted subscription rate of $12.99 each month, plus shipping. Each backer will be allowed to renew forever at this price, as long as his or her subscription remains in good standing. For consumers who do not contribute to the Kickstarter campaign, the monthly price will be $19.99 (12 months) or $22.99 (six months).
As a promotion during the Kickstarter campaign, QST is running a contest to create the idea for a Kickstarter-exclusive 13th game. The promotion is open to anyone who tweets a picture of their game idea on the official template official template. The submission that receives the most combined favorites and retweets will be the 13th game sent to all Kickstarter backers as part of their subscription for the first year. The winner’s idea will be the base concept for an amazing game designer and artist to build upon. This game will not be part of the regular subscription and will never be produced again, instantly becoming the rarest of QST games.
The first QST game to be mailed to consumers will be FORECLOSURE: Dungeon Masters Tavern, created by the trio of Cory Jones (concept), Matt Hyra (design), and Robb Mommaerts (art). It is a 2-4 player blind auction game that pits players against “boss monsters” in a race to acquire the most precious loot. Players will have to outbid the other monsters and dodge the effects of angry adventurers by using the items they have acquired to buff their bids or sabotage the other players. FORECLOSURE: Dungeon Masters Tavern is set to mail to QST subscribers on March 1, 2018.
Z-Man Games is pleased to announce its acquisition of the popular game Love Letter from Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). Along with distributing remaining inventory, Z-Man will reprint current versions of the game players know and love, including the original English version of the game and the premium edition.