The Joy of Play
006
Good afternoon folks, and welcome to the March 2022 edition of Little Mouse Letters.
1. A Patient Blade
I’m sure many of you have seen already, but The Slow Knife is live on Kickstarter!
It’s been doing great so far—we’ve unlocked a set of portrait cards for use on the game’s conspiracy board, and new music from Mousehole staple Chris. We’re hoping to soon unlock a set of resources to help other writers create and sell content for the game. I also have some print upgrades I’d love to reveal if the campaign picks up in the last couple of days 😉
I’ve had such a blast playtesting it with people. Even though every session has started with the same Count of Monte Cristo inspired playset, each has gone in its own wild and entertaining direction. Truly, it’s delightful to see a game you’ve designed actually function in play—especially after I spent so long toiling away on it.
If you’ve already backed it, thank you so much! If you haven’t, you’ve got until Monday 21st to join in with the fun.
Oh, and if you’re not backing projects on Kickstarter at the moment for various union/crypto-related reasons, you’ll still be able to pre-order the game at the same price on BackerKit once the campaign is over.
2. An Eager Spring
We’ve started to get a smattering of warmer days here, and it finally feels like we’re emerging from the grey morass of British winter. Hooray!
We’ve already had the pizza oven out once, which was delightful (if a little chilly!). The beds in our garden have transformed from sodden mud to green shoots, with little signs of life everywhere.
For most of my life I’ve been an autumn fan—the cosy evenings, the rich food and more time to play board games inside. But since having kids, I’ve definitely become a Spring/Summer convert. It’s just so wonderful to have outside spaces turned back into an easy source of entertainment for rambunctious children. Sure, we do our best to stick everyone in waterproofs and go out in any kind of weather, but few of us would choose to go out in the pouring rain over a nice sunny day.
Anyway, speaking of board games, if anyone has recommendations for a new game to entertain a fairly-patient four-year old1, I’m definitely sick of First Orchard now.
3. Good Stuff
Every month, I’ll share a few choice links that have caught my eye.
This carrot dhal is a staple in our house, and one of the more interesting things our kids eat pretty reliably. The other recipe in the article, the pasta, is such an amazing early-summer dish to cook. Once asparagus is in season in a couple of months, I implore you to give it a go.
My go-to illustrator Torben made this sick little game, which you can download for PWYW. Check it out!
If you’d like to see The Slow Knife in action, we recorded an actual play with Plus One Exp last week. I had a blast, and we’re hoping to do a part two soon.
Starting next month, I’m considering doing a little monthly freebie expansion for one of my games2. If there’s something you think would be cool to see, let me know!
Bonus points if it has trains in it.
Time permitting… 💀