News – Grey Gnome Games

Why the UnderQuest Crowdsale was cancelled and when it will return.

Most of you know by now that the Crowdsale for UnderQuest was cancelled. The sale was moving along better than I had expected at the time. Dustin Cox (from the Game Knight YouTube Channel) reached out to me after having played it a few times and he had some suggestions. UnderQuest was at a good point during the Crowdsale, but Dustin had a few ideas that could make the game a bit crisper. I toiled over it for a day or two and ultimately decided I wanted the best version of UnderQuest possible to be put in the hands of customers, so I cancelled the release in order to make changes to the game. It was a humbling experience for me, but I knew I had to do it in order to make UnderQuest the best it could be.

I have been trying to make a post about this on the site for a few weeks, but I had issues logging into this account until today. That is the reason it has taken a bit of time to post something here. The silver lining is that in this time I have worked very hard with Justin Cox on making UnderQuest a fantastic game that I can be very proud of. I have decided to make Dustin a co-designer of UnderQuest for his efforts and ability. So let’s take a look at a few of the issues we were dealing with and our solutions.

MAGIC DAMAGE. Probably the biggest issue was the damage system for magical attacks. The player was simply doing too much damage once they got their hands on a magical weapon. The solution was to adjust some f the damage output of some weapons and alter the way magic damage is dealt. We have dozens and dozens of playtests in with these changes and the system works flawlessly. Before combat was closer to that of iron Helm, where you could often one-shot enemies. This system has most battles having a good back and forth fight, which feels better than before.

CHARACTER AND ENEMY HEALTH. Before enemies and your character has less health than they do now. Combat is more manageable now. You are not going to one hit enemies as much and you will be able to take more damage. Characters will start with about 10 extra health, which is the perfect amount. Enemies used to add the dungeon level to their health, now they add double the dungeon level to their health.

MORALITY SYSTEM. The morality system in UnderQuest was certainly better than it was in Iron Helm, but it wasn’t perfect. Often making the evil choice was better in the long run. We made some changes there by altering a few cards and adding some new cards like the ones below. Having negative morality will now haunt you more than before, while making good choices can lead to some great rewards. That was always the goal. Being evil helps you in the present, and being good potentially pays off in the end. Kind of like real life.

STARTING WEAPON. We also decided to give each class a starting weapon, so the player didn’t have to spend gold at the beginning of the game on a weapon. We also replaced the starting trapping on the race card with a simple bonus item like a ration or ingredient. We designed two new trappings cards for this purpose.

We also got rid of the smaller tracker cards and replaced them with larger ones which also now include a way to track your encumbrance. Doing this is what also freed up 7 poker-sized cards for the five new cards above and two more that we will dive into next. Here is a look at the 4 jumbo tracking cards. Also included now will be 3 blue dice for keeping track of your stats of Agility, Brawn, and Mind.

With the final two cards I decided to tip my hat to Dustin for his hard work and we added a Ziggy companion reward card and an encounter card that introduces him. Ziggy is a faithful companion that will warn you of an ambush.

There were also a few other small changes to some encounter cards to help balance the morality system and to some items to make them a bit better. The vast majority of the game remains the same. I am so glad I decided to cancel. I am sure everyone wants the best version of UnderQuest possible and we have it now. I am finishing up a few things like making final changes to the rulebook to reflect some of these changes. We are aiming to relaunch the Crowdsale in January. Stay tuned for that. We will have many videos out prior to the launch for folks to watch and see the new changes in action. Thanks for all of your support! Thanks!

UnderQuest is Launching November 6th!

Mark your calendars! The CrowdSale for UnderQuest launches next Thursday (November 6th) at around 5pm CST! This has been a long journey, but we are finally here! Check out the CS page and hit the REMIND button. Thanks!

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/crowdsale/underquest

Tutorial videos will be dropping over the next few days and I have a copy on its way to the Game Knight for review. I am sure he will make a lot of videos for folks to watch. Also trying to get ahold of Daniel from the Dungeon Dive, but can’t seem to get a response yet, but hopefully that will be happening as well. Stay tuned and spread the word.

Dustrunners Crowd Sale has Launched!

The Crowd Sale for Dustrunners launched a few days ago and we have already passed 600 backers! All copies are just $12.90 for all backers! You can get the base game (Dustrunner) for just $14.69! We are trying to reach 1000 backers and hit the final price drop. The sale ends on February 4th!

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/crowdsale/dustrunners

What does Dustrunners Add?

(1) Twelve new Exploration Cards have been added to the game that add many new loactions and enemies to deal with.

(2) Three new double-sided Vehicle Cards have been added, which increase the total number of possible combination of builds up to over 200!

(3) A new radiation mechanic has been added and this creates another level of tension and strategy to the game.

(4) New vehicle modification cards have been added and well as new some new resolution cards.

(5) Five all-new double-sided Map Cards have been added. One side is standard difficulty, while the other is hardcore mode!

(6) Along your journey across the wastland, you will now have the oppertunity to stop and trade at settlements along the way. Six Settlement Cards have been added!

(7) Lastly, you will receive a Race/Class Promo Card for Tin Helm/Tin Realm! Included is also the corrected Vile Shores card for Tin Realm.

(8) But wait, there’s more! As a small bonus, I have added 2 new dustrunner minis to the game that you can use to track your postion on the map cards and the position of the pesky raiders!

I hope you can take a moment to check out the Crowd Sale Page and share it with those that you think might find it interesting. Thanks again for the continued support.

-Jason Glover

The Game Crafter’s Back to School Sale: Games to Consider That Are Not Mine.

The Game Crafters annual summer sale just launched today, and I thought it would be nice to showcase a few games that are included in the sale, but are not my own designs. I am going to only included games that I actually own myself. What better way to know that I have confidence in a game then the fact that I bought it, played it, and still love it? These are in no particular order, so let’s get started!

Cursed is light, and very quick playing, solo dungeon delver. It has great artwork and very solid mechanics. Best of all, it is quite inexpensive. Regular Price $14.99 and on sale right now for $12.84 Link to Cursed

Paperbag Dungeon is another light dungeon exploration game that implements tile-laying mechanics. The artwork also is fantastic in this game Regular Price $17.99 and on sale right now for $13.30! Link to Paperback Dungeon

Doom Pilgrim is a fantastic narrative-driven game set in a dark and foreboding world, where you will have to navigate a deck of jumbo cards with absolutely beautiful artwork in a perilous attempt to stay alive. Regular Price $44.99 and on sale now for $34.99 Link to Doom Pilgrim

Jump Gate is the critically acclaimed space exploration game designed by Matt Worden. This a light/medium weight game that is super easy to learn an get to the table. It also has a clean solo mode included. Regular Price $45.99 and on sale now for $37.05 Link to Jump Gate

Buried Beneath is a rather massive experience crammed into a very small package. Something I pride myself on, but this game manages to pack a very solid solo worker placement game into a mint tin. Regular Price $21.99 and on sale now for $16.40 Link to Buried Beneath

Quest for the Lost Pixel is considered by many as one of the best holy grail indie games. It has a steep price tag, but it is packed with a ton of content and Peter Jank has supported the game with many expansions. Regular Price $161.99 and on sale now for $132.55 Link to Quest for the Lost Pixel

Armor Up is a really fun 18 card micro game that has players trying to build the best set of equipment. It plays 2-3 players, but adding a second game allows for up 6 players. It also hosts the amazing artwork of Alisha Volkman! Regular Price $9.99 and on sale now for $7.13 Link to Amor Up

Decayed is designed and illustrated by my very talented daughter Abby and it does deserve to be on this list. It uses some familiar mechanics to Grey Gnome fans, but is set in a hospital after the release of a terrible disease. Regular Price $30.99 and is on sale now for $25.87 Link to Decayed

Polyhedral Perils is a super compact dungeon delver that you could literally keep in your wallet. You only need to supply the dice. There are also a couple of expansions available for this little gem! Regular Price $5.99 and on sale now for $4.69 Link to Polyhedral Perils

Dungeoneering Dolls is a really enjoyable card game that focuses on hand-management and set-collection. It plays 2-4 players and is quick to learn, teach, and play. I also love the watercolor illustrations. Regular Price $23.99 and on sale now for $18.63 Link to Dungeoneering Dolls

So that completes my list of games that I would recommend that are part of this years summer sale. I urge you to take your time and look through all the games offered and see what speaks to you. It means a lot to an indie designer to make a sale, so you could really brighten someone’s day. Here are a list of games that I am looking at right now, that are also included in the sale, that I just might pick up myself. Don’t Let It Die, Sector 18, Auriferous, Legends of Expeditions, Mythical Menagerie, Potioneers, and Pocket Realm Crafter. Well, I hope this list inspired you to potentially pick up an exciting new indie game! Here is a direct link to the sale. >BACK TO SCHOOL SALE LINK<

UnderQuest Card Types

I wanted to discuss each of the 15 types of card decks that you will find in UnderQuest. I will not go into a lot of depth, but will instead try to give a clear understanding of the function each deck serves.

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Abominations – This deck will be used to increase the difficulty of an enemy. It will be split down the middle with a “prefix” side and a “suffix” side. Certain events, like drawing a combat card as the second card during exploration, will cause you to have to either add a prefix or suffix to the enemy. In rare cases you will battle a mini boss and that will simply have you add both. You just tuck the unused side of the Abomination card under the Enemy card. Both sides will add a whole host of things to the enemy, like immunities to certain attacks, extra health, magical attacks, and more. So instead of a simple goblin, you might face off against a mini boss that is a “Fire” Goblin “of Skal” and he might add fire damage to his attacks and have the ability to heal himself.

Dungeon Deck – This deck will work much like the dungeon deck in Iron Helm, with a couple of twists. More details to come.

Bosses – This is exactly what it sounds like. This deck will house a few bosses for you to deal with at the games end.

Enemies Deck – This deck will include all the standard enemies in the game. With the addition of the Abominations deck there will be countless enemy combinations that you may have to deal with. If you fight an enemy as the first card, you simply battle the base enemy card, but if it is the second card, you will have to add a prefix from the Abomination deck. This replaces the mechanic in Iron Helm that simply added more health to the foe or made them hit a little harder with their initial attack.

Incantations – UnderQuest will have magic! Incantations will come from 4 schools of magic including Fire, Ice, Holy, and Healing. You will have a number of these incantations memorized at the beginning of the adventure. You will spend a required amount of grit (the new form of energy) to cast them and then they are flipped over and cannot be used again until you meditate at the campsite. These are one time use cards and quite powerful, but you can relearn them during your adventure at the campsite. In order to use incantations, you will also need a required Skill card, plus each incantation will require a different rank in your Mind stat to even use it. Certain classes will start with the Skill to cast incantations. Any adventurer will be able to learn the skill down the road by spending favor, but they must remember that the best incantations require a high Mind stat.

Ingredients – While you may find some prepared potions in your travels, you are much more likely to find ingredients, which can by combined to create a host effects such as healing, curing poison, generating grit, or more.

Quest Cards – These cards are earned in particular ways. Maybe you find all three part of a sword and then are able to grab the indicated quest card and actually wield that weapon. Maybe you find a companion or pet along the way. Story elements like this will be handled with the Quest deck. I have story-driven campaigns in the works that will have their own Quest deck that will be numbered and you will work your way through the deck as the story unfolds. When playing the standard version of the game you will be asked to read from the random encounters book, but in campaign mode, you will instead work your way through a special Quest deck in order.

Race/Class (Not Shown) – These will be double-sided cards, each with a race on one side and a class on the other, much like what I did in Tin Helm.

Revelations – UnderQuest will use a resolution deck much like the one used in Dustrunner to determine many things like attack damage, bonus treasure, combat initiative, and more. Combat in UnderQuest will be a mix of many things I have used in the past, but it will feel completely fresh and challenging.

Scourges – If you obtain enough curse or stress tokens, you may end up with a scourge. These come in many forms from the physical (clouded vision, shaking hands, etc.) to the mental (overconfidence, greed, dire fear, etc.) and will alter how you must deal with certain situations. Curing scourges will also not be easy or cheap.

Skills – Skills will fall into three main categories based on the three character stats in the game including Agility, Brawn, and Mind. These will include many things like Fleet-Footed, Sharp Aim, Berserk, Sword Master, Fire Incantations (Novice), and more. You will start with a skill or two, but will be able to earn new skills by spending favor points that you will earn in many ways, but typically through combat. In Iron Helm you traded in a number of enemy corpses to gain a new skill. The issue was that some enemies are much stronger than others. In UnderQuest you will gain favor in combat based of the difficulty of your foe.

Star Signs – During character creation you will choose a race and a class, but you will also pick a star sign. These will add an additional layer to your character and make them that much more unique.

Trappings – These are items you can purchase before, and in between, adventures. They range from simple weapons to rations and tools. You may also obtain a trapping during an encounter during play, but typically they are bought from the trader at the inn.

Treasure – What is a dungeon crawl without treasure? This deck will include the majority of the best items and equipment in the game and can be found on the corpses of your foes, in chests, or may be sold by a wandering merchant.

Trinkets – You will still find gold in UnderQuest, but more likely you will find a trinket. Trinkets are items of value that an enemy may be carrying or you may find during a random encounter. Trinkets could include items like a smoking pipe, a pouch of pearls, an ivory comb, a silver candlestick, or more. They will each have a set gold value and can be used as gold during trade or in any circumstance that requires gold. Additionally, you may find parts of a particular object in the Trinkets deck and if you collect them all, you will get that item.

Well, that is all for now. I just wanted to share a little bit about UnderQuest with all of you. Cheers!

Shifting Back to UnderQuest

Okay, so a few months ago I put UnderQuest on the back burner to focus on a couple of other projects (Tin Realm and the Gnome Pack). At the time I was not exactly happy with what UnderQuest was becoming. Not that is was shaping up into a bad game, but rather it was drifting further and further from my vision. Sometimes you have to take a project and just set it aside for a bit, focus on something else for a while, and then come back with fresh eyes. So where does this leave UnderQuest?

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My biggest issue was the more I worked on UnderQuest the more it felt like I was making things more complicated than they needed to be and I also was quickly loosing interest in the art direction. The black, white, and red palette was fairly restrictive on what was going to be a larger game. I think it would great for a smaller tin series game, but in a larger game it seemed to be too much. I also felt like I was trying to make something much different from Iron Helm, but as I was designing UnderQuest, I sort of felt pulled to the roots of Iron Helm. So what direction am I going?

I truly love Iron Helm and I love the community that has grown around it. I love creating content for Iron Helm as well. All of this made me realize that I should truly focus UnderQuest into being a real spiritual successor to Iron Helm. Iron Helm is great, but it definitely has a few holes in the design and I want to address those all with Iron Helm 2.0 (AKA UnderQuest). Here are a few of the things I want to fix or make better.

The Rulebook – It is no secret that the rulebook for Iron Helm is far from perfect. Some of that was due to the size limitation of the medium booklet I used. I could only have 20 pages and I needed more. I also immediately negated to include some important rules. It was not a terrible effort, but I want the booklet for UnderQuest to feel complete and I want it easy to navigate.

Morality – The morality tracker in Iron Helm was simply there and not used very often, at least not in the base game. I attempted to address this with the Howling Abyss Dungeon Booster pack. That set of dungeon cards did a good job of fixing the issue, but I want a cleaner and more meaningful system in place from day one. Morality will be handled via favor points, much like I used in Tin Helm. You will gain them by defeating certain enemies or by making good moral choices during play. You will be able to use these favor points in many ways including, reading runestones (learning new skills), to reroll dice, and certain dungeon cards and encounters will be effected by your current level on the favor tracker. I simply want it much more integral to the design.

Exploration – UnderQuest will use the exploration system used in Iron Helm, rather than the one I was attempting to use before, that was more similar to the one used in Tin Helm. There will of course be some twists. I am working on a cool system to making enemies more difficult if drawn as the second card that does not rely on simply adding x-number of health or damage output to the foe. I am excited to share this in the future.

Plot Cards/Encounters – The plot card system used in Iron Helm will be replaced with an encounter system. Encounters will work a lot like plot cards did in Iron Helm, but in UnderQuest encounters could be all sorts of things including, a simple story with a choice to be made, an encounter requiring a skill check, a trap, an enemy, or even finding a character to join you on your adventure! These cards will have a timer mechanic built into them that will trigger the end game much like the plot cards from Iron Helm.

Quests/Campaigns – So one of the biggest hitches in the development of UnderQuest before was the idea of a campaign mode. I have come up with a simple solution. If you want to play UnderQuest as a one-off rogue-like experience, then you will simply use the Encounter deck while playing. If you want a campaign vibe, you will be able to use a new Quest deck. These cards will work much like the Encounter cards except they will be numbered in order on their backs. In this way a narrative story can unfold. You may find special items or weapons, have to fight unique foes, or any number of surprises. My issue with this when working on UnderQuest before was trying to figure out how to both make random encounters and have there be a quest/campaign system. The new idea is to allow the player to decide what they want. Do you want to play with the randomness of the Encounter deck or do you want to use a more campaign/story-focused deck like the Quest deck. There would of course be a simple quest deck in the base game and then I could release new ones over time for players who like to play that way. For those that prefer a more rogue-like experience, I will introduce new decks to add to the existing Encounter deck.

Art Direction – I want UnderQuest to hearken back to old-school nostalgic artwork from the late 70s DnD era, sort like Iron Helm attempted to do. I also want to push an almost medieval engraving feeling with my linework. Something like the work of Albrecht Durer. Lastly, I want the art to have an almost tarot-like feel to it. Something mysterious with strange symbols and odd flavors. Above you can see the development of the card backs. As you can see I am using full-color and trying to make the game feel almost from another time and place.

OGL – UnderQuest will have a limited open game license which will allow folks to create new enemies, quests, encounters, and more for the UnderQuest system. Iron Helm has a strong following from some very talented and creative folks and I want UnderQuest to take that to the next level. I am excited to see what people come up with.

Well, that is about all I have for now. UnderQuest is indeed still being worked on and now I have much more focused vision for it. The aim is a spiritual successor to Iron Helm that addresses some of the issues with Iron Helm, while adding a fresh new layer to it. Stay tuned…

The Crowd Sale for Gnome Pack #1 Has Launched!

Many folks have been asking for a way to get previously released promo cards for many games in the Grey Gnome Library. Prior to the release of this Promo Pack, you would have had to buy particular games in order to get them, that perhaps you had no interest in purchasing. Now you can get them all in one place. BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE… Not only does this Promo Pack include all of those older cards, but it also includes an astounding 50+ all-new promo cards for all of our most popular solo games.

LINK TO THE CROWD SALE

So what is in the pack?

Crowd Sale for Gnome Pack #1 is Coming!

Gnome Pack #1 Crowd Sale

Crowd Sale for Tin Realm is LIVE!!!

Tin Realm takes place moments after Tin Helm. You may even use all of the characters, loot, trappings, and enemies from Tin Helm in Tin Realm! The reverse is also true. HOWEVER YOU DO NOT NEED A COPY OF TIN HELM TO PLAY THIS GAME. TIN REALM IS A STAND-ALONE GAME. Having a copy of both however, will only expand your options for both.

Link to the Tin Realm Crowd Sale

What Makes Tin Realm Special?

(1) In Tin Realm you can choose from 3 unique races and classes for a combination of 6 completely different adventurers! If you combine the 6 previously released races/classes for Tin Helm you will have a staggering 72 combinations!

(2) Tin Realm uses a similar exploration mechanic to the innovative one used in Tin Helm, except now you will be building a panoramic tableau with your cards, trying to match up icons, in an attempt to move your character along the road to Oakinshelm.

(3) The only way to win Tin Realm is to reach Oakinshelm, but there are many ways to die, including a the introduction of poison! You are welcome…

Choose Your Adventurer

First you pick your race and then you flip the remaining cards to their class side and then you pick a class. In this way you have a total of 6 different combinations to choose from. Each race has a class they cannot be, as that class is on the backside of their card. Races set the base for your starting health, energy, and food, while also each having a unique special power. Your class adds a health and energy bonus, tells you how much damage you can deal in combat, and also shows you what starting trappings you will enter the dungeon with. You may use race and class cards previously released for Tin Helm to increase the number of combinations up to 72!

Adventuring in the Overland

Working your way through the treacherous overland in Tin Realm is a tense and satisfying experience. You always have a choice and you always are given a bit of information, but you never truly know what lurks behind each corner until you make the commitment to explore…

Just like in Tin Helm, you may choose to resolve the top card in the exploration deck by simply placing the card to the side and then flipping the next card in the deck to its reverse side. Here you will find the results of what is actually in the first room!

(OR)

You may choose to skip the top card by flipping it to its reverse side and then drawing and placing the next card beside it face-up. The first card now gives you the results for what is in the second room! Sometimes this is risky, but what fun is an adventure without a little risk…?

What makes Tin Realm quite different from Tin Helm is that once you resolve an exploration card, you must place it to a tableau. On the edges of each exploration card there is half of an icon. Whenever you match-up two halves of an icon to complete a Forest, Mountain, or Water icon, you get to advance your adventurer down the path on the map cards and closer to your end goal, Oakinshelm! In the extremely rare case that you are forced to complete a skull icon, you die immediately! Muhahahahaha!

Every time you are asked to move on the map cards, you will move your meeple along the path, node to node, towards Oakinshelm. If you land on, or pass, a campsite or water icon, you may take the corresponding action. There are 4 map cards and they are all double-sided. One side is for normal mode (3 nodes each for a shorter adventure), and the other side is for hardcore mode (4 nodes each for a longer and hance a more difficult adventure). You are free to flip only one or flip all four map cards to create the exact challenge you want.

Tin Realm will only be on sale from January 16th through the 26th! A link to the campaign is above. Thanks and enjoy!

New Year Sale Jan 1st-10th

The annual New Year Sale is launching tomorrow on the Game Crafter! This is a site-wide sale with many amazing games on sale by many great indie designers. Here is a list of all the items Grey Gnome will have on sale and the price for them:

Iron Helm $48
Iron Chest $30
Desolate $20
Zogar’s Revenge $20
Dustrunner $15
Gate $15
Gates $15
Tin Helm $15
All Small Game Mats $16
All Large Game Mats $19

Shifting Design Priorities

Often times a creative person may find themselves at a crossroad. Something I have learned, through the course of many years of designing games, is to listen to my heart. Sometimes I may show off a game and never actually finish it. I have done this a couple of times in the past decade. There are many reasons for this. At the core it is a balancing act.

On one end of the spectrum I need to set realistic expectations for myself. I cannot allow myself to bite off more than I can chew. I have gotten quite good at this. I am typically really good at only starting something that I think I can complete. Part of setting expectations also encompasses having realistic goals for the success of a game. I know my place in this regard and I am thankful and humbled by the following I have gained over the years. For the most part I have this side of things in control.

On the other end of the spectrum lies the space where I allow myself to follow my heart. If I have passion for a project, I pursue it, and I hope that my passion seeps through into my creation. Typically I am good at keeping this in focus, but not always. Sometimes that passion can fade and I have to get better at recognizing this. I also need to not beat myself up over this. It is okay to walk away from a design. It doesn’t have to mean you will never return to it.

The most valuable thing we all have in life is our time. The older I get, the more this comes into focus. I want to spend my time chasing after things I have a passion for. I have so many ideas for games, but only so much time, so I want to focus that time only on games that I have passion for.

This brings me to UnderQuest. I have been working on this title for over two years and have put in thousands of hours into playtesting and illustrating this game, so it makes it that much harder for me to walk away from. I also do not have to say that I will never return to it either. Things do not have to be etched in stone. Maybe I will return to it, but right now I have so many other designs that are pulling at my heart.

One of the larger hurdles for me is the fact that the more time I am working on it, the more I realize I am reinventing the wheel. I already have Desolate, Iron Helm, Tin Helm, Dustrunner, and soon Tin Realm that all sort of do many of the same things. This does not mean this is the end of the draw two, pick one mechanic, but if I am being truly honest, I am a little burnt out on it and want to explore other concepts I have in my head.

With that being said, I am super stoked for Tin Realm, as I think it is a fine example of the mechanic and has a few small twists that make it feel fresh. I also wouldn’t hate making another booster pack for Iron Helm. I really still have passion for that game. UnderQuest just started to feel like an overly complicated Iron Helm the more I work on it. That is not my style.

I hope all of you can understand where this is coming from. I know many folks were very eager for UnderQuest. Initially my thought was to make UnderQuest an adventure game in the likes of Four Against Darkness or D100 Dungeon. Maybe that is how it will return in the future.

Something I am going to actively work on more in light of all of this, is to hold my cards a little closer to my chest on future designs. I do not want to get peoples hopes up for something I do not deliver. I apologize for that. I will say that I do have an idea for a new solo game that I think everyone will be very excited for. I also have a couple of two-player games I want to work on. There is also of course a new edition of Plague. I just do not want to tie myself down with a huge game and I want to follow where my heart leads me. Hopefully all of you will join me on that adventure.

Thanks and kindest regards, Jason

Grey Gnome is 10 Years Old!

In September of 2011 I started Grey Gnome Games. The very first project I tackled was an advanced ruleset for Lego Heroica. Oddly that garnered the site many views in the early days. The first actual game I designed from the ground up was Plague the Card Game. The trick-taker would start out sold only on the Game Crafter in the very early years of its existence. I launched my first Kickstarter for Plague in August of 2012 and the rest is history!

Grey Gnome Games has seen many changes over the past ten years. At first I was solely focused on running Kickstarters, but as time passed, the pressure built up, I decided to step away from that format and now all of Grey Gnome’s library of games are sold through the print-on-demand services of the Game Crafter. This allows me to focus just on designing and illustrating and no more of that icky stuff like dealing with overseas manufacturers, U.S. customs, and fulfillment. What a blessing!

How about a quick look at how the logo for Grey Gnome has changed over the years.

I have a lot of plans for Grey Gnome Games moving forward. I want to focus on making designer journals on this site as a way to connect with fans and potentially other designers. All of the free art assets from Indie Conquest have also been moved to this site, so feel free to use them for your own creation. It is just my way of paying it forward.

Please enjoy the following video that celebrates the anniversary of Grey Gnome Games. Thanks again for all of the support over the years! It really has meant so much to me.