THE GOTHIC GAME emerges from the Crypt
Game Information
It's Halloween time over at Gameshark.com and it's finally time for me to cover a game that I've been putting off writing about for years. It's THE GOTHIC GAME, one of the best and most painfully obscure games you can possibly imagine. I first played it sometime around 1994-1995 when Frank Branham, whom I didn't really know at the time, spied me and my gothed-out friends and thought we might dig it. We did. I wouldn't play it again until almost a decade later when Robert Martin practically insisted we play it at every single gaming session. The good news is that the game is a blast, and if you have played it you either love it or you're a dirty spreadsheet-minded Eurogamer.
Find the Review in our Review Section Here: The Gothic Game Review
The last time I paid a "market"listing price for a game was for Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit at $100.
Where did you even find one to buy? This game is STUPID rare...it was hard to get during the 20 minutes or so that it was in print, now it's practically non-existent...unless you want to pay the big bucks...I'd actually go $150 on it as a max, which would make it the most I'd be willing to pay for any game. It is truly one of a kind.
It's a shame that the reprint effort that I was involved in about 10 years ago never got out of early talks...we had the designer on board, he was interested and I did some work on new cards for every room... The goal was for it to be 100% playable as it was originally published along with the new, revised edition. So not a whole lot was going to change, if anything I just wanted to make the game more brutal, unfair and hilarious.
But it just didn't take off- our backed lost interest and away it went.
Yep, that's exactly what I did.wadenels wrote: The original designer still lives and, with some courtesy and some taste, he may be willing to ship out one of his last few copies. That's how I got mine.
Aaaaaand SOLD to one Mr. Barnes Esq. for $150!*
* Joking of course, it's staying on my forever shelf.
Michael Barnes wrote: Now that's what I call a necro thread!
Where did you even find one to buy? This game is STUPID rare...it was hard to get during the 20 minutes or so that it was in print, now it's practically non-existent...unless you want to pay the big bucks...I'd actually go $150 on it as a max, which would make it the most I'd be willing to pay for any game. It is truly one of a kind.
It's a shame that the reprint effort that I was involved in about 10 years ago never got out of early talks...we had the designer on board, he was interested and I did some work on new cards for every room... The goal was for it to be 100% playable as it was originally published along with the new, revised edition. So not a whole lot was going to change, if anything I just wanted to make the game more brutal, unfair and hilarious.
But it just didn't take off- our backed lost interest and away it went.
Kickstarter?
Shellhead wrote: I really like The Gothic Game, but $150 is too much to pay. It has the simplicity of the classic family boardgames combined with dark humor and a unique appearance. However, it can go on a bit long for a game with player elimination.
What is the running time? On BGG for some odd reason I thought it said 20 minutes but on second view it doesn't say.
Here's a protip Doc. Make sure you play with the dice cup rule. Players MUST roll (or "throw") the die with the cup. If they do not, they immediately die and are eliminated from the game. I'm serious. This results in LOTS of hilariousness as people try to get each other to throw without it. Like handing over the die but not the cup. It adds a touch of nastiness to it that is lots of fun.
How much time would you have aimed for? I like the cup rule. In the pirate game called Trade Winds, you have a tiny ship that you can load up with treasures but if at any point any treasure drops out of it, it's gone. Much laughter has been had with people losing a shit ton of loot due to clumsiness combined with greed.Michael Barnes wrote: It can go pretty long...with a full table, it can hit 90 minutes, easily...especially if you are playing properly and goofing off the entire time. One of the things I wanted to do with it was to put some kind of a timer on it.
Here's a protip Doc. Make sure you play with the dice cup rule. Players MUST roll (or "throw") the die with the cup. If they do not, they immediately die and are eliminated from the game. I'm serious. This results in LOTS of hilariousness as people try to get each other to throw without it. Like handing over the die but not the cup. It adds a touch of nastiness to it that is lots of fun.
What a difference it makes to have a higher-paying job. I recently paid $120 plus $20 shipping to get The Gothic Game. The box has a bit of wear and tear, but the contents are in great condition. Judging by the scoring sheets, the seller played two 8-player games and then never again.
Hey guys. So excited to see everyone so jazzed for our game. We're relaunching a bigger and better version of the game this spring (2021) and we'd love to have you all along for the ride. If you're interested in finding out more about our brutal competitive remake of this stone cold classic, then join our mailing list on our website for all the latest news on our Kickstarter.
I'll be around online answering questions and revealing more about our upcoming remake of the cult classic Gothic Game. I can't wait to see what you all think.
Damnation: The Gothic Game - Spring 2021
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