Jay Tummelson of Rio Grande Games Offers an Interview

We have been a little slow to edit and post our interviews. We have a few of them in the pipeline. We got a chance to speak with Jay Tummelson, the owner of Rio Grande Games. His game publishing company is responsible for most of the great European Family Strategy Games that make their way over to the US. Rio Grande Games is a consistant winner of the Spiel Des Jahres award (German Game of the Year).

Some of his stand-out games include:

• Carcassonne
• Puerto Rico
• Dominion
• Stone Age
• Race For The Galaxy
• Power Grid
• Lost Cities
• Thurn & Taxis
• Zooloretto
• Galaxy Trucker

That list goes on and on. If you want to learn a few strategy tips and see what makes Jay and Rio Grande tick, give this set of interviews a listen.

In this one, he speaks to us about the popularity of Dominion and how Dominion: Intrigue works with it.

 

In this portion of the interview, he talks about his take on what Rio Grande Games and Strategy Games are all about and why his company enjoys making them. He also talks about his philosophy on why allowing people to demo his games is important to him.

Working With World-Class Customer Service

What’s more valuable to you? Price or service? Would you pay a few more bucks for the same product if you knew it was backed by quality service?

We had an experience recently that spotlighted the benefits of working with a high-quality company that believes in customer service and in the end, doing what was right for the customer.

Here is what happened.

In late June, we had a customer pick up our Arkham Horror bundle – almost $200 in games. This is not a small order. They get the package and showed their game group – the game group says “not interested – don’t like the theme”.  So, this customer calls me up and tells me this story. He starts asking me about a series of other games he wants to get and that he is going to trade or sell off the Arkham bundle. I told him to send it back to us and we would provide him the 125% money back guarantee.  The experience of gaming is what we sell, and I wanted him to have a positive gaming experience. The games had not even been opened, so I assumed I could just restock them into inventory. They are popular enough that I was not concerned.

So, he ships them back to us – but he shipped them to Amazon because some of the products in the bundle were originally shipped to him from there, while the rest was shipped from a supplier – rather than shipping them back to our posted address.

I was unaware this had occured, until it had already happened and Amazon had received the package. Mind you, we had already sent him replacement games. So, we were out the Arkham bundle, the replacement games, AND the multiple shipping costs – this was to the tune of about $400 now.

Amazon was confused and considered it a “problem package” and tossed it to the side – possibly never to be seen again.

I went back and forth with Support to see what we could do. No dice. Just the runaround.

We finally got a supervisor involved. Immediately they waved the Terms of Service at me and said it was shipped incorrectly and they were not responsible for any of the package – even though some of the games in the package originally shipped from them. They also claimed it was impossible to find the box – but the box had my name on it and my business name on it. We even had tracking numbers to work from. The fact was that if Amazon did the “right thing” rather than what the Terms of Service said, they were certainly not going to take a ding on the bottom line. But, it vastly affected MY bottom line.

Essentially I told the supervisor that his company needed to step up and do the right thing – refund the cost of the lost products, find the box and put those games back into my inventory so they could be  resold, or ship the box to me and let me ship them back to Amazon correctly so they can go into inventory. Blah blah blah and it seemed like they might be destined to let this just go away – even though we were only talking about $146.00, as compared to some of their larger customers.

Last week (now September), I got an e-mail from them saying they were going to credit my account for the games. Then, this week, I see $146 credited to my account at Amazon.

NICE JOB AMAZON! TWO THUMBS UP FOR TAKING CARE OF YOUR CUSTOMER (no matter what the Terms of Service says). They treated me correctly!

I point this out becasue it is important which retailers you choose to buy from and unfortunately you don’t always know the good ones until you have a problem. That is whenthey shine or it fall on their face – when you actually care.

This is why we work with Amazon. They are the best at being an alternate sales channel and at fullfilment of customer’s orders. Are they the easiest to work with? No, there is a lot of labor that goes into shipping the games up to them. But, when we needed them, they were there.

Best Dang Games could be like the other companies. We could just put a picture of a box up on the site and sell it. You receive the package and everyone’s happy. But that’s not what we do. We sell the experience of the gaming hobby and introduce  you to the community. When we actually interact with you, as a customer, we do our best to remember you – especially if you are a returning customer.

We typically offer more information about the games you are buying, we offer you videos that show you how the game works, we provide player aids and links to the online rules, if they are available. We offer this blog you are reading and we offer news and updates via Twitter. 

We do this because you are buying more than a box. You are buying an advocate and a partner that wants to see you enjoy EVERY game you get from us. That’s why we don’t have the massive catalog of games other stores promote. We carry the BEST games. We have played most of the games we promote on our site.   We have turned away games from the site because we did not believe they qualified as a “best dang game”. This helps you sift through the mass of games that are available and allows you to focus your purchasing dollars on the good stuff. You don’t have to TRY something and if you don’t like it, trade it off. Technically, you don’t even have to do a ton of time-consuming research to compare this game to that game. We’ve done that for you. Our catalog is a “best of breed” catalog.

We have actually had people say “What’s wrong? You can’t compete on price, so you throw out the “quality service” tag line!”. I am sorry, but I think these people have missed the boat. Sure, WalMart may have the best prices, but when it comes to service, Costco has them beat – and people pay a membership to shop there.

The fact is this: Every online board game retailer is selling the same boxes. They are not all selling the same experience. What experience do you want?

Best Dang Games beleives we are giving you the best service and shopping experience available in the hobby gaming market and we hope you agree that service and caring about you, our customers, is more important to you than $1.00 or $3.00 on a game.

If you have had any experiences with us or other retailers that spotlight what we are saying (positive or negative) share them with everyone here as a comment on this article. We would love to see if we are off base on this or if more companies need to care about their customers first.

The Curious Case of the Tomb Board Game

About a year or so ago, AEG released a game called Tomb. It did not get a lot of fanfare at the time. As a matter of fact, we only sold a few copies of it, so we did not even stock it. This year, at GenCon, we met with some of the AEG folks and learned of an expansion for this game, called Cryptmaster. I even spent a little bit of time playing it. It seems promising – and we will get to that in a minute.

So, the premise of Tomb is fairly straightforward. Each player seeds the different tombs with Tomb cards, so it is mildly random – but some of the players have an inkling of what they can expect. Over a few turns, they recruit a raiding party, and they venture into the tomb for a hack-n-slash. This is supposed to be a get-in-get-out dungeon crawl where your raiding party is essentially monster fodder. The box says you should be able to play up to six people and it says the game length is about one to two hours.

The premise is great and our gaming group was revved up and ready to go. They like this kind of stuff, so it was a good bet to open the evening with this. Well, that was not the case.

This game was “broken” when we played with a full set of players. There were six people playing plus myself. We all wanted to really like this game and we wanted to believe that it was slow and plodding because we were learning the game. The game lasted for FOUR HOURS and it became a grind to get through.

Each player had a full raiding party of 5 characters, so there were tons of decisions on what to do, and each player’s turn lasted as long as 10-15 minutes each, so, that is an hour per round. There was very little of the players going back and “banking” treasure, recruiting more characters, drawing more cards, etc.

What started out as a fun adventure went on to be a boring monster kill session. People got up, got food, chatted with other friends, and Gary even mentioned that he had considered getting a shower. One of the players actually had to leave and go pick someone up and was gone for an hour or so. They came back and missed one turn. The essence of this game was lost somewhere in the process. Quick and dirty is how it is promoted!

So, this gets us back to GenCon and our meeting with AEG.

It seems that they are releasing an “expansion” for this game called Tomb: Cryptmaster. Now, I was hooked at the idea of this game from the demo – before I played Tomb.

I believe in the premise of the game, so I am still positive about Cryptmaster and its ability to fix the holes in the core game. Let me share with you what AEG told us (and I paraphrase):

“There were some issues with the original Tomb rules, so we adjusted them for this expansion. As a matter of fact, we would prefer that people buy the expansion as the core game and use the base game to expand your ability/weapons cards, quantity of characters, and a second stack of Tomb cards (about 40 go out per game and there are 200 in the box, so that’s a lot of cards). “

So, essentially the new Tomb expansion is the patch to Tomb. Which, if it plays well is great. Sadly, they should not have released a game that needed a patch.

Something else that is cool is that the new board has four entrances to the crypt. This is good, because it took people a turn or two to get to the back of the crypt. Now, they can zip out to the Inn and re-enter at the back of the crypt.

I am not going to spend a lot of words here spelling out all the changes to the rules that have been incorporated into this new “expansion”.

What I will say is that Best Dang Games was going to offer Tomb, because it seemed like a cool game. But after our experience with it, we are choosing not to carry this game (ALONE). We may try to play it one more time or two, to see if first impressions are accurate. Once Cryptmaster comes out, we will shoot to get a demo copy of that game with high hopes once again. If Cryptmaster passes the “fun” test, we will sell it as a single option and we will offer Tomb and Cryptmaster as a bundle together, since that is how it seems you should play it.

The rules for Cryptmaster are available for download.

If you own Tomb and had a similar experience, you may want to consider downloading these rules and using them, rather than the rules that came in the original box of Tomb. Here are the rules for Cryptmaster. If you have played this game, please leave comments to let us know if we are off base on this. If you went to GenCon and demoed Cryptmaster, let us know what you thought. We really want to like this game.

Chicago Express Video Posted

Our ongoing video reviewer, Cory Duplantis, has delivered yet another video for you. This one is a summary of how to play Chicago Express, the Wabash Cannonball reprint from Rio Grande Games. This is a simulation of running a railroad business in the upper portion of the US. If you are a fan of the train game genre, check it out!

Fluxx Card Game – Goals and the Keepers that Go With Them

Author – Chris Skinner

When playing the Fluxx card game, arguably the most important aspect is the end goal of the game.  One of the niftiest parts about this game is the fact that it doesn’t have a single end goal – it has multiple! 

While the Goals tell you exactly what you need right on them, the Keepers in your hand do not tell you which Goal they go with.  Since there are so many in the original, and even more in the newer versions, we’ve put together a list, forward and backwards, of the Goals you have and what Keepers go with them!

Listed By Goal

• Squishy Chocolate – Cholocate and Sun
• Star Gazing – Cosmos and Eye
• Interstellar Spacecraft – Rocket and Cosmos
• Time is Money – Time and Money
• Toast – Bread and Toaster
• All You Need is Love – Love and no other Keepers
• Dough – Bread and Money
• Hippyism – Peace and Love
• Night and Day – Moon and Sun
• Rocket to the Moon – Moon and Rocket
• War = Death – Death and War
• Winning the Lottery – Dreams and Money
• 5 Keepers – Five of any Keeper
• 10 Cards in Hand – 10 cards of any type
• All that is Certain – Death and Taxes
• The Appliances – Television and Toaster
• Dreamland – Dreams and Sleep
• Milk and Cookies – Cookies and Milk
• Party Snacks – Party and (either 1 Bread or 1 Chocolate or 1 Cookie)
• Rocket Science – Brain and Rocket
• Baked Goods – Bread and Cookies
• Bed Time – Sleep and Time
• The Brain (No TV)  – Brain and no TV Keeper anywhere on table
• Chocolate Cookies – Chocolate and Cookies
• Chocolate Milk – Chocolate and Milk
• Death by Chocolate – Chocolate and Death
• Hearts and Minds – Brain and Love
• The Mind’s Eye – Brain and Eye
• Peace (no War) – Peace and no War Creeper anywhere on table

By Keeper

The number in parenthesis indicates the frequency it shows up in Goals

•  The Brain(4) – Rocket Science, The Brain (no TV), Hearts and Minds, The Mind’s Eye
• Bread – (4) – Dough, Toast, Party Snacks, Baked Goods
• Chocolate – (4) – Squishy Chocolate, Party Snacks, Chocolate Cookies, Death By Chocolate
• Cookies – (4) – Milk and Cookies, Baked Goods, Chocolate Cookies, Party Snacks
• The Cosmos – (2) – Star Gazing, Interstellar Spacecraft
• Death – (3) – All That is Certain, Death by Chocolate, War = Death
• Dreams – (2) – Dreamland, Winning the Lottery
• The Eye – (2) – Star Gazing, The Mind’s Eye
• Love – (3) – All You Need Is Love, Hippyism, Hearts and Minds
• Milk – (2) – Milk and Cookies, Chocolate Milk
• Money – (3) – Time is Money, Dough, Winning the Lottery
• The Moon – (2) – Night and Day, Rocket to the Moon
• The Party – (1) – Party Snacks
• Peace – (2) – Hippyism, Peace (No War)
• The Rocket – (3) – Interstellar Spacecraft, Rocket to the Moon, Rocket Science
• Sleep – (2) – Bed Time, Dreamland
• Taxes – (1) – All That Is Certain
• The Sun – (2) – Squishy Chocolate, Night and Day
• Television – (1) – The Appliances
• Time – (2) – Time is Money, Bed Time
• The Toaster – (2) – The Appliances, Toast
• War – (1) – War = Death

Are You Coming to GenCon 2009?

If you plan to be there, don’t forget to look for Best Dang Games! We will be wandering the floor enjoying the event. However, we want to meet you!

If you see us, come up and say hello. We will have BDG shirts on with our logo.

If you give us your e-mail address for our mailing list, we will share a 20% coupon with everyone that signs up at GenCon. How sweet is that?

But wait, there’s more! By getting on our mailing list, you automatically qualify for the 10% off coupon all registrants get. Yes, 20% off one order and 10% off a second order.

But wait, we aren’t done yet! We will also have a drawing from the registered names. FOUR lucky gamers will get their pick of a game that is $50 or less (including shipping) for FREE! Yes, FREE!

So, is it worth your effort to say hello?
1) Free newsletter
2) 20% off one order
3) 10% off a second order
4) Potential to win one of four games (your choice under $50 with shipping)

Happy Gaming and we hope to see you at GenCon!

New Race For The Galaxy Card Game Expansion Videos Posted

Cory Duplantis has hooked us up again with some more review and overview videos. We focused on Race For The Galaxy again, but this time, we dove into the two expansions, The Gathering Storm and Rebel Vs. Imperium.

If you are curious about this game, hopefully these will help you get a better feel for them.

New Race For The Galaxy Card Game Video Posted

We have the first in a multi-video series posted about the Rio Grande Games card game, Race For The Galaxy.

This game is an advanced version of Puerto Rico and San Juan, but with a science-fiction theme.

In this first video, of three, Cory Duplantis introduces the concepts of the game and how the basic flow of the game works.

New Catan Card Game Video Posted

If you like Settlers of Catan, Card Games, and portability, you should check this video out. Cory Duplantis provides you with an overview of how to play the game, as well as a bit of strategy and a review.

Enjoy!

Luck in Board Games: How Much Should There Be?

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

–Seneca

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

–Thomas Jefferson

Most board games contain a combination of skill and luck, and this is no accident. Without some element of skill, some ability for players to influence the outcome of the game, there would be no need for players at all. The children’s game, Candyland, works exactly the same regardless of who is playing, because the players are irrelevant: They have absolutely no volition or ability to affect the game.

Without some luck, however, many games would lose a lot of their replayability. Even a small element of randomness can change a game from something where there is a single best strategy all the time, into a dynamic game where players must constantly adapt their strategies to the random circumstances of each particular play session.

Naturally, each person has their own sweet spot for combinations of luck and skill in a game. Some gamers dislike luck and randomness because they feel it dilutes the pure match of minds that a luckless strategy game offers. Other gamers don’t like thinking about infinite complex strategies, and enjoy games that offer something random and fun every time. Personally, I tend to feel that the longer a game is, the less randomness I want it to have.

There’s no right answer. The real question to ask is, how much luck do *you* want? Here are some games that span the full luck axis:

No Luck

 Generally speaking, abstract strategy games have no luck. This makes them ideal for people who hate the idea of random chance affecting their game, and like to play the same game many times in order to master it. Chess is obviously the best example of this, and has players who have played literally thousands of games.

 However, in any multi-player game, such as a four-player game of Blokus, there can be a sense of randomness based on what pieces your opponents place. There’s no real luck involved, since everything is pure strategic choice, but the seeming randomness can keep the game feeling new each time.

Slight Luck

Most eurogames have a slight degree of luck and randomness. Ideally, this should be an amount sufficient to force players to adapt their strategies to each instance of the game, but not so much luck that an obviously inferior strategy can result in victory. A great example of this is Puerto Rico, where the single random element is the stock of available plantations. This is only a tiny part of the game, but players must consider it carefully when planning their strategies.

Medium Luck

Medium luck games often seem to be high luck games, until you realize that the luck always seems to favor the same players. Re-read the quotes at the top of the article – they apply especially to medium-luck games. Kingsburg and BattleLore may both have you rolling dice every turn, but it’s the strategic use of these dice, and positioning before rolling these dice, that often carries the day. Yes, a long series of bad rolls can lose the game for even the best player, but more often than not, a superior strategy will lead to victory. In a medium-luck game, smart play often means setting yourself up so that most rolls would still benefit you.

High Luck

Generally speaking, high luck games tend to be fairly quick. Consequently, they make good fillers when people are too mentally tired to play a low-luck game that requires lots of strategic thinking. Fluxx is a good example of a high luck game, where the random draw of a new goal card can swiftly change which player is likely to win, regardless of strategic play up to that point.

Entirely Luck

No games worth playing are entirely luck. A few kids’ games like Life and Candyland fall in this category, but give your kids some credit and try a game that gives them some volition. They’ll learn more, and probably enjoy it more too.