This message was sent to all the Clout: Fantasy Tournament Organizers. It has good info for everyone, so I'm posting here as well.
Hello everyone,
I've a couple of people have asked me for the "March" tournament kit. I have bad news. I don't have any new promo chips...yet. I'm working with the leftover promo chips from AEG until new chips can be manufactured, which is still a ways off. There's still a chance I can get additional chips from one of our overseas partners, but that's very iffy. For the time being, I only have Hands of Venom (running out), Helm of Leaderships, and Shrunken Heads. As requested, we are working on a new poster that will include a place to write in event times/days/dates.
I've mentioned CLINCH (Clout International Challenge) a couple of times on the message boards. CLINCH is the name of Clout's long term organized play system, and we expect it to be ready to launch in April. Here are some details:
* CLINCH tournament kit will be designed to support specific expansions. New kits will be released along with each new Clout expansion.
* Each CLINCH tournament pack will contain 1 chip for each faction, plus 1 neutral chip for the event winner. These will be tournament legal chips available only through CLINCH. These chips will be non-unique, designed to be collected in sets of 3. In order to have so many different chips in the kit, they need to last several months.
* Unique (as far as I know) CLINCH 'ranking' system. Rather than reporting tournament results, special metal medallions will be included with the kits to be issued to the winning players. Collections of these medallions will act as the player's invitation to special events (like nationals). Players are free to trade, buy, and sell these medallions, if they choose.
It's not clear yet how the CLINCH kits will be distributed. I think we can give a limited amount away (like 1 per month per TO) for free, then charge our cost for additional kits each month.
Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome!
Monday, February 27, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Clout Retailer Locator
Another piece of the puzzle has just fallen into place. We have a retailer locator system at hiddencitygames.com !
If you are looking to purchase Clout, check out the listing to see if there's a store near you. If you are a retailer and looking to sell Clout, make sure you're on the list. Signing up is easy!
Click on the Sidebar link to go straight there!
-Adam
If you are looking to purchase Clout, check out the listing to see if there's a store near you. If you are a retailer and looking to sell Clout, make sure you're on the list. Signing up is easy!
Click on the Sidebar link to go straight there!
-Adam
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
ConQuest NW Tournament
We had a great time at Conquest, including our Sunday afternoon Constructed Stack Tournament. Don and his Centuars walked away the big winner soundly defeating Micca's Undead and our own Paul Peterson's Dragons.
Thanks to everyone who attended!
Thanks to everyone who attended!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Venture Demonstration Team Program
The Hidden City Games™ Venture Demonstration Team is a network of skilled and enthusiastic players across the United States and Canada who are trained to teach new players about Clout Fantasy™ and other HCG games. These fantastic volunteers are authorized to organize and run demos and tournaments at retail stores, game clubs, and conventions.
Why join the program? We think the world of our Venture Team members and want to reward them for their enthusiasm and commitment. As a Venture Team member, you’ll get:
* Venture points that can be redeemed for Clout products and promotional items
* Access to even more exclusive items through our auctions
* Invitations to special events and conventions
* Exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming events, publications, and promotions
* Access to the Venture Team area on our website, including the members-only Venture Team forum
* Scheduling and reporting via convenient online forms
Members who advance to higher levels in the program earn additional privileges, including limited-edition apparel and the chance to represent HCG at the game industry’s most important conventions, such as Origins and Gen Con.
How the program works: Once you join, you’ll receive a welcome packet with complete instructions for scheduling and reporting your first event. It’s pretty simple. All it takes is a little organizational skill. For each event you report, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for cool promotional items and Clout products. Earning points also moves you up the ranks of the Venture Team. The higher your ranking, the more exciting the rewards.
To become a Venture Team member, you must:
* Be at least 18 years of age or older. (Proof of age is required.)
* Have reliable transportation, internet access, and a working phone number
* Hold at least one event per month
* Work with approved Venture Stores and encourage other retailers to become Venture Stores (Venture Stores get exclusive promotional items, first-look previews, and massive event support—all free.)
* Help us at local events and conventions whenever possible
* Conduct yourself in an exemplary manner and keep your uniform looking sharp (You’re representing us, after all!)
* Be aware that Venture Team membership is “at will” and can be canceled at any time by either party
* Have fun! Fun is contagious: If you love playing our games, other people will too.
Interested? Join our team! If you think you have the commitment, professionalism, and excitement it takes to be a Venture Team member, we would love to hear from you. Please submit the attached application. We will respond by email in 10–14 days (longer during holidays and convention times).
If you are accepted into the program, we’ll send you a welcome packet explaining what’s expected of you in more detail, the materials available to you, and so on. You will also be contacted by a Hidden City Games manager, who will coach you on how to be a great ambassador for gaming and answer any questions you may have.
Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Venture Demo Team!
Questions? Email us at customerservice@hiddencitygames.com
Why join the program? We think the world of our Venture Team members and want to reward them for their enthusiasm and commitment. As a Venture Team member, you’ll get:
* Venture points that can be redeemed for Clout products and promotional items
* Access to even more exclusive items through our auctions
* Invitations to special events and conventions
* Exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming events, publications, and promotions
* Access to the Venture Team area on our website, including the members-only Venture Team forum
* Scheduling and reporting via convenient online forms
Members who advance to higher levels in the program earn additional privileges, including limited-edition apparel and the chance to represent HCG at the game industry’s most important conventions, such as Origins and Gen Con.
How the program works: Once you join, you’ll receive a welcome packet with complete instructions for scheduling and reporting your first event. It’s pretty simple. All it takes is a little organizational skill. For each event you report, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for cool promotional items and Clout products. Earning points also moves you up the ranks of the Venture Team. The higher your ranking, the more exciting the rewards.
To become a Venture Team member, you must:
* Be at least 18 years of age or older. (Proof of age is required.)
* Have reliable transportation, internet access, and a working phone number
* Hold at least one event per month
* Work with approved Venture Stores and encourage other retailers to become Venture Stores (Venture Stores get exclusive promotional items, first-look previews, and massive event support—all free.)
* Help us at local events and conventions whenever possible
* Conduct yourself in an exemplary manner and keep your uniform looking sharp (You’re representing us, after all!)
* Be aware that Venture Team membership is “at will” and can be canceled at any time by either party
* Have fun! Fun is contagious: If you love playing our games, other people will too.
Interested? Join our team! If you think you have the commitment, professionalism, and excitement it takes to be a Venture Team member, we would love to hear from you. Please submit the attached application. We will respond by email in 10–14 days (longer during holidays and convention times).
If you are accepted into the program, we’ll send you a welcome packet explaining what’s expected of you in more detail, the materials available to you, and so on. You will also be contacted by a Hidden City Games manager, who will coach you on how to be a great ambassador for gaming and answer any questions you may have.
Thank you, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Venture Demo Team!
Questions? Email us at customerservice@hiddencitygames.com
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Reporting Clout Tournaments
Question: I am a tournament organizer for Clout, and I've run an event or two. How do I report the results to you?
Answer: Unless you want to, you don't. We do not have or want a reporting system. I would love to hear how your tournaments went, how many people showed up, what they played, and who and what won, but I don't require anything. For now, the games are for games' sake. But...
Results will matter soon. CLINCH (CLout INternational CHallenge) is right around the corner. I think we'll be ready to announce its details next month. It's a completely new sort of tournament series, so be prepared for something a little more fun than what's been offered before. It's also designed to require the least amount of paperwork/reporting of any trading game system, ever.
A tournament organizer's most important job is putting on a great, fun, tournament for the players. That's where all my focus goes.
-Adam
Answer: Unless you want to, you don't. We do not have or want a reporting system. I would love to hear how your tournaments went, how many people showed up, what they played, and who and what won, but I don't require anything. For now, the games are for games' sake. But...
Results will matter soon. CLINCH (CLout INternational CHallenge) is right around the corner. I think we'll be ready to announce its details next month. It's a completely new sort of tournament series, so be prepared for something a little more fun than what's been offered before. It's also designed to require the least amount of paperwork/reporting of any trading game system, ever.
A tournament organizer's most important job is putting on a great, fun, tournament for the players. That's where all my focus goes.
-Adam
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Clout Starter Draft Rules
Drafts are a great way to play any trading game when you're just getting started. Clout doesn't have an obvious way to play draft-style events, so we devised this method as an alternative to card game drafts. I think this is a terrific format for even beginners, provided they get some help drafting from an experienced player/judge.
Starter Draft
Because of Clout's rigid stack construction rules (all one color, two bases, 25 points) we have discovered that the best way to do a booster draft is to draft with 6 booster packs/player, then based on the chips drafted, select a starter stack and modify it.
Rules:
Open the first 3 packs, draft by selecting one and passing the rest to the right. Repeat until all the chips have been selected.
Then
Open the last 3 packs, draft by selectiong one and passing the rest to the left. Repeat until all the chips have been selected.
Once everyone has a nicely drafted selection of chips, they may *then* choose a starter stack and modify it using their drafted chips. The starter stacks do *not* have to be new, so players do not need to purchase new ones each draft.
All the rules for stack construction apply, so it's important to draft low-cost chips as well as power chips. The stack must have 15 chips and 2 bases. You could, if you wanted, play with fewer than 25 points, but you'd be robbing yourself.
Stack Lists (courtesy of sporadicgames.com)
Centaur Goblin Elf Undead
Starter Draft
Because of Clout's rigid stack construction rules (all one color, two bases, 25 points) we have discovered that the best way to do a booster draft is to draft with 6 booster packs/player, then based on the chips drafted, select a starter stack and modify it.
Rules:
Open the first 3 packs, draft by selecting one and passing the rest to the right. Repeat until all the chips have been selected.
Then
Open the last 3 packs, draft by selectiong one and passing the rest to the left. Repeat until all the chips have been selected.
Once everyone has a nicely drafted selection of chips, they may *then* choose a starter stack and modify it using their drafted chips. The starter stacks do *not* have to be new, so players do not need to purchase new ones each draft.
All the rules for stack construction apply, so it's important to draft low-cost chips as well as power chips. The stack must have 15 chips and 2 bases. You could, if you wanted, play with fewer than 25 points, but you'd be robbing yourself.
Stack Lists (courtesy of sporadicgames.com)
Centaur Goblin Elf Undead
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Clout: Fantasy Online Forums
Since the begining of the year the forum has been gaining an average of more than one new member per day, and today (Feb 9th) we broke the record for most users logged on at one time, with 22 users. The old record was 20 set on Jan 26th and the record before that was in the teens and set way back in September.
Current forum highlights:
Wildcard's Eternal Auction, now in its sixth week, and going strong. Current chips up for bid: 2 Hands of Venom, 1 Helm of Leadership, 1 Trickster, 1 Necromancer, and 1 Harpy Slasher. Current high bid: 2 Clout Logo chips, 1 Deep Woods Bard. (Don't expect heavy bidding until Monday when the auction ends!)
An almost heated debate about how powerful the Possess ability is.
Currently rating (1-5 stars) the black rare chips. I'll have results for everyone to see in a few days (or you could check the forum!)
62 reported 'good trades' on the Good Trader list, which is less than a month old. Even I'm on the list!
A "create-a-chip" thread.
And lots and lots of stack lists, posted for comments. Comments are plentiful!
Most of the posts are by our great core group of players, but that group has started to expand in the last few weeks with new players from Arizona all the way to Norway. I've also landed two more tournament organizers from the forum crowd just today.
While trying not to lay it on too thick (too late), I'd like to say I am really proud of the Clout forum community we have all created! I am dead serious when I say I haven't had this much fun online in years.
The link is in on the sidebar, or right here.
-Adam
Current forum highlights:
Wildcard's Eternal Auction, now in its sixth week, and going strong. Current chips up for bid: 2 Hands of Venom, 1 Helm of Leadership, 1 Trickster, 1 Necromancer, and 1 Harpy Slasher. Current high bid: 2 Clout Logo chips, 1 Deep Woods Bard. (Don't expect heavy bidding until Monday when the auction ends!)
An almost heated debate about how powerful the Possess ability is.
Currently rating (1-5 stars) the black rare chips. I'll have results for everyone to see in a few days (or you could check the forum!)
62 reported 'good trades' on the Good Trader list, which is less than a month old. Even I'm on the list!
A "create-a-chip" thread.
And lots and lots of stack lists, posted for comments. Comments are plentiful!
Most of the posts are by our great core group of players, but that group has started to expand in the last few weeks with new players from Arizona all the way to Norway. I've also landed two more tournament organizers from the forum crowd just today.
While trying not to lay it on too thick (too late), I'd like to say I am really proud of the Clout forum community we have all created! I am dead serious when I say I haven't had this much fun online in years.
The link is in on the sidebar, or right here.
-Adam
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
ConQuest NW Feb 17-20
Hidden City Games will be attending ConQuest NW in SeaTac WA.
Hidden City Games is bringing the whole gang!
I'll be there all weekend at our booth/table running Clout: Fantasy demos.
Starter Draft - Friday 4pm
Starter Draft - Saturday 2pm
Constructed Multiplayer - Sunday 2pm
The constructed event should be something special. We're getting the entire HCG staff to come, plus everyone we know. I'll be running the tournaments, which on Sunday will allow Jesper and Paul to play.
Prizes for the Constructed Tournament Include: Sealed Product, US Promo Chips, & International Promo Chips
Hidden City Games is bringing the whole gang!
I'll be there all weekend at our booth/table running Clout: Fantasy demos.
Starter Draft - Friday 4pm
Starter Draft - Saturday 2pm
Constructed Multiplayer - Sunday 2pm
The constructed event should be something special. We're getting the entire HCG staff to come, plus everyone we know. I'll be running the tournaments, which on Sunday will allow Jesper and Paul to play.
Prizes for the Constructed Tournament Include: Sealed Product, US Promo Chips, & International Promo Chips
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Organized Play is GO!
With Hidden City Games taking over for AEG in December, we've had our work cut out for us. We went from just producing the game (which was plenty!) to that plus organized play, customer service, sales, marketing, and almost certainly more.
It took a few weeks to get things rolling, but rolling they are and so far feedback has been terrific. I've added nearly 50 new tournament organizers to my list in just a couple of weeks, and new ones are jumping on board every week.
The first tournament kit, which I'm calling Kit#1 (fancy name, eh?) contains 2 Hand of Venom promo chips, plus 6 Helm of Leadership chips. Kit#1 has been available since the beginning of January and will remain available.
As of Feb 1st, the second kit, Kit#2 (do you see the pattern?) has been added to the mix. It still has the Hands, but replaces the Helms with a new Promo, Shrunked Head. Tournament organizers are now getting kit #2 by default, though they may request either.
New tournament organizers will start getting an updated Kit#1 with information specifically for new Clout: Fantasy TO's as their first kit.
In addition to kits, I've also distributed over 100 Clout/AEG playmats. While they're sort of ugly, they are nice for playing on. Check them out here
If you need any of this stuff, just let me know. I will set you up!
Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
