Help boost the Kill Shakespeare Game's Rating!
Hey Bardolaters and Holmesians!We're back beating the gaming drum again and hoping you can help us get a bit more love for our board game baby 
Board Game Geek is a very influential corner of the internet when it comes to talking games. Right now Kill Shakespeare's rating is lower than we think the game deserves. We're asking you to go out there and rate the board game (obviously with what you feel it deserves), the more votes and comments we get, the more attention we can bring to the game -- and the more "frenemies" you can find to play with you!You'll need to register for a BGG account first, but if you like board games you'll want one of these anyway.Once you are a member rating a game is a bit tricky so let us walk you through it:a) At the top left of the screen, beside your log-in name, there are a series of drop-down menus. Click "My Geek"b) Choose "Collection"c) On the top left is a button "Add Games'. Click that.d) Type the name of the game you want to add in the dialogue box and click it when it comes up.e) Once the game title is listed in your collection you can click on the N/A button below the heading Your Rating to add a rating and then click on the empty space below "Comments" to add a comment. Be honest. If you're frustrated with the game let us know, if you think it's great, let us know.Thanks again for being the best group of fans in comicdom! (and gamedom now too!)C&A
Helpful files for the Kill Shakespeare Game HERE
Happy New Year (again) everyone!
Many of you have been reaching out to us on social media to let us know you received a copy of the Kill Shakespeare Board Game for the holidays. Thank you so much for supporting us. We want to hear everything we can about how you are liking the game, what you think can be improved, and what you'd want to see in expansion packs for the game.For those of you who didn't realize we had a game out you can go here for a great review and discussion of how it came to be (And if you have the game? Ah, go ahead. Click anyway!)This was the first time making a game for us and for IDW who spearheaded the project. While we're VERY proud of the game that Wolf and Tomas designed for us, it's incredibly thought-out and meticulously play-tested and put together, we know that some of the peripherals are a bit lacking.But IDW isn't the kind of partner to shrug their shoulders and say "oh, we'll get'em next time!" They've been working their butts off with a few different folks around the internet - including David Minken of ConnectMore - who posts amazing play-throughs of tons of great games. Together they have made a collection of bonus materials, rules, a turn description, a summary sheet of how each round works, etc... to make your game playing (or giving) experience easier - and we want to share those with you.To access the folder with all these goodies click here.Now go, play and have fun!All the best,Conor & Anthony
Game Launch? Check! Beer Drank? Check! Good times had? Check!
In the immortal words of the Bard: "that was a hell of a night."
Thanks to EVERYONE who came down to Snakes & Lagers last night to be part of the official game launch. Beer was drank, dice were rolled, backstabbing commenced (for the table I was at it came on the very first turn from a particularly feisty Juliet), and all in all it was very Shakespearean.Thanks also for the feedback you gave us. We really appreciated hearing what you loved about the game (the depth, the replayability, the awesome design) and what you thought could be improved (a rulebook that was easier to understand).We're happy to say that IDW is busy working on a new version of that slightly wonky rulebook. For those of you at the event you got to work off of some of the new cheat sheets they created(created by the amazing David Minken at Connect-More.ca, thanks David!) you could see how much they helped - we'll have a full set of those ready to go to Kickstarter backers soon.But if you have the game through non Kickstarter means, or are going to order it, give us a shout at muchado@killshakespeare.com and I can get you those files ASAP. While the game itself works amazingly well there are a FEW confusing bits in the rulebook that make the first turns a bit longer than they need to be.
But even with that minor challenge, I was amazed at how people tackled the game and kicked some Ricardian ass!Now if you're sad you missed the event, have no fear, TONIGHT (December 10th) at 6PM on SPACE's news journal show, Innerspace, you can see the whole thing and geek out as if you were right there WITH US!
Now of course I need to say a HUGE thank you to Aaron, Ben and Kayla at Snakes & Lagers. You guys were fantastic hosts and we couldn't have asked for a better venue to unveil the game. I also want to say thanks to Barry and the MacAuslan team for putting together the beer prize packs. And of course a big thank you to Doug and Matt from Paradise Comics who shocked everyone by DEBUTING VOLUME 4 of Kill Shakespeare at the event.
(I also want to nod towards John at 401 Games and George at the Silver Snail who generously allowed us to grab their stock to make sure we had enough games to meet demand.)
If you missed the event but NEED some Kill Shakespeare in your games cupboard and you don't see it at your local game or comic shop the Snakes folks can help you there too -- they send more games around Canada than anyone else. So you can buy your copy here: http://www.snakesandlattes.com/shop/What a great night -- we can't wait to do it all again!
You're Invited!
Alright you guys, it's time to come out and celebrate with us!
The K.S. Board Game is FINALLY out and has been delivered to almost all of our Kickstarter supporters as well as to game shops across North America. We're patting ourselves on the back and throwing a launch party with the help of the amazing people at Snakes & Lagers - 488 College St.
The whole thing goes down next Tuesday, December 9th from 5 PM until your brains explode from awesome gaming.
AND we want two of you, are dedicated fans to win the chance to play at the head table against Conor and our special MYSTERY GUEST (shhhh, it might be Ajay).
To do that you need to tell me WHAT GAME IS FESTE playing here in Issue #3 of The Tide of Blood?
This is a tough one, so keep an eye on our social media, twitter, Facebook and tumblr for more clues.
For all the details on the launch read on below!
Kill Shakespeare and Snakes & Lagers team up to launch KILL SHAKESPEARE BOARD GAME
Lucky fans will get chance to beat Kill Shakespeare co-creator Conor McCreery at his own game and meet SPACE TV’s Ajay Fry.
Toronto: Fans of both ‘Bardicide’ and brews will get a chance to combine their passions as Toronto’s #1 gaming bar, Snakes & Lagers hosts the official release party for Kill Shakespeare: The Board Game— based on the award winning Kill Shakespeare comic series.SPACE TV’s Ajay Fry will host the evening, and portions of the event will be shown on Hyperspace, SPACE’s flagship news program for all things in Geek culture. Kill Shakespeare co-creator Conor McCreery will also be at Snakes and two fans will get a chance to beat him (and Fry) at his own game by winning seats at the head table with Conor and Ajay.The evening begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday December 9th at 488 College St. West. To help celebrate the launch Snakes & Lagers will offer special deals to gamers on a host of their craft beers.Kill Shakespeare: The Board Game is the first release from IDW Games. Designed by Tomas Vande Giste and Wolf Plancke, the creators of the cult classic strategy game Yedo, Kill Shakespeare is a semi-co-operative game in which you and up to three friends each play as one of Shakespeare’s legendary heroes: Hamlet, Juliet Falstaff, Othello or Viola. Together you must overthrow the oppressive duo of Richard III and Lady Macbeth.But, as in real life—only one of you can be the hero of the revolution—and the ultimate winner of the game. This forces each player to constantly balance their actions between what’s good for the rebellion, with their own desire to be crowned the new King or Queen of Illyria.“I’m looking forward to teaming up with two passionate gamers to take down Richard and Lady Macbeth, but of course I’m going to be forced to backstab them in the end,” says McCreery. “What else would you expect from a guy who always plays as Falstaff?”To get your chance to play at the head table follow @KillShakespeare and @SnakesandLagers and “like” the Kill Shakespeare and Snakes Facebook pages for contest information.For more information contact:Kill Shakespeare Snakes & LagersConor McCreery Aaron Zack416.844.4122 647.748.4004Muchado@killshakespeare.com aaron@snakesandlattes.com Kill Shakespeare (IDW Publishing) is an award-winning comic book series created by Conor McCreery & Anthony Del Col. The original series has spawned two sequels, a live stage show that has played everywhere from New York to Dubai, a board game, and is currently being developed for television and other mediums.Snakes & Lagers is the late-night playground for Toronto’s gaming aficionados. Located in the heart of Little Italy, Snakes & Lagers offers 19 craft beer taps, an internationally inspired menu and hundreds of games for your eating, drinking and playing pleasure.
The Gameplay's the thing and it's FINALLY here!
The Board Games are FINALLY arriving.
It's been a LONG process (much longer than we ever expected and we're sorry about that), but we are starting to receive tweets and emails that you, our supporters, are receiving your copies of Kill Shakespeare: The Board Game.
Anthony and I had the privilege to see the game in Edmonton and New York, and we can tell you that it drew a LOT of attention from passer-by's. We even had one guy offer to buy the display copy for $200!
But we didn't want to leave it to total strangers to get a look at our new baby, so below are some pics of the game. I hope you'll agree that while it has taken some time to get ready, it looks like time well spent.
Also, the amazing folks at IDW want you to have the best game-playing experience possible. Once you get your game if you have ANY questions about how a rule works simply tweet @IDWGames or email Nate Murray: Nate@idwpublishing.com with that question and within 72 hours Nate will post a short video that will show you exactly how that part of the game works.
Yes, that's right, personalized rule explanations! That's pretty Bard-ass if I do say so myself.
(oh Conor, you're such a wit)
Now go swoon over some awesome game pictures!
Great unboxing video for our Kill Shakespeare board game
Board game specialist has just posed an unboxing video for our Kill Shakespeare board game, coming out this month! Take a look (and try to resist admitting that his assistants are the cutest of all-time!).
Board game at Gen Con this weekend!
If any of you are attending Gen Con this weekend we are not... But IDW Games is! And at the show they are demonstrating our board game for the attendees... Check out this picture of our fan Michel Villeneuve making us jealous!
We Did It!
Well the dust has settled and the final numbers have been tallied and people, we ROCKED this little thing called Kickstarter!
We ended up raising $38,585 dollars -- that's 154% MORE than our original goal. Because of you guys and your support, both in pledging, but just as importantly in spreading the word, we ended up hitting a stretch goal as well. The game now has a better board than it would have without you.And, I hear rumours, and these are JUST rumours that because we came so close to the SECOND stretch goal -- that we may end up seeing that happen anyway! Plus IDW has mentioned their might be some other surprises kicking about for those of you who pledged.Now I have been hearing a few common questions so let me answer them as best I can:
Q: Conor, I totally MEANT to support the kickstarter but I was kidnapped by Bolivian revolutionaries and just got back from Sucre... What do I do? Can I still get the Game?A: Yes. Yes, you can. The game is going to be distributed widely. IDW wants Kill Shakespeare and all the other games coming out to be easy to get. Your local comic shop can order them, as can any store that specializes in board games. We're told that most of these stores will be able to stock Kill Shakespeare starting in June. And of course, Anthony and I will probably bring a few copies to sell to most conventions.(Oh, and I hope you had a chance to say "hi" to Evo Morales when you were in Bolivia...)Q: When will I get my game if I supported the Kickstarter? Before those "Hamlet-come-lately" store buyers?A: We're told end of May is the likely time for that. The game has been thoroughly play-tested, we were just waiting to see what kickstarter goals we hit before sending the game to printers.Q: So, IS the game going to be even more awesome than I am currently thinking it will be?A: Yes! Definitely! I can't tell you what it's going to be but IDW and Pandasaurus have already GUARANTEED that there will be bonus content shipping with your game.
Q: When can I play you and Anthony?A: Why, we're glad you asked that! We're planning a couple of events, including one here in Toronto, that will give you a chance to play the game against us, see what all the fuss is about, and get copies for yourself.And right here, right now, I'm saying if you can manage to beat me I will.... uh... sign your comic books for free!(what can I say? I suck at games...)Q: Is there anything else I can do to help the game out?A: Yes, for sure. Once you have the game set up some nights for your friends, and then encourage them to go to their local store and get them to order it. The more we can pull games through the retail channels the more IDW is going to want to do expansion sets and then some of those other stretch goals we just missed out on may become a reality (Meeples anyone?)Again, you guys are amazing. We're the luckiest creators in the world to have friends and a fan-base like you.Much thanks,Conor & Anthony.
Uncertain Life and Sure Death
As the Ides of March approaches I’m kind of pondering that whole: “my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth” dilemma that Hamlet wrestles with. I mean, on one hand, murder is awful, bad, and often really messy – even if you’ve already covered the bathroom floor with a tarp and have the hack-saw and bag of quicklime on the go.On the OTHER hand – when Shakespeare does it, murder is pretty awesome. I mean, heads get chopped off, poison is consumed, there is not one, but TWO mass stabbings, people, Shakespeare once offed two kids by BAKING THEM IN A PIE and then SERVING THAT PIE TO THEIR MOM (“Mmm, this is good! Is this veal?” “No, it’s your kids, BOOM!”).So that got me to thinking about OTHER people who love Shakespeare like we do, and especially love the peculiar joy that comes with snuffing out some punk’s all too brief candle.This led us to David Malki ! and Ryan North – two of the creative engines behind the most excellent Machine of Death series of books and games. (PLUG ALERT: You may also know Ryan from his Blockbuster To Be or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure Kickstarter campaign.)Since Machine was such a HUGE success we thought it likely that it’s blend of wit, wordplay and cold-bloodedly hilarious focus on mass murder might be popular with you guys too, so David ! kindly let us design a BONUS SET OF CARDS for Machine of Death that has an all-Shakespeare flavour. You can download the card set here – these print and play beauties are ready to seamlessly fit into any Machine of Death game.
DOWNLOAD THE CARDS HERE: http://alice.idwpublishing.com/_7NERTM4cugLoZRBonus points (and prizes!) go to the first five people to correctly post in the comment section what play each card represents (or tweet us @IDWGAMES or @KillShakespeare). And if you know anyone who plays Machine, send’em over here – the more crossover between fans of Bardicide and fans of murder in general, the better.(plus, it means more credible suspects to throw the cops off your trail).Murderously yours,Conor
Beware the Ides of March!
We now have just five days left on our Kickstarter campaign. And yes, the campaign ends on Saturday, March 15th, otherwise known to Shakespeare fans as... The Ides of March! This is your last opportunity to pre-order your copy of the game at a discount and, in the process, allow us to add extra features to the game!
Click here to check out the Kickstarter page and pledge your support!
Kickstarter: We're funded! But there is more to be revealed!
Late yesterday afternoon we received a great piece of news - our Kill Shakespeare board game Kickstarter campaign has hit the funding goal of $25,000. THANKS SO MUCH to all of you that pre-ordered copies of the game, art, or anything else. We're extremely excited and happy about this - but we have plans for more!The campaign runs until March 15th - yes, the Ides of March! - and we will be announcing some really cool stretch goals. The next goal up is a Board Upgrade, which will upgrade the board to a 3mm thickness. That's almost twice as thick as a lot of what's in the market right now. You'll feel the difference instantly. Once we hit $40,000 this becomes unlocked for all games.And then we have more goodies to unlock beyond that so keep spreading the word!
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping us get to this point!
Kickstarter Update: Day 1
Wow!What a first day.You guys and gals are AMAZING! We’re already more than 50% of the way to our goal and that’s because of your incredible support. I’m more excited than that time Falstaff and I went on a bender and TOTALLY spilled beer all over Richard III’s gimpy hand!Thank you SO much for getting this campaign off to a great start. This is the first Kickstarter that Anthony and I have been involved in and it’s been a great success so far.Please keep supporting our campaign, with your help we can reach more and more people and start to unlock some of the UNBELIEVABLE stretch goals – yes these goals are so mind-blowing you will literally find your brain short-circuit until you start saying things like: “I simply cannot believe they are offering me this – they must be mad, as mad as that rascally King Lear!”As a little bonus for you awesome-sauce folks we want to share with you an EXCLUSIVE piece of art from the game that NOBODY else in the world has seen (and those that have we’ll kill – just to make this even more special for you).
Take a bow, you magnificent bastards, you!
So please, keep sharing this with your friends, harass the tastemasters of the internet to talk about this, tell your Grandmother to finally get on the interwebs – because we want to make the Kill Shakespeare Board Game the best Shakespearean thing EVER!Oh, and for future sneak peeks – vote down in the comments if you want to see more exclusive game art or get a glimpse at ANOTHER awesome Kill Shakespeare project we’ve got on the boil (and bubble).The Game Play’s the thing! Conor McCreeryBardicidal maniacToronto, February 2014
Pre-Order a Copy of our Board Game on Kickstarter!
Today is a big day. Launching just a few hours ago was a Kickstarter campaign for pre-sales and purchase of additional items and features for our forthcoming Kill Shakespeare Board Game.IDW Games, with Nate Murray and Jerry Bennington running point, has done a strong job putting the game together and now this campaign is the next step. Games will be retailing for about $60 upon release but the first 250 people that purchase the game online can get it at a price of $40. Also included are other features such as original art from the game, a collector's edition carrying game, dice, etc.You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here.Spread the word - let everyone know! This isn't a game just for those that have read the books but any game fan, comics fan or Shakespeare fan.A few hours in and we've already made it to over 20% of our funding goal of $25K but beyond that we have a lot more, including special surprise rewards. So keep checking back and promoting the game and the campaign.We'll post updates as the next 25 days go on.
Fifth and Final Board Game Character Revealed! Something New Coming Next Week!
After posting character teaser posters for Hamlet, Juliet, Falstaff and Viola (Captain Cesario), today we are happy to release the fifth playable character in our upcoming board game, Othello. How could we not put the Moor in our game? He's a fan favourite (as artist Andy Belanger likes to say, he's the Incredible Hulk of our story) and should be a fun choice to play as in the game.Here's the poster featuring art by artist J.K. Woodward.
In addition to these five characters, Lady Macbeth and Richard are also key players in the game (characters you'll be fighting against) and we're also going to work in at least a dozen other throughout missions, events, etc.
Come back next week to find out more about a new development for the board game - we'll probably announce it mid-week or so.
A New Character Boards Our Game!
We've had quite a bit of fun in the last couple of weeks showing off the character Wanted poster teases for our upcoming board game. The social media reaction to Hamlet, Juliet and Falstaff have been very strong. But today we introduce a completely new character to the Kill Shakespeare world!This is the poster (artwork by JK Woodward) for the pirate Captain Cessario (aka Viola)!
When we began to collaborate on the board game with IDW Games, Pandasaurus Games and designers Thomas Vande Ginste and Wolf Plancke, we immediately wanted to add to the experience by introducing a new character into our world. One of the most popular female characters in Shakespeare's oeuvre has been Viola from Twelfth Night and we've wanted to play with her traits so here she is!When the game is released we'll tell you more about the back story that we created for her but it's an interesting one, and something that people will be talking about quite a bit (and yes, it involves the famous trope of cross-dressing)!We're going to have another big announcement for the board game starting in just over a week so pay attention to this spot or our Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr pages.