In this episode, your nice hosts make sure you know that Treasure Stack, the game Stephen "is paid to work on," is coming out Friday, March 1st!

Mark then gives a primer on some audio basics that will help you understand how sound works, and works in your game. Even if you're bored by that, be sure to stick around for a discussion Stephen leads about representation in games.

• "Treasure Stack Reveals Launch Date With a Trailer Powered By Artisanal, Locall… - Hardcore Gamers

Extra Extra! Hear all about it! All the news that's fit to podcast! Join us in the Nice Games Clubhouse/Newsroom to hear all about the latest and greatest news from the video game world- at least latest and greatest from our vantage point in the past. Mark takes Valve to task, Martha makes a case for golf being interesting and Stephen is only here for the mechanics not the entertainment.

It's an episode full of releases, re-releases, spiritual successors, and "Epic" fails!

Games

• Kingdom Hearts 3 (finally)
• Apex Legends
• God Eater 3
• Wargroove
• Resident Evil 2
• Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (a rerelease)
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch
• Bury Me My Love
• Walking Dead Final Season Episode 3
• Pic-a-Pix Pieces
• Crackdown 3
• Anthem
• Far Cry New Dawn
• Metro Exodus

This week on the program we attempt another Nice Games Jam, where we are given a prompt from Martha's boyfriend (and Evil Games Club co-host) Dylan, which we have to use to create a playable game by the end of the episode.

The prompt was "Cold," owing to the extreme winter temperatures we were facing in Minnesota at the time of this recording.

We're hoping to do even more of these going forward, so let us know what you think of this episode format on the feedback from!

4-sided Die

4 Player Markers

Notepad to track player stats

Board

Martha took a photo of what we were using to play the game during the recording of the episode:

And here's a rough mockup Mark made while editing this episode:

The goal of the game is to leave your house and run a quick errand during the worst blizzard of your lifetime.

• The board is split into 4 stages. On your turn, you roll a 4-sided die to determine your movement. When you reach the first square of the next stage (even if you are in the middle of your movement), you draw from a deck of "events/challenges" giving you an situation to deal with. After resolving the challenge, complete your movement (modified according to the result of the challenge, if any).
• The game begins by having every player draw an event for the first stage (see below for event desciptions).
• Play order is determined in descending order by who spent the most time outside during the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. If you are unable to determine play order using this method, figure something else out, I guess.
• After every player draws an event for the first stage, all players will get dressed for their adventure by distributing winter gear stats...

• Players get 9 points to distribute on winter gear. Points you don’t "spend" here are saved and can be used later at certain opportunities. Each player puts 0-4 points in each of three categories:

• Shoes (to aid in snow-based challenges):

• 0 points is gym socks and flip-flops.
• 4 points is pac boots plus snowshoes.

• 0 points means just a T-shirt.
• 4 points is a sweater under a hoodie under a heavy parka under a pea coat.

• 0 points is bare hands/head
• 4 points is wool-lined mittens with a pocket for your hand-warmers, an inch-thick balaclava, and an 8-foot tartan scarf.

• If you accumulate 3 Cold Enough For Ya? points, you lose the game by giving up and going home to bury yourself under 100 fleece blankets (role-play optional).
• If you drop to 0 Minnesota Nice points, you may complete your errand, but you lose your Minnesota spirit (and also the game).

• For the purposes of this prototype, rather than draw from a deck, roll a 4-sided die and use the challenges listed below.
• 1st stage: "Getting out of the house"
  • 1 - Furnace out: +1Cold Enough For Ya?
  • 2 - You're snowed in: If you do not obtain a 3 or better in Shoes, you must end your turn when you reach your front door, no matter what your die roll is.
  • 3 - You slept in: Lose a turn.
  • 4: Whoops! Two errands: You must take "the long way" in the 3rd stage.
• 2nd stage: "Getting to your car"
  • 1 - Car covered in snow: If you have 3 or greater in Gloves and Stuff, ignore this, otherwise, chose from these options:

• Get rid of snow: +1Cold Enough For Ya?
• Don’t get rid of snow, -1 to all die rolls in the 3rd stage.

• 1 - "Thanks! I owe you one" You get nothing.
• 2 - "Rough out there. I've got an extra coat if you want it" +2 to Coat.
• 3 - +2 to Shoes.
• 4 - +2 to Gloves and Stuff.

• Power though it: +1Cold Enough For Ya?
• Move carefully: During this stage, you may only move one space per turn (if you have any movement left on this turn, you can move forward one space).

• 1 or 2 - "Thanks! I don't have AAA." You get nothing.
• 3 or 4 - "Let me pay you back somehow." +2 to Any Stat.

• 1 or 2 - "You know, they used to have people for this." You get nothing.
• 3 or 4 - "I'm on my way to the Goodwill, do you want anything?" +2 to Any Stat.

• -1Minnesota Nice as you shove your way past everyone.
• +1Cold Enough For Ya? as you wait patiently.

Your Nice Hosts are back from PodCon 2 and fresh off the Global Game Jam where Martha wrote a game for the first time! We talk all about that experience as well as celebrate Public Domain Day for the first time in 20 years. Mark guides us through the history of copyright, Stephen jams in 3D and Martha is a totally normal McElroy Fan (tmtmtmtm)

Photo by GLITCH

• Living Computer Museum
• Global Game Jam games from Minnesota

Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us once again in the club house to discuss our work on Widget Satchel (a platformer staring an adorable ferret!) We talk all about what went well, what was challenging and what is still left to do.

• Widget Satchel: Our goal is to release in April 2019.

• Wishlist Widget Satchel now on Steam!
• Code Comment episode about Widget SatchelCode Comment: "Widget Satchel"
• Ludum Dare special video episode featuring the first prototype versionNice Plays: Ludum Dare 40 games (2017)

Attention Sega nerds! This Nice Bonus episode is for you!

During our episode on 90's consoles Mark found out there were so many obscure Sega accessories that they couldn't fit in the episode and deserved their very own spotlight. Please enjoy this Nice Bonus short episode all about them!

We're back with new episodes for the new year! Friend of the show Ellen Burns-Johnson joins us in the clubhouse for the annual Nice Games Club Nicest of 2018 where we talk about some games we liked that came out in 2018 - or at least that we played in 2018. Stephen is on brand with his signature fighting moves, Ellen has Unity in her sights for 2019, Martha has to think of new titles for herself, Mortho barges in to steal the show and Mark -twist- doesn't talk about a Star Trek game.

• Ellen is here!
• Podcon 2

• We will be there in Seattle this weekend!

• You can attend the con remotely and watch live streams of the talks/live shows.
• Global Game Jam Eventbrite

• January 25-27, 2019

• There is a free Diversity ticket option.
• No experience required to jam.
• Remember a healthy game dev is a better game dev so go home and sleep, eat, drink lots of water and don’t crunch- make a smaller game!

Video Games

Asimov (early access in 2018)

Board and Card Games

Stephen will be speaking at the November IGDA Twin Cities meeting! Details will be posted at igdatc.org soon.

In this episode, Stephen fights his demons, Martha likes sports now, and Mark learns a lot about both.

Martha took a blacksmithing class! Also, her instructor told her this was a perfect forge weld.

Our post on the r/gamedev. Special thanks to SaxPanther, ledat, GravityGamesInt, Bwob, and DustyPixel for their stories.

League of Legends

• League of Legends World Championship is happening RIGHT THE DANG NOW!
• Martha will be rooting for her favorite team, C9.

This week on Nice Games Club we are trying out a new type of episode: Nice Games Jam! We get a topic from Martha’s boyfriend Dylan and then attempt to create a playable game by the end of the episode. We then include the rules here in the show notes for you to play at home!

Let us know what you think of this episode format on the feedback from!

52 Card deck + two jokers

Six sided die (One per Player)

A stuffed trophy - we used a plush Toad! but a jesther hat would be the most appropriate

• Each player starts with seven cards.

• This game happens in real time. No turns!
• Roll for six with the dice, if so draw a card then pass it or another card in your hand to someone
• If you’re passed a card, you have to discard a card that was not passed to you.
• Having a joker allows you to pick up the TROPHY (Toad) on a roll of six.
• If you pick up the TROPHY (Toad), the game stops, you announce you have a joker and are looking for another, if someone has it they have to give it to you, the person losing a joker draws a card, the person gaining the joker discards a card.
• If you have two jokers, you can end the game early by saying “haha!” at any point.
• If you gain a joker you cannot discard it.
• The game ends if someone says “haha!” or as soon as the deck runs out (and all card passes are resolved.)
• If you have the highest poker hand, you win!