Proposed Puppet Wars Unstitched on Board Game Arena

[ScissorShiv]

I posted this on Boardgamegeek for those that would be interested:

I have proposed this game as a great addition to be implemented into Board Game Arena's digital game collection. The place to vote for it is here:

https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/114907/proposed-boardgame...

I also sent a feedback suggestion to Wyrd Games proposing the idea as follows:

"I'm a huge fan of your board game Puppet Wars Unstitched and would
love to see it implemented on the Board Game Arena website. I believe this would be a monumental step in giving this game the attention and exposure that this game needs so that it may be recognized as the spectacular game that it is.

The pro's to doing this are numerous such as:
1. Worldwide game exposure (especially to the board gaming crowd as this is the best target audience for a game that has been misdiagnosed by many)

2. Extensive play testing in a competitive environment (pertaining to the long awaited second half of this game)

3. Exposure of the Wyrd gaming line; hence more sales (This is especially true to Puppet Wars as it shares the same lore as your headlining product Malifaux and could easily be the gateway game for those who wish to delve into war gaming)

4. Giving something to your Puppet Wars fans that have waited both
impatiently and patiently for this game to come to fruition.

I can only hope that this message will at least spark a conversation within the Wyrd company as to the possibilities that could arise from such a move for such a great game. Please don't let this game languish into nothingness, it's simply to good for that."

This was the response that I received:

"Thank you so much for the suggestion. I presented it to the powers that be and they are definitely looking into it.
Kindest regards,
Amy
Wyrd Customer Support."

I truly believe that this would be a great step in getting this game out of the void and moving forward, not to mention I relish in the idea of being able to play others from around the world in this great game. If you agree, please follow the link above to vote for its implementation and hopefully Wyrd with the help of BGA will make this a reality.

Cheers!

Feel free to spread the word.

[Justin]

I can't comment on what will happen with PW in regards to this post, not my decision.

But PW was the first game I worked on and I'm rather fond of it, so I'm glad you enjoy it so much!

[doctorlucky]

It defiantly was a gateway into malifaux for me. Such a fantastic little game. Now I own the complete set of two factions and a half dozen other masters. 

[ScissorShiv]

Justin,

I give a standing applaud to you and the others who developed this wonderful game.

The first time I saw this game it was stocked in the war gaming section and I overlooked it believing it was either a war game or some add on to a war game.  It wasn't until PWU came out that I realized this game was a strategic board game inspired by a war game and quickly picked it up to try on for size.  The first few games didn't really grab me and it wasn't until my significant other pushed me into giving the game another go that I once again delved into it.  After several games it clicked.  The game provided so much of what I enjoy in a strategic/ tactical game.  Hand management, area control, ability combos, bluffing, long term planning, opponent play anticipation, and a multitude of available decisions.  I had already like the theme (without knowing anything of Malifaux previous) and the components, but after the game clicked it quickly became one of the top played board games in my collection.  To this day it has provided some very intense white knuckle matches that I just don't see in enough games.

You can probably decipher from my tale that I almost missed on this game, and that's why I'm pushing for it to find a place on BGA so that this sleeping giant just might be realized and appreciated for the achievement I believe it is.

Sadly, without the second half of the puppets to round out the game and give purpose to all the faction/ suits, it just feels incomplete.  I can just imagine how spectacular this game would be with the second half, as it is already a superb game in its current state.

[jonahmaul]

I really hope the game gets more exposure because I want to see some Puppet Wars expansions!

[Omenbringer]

Would love to see this resurrected, if for no other reason than to complete Unstitched.

[ScissorShiv]

Thanks to all that have posted here, love to see PWU fans showing some support.

I've had some questions posed that I thought I should shed some light on:

"Why BGA, why not push for a digital implementation for an app or on Steam"

First off I didn't pick BGA out of a hat.  BGA is the correct platform of choice for the current situation of this game.  If the game was doing great, then yeah, an app or ported to Steam would be a great move.  Lets face the facts though, this game has gone stagnant and some may even argue dead.  The development costs to create the game would be a high risk gamble in its current state, as projected sales would be questionable.  This isn't because the game isn't well designed and a blast to play, but because PWU failed on two fronts:

One, it didn't successfully reach its target audience (or at least the majority of its target audience).  BGA has gamers from all over the world which would provide the needed exposure to widen and strengthen its fan base.  I've been on BGA long enough to know that the moment a new game hits the site, it gets played like wildfire (PWU would get a lot of attention with it's unique flavor and game play).  Once the game gets the needed exposure, the game itself would do all the work from there.  At this time Seasons (a good game by the way) is the number one played game on BGA and in my opinion PWU beats it hands down without busting a stitch. (Some corny PWU humor for you)

Second, the game shipped as half a game.  I can't stress enough about how much I like the first half, but I think it would have been better received had the game came ready to play 2 players out of the box with all four suits represented.  I won't go into how I thought this could have been done, as it is where it is.  I'm not sure how things work with BGA pertaining to adding a game to their site, but I get the impression that the development cost would be nothing to small for Wyrd.  The second half of the game could be implemented (as the puppets are already designed), and the PWU developers would have a diverse platform for continued play testing.  I'm sure an agreement could be made to which Wyrd would receive play data which would be invaluable for game tweeking prior to actually marketing the physical copy. 

"Do you really think that Wyrd would give this game away by putting it on BGA"

Well they wouldn't be giving it away, simply allowing BGA to host a digital implementation of a game they own.  Yes, it would be free to play, but what's important for this game is exposure.  Those who fall in love with the game will most likely be heading to the game store to pick up a copy so that they can get their local friends around the table and knocked the stuffing out of each other.  Even a step further from this is the likely possibility that many of these newly acquired fans will want to get into Malifaux to take the experience a step further.  Putting PWU on BGA is simply a sound marketing strategy for PWU and Wyrd in general.  Lets also not overlook the benefits of a company doing something that will excite and delight their fans/ supporters, a company that's all about bottom dollar is missing something from their mission statement.    

I will now step down from my soapbox...

Cheers all!

I just reread my post and want to clarify that I'm not saying Wyrd is a company that's all about bottom dollar, it's a general statement regarding companies that do have that vision (or limited vision)

Edited November 5, 2015 by ScissorShiv

[jonahmaul]

Great information ScissorShiv.  Puppet Wars is available on Vassal isn't it so I can't see Wyrd having a problem with it being release digitally?  Malifaux is available on Vassal too and that doesn't seem to have affected sales.  I'd also point to the success of Ticket to Ride which release digitally and has become hugely successful in it's board game versions.

[ScissorShiv]

Thanks Jonah.  Yes there is a Vassal module and I believe it was created by Wyrd.  It looks great, I only wish they had integrated the puppet cards in with it.  It seems that the PWU crew creator link is broken which is what I used to use with the module.

Edited November 6, 2015 by ScissorShiv

[Omenbringer]

   PWU failed on two fronts:

One, it didn't successfully reach its target audience (or at least the majority of its target audience). 

Second, the game shipped as half a game. 

I agree with you a bit but it didn't successfully reach its target audience because it alienated the core group of players that had bought in heavy to the original version of the game (the one with the extremely crappy thin card board box, devoid of any real indication of the contents) and were actively promoting it without offering any real recompense instead. An upgrade pack of cards and rule book was never offered and the revision came fairly quick off the start. A lot of communities were just starting to feel out the game, when the rug was pulled out from them. I have a few good theories as to why this rapid change was made but I will keep those to myself.

What is unfortunate is that the game still languishes because of incomplete development. Each passing year the possibility of new development becomes more and more unlikely.