I struggled with how to get you a discount on Deck Around for the holidays. I’m not Amazon or Best Buy. I can’t discount one product and hope you buy another. I only have one product! I’m an indie game.

I figured out an odd way to fix that: by turning my one game into two games. Or four.

I’m packaging Deck Around in bundles with multiple copies for Cyber Monday and Black Friday. You get a discount plus you get gifts for your friends. For the rest of the month you’ve got two great options:

Double Decker (24% off)

Two copies of Deck Around for only $55: One for you, one for a friend. Do this now >>

Finish your Holiday shopping (31% off)

Four copies for $99 because holy shit, you're probably already tired of holiday...

Deck Around was selected for this year's IndieCade GameSlam -- a thrilling event in the IndieCade village where 12 games got a chance to pitch their game on the main stage in under 100 seconds! Deck Around was the only physical game selected. 

The GameSlam event was hosted by (and created by) legendary game designer Teddy Diefenbach and Ashly Burch from the gaming webshow "Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'" and they ensured a smooth and fun show! 

100 seconds is NO TIME. There's seriously NO TIME. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to present Deck Around this way.

I crammed in a demo round of Deck Around which went something like this: 

Continue Reading »

Every so often a curious person asks me what exactly “deck around” means outside of being the name of my fantastic game, Deck Around. I’ll tell you in a bit.

But first, because Deck Around is a game all about definitions, here’s the only definition that really matters to a newcomer:


Got it? If you need more of an explanation, visit the main page here.

Besides its new meaning as the title of this game, “deck around” is not much more than a made-up play on the phrase “dick around.” Given that most modern slang is based on innuendo, double-entendres and adult...

No doubt, Cards Against Humanity has become a massive success among college folks and the party crowd. It's a behemoth among tabletop games. In the process, it's exposed millions of casual partiers (who might otherwise only play beer pong, quarters or Angry Birds) to the fun of board games and card games. This is a huge side of the resurgence of tabletop games! 

BUT, for the average person, taking a step from Cards Against Humanity straight into a world composed of strategic fantasy games and poorly-designed, beta and/or "experimental" indies can be a lot at once. There are a lot of crappy games out there (especially in the "party game" genre) and buying new games is an expensive investment. That's why new fans of Cards Against Humanity who are looking for games just like it should start here. I've put together this resource for Cards fans looking...

 

Ever had a boring Friday night?

You and millions of others. 

Everyone has.

You’ve got all the right people, all your best friends. But before you know it, everyone is on their phones, texting. Not a smile in sight. 

Or maybe it’s the wrong group of people — an awkward party! We’ve all had one of those too. Small talk, long pauses. No smiles, no fun. 

Lots of folks resort to alcohol. Sure, bring the booze! But alcohol doesn’t cure a boring night either. 

It’s almost like there’s one little missing ingredient that makes an evening more fun. It’s true. There’s a secret “energy” you need to inject that enlivens a group of people. 

A great occasion or celebration enlivens a night. 

The right theme enlivens a night. 

...

Welcome to the day after Tax Day. When people start spending their refund money like crazy... little do they know, it was their money all along. 

This is the essence of "intaxication." 

Intaxication: Feeling of excitement when you get your tax refund which lasts until you realize it was actually your money in the first place. 

And that realization that this "bonus" from Uncle Sam was actually your money all along -- which may happen before or after you've spent the refund check -- can cause the opposite of intaxication: a Tax Day hangover. 

Happy Day After Tax Day! 

Let's play a game! It's called: Coachella Indie Band or Slang From Urban Dictionary/Deck Around? 

Coachella is a big music festival out here on the West Coast for two weekends in the desert and it starts this week. Everyone out here in California gets really excited about it. 

Me, not so much. 

I like music and I go to concerts sometimes... but I honestly don't know most of the acts at Coachella 2014. And the fact that most folks buy tickets in advance of Coachella announcing the lineup puzzles me even more. How could you know the festival is worth spending your money on?

I guess it shouldn't make much difference for me -- because whether they announce them or not, I don't know half the bands on there. In fact... some of these sound a little dirty. Could they be strange slang words from around the web...

Let's be honest here -- does it really look like I've got ten grand sitting around here for booth at the SXSW Interactive festival? Hell no. Even if I did -- and I LOVE that conference -- I'm not sure I'd be investing in something like that. So here's how Deck Around landed a huge, killer booth space and ridiculous amounts of word-of-mouth (and tons of fun) at SXSW in Austin for free. 

A few weeks ago I was browsing the SXSWi site and I got distracted by their brand new Gaming Awards. They were calling for submissions. Knowing that South By loves their indie stuff, I shot out an email to the organizers and sure enough, I got a passionate response back -- they were indeed accepting tabletop games too. How cool is that? An interactive conference knowing that a game is a game is game. 

Weeks later, I...

I was playing Deck Around the other night with my pals and we landed on oil check. 

It was SO hilarious, I just had to post about it -- and I figured, it would be nice to show a written-out demo round in case you're wondering what the gameplay is like. See if you can guess the real definition.

Here's what we played:

OIL CHECK

"checking your underwear after believing you pooped your pants"

"the payment due after a greasy session in the tanning salon"

"when a man inspects the lubrication status and discharge of his lady (smell, texture, taste) to test the quality of their sexual relationship"

"that's why we don't live on the prairie"

 

Pretty hysterical so far, right? We were already dying laughing at this point and there are still 3 more definitions... 

"when a girl thinks...

Hey Deck Around pals! 

If you sign up to get the free PDF of Deck Around, I send out an email following up a few days later... I ask for players' honest, true feedback after playing Deck Around, and I read every single email. It's all because I want to continuously improve the game. I want more laughs in every round! 

Well, I've gotten a TON of responses. 

One was by far my favorite, so I have to share it... one guy said: "I laughed so hard I farted."

I mean, how classic is that? When I read that, I laughed so hard I farted too! In fact, laughing so hard you fart sounds like something right out of Deck Around. "Giggle farts" or "larting" or "the laughing gas"... Is there actually a slang phrase for this occurrence somewhere in the world? I bet there is.

Thanks...