News
1 January, 2010 AD: Happy New Year to all Krakow Fans across the world !
Peter and Melchior wish all Krakow fans across the world a superb 2010! May your Secret Identity always be unknown, may you be the most reliable partner (when you feel like it) and may all your Intrigues succeed....
We look back with immense pride on the year 2009, where we published the 3-player expansions and served the German audience with a German-language addition to the game.
Our second appearance at the Spiel 09 fair in Essen was a huge success: many people who had failed to know about/find the stand/play the game last year had a chance this time around. Sales, in particular of the Base game + German expansion, were very good.
We met our first-ever Krakow groupies (from the USA) at Essen and they invited us to give a presentation about the Krakow design process at their "home" at Google, New York City. We obliged and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - and you should be able to see this for yourself on Youtube as a Google "Tech Talk".
For 2010, we have no new publishing plans, as private lives will take centre stage (and carry one of us across the planet, once again). Of course, the game remains available at selected game stores. Our New Year's wish can only be, that many new boardgamers will play the game this year - and that the "regulars" will keep playing!
Please do drop us a line with your opinions and experiences, whenever you can. And do Rate the game on Boardgamegeek, if you can - nearly 300 people have gone before you!
Finally: the contest to design 2-player variant rules has ended. We need a few months to playtest and judge the options....
30 November, 2009 AD: 3-player Expansions available in the USA
I am happy to let you know that our two regular stockists in the USA (Funagain Games and Boards&Bits) have received stock of the Krakow 3-player expansions.
18 September, 2009 AD: Expansion arrived!!
I am happy to let you know the 3-player expansion pieces and print work have all arrived safely at my house....eh sorry make that...at the Geode Games Head Office and Warehouse.
I will be packing the 3-player expansions (ziplocked, English/Dutch) myself, for which I obviously have loads of time before Essen. The German expansions have been machine-packed and shrinkwrapped - they look great (the box is the same size as the Gold Boxes in the basic game).
Please feel free to drop me a line (at info@krakowgame.com) if you wish to pre-order the expansion sets (possibly in combination with the base game). These are our prices for Essen:
Krakow 1325 AD (base game) = 32 Euro
Krakow 1325 AD (base game) + En/Nl 3-player expansion = 35 Euro
En/Nl 3-player expansion = 5 Euro
German (boxed) expansion = 12 Euro
Krakow 1325 AD (base game) + German (boxed) expansion = 40 Euro
I can also mail the 3-player expansion sets across Europe, at a reasonable cost (normal mail), if you will not make it to Essen. And I can mail across the USA in December, when I am on holiday there.
29 August, 2009 AD Geode Games in Essen
I just wanted to confirm our whereabouts at Spiel 09 in Essen (D) from 22-25 October:
Hall 4, booth 4-413
Everyone is most kindly invited to come down and demo a game of Krakow 1325AD. With 3 tables for ourselves, you should be able to get a game in this year (and in German too, if you like) !
See you there.
17 August, 2009 AD: Krakow nominated for the Dutch Boardgame Award!!!
I just received the official information that Krakow 1325AD has been nominated for the biggest boardgame award in our little country: the Nederlandse Spellenprijs 2009 !
Our little, self-published game for only four players suddenly stands shoulder to shoulder with industry giants like Agricola and Dominion..in a contest we cannot expect to win, but which we are delighted to be part of!
The Dutch and Flemish public will vote over the next two months to determine the winner of this award, which will be announced at the Spellenspektakel boardgame fair in November. We hope to be present to demo the 3-player expansion and stand around with a meaningful grin on our faces among the Mighty....
We would like to encourage our fellow Flemmings and dapper Dutchmen to vote in this contest....any way you like of course...
We're so happy we can hardly count!
5 August, 2009 AD: "Can You Design Two-Player Rules for Krakow 1325AD?" - competition
Geode Games is happy to announce a small competition: to celebrate the
impending release of the 3-player expansion, we want to ask fans of the
game to take a crack at the challenge to design a game version for two players:
“Write down how you would change the rules, so the game would be great fun
for two players. There is one limitation: You may not add new components
or make changes to existing components of the basic game (e.g., card values).”
Send two-player rule suggestions (in English) to info@krakowgame.com before
Dec. 1, 2009. The winning ruleset will be posted online freely for download,
with the winner receiving a signed and framed original Intrigue drawing
from Krakow 1325AD artist Melchior van Rijn.
4 March, 2009 AD: Contracts signed for publishing of the German and English/Dutch Expansion sets for 3 players!
Geode Games is proud to announce it will publish both planned expansions (the German 3-player version and the English/Dutch 3-player version) this year, to follow up on the success of the basic game. Contracts have been signed and The Artist is completing the last pieces of design work. The expansions will be launched at the Spiel 09 game fair in Essen, Germany. We will have our own stand this year - hopefully close to our dear friends from Reiver Games.
26 February, 2009 AD: Geode Games publishes a Crisis-Proof Expansion to Kraków 1325 AD (available October 2009) !
Geode Games has adjusted its plans for the three-player expansion set to meet the challenges of 2009 AD, the Year of the Downturn, the Amazing Bailout Plans and Depressed Global Consumers.
Our three-player expansion set (English/Dutch) will be sold in a ziplock
bag, instead of a fancy box. The set will contain the three-player rules,
the Influence Tokens and Victory Point marker (with sticker) you need to
play this variant.
The recommended retail price will be 5.95 Euro, while Geode
Games will sell directly to consumers at only 5.00 Euro
at boardgame fairs or send it to you by normal mail (at postage cost). Basically,
we don't want anyone to "skip the expansion" due to the price
tag involved. And we accept a Depression-level price to make that possible.
But the best news is not in the economics: we guarantee that the 3-player rules really transform the game! As each player competes using his own set of Influence Tokens, the scope for treachery and backstabbing gets much larger. Now you're on your own!
27 January, 2009 AD: Kraków 1325 AD German Version translated by Andreas Brandhorst !
Geode Games is proud to announce that it has reached agreement with German sci-fi author Andreas Brandhorst for the translation of the Kraków 1325 AD Intrigue Cards for the German expansion set, which we will publish in 2009.
Andreas Brandhorst is the author of the Diamant and Graken Trilogies, set in the Kantaki-Universe.
Andreas is also famous as a creative translator, because he is the man responsible for translating almost all of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld (Scheibenwelt) novels into German.
We are deeply pleased Andreas was willing to take on this project and are certain that his German Intrigues will be a great addition to the Kraków game.
The German rules for Kraków are translated by Christian Krach.
31 December, 2008 AD: Looking Back and Forward!
On the last day of this amazing year, which saw the realisation of our dream
called "Kraków 1325 AD", I would like to give a brief update on
where we are and what else we are planning.
Looking back at 2008, it is incredible but true:
* all 2,000 copies were delivered around 15 October 2008;
* by today, the 31 December 2008, we have sold 735 copies;
* Kraków has 130 registered owners on Boardgamegeek and received nearly
110 ratings, which scored an average 6.76, which shows that many of the
target audience appreciate the game;
* At Essen and in Zwolle; in Amersfoort, Alphen and Waregem the message
from the audience was clear. Kraków offers a really different experience:
the four player card game mechanics and the team play with secret individual
goals were really well liked.
And what are our plans for 2009?
1) 3-player expansion (English and Dutch)
We are planning to publish the 3-player expansion for the game, for which
final playtesting is ongoing.
2) 3-player expansion (German)
Together with the English/Dutch expansion set, we would like to make a special
German expansion set, which would contain a full set of German language
cards.
The target is to present these new versions at Spiel 09 in Essen.
I wish you all a peaceful, enjoyable, healthy and interesting New Year full
of fantastic boardgames!
Peter
Geode Games
28 November, 2008 AD: Peter's Essen stories (collected
works) on NYC Gamer.
Peter wrote a series of stories about his experiences as a first-time boardgame
publisher at the massive Spiel 08 boardgame fair in Essen. First published
on Boardgamegeek, his entire story of triumph and tragedy can be read as
a single entry on NYC
Gamer. I hope you will enjoy it!
25 November, 2008 AD: Polish language rules and
German language review posted on Boardgamegeek.
Kraków becomes ever more internationalised: you can now download the Polish
version of the game rules from Boardgamegeek!
Sharky has written a German-language review on Spielbox.de - you can find
a link in the Reviews section.
18 November, 2008 AD: Kraków reviewed by Tom Vasel
(The Dice Tower) on YouTube !
Tom Vasel, famous for his Dice Tower podcasts and videocasts about
boardgames, has played and reviewed Kraków 1325AD! In his conclusion, he
says: The game has "good components, great artwork, (while) the theme
and trick taking bring it up a notch. I will be playing this for a long
time to come!"
Look at, listen to and enjoy the Dicetower Review by Tom Vasel on YouTube.
17 November, 2008 AD: Kraków 1325 AD proudly captures
second place in Roll
the Dice Top 25 (Spellenspektakel)!
The Dutch introduction of Kraków took place at the Spellenspektakel
fair in Zwolle, Netherlands, this past weekend. With over 12,000 visitors,
it is the largest boardgame event in the Low Countries. Dutch Boardgame
club Roll the Dice organises an annual poll, in which visitors of the fair
give marks and vote for their favourite games. Kraków captured the silver
medal, just behind the brilliant "Galaxy Trucker", but edging
out "Dominion". These were the final top 10 standings and scores
(rated 1-10), based on more than 250 votes:
1. Galaxy Trucker ----- 8.3864----------- 44 votes
2. Kraków 1325 AD ---- 8.3000----------- 30 votes
3. Dominion ------------ 8.2222----------- 36 votes
4. Agricola ------------- 8.2029----------- 69 votes
5. Age of Empires III -- 8.0556----------- 46 votes
6. Yspahan ------------ 8.0566----------- 53 votes
7. Qwirkle ------------- 8.0000----------- 21 votes
8. Chinatown ---------- 8.0000----------- 46 votes
9. Werewolves--------- 8.0000----------- 55 votes
10.Name of the Rose -- 7.9773 ------------ 44 votes
9 November, 2008 AD: Peter's interview on the Dice
Tower Musings podcast...
On holiday at a boardgaming tournament in the USA just before
the fair in Essen, Peter bumped into Mark Zielinski. Mark contributes regularly
to the Dice Tower boardgame podcasts and had heard about Kraków: an inpromptu
interview was held at midnight. This is the link to the
entire show; the interview about Kraków starts after 20 minutes....
2 November, 2008 AD: Kraków is reaching game shops around the World
!
A number of shops from all over Europe and the USA have bought
boxes full of Kraków 1325 AD games before, at or after the Spiel o8 fair
in Essen. You can already buy the game in the United States, Great Britain,
Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Poland. We receive daily
enquiries from even more exotic countries and are working hard to supply
them.
Find the full list of shops selling the game at "Where to Buy ?"
24 October, 2008 AD: Kraków reviewed on Gamebox
(D)
During the Spiel 08 fair in Essen, 3 reviewers played the game with Peter
on Thursday. Frank Kulkmann of Gamebox (Germany) was the first to file his
full report. He covered the rules and gameplay mechanics extensively, and
summarised as follows:
"I took the time to feature Krakow 1325 AD with much detail because I think that the game is a perfect example of the high production quality which self-publishers reach these days. Finally, the game also shows some of the advantages of going as a self-publisher, and most outstanding amongst these is that Krakow 1325 AD could be published despite the fixed participation of four players. Most major publishers would see such a number of participants to be not marketable, but a well-planned and devotedly designed self-publication may turn out to give a chance even to a game with a fixed number of players."
Read the entire review here (go to " Thursday" in the report).
End of October, 2008 AD:Dreams meet Reality in Essen
Melchior van Rijn and I have just returned from the Spiel 08 fair
in Germany, where we shared the stand of Reiver Games.
It was an amazing experience, which we will try to share on various forums....
We want to thank everyone who took the time to pass by our tiny corner (the size of one large table) of this gigantic event. As creators and publishers of the game, we have been deeply humbled by the overwhelming interest and positive response our creation in Essen.
15 October, 2008 AD:Unleash the Dragon !
After many months of hard work, patience, anxiety and fear: the
complete shipment of 2,000 games has reached the warehouse on the 15th of
October.
1 October, 2008 AD:Kraków 1325 AD: The Official T-Shirt !Even before the release of the game, the wicked salespeople of the Geode Games marketing department have designed their first spin-off must-have fanwear goody: the Official Kraków 1325 AD T-shirt!
See "Other Stuff" on this website for more....
17 September, 2008 AD: Preview
on Boardgamenews
Eric W. Martin has written an excellent preview of Kraków 1325AD, covering
both the game itself and its development (with genuine interest in the design
process and the challenges of self-publishing) on the Boardgamenews site.
A highly recommended read.....
14 September, 2008 AD: Review: Kraków offers original,
subtle screwage !
Jasbeek, a Dutch boardgame enthusiast, has played Kraków 1325 AD a number
of times. He has written a review for the Boardgamegeek forum, in which
he says: "In conclusion, I had good fun with this original game and
rate it an 8. The fact that it looks great helps, but the reasons I enjoyed
the game are the subtle strategy and the equally subtle opportunities for
screwage. And most important, it is fun!" Read Jasbeek's entire review,
including rules explanation, in his review here.
10 September, 2008 AD: Game Rules for Download
We have added a new subpage to the "The Game" page, where you
can download (in PDF) the Kraków 1325 AD game rules.
7 September, 2008 AD: Kraków preorders in the USA
!
Geode Games has reached agreement with BoardsandBits
for preorders (and future sales) of the game in the United States of America
and Canada. The pre-order price is US $ 44.90 and you should receive your
copy of the game in November.
27 August, 2008 AD: Kraków at Essen (Spiel 08)
Geode Games has reached agreement with Reiver Games, an independent publisher
of boardgames from the UK, for collaboration at Spiel 08. Spiel 08 is the
world's largest game fair, which takes place from 23-26 October in Essen,
Germany.
Reiver Games is the publisher of "It's Alive", a card game of mad scientists competing to build their own Frankenstein monster. Next to their own sales and demos, Reiver Games will sell Kraków 1325 AD at their stand 4-415 in Hall 4.
We (The Designer and The Artist) shall of course sign your brand new copy of Kraków, if you like. And the final bit of good news: especially for the fair at Essen, Reiver Games will sell Kraków 1325 AD at the discount price of 35,00 Euro!
25 August, 2008 AD:
Krakow 1325 AD has its own space on Boardgamegeek. You
can find some pictures of the latest prototype and some other information
there. And we have now added the option to download the English
language rules in PDF from this page. Please have a look, leave
your comments and support us on this international forum of boardgame enthusiasts:
The Homepage of Kraków 1325 AD on Boardgamegeek
18 August, 2008 AD:
The contract for the production of 2,000 copies of the game has been signed.
The complete files have been sent to the printer and playing pieces are
ready for shipment.. Kraków 1325 AD is unstoppable!
20July 2008 AD:
The artist has completed the box cover artwork for the game. It takes us
to a dark night in the Medieval Polish capital: the moon shines over Wawel
Castle. Inside a fire-lit tavern, four familiar figures huddle together.....conspiracies
and treachery are on the table!
5 June 2008 AD:
The Artist Melchior van Rijn completes the artwork for all 56 Intrigue Cards,
which are the heart of the game.Kraków 1325 AD remains fully on course for
its official release in September 2008!
1 May, 2008 AD:
The company called Geode Games magically appears in the universe.