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Seth Jaffee's Pitch list
Updated 5/1/25
* Removed PYL Candyland - not pitch ready
* Added "What's unique about...?" for each game
Here is my "pitch list," please let me know if any of the following catches your interest at all. I've just included the briefest bit of info here, but of course I'd be happy to speak at length about any of them! These games are mostly pretty similar in weight to Crusaders or Eminent Domain, and I have Tabletop Simulator mods for most of them, so I can play or demonstrate them online.
In alphabetical order:
What's unique about Sails & Sorcery?
In alphabetical order:
All For One [with David Brain]:
Thematic Euro-style Shared Piece Movement, Pickup/Deliver game about the Three Musketeers. Move the 6 main characters around Paris, doing missions for the King and Cardinal, while secretly aligned with each opponent on certain goals for endgame bonus!
3-5p, ~60 mins
Thematic Euro-style Shared Piece Movement, Pickup/Deliver game about the Three Musketeers. Move the 6 main characters around Paris, doing missions for the King and Cardinal, while secretly aligned with each opponent on certain goals for endgame bonus!
3-5p, ~60 mins
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about All For One?
What's unique about All For One?
Being in the role of a writer frees you up to use any and all of the characters on the board, and even do counterintuitive things like having a character start a fight with the intent to lose it! Sharing hidden motives means there's a subtle political layer to the game, figuring out who is your ally for ech of the story tracks can be helpful, as the swordfights work like votes in a way.
Alter Ego:
Cooperative Deck Learning game about vigilante heroism. Manage your alter ego life while training up to fight arch villains!
("Deck Learning" is a form of deck building as used in Eminent Domain.)
2-4p, ~60 mins
Dice Works:
Real Time Dice Drafting game - grab dice to go up columns on your player board, first to the top wins! Theme is about making inventions (originally was going to call it "Eureka!"), but it's mostly pasted on.
(This one could use a little development polish)
2-4p, ~30 mins
Exhibit: Artifacts of the Ages:
"Bluff Auction" game that's like 6 simultaneous games of Liar's Dice. Collect sets of artifacts to display in your museum - bigger sets are worth more, but each exhibit gives you a power.
2-4p, ~60 mins
(The title is an idiom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses)
2-4p, ~60 mins
The Great Goballoon Race:
Non-player controlled hot air balloons are racing. Toss your meeples onto the balloons as they pass by to trigger that balloon's effect and to vie for majority on the balloon(s) that cross the finish line, but the more meeples on a balloon, the slower it goes!
(could include a dexterity element so that you're *literally* throwing your meeples onto the passing balloons, but that's not strictly necessary)
2-5p, ~30 mins
Cooperative Deck Learning game about vigilante heroism. Manage your alter ego life while training up to fight arch villains!
("Deck Learning" is a form of deck building as used in Eminent Domain.)
2-4p, ~60 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/s/92lrvvyt2f0va03/Alter%20Ego%20Rules%20v81%20%2810-16-19%29.pdf?dl=0
TTS workshop: [none yet]
What's unique about Alter Ego?
The deck learning/deck management allows you to specialize in certain aspects, and that gives each player a sense of ownership over their own hero, even in a committee style co-op game.
Dice Works:
Real Time Dice Drafting game - grab dice to go up columns on your player board, first to the top wins! Theme is about making inventions (originally was going to call it "Eureka!"), but it's mostly pasted on.
(This one could use a little development polish)
2-4p, ~30 mins
Rules/Player board: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ntt5iga94bq8mul/Player_board_v2_RGBW.pdf?dl=0
~3 min video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h2pag4ubwj08m2b/Dice%20Works%20demo%20video.mp4
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Dice Works?
Playing in real time makes even simple decisions more fun, as you have to think fast and act faster!
Division of Labor:
I Cut You Choose Worker Placement game - make smart splits and manage penalties to come out ahead! Theme is about voyagers exploring new islands everywhere they roam - like the song from Moana :)
2-5p, 75-120 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/venrdc81ozw65ynuljm51/ICYC-WP-Rules-v3.2-12-22-24.pdf
TTS workshop: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3244950536
Blog Post: https://sedjtroll.blogspot.com/2024/06/division-of-labor-my-favorite-mechanisms.html
I Cut You Choose Worker Placement game - make smart splits and manage penalties to come out ahead! Theme is about voyagers exploring new islands everywhere they roam - like the song from Moana :)
2-5p, 75-120 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/venrdc81ozw65ynuljm51/ICYC-WP-Rules-v3.2-12-22-24.pdf
TTS workshop: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3244950536
Blog Post: https://sedjtroll.blogspot.com/2024/06/division-of-labor-my-favorite-mechanisms.html
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Division of Labor?
Adding I-Cut-You-Choose is a unique twist on worker placement, and this game encourages making good splits in order to obtain the actions you are after to pursue your game plan.
"Bluff Auction" game that's like 6 simultaneous games of Liar's Dice. Collect sets of artifacts to display in your museum - bigger sets are worth more, but each exhibit gives you a power.
2-4p, ~60 mins
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Exhibit: Artifacts of the Ages?
In this game you're bidding with partial information, and the winner of each auction is the player who bids highest WITHOUT GOING OVER a certain value, but you don't know that value -- can you deduce it from opponents' bids? Being able to bluff is a unique feeling in an auction!
Keeping Up with the Joneses:
Rondel game with Entangled Decisions about showing up your neighbors in various parts of life while trying to keep up with the Joneses down the street, who seem to be good at everything.(The title is an idiom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeping_up_with_the_Joneses)
2-4p, ~60 mins
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Keeping Up with the Joneses?
Having to keep up with a non-player entity to qualify for scoring puts a unique twist on the area control feeling of each track.
Non-player controlled hot air balloons are racing. Toss your meeples onto the balloons as they pass by to trigger that balloon's effect and to vie for majority on the balloon(s) that cross the finish line, but the more meeples on a balloon, the slower it goes!
(could include a dexterity element so that you're *literally* throwing your meeples onto the passing balloons, but that's not strictly necessary)
2-5p, ~30 mins
18 min video: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jqisb3pu9j4vaeue4bfl2/Tabletop-Simulator-2024-11-19-12-07-05.mp4
TTS Screenshot:.png)
What's unique about The Great Goballoon Race?.png)
There are games where players bet on or support a non-player participant in a race. But in THIS race, betting on a pilot actually makes it less likely that they will win!
Micro Push-Your-Luck game:
A Push Your Luck micro-game with a bit more subtlety to the luck-pushing than you might expect. Just 16 cards and some stuff for tracking progress.
2p, ~30 mins
A Push Your Luck micro-game with a bit more subtlety to the luck-pushing than you might expect. Just 16 cards and some stuff for tracking progress.
2p, ~30 mins
Rules: [Written on table in TTS mod]
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Micro Push-Your-Luck game?
A lot of PYL games are all-or-nothing, which can make a game feel very lucky or tactical. This game is "all-or-something," which makes it feel more strategic. Sometimes the right play is to bust!
Politica Galactica:
Low Bid Auction (variant of a Dutch auction), area control, set collection.
A game of political intrigue on a galactic scale.
Take on the role of a Chancellor, angling to become elected Supreme Councilor of the Galactic Federation! Earn the favor of the four delegations by defending them from alien invasion, establishing trade agreements with them, supporting their political agendas, and satisfying Law cards (which you’ll vote into play). Your approval rating limits the benefits you receive from Law cards, so you must balance your goals with the need to maintain support from your people.
2-5p, 60-90 mins
TTS Screenshot:
What's unique about Politica Galactica?
A "count-up" multi-auction for turn order is unique twist on a Dutch auction. Once a player jumps in and stops the auction, the rest of the players continue, keeping that tension of the Dutch auction going.
Riders of the Pony Express:
Low Bid Auction, Route Planning game about delivering parcels for the Pony Express. Each round you first obtain parcels, then race across the southwest to deliver them.
3-5p, ~60 mins
Low Bid Auction, Route Planning game about delivering parcels for the Pony Express. Each round you first obtain parcels, then race across the southwest to deliver them.
3-5p, ~60 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6gp3supgjkl6s39/The%20Pony%20Express%20-%20Rules%20v3.4%205-25-21.pdf?dl=0
TTS Screenshot:.png)
What's unique about Riders of the Pony Express?.png)
It's rare to see a low-bid auction done well. Riders of the Pony Express uses route planning to inform a low-bid auction, and pairs it with a time track for a real race element to making deliveries.
Sails & Sorcery [with Michael Mindes]:
Deck Learning, Area Control game with a pirate theme (including monsters, like a kraken, a ghost ship, Blackbeard's ghost, etc). Originally an attempt to mash up Eminent Domain and El Grande (Michael's two favorite games)
("Deck Learning" is a form of deck building as used in Eminent Domain.)
2-5p, ~60 mins
Deck Learning, Area Control game with a pirate theme (including monsters, like a kraken, a ghost ship, Blackbeard's ghost, etc). Originally an attempt to mash up Eminent Domain and El Grande (Michael's two favorite games)
("Deck Learning" is a form of deck building as used in Eminent Domain.)
2-5p, ~60 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a2ix7980dwikefs/Sails%20and%20Sorcery%20-%20Rules%20v8.1_6-6-21.pdf?dl=0
1 min video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lhampinjec60n33/Sails%20%26%20Sorcery%20TTS%20Pitch%20%281%20min%29.mp4?dl=0
10 min video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0x2z177snhx8x3b/Sails%20%26%20Sorcery%20TTS%20Pitch%20%2810%20min%29.mp4?dl=0
TTS Screenshot:
The most unique aspect of Sails & Sorcery is the desk management system, paired with the way that each action gets more expensive over the course of the game -- if you don't invest in an action early, then in the late game you may find it difficult to afford that action anymore! In addition, the ability to see the scoring schedule means you can fight over the current scoring areas, or plan ahead for bigger scored in the future.
Wizard's Tower [with John Heder]:
Little abstract-ish game of placing pieces on a grid and moving them to form (or attack) towers
(An older design, lighter and more abstract than the others)
2-4p, ~30 mins
Little abstract-ish game of placing pieces on a grid and moving them to form (or attack) towers
(An older design, lighter and more abstract than the others)
2-4p, ~30 mins
Rules: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4vh5zjtfgmu4nyb0d1bu3/WTrulesV60.pdf
TTS workshop: [none yet]
TTS Screenshot: [none yet]
What's unique about Wizard's Tower?
Wizard's Tower plays like an abstract game, but with multiple paths to victory. The dice mechanism gives you agency to pursue the path you want -- attack opposing towers, build your own, or control neutral towers. Being able to sacrifice one die to change another gives players a chance to make clever plays, and allows you to pivot from one strategy to another.
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