Definitely worth a stop, and happy to give some recs if you're interested.

Can confirm it's an awesome little store focused on Lovecraft vibes with great eclectic merch. Bonus fun fact, it's in the oldest enclosed mall in the U.S.

Monopoly and Anti-Monopoly is about as straightforward as you can get

I think you're picture is on point. Anytime art is depicted on your card, have it being handled by movers or obscured by a velvet rope. The art is there, but framed in its context as a protected investment.

Fun idea. Seems like burnt bagels are a type, but it could make the theme stronger if it was more of a mechanic. Bagels that sit too long on the oven get burnt. Maybe it removes the bagel type, but can help other scoring.
I like the creative take, seems like it'd be fun to play.

Constraints and incentives help guide negotiation, so I think minimal frameworks are good. In Bohnanza, the order of cards you play is fixed, so you want to give away cards that will mess up your plans (and also negotiation must be during one of the players' turns), which results in great moments.

I forgot that one, a nice distinction from the other 3 I mentioned. I hope to try it, but I don't know if it'd make it into my collection.

Thanks for those. I'm curious how sand timers work for a competitive game and potential shenanigans. Most modern implementations are co-op, which lends itself better to determining when a sand timer is truly "empty".
Have you played these? Are they enjoyable experiences that go deeper than novelty?

Some big publishers moving to Gamefound. Wonder if it's just finally hit enough a consumer threshold for them or if the platform is offering better services?

I think the gamification of sand timers we've seen in games like Kites, Sky Rockets and Quicksand has been a novel development. Are there any other known components we can gamify further? I'd love to see more innovative function given to the box that the game comes in.

Guidance on freelance design/development work (providing design services for a set rate rather than a royalty)

Thanks for sharing, some really great wisdom in there (whether with or without snark)

Ah darn, I'll keep an eye out for the latest one, but I think the spirit of the statements still ring true

I agree, and I still often feel the strong temptation to offer variants to appease a wider range of tastes. It's tough to choose just one way for your game to be, but it usually leads to the strongest experience.

Adding 🎲✂️ because I got my emojis in the wrong order

I think it's important to use the word "trap". Innovation isn't bad, but it can lead you down a path where you feel you're adding value with newness, but you may miss the extra costs it adds in focusing on unintuitive additions. A small twist can have a bigger impact, for how it changes what u know

The Night Cage gets pretty close to this feeling

Now that's the collab I want to see! Hungry, hungry 40k.

Congrats Tony, this game has been an instant classic since it came out. Glad to see it grow.