Of Bridges and Backgrounds
about 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 25, 2022 at 05:29:19 AM

The Brotherwise team has enjoyed a relaxing weekend, but we've been thrilled to see this campaign keep growing. We moved through $70,000 yesterday, doubling our funding goal! We're also seeing good traction on social media and message boards. That's likely due to backers sharing the campaign, and we're grateful for that. Let's keep the momentum going and get this game out to as many people as possible!

Duelist and Bridge

Yaven took a first, nervous step onto the bridge. On the other side, the Shellfolk duelist was already in her place. The Shellfolk champion was imposing, with a sea snail helm, a mussel shell shield, and an urchin spine sword that waved lazily in her right hand. Yaven tightened the bands on their shield. It was a Titan relic, passed down from Seaglasser duelist to duelist over the years. The Singers said that no Seaglasser carrying the shield had ever lost the bridge, and Yaven silently swore not to be the first. 

The Duelist and the Bridge are great example of the cross-table play that's possible in Castles by the Sea. While many of the figures and structures in the game focus on the puzzly challenge of maximizing your score, there are a number of variant pieces that directly interact with your opponents.

The Duelist takes opposing figures directly off the board, but beware: because all players play with the same pieces, your opponents will have the same option to destroy your figures.

The Bridge is an example of a structure that requires an extra bit of thinking to optimize. Since it allows you to exchange positions of two figures, it gives you the opportunity to move your own figures out of harm's way and drop your opponents' in front of a Hazard instead. There are other clever uses to it as well, like setting up a Castle card objective or getting a restrictive piece out of a tile so you can build there.

Our Own Guardian of the Bridge

Since we're talking about bridges, today's a good day to call out our community manager, Matt Molandes. Crowdfunding and social media serve as the bridge to our community, and if you've had a question answered here or on one of our social media channels, chances are Matt was the one who helped you. Matt does more than just provide helpful answers. He makes sure this campaign is a place where our players can feel welcome and appreciated. So if you see him in the comments, give him some kudos or thank him for moderating! 

And frequently Matt thinks of things the community might appreciate that slip by us. He pointed out that Marby Kwong's gorgeous art for this game would make some fantastic free wallpapers. Download them here and you can hang out with Shorelings from the comfort of your own home.

Dangerous Waters
about 2 years ago – Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 11:35:25 PM

Today’s update is all about the Riptide Expansion, including a new Daily Reveal that will upgrade every pledge at the $55 level and above!

At Brotherwise Games, we don’t put every one of our titles on Kickstarter. When we do, it’s because crowdfunding gives us the chance to create something special that we wouldn't normally be able to include in a retail-only release. The Riptide Expansion is a great example of that!

In a typical game of Castles by the Sea, the Shorelings have to deal with looming threats like the Giant, Dragon, Terror, and Greatclaw. The game rewards clever play as you steer Hazards toward your opponents' pieces and away from yours.

The Riptide Expansion, designed by our Development Lead Hayden Dillard, intensifies that dynamic. Now, in addition to the Hazards, you’ll face a surging tide that can destroy castles and remove pieces from the board. Play is more tactical as you react to the ebb and flow of the tide markers, building to take advantage of the board space that is appearing and disappearing each game round.

The Riptide expansion builds off the exact same building and placement rules as the base game, but the tension created by the tide mechanic makes for a new and different play experience. For more on the expansion, check out this BoardGameGeek thread.

Diver & Lighthouse

Children of the Coral Kingdom can swim before they can walk, and know the ocean better than any other Shorelings. So when Athena felt a chill in the water and saw a school of minnows rushing past, she knew something was wrong. Plucking one last piece of coral from the carefully cultivated reef, she pushed off the sea floor and headed for the surface. Reaching the beach, she kicked off her flippers and ran as fast as she could. Above, the lighthouse keeper was already crying out a warning to all four Kingdoms. "The Great Wave is coming! The Great Wave is coming!"

The Diver and Lighthouse are great examples of the push and pull you’ll find in the Riptide expansion. Variants like the Lighthouse give you some measure of control over the tide, while variants like the Diver encourage you to push your luck and risk having your pieces washed away.

The Diver has a different set of placement requirements than the standard Princess. She must be placed below High Tide, and the spaces directly adjacent to her must be open. But she gives you a big bonus if she’s adjacent to a tide marker, so you’ll often want to place her right next to one. Luckily, the scoring phase occurs before the tide moves in the Hazard phase. If the tide is rising, you’ll have to decide if you’re okay with the likelihood of needing to rebuild her on your next turn. If the tide is receding, you can usually expect her to last a few more turns.

The Lighthouse is a variant of the Tower with a strict building requirement: it must be on a pillar of sand, and nothing can be built adjacent to the block below it. But it’s worth two sand dollars every turn, and gives you the ability to move the tide back one row. Making the tide just a little more predictable can have a lot of value during a Riptide game.

If you’d like to see the Riptide in play, don’t forget to check out our playthrough with Panda8ngel on Twitch! It does a great job of showing how a Riptide game has a quick, dynamic feel that will leave you wanting to play another round!

Eyes on the Prize
about 2 years ago – Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 03:14:18 PM

Happy Friday! It’s been a good day: more backers, more people spreading the word about Castles by the Sea, and a new Daily Reveal! Today’s new figure and structure cards highlight our line of sight rules.

Hunter & Window

The Seaglasser guard heard the thunk of the arrow hitting her shield before she registered the sound of it whistling through the air. But by that time, she was already tumbling to the sand below. Furious, she dusted herself off and shouted up at the Crab Riders’ castle. “What was that?!” A figure appeared at the ramparts, clad in chitinous armor. With a gruff laugh, the Hunter yelled back, “That… was a warning shot.”

While the four kingdoms mostly coexist in peace, sometimes the fight for seaside survival gets a little more aggressive. That’s especially true when the Crab Riders are involved. Today’s first new player card is the Hunter, a variant of the Archer. When you place it, you can remove any opponents’ figures within the Hunter's line of sight!

Like everything else in Castles by the Sea, line of sight is strictly orthogonal (not diagonal). When the Hunter is placed, you can draw three straight lines from it. (One side is always blocked by the structure or cube next to the Hunter.) If that line hits a figure on the same level, move it to that opponent’s “Destroyed Pieces” area.

The Window is a variant of the Door. Like the Door, two of its sides must be covered and two must always remain clear. Unlike the Door, it must be placed at least one block high. This restriction makes it trickier to build than most structures, which is why you’ll earn two sand dollars per Window. But you can earn even more if you can draw an unblocked line between the Window and another figure or structure on the same level ...that’s up to 4 sand dollars per Window.

Line of sight isn’t a part of the basic rules for Castles by the Sea, but it’s another example of how the game ramps up in complexity as you take your experience to the next level with variants.

High Praise

We keep hearing great things about Castles by the Sea! During today’s Gaming News roundup on Watch It Played, Matthew Jude related some of his experiences playing the game. Click here to jump straight to his one-minute overview of the game.

We’ve also learned that Matthew will be live streaming Castles by the Sea with Paula Deming next Thursday, April 28 on the Watch It Played Twitch channel! We’ll share more details in a future update.

We’re headed into the weekend now, but we won't stop sending you Daily Reveals. Check back tomorrow for a first look at new variants for the Riptide Expansion.

Danger from Below
about 2 years ago – Fri, Apr 22, 2022 at 12:07:31 PM

It's day three! We're making steady progress and excited to be able to share more of this delightful game with you. Seeing everyone's response to the game, here on the Kickstarter and during live streams, has been really rewarding. Thanks to everyone here for your support.

Today's reveal is a big one... literally! We're introducing an all-new Hazard.

The Greatclaw

Kira sang to herself as she packed sand around the black stone. On the other side of the stone,  a group of carpenters lowered a driftwood door to close a gap in the castle walls. The forewoman was yelling something she couldn't hear over her own singing. She liked working by herself, lifting scoops of wet sand onto the growing wall and patting it down with a shell trowel. Suddenly, the sand beneath her feet began to shake. "Sandquake!" someone yelled. But it wasn't a sandquake. She turned and ran as a fury of red spikes and snapping claws erupted from the underside of the stone.

While most of the Shoreling kingdoms have domesticated shore crabs for transport and heavy lifting, not even the Crab Riders have managed to tame their deadlier cousin: the Greatclaw. Surly and quick to anger, Greatclaws will dash forth from their hidden lairs, tearing down any castle built nearby before retreating back beneath their stones.

When the Greatclaw triggers, remove all sand blocks and pieces (both figures and structures) from spaces adjacent to all stones in the threatened lane. While this Hazard might seem less dangerous than some, stones are a key part of successful castle building, and the Greatclaw makes building on them considerably riskier.

Hazards are a big part of the game, and having just one new Hazard adds a ton of variety to your experience. Is the last new Hazard we'll reveal? Stay tuned to find out!

More Playthroughs!

Speaking of variety, our latest playthrough videos show off some of the many gameplay options available in Castles by the Sea. Brotherwise co-founder Johnny played two virtual sessions in the past day and everyone had a blast! 

Last night's rollicking session was with Kasey (aka Brain in a Jar), and focused on all the variant cards we revealed in our first two days: the Witch, Captain, Monument, and Prison. The variant cards ramp up the complexity pretty quickly. As Kasey said afterward, "It really showed me how crunchy it can get... the opportunity for strategy is huge." 

Click here for a 10-minute rules walkthrough from Johnny, or click here to jump straight into the first turn.

Today's session was with Panda8ngel, and focused on the Riptide expansion that was made especially for this Kickstarter campaign! In Riptide mode, tide markers ebb and flow across the board. The tides wash away your castles and force players to build right on top of each other, creating a more tactical dynamic.  To dive straight into the first turn of this playthrough, click here.

Amanda and Johnny were joined by PhantomMeeple, who gave this verdict: "The art is really gorgeous, the gameplay was fantastic, a lot of depth... Super fun if you like a good thinky puzzle and a little bit of trickery mixed in."

If you have questions about these playthroughs, any variants revealed so far, or the new Greatclaw Hazard, let us know in the comments!

Our First Daily Reveal
about 2 years ago – Fri, Apr 22, 2022 at 02:17:02 AM

Welcome to your first update for Castles by the Sea! We think part of the fun of a Kickstarter campaign is the chance to speak directly with the community of players, so we love writing detailed updates. Today we have plenty to celebrate, so let's dive in!

A Shore Thing

Congratulations and thank you, because this campaign is now fully funded! Your pledge is now a pre-order, and you can be sure that Brotherwise Games will produce it. Designing, developing, and illustrating a game like this is pretty expensive, so we're happy (and relieved) that some of the upfront costs are now paid off.

We're also thrilled to see how many people have opted for the Deluxe Edition! The core pledge is still a great value: high-quality components including nearly 100 wooden pieces, all for $10 off the retail price. But the higher pledge levels were made specifically for this Kickstarter, and we think they're pretty special. The Riptide Expansion is an awesome experience that dials up the game's tension, and the Deluxe Edition components include the cutest meeples we've ever seen.

These are things we couldn't have made without crowdfunding, so thank you for making these possible!

Daily Delights

With the campaign fully funded, we can now move on to Daily Reveals! Every day of this campaign, we're going to share a new component or gameplay update. Instead of locking these behind stretch goal amounts, we're committed to giving you one every day.  All of these were designed for this Kickstarter, though many of these daily reveals will also enhance the final retail game.

Most of our daily reveals will be Player Cards.  These are the cards that set the rules for how you can build each piece. The first six player cards (Arch, Tower, Door, Archer, Guard, and Princess) are the most straightforward, and the best cards for new players.

But once you’ve mastered those cards, variants allow you to shake up your game. The Riptide Expansion comes with 24 variant cards (6 per kingdom), but that's just the beginning! Today's first daily reveal is a set of fun variants that will be added to every copy of Castles by the Sea.

The Witch & The Monument 

Every Shoreling knows a few magic charms, little tricks and cantrips for surviving in the shadow of Titans. Some nurture that talent into something more. Irena, Witch of the Coral Kingdom, was such a magical prodigy that her teachers fought over who was best to mentor her. Seeking a more peaceful path, she flew off to live on her own. Now she makes her home in the shadow of the Monument, delighting in the study of magic for its own sake.

The Witch is a variant of the Princess. Like the Princess, she wants to be placed on a pillar of at least two sand blocks. But unlike her royal counterpart, the Witch can only be placed when there’s an even taller stack of blocks in her tile. She also has a magical ability to avoid Hazards: if one would affect her tile, she can fly away to another tile and land on any sand block.

The Monument is a variant of the Arch. It wants to stand out: all four sides must be clear on the turn when it’s placed. Whereas the Arch is worth two sand dollars every turn, the Monument is worth just one. But it has a special “Place” ability: on its first turn, it awards you 3 bonus sand dollars! This actually incentivizes you to put it in harm’s way – if it’s destroyed by a Hazard, you can build it again to score more points!

Just the Beginning

We're grateful to all of you for getting this campaign off to a strong start. A big part of a campaign like this is finding the right audience. Some of you are fans of Brotherwise Games. Others might love spatial puzzle games, the beach theme, or the Studio Ghibli aesthetic. If you know other people who might like this game, please spread the word! Word of mouth is the most powerful way to spread a campaign like this, and we'd love to see how far this project can go.

Thanks for everything, and check back tomorrow for another great daily reveal!