Craig Somerton

YouTube video by Board Game Sanctuary Trick Your Friends in this Charming Card Game 🚜🐄🌾 #boardgames #tabletopgaming #familygames

Blown away by this stunning short from Danny at Board Game Sanctuary, showcasing my latest game trick-taking - Farm Hand.

Kickstarter backers should be receiving their copies soon, and it should be hitting retail in Oz sometime next month, and worldwide later this year.

youtu.be/IlPkROzgdfM

And the best trick-taking game of 2025 goes to... | Farm Hand Farm Hand Overview, Tutorial & Review A Rootin’ Tootin’ Trick-Taking Game! “Life is more fun if you play games.” -Roald Dahl A Note from the Author: I want to take a moment to express that writing ...

My first published game - Farm Hand is being delivered to backers in Asia, with Australia and elsewhere arriving sometime next month (4 months ahead of schedule) - great work @grailgames.bsky.social .

Chuffed at the first review on BGG from Board Games with B7 boardgamegeek.com/thread/35141...

Matthew Dunstan latest video raises some very salient issues about being a game designer, and questions how we should best move forward.

I would strongly encourage more people to watch and share it as widely as possible.

Very excited to see my game "Farm Hand" being published.

Loved it. Such an amazing show.

The incredible effort that goes into each scene is mind-blowing.

How does that penguin convey so much menace with a face that barely moves?

Cowboy for no apparent reason.

Is that like the man with no name?

Fun episode. Love the banter.

Well deserved Matt.

Thank you again for posting these summaries. Your humility, candour and transparency is inspiring for many of us aspiring designers, and it's great to see all your hard work, over many years, paying dividends.

Nobody is going to altruistically provide that, well... not for very long. Someone has to pay for it at some stage.

The only real way to do it is to have advertising 🤬 or expect users to pay.

I for one would happily pay for a service that keeps-out much of the filth that inhabits the other places.

A dozen versions of Ticket to Ride, a bunch of different Catan's, so many pandemics and a gazillion monopoly games.

But when Stonemeier games announce a spinoff for Wingspan, people lose their minds and call them hacks.

It's fascinating looking at the threads about finspan.

I'm holding-out until Jamey releases the "rock n roll" version.

So many gamers seriously underestimate the work involved in designing, developing and publishing a game, along with the substantial investment in time and money.

If you have a formula that works, why would you change it significantly?

For those who were waiting patiently.

I feel so seen.

Thanks I will. 😀

I had plans to attend PAXAU in 2024, but my wife needing urgent retinal surgery put paid to that. Shrug, such is life.

Am definitely hoping to get to more conventions in 2025.

A shame, but completely understandable. We do miss you guys a lot.

Hopefully, we can catch-up at another con sometime.

Will we ever see you back at BorderCon?

Since everyone else seems to be posting their 2024 summary...

Living remotely, I'm very thankful for BGA.

The biggest surprise was 52 Realms from @matthewdunstan.bsky.social for converting me into a solo gamer.

I'm definitely excited by the prospect of having my first game published this year.

The pistol whip admission was definitely my favourite part.

Welcome aboard!

Mammal: Killer Whale
Marsupial: Echidna
Bird: King Parrot
Fish: Sunfish
Invertebrate: Nautilus
Reptile: Water Dragon
Amphibian: Green Tree Frog

Text: Adults: record numbers of teens are depressed, we must find out why Teens: school is more stressful than ever, our parents screwed over the economy, the earth is on a path to total environmental destruction, and now we have to dead with actual fuckin nazis Adults: it's the iphones isn't it

Funny, sad, and infuriating how this old meme is still so painfully accurate.

How was it?

The artwork is gorgeous. And I never noticed the name LAIRS is made-up of an axe, candle and serpent. Nice little details.

A red circle with the following poem in white script: Seven swans to rule them all Six geese to find them Five rings to bind them all And in the pear tree bind them.

Tis the season

A garden scene a young kangaroo standing near some potted plants.

Having my morning coffee and doing my morning puzzles. I looked out the window and spied a visitor.

Kangaroos are regulars here, although generally not in the garden - they prefer the back paddock.

My normal visitors are Wallabies (who devour our roses), King Parrots, Echidnas and Fairy Wrens.

Just One has been a huge winner for me. I have never seen it fail - no matter the crowd, from novice to experienced.

It's so quick and accessible. It's creative but not too demanding. And it invokes so many laughs.

We forgo the rounds and scoring, and just play until everyone has had enough.

Yeah, when my game gets published (soon), I thought it best that I appear slightly professional, and that people not be subjected to my foul language and political rants.

Yep. This one for the slightly more professional face I want to show the world. The other for my sweary, weird persona.