Project
What is this project all about?
Blocky Mountains is a dexterity game for 1 to 4 adventurers from the age of 8. The game can be played alone (vs the mountain), against each other or together as a team. The team version offers up to 7 small and big adventurers on the trail to the summit. This version is suitable for adventurous kids from the age of 6. In a playful way the fine motor skills will be trained, with tricky tasks for either one hand or two hands at the same time. Grown ups can enjoy their new discovered instinctive feeling (or watch in awe as they realise how much better their little ones are doing with their skills).
The material of the basic game(
1 route plan (for the game vs each other or playing in a team), 30
route cards (separated in 3 different difficulty levels:
easy, moderate and difficult), 9 owl
tokens, 5 route marker (one of them is a team route marker), 12
blocks (8 grey blocks, 1 green starting block, 1 yellow block, 1
red block, 1 blue finish block), 1 trapper, 1 grizzly, 1 food, 2
poles, 1 mountain rope, 24 squirrels and 1 rules booklet
The game play in a short version(
1. The player picks up a route card and rebuilds the route
pictured with the blocks.
2. He tries to master the route by moving the playing
piece from start to finish.
3. Afterwards he turns around an owl token and moves on
the named numbers with his route marker. (
4. The next player decides whether he sticks with the
already build up route or chooses a different one.
5. The game is played in rounds until one player reaches
the summit with his route marker.
The owl watches over the game from the top of the Blocky Mountains and decides how far you have to move on or backwards on the route plan. And adds, next to a good portion of skills, some taste of luck to the game. The squirrels are helping you, when it gets a bit tricky &
What is the project goal and who is the project for?
The goal of the game is, of course, reaching the summit of the Blocky Mountains what else?! And the project is meant for everybody who wants to be playing with toy blocks in a different way once again.
Because of the different levels of difficulty the game can be
played from the age of 6, 7 or 8 and offers the kids to grow
along the game. The routes are challenging for older kids as well
as grown ups (even Grandpa and Grandma) and are turning Blocky
Mountains into an adventure game for the whole
family. Even typical games grouches can easily get involved by the
easy rules, the high quality material and the new range of playing
opportunities.
Aside of skill the players will also need a bit of courage to make
their way up to the summit. On a side effect the young player
will need a bit of self-evaluation. The game itself is
thrilling and varied there are no borders for creativity as the
players can create different ways and tasks themselves. You
can find many tips in the route planner the accompanying book
with many ideas for planning and building your own routes
(check the rewards).
Why would you support this project?
Some of the bigger games publisher did check the prototype of the game and it took them many months to test it. The main argument why they could not take it into their publishing programm was the amount of material. Lots of wood and difficult to (mass)produce gaming components. Both game characters, the trapper and the grizzly bear, can't be mass produced with the needed eyelet. It has to be done by hand on every single wooden pawn. Same goes for the poles and the rope, they can't be done ready-made , they were invented for this special game. And this is for everyone, who wants to enjoy a special gaming experience. To be able to produce this game for you guys, we need your support! A big thank you to everyone who already supported us and all of your friends, who will in the future!
From the idea to publishing
Creating this game was a huge joy: it started with simple building
blocks in the childrens room; another inspiration was the famous
fishing game. The original idea of the game Blocky Mountains was
combining building and fishing. The fishing line
turned into the climbing rope & the building blocks got bigger and
got different shapes & thats how the ways to the mountain top
developed. A bridge made of ice, a rock crevice and a door made of
rock; the bear cave, the ridge walk, the eagle's nest, the
waterfall and many more. Many opportunities for action filled with
game fun, a wooden disc & and the trapper, who is able to flip
things.
If you want to share the enthusiasm of the author and all those people who had the chance to play the game during the process of developing on different game fairs (i.e. the Suisse Toy 2011 in Bern) and other events, then please support this project. Only with your help we can publish this game! Thanks to all the people who already helped us getting this far for their support, critic and enthusiasm during the many nights of gaming. More information about the game and also photos of some test matches: www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/144223/blocky-mountains
You have the chance to pursuit the game Blocky Mountains to reasonable conditions. If it will be published on the market it will be more expensive, as the additional game materials won't be included in the price (see Stretch Goals).
How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?
The presented game materials of the prototype are already developed on a high level. The graphics of the routes (isometrical illustration) are completed. For an even more atmospheric gaming experience, Klemens Franz (a well-known illustrator of games) will be doing new illustrations of the game box, the double-sided route plan and the backside of the route cards. His fee is included in the funding.
The money will also be used in the producing of the games. The first edition is planned with 500 games: Made in Germany. Of course, only high quality materials are used, such as beechwood for the blocks and the poles as well as nontoxic paint and varnish (eco-certified water-borne coating). The finished product of the first edition will be send to spiel gut® (Arbeitsausschuß Kinderspiel + Spielzeug e.V.) for checking.
The basic game offers lots of fun for the little ones as well as for grown ups. If the goal of the project will be overfinanced on Startnext, there will be added more route cards and a big yellow block the rock slide to add even more variety to the game, as well as an alternative route plan. These materials can be added by your own choice and the rising level of difficulty will be challenging even for the skill pros. (If the crowdfunding will be sucessfull we can all become pros by playing this game over and over again!) And last but not least the route planner will be added with bonus routes once the project will be overfinanced (check the rewards).
Stretch Goals
" From 10.500 ¬ all supporters (per supported
game) will get:
30 additional route cards (difficulty levels: moderate,
difficult, very difficult), 5 bear joker (1 of
them will be a team bear joker) and added rules
" From 12.500 ¬ all supporter (per supported game)
will get:
12 additional route cards (difficulty level: extremely
difficult), 1 rock slide, 12 pitons and added rules
" From 14.000 ¬ all supporters (per supported
game) will get:
1 alternative route plan and added rules
Expected delivery of the finished games (as the case may be: including additional game material): november 2013
Who are the people behind the project?
Gerhard Junker (game developing and
graphics)
Since 1998 he works as a freelance graphic-designer and
illustrator; married and father of a daughter (in whose childrens
room this game was born). Long before the idea of Blocky
Mountains came along, he designed board games in an advertising
agency and also many books. Being a member of the Game Designer
Association (SAZ) he helps organizing fairy stands on the
Spielemesse in Stuttgart and helped creating the graphical
realisation of the national wide gaming day
Stadt-Land-Spielt! .
Klemens Franz (illustration)
Since 2010 he works as a freelancer, married and surrounded by many
children and four-legged friends. Before, during and after that he
has illustrated numerous games (such as Agricola, At the Gates of
Loyang, Luna, Milestones and Flinke Fliegen). The direct link to
his work: www.atelier198.com
Susanne Junker (support and advice)(
Married to the author of the game and having a massive impact on
the development of the game. Being the biggest critic there is no
way around her. If she likes something, you know you're on the
right way. She also stands for every single person who had the
chance to try out the game (especially the kids).
Project updates
12/15/2014
Die Felsenrutsche (Erweiterung) wird noch in diesem Dezember veröffentlicht / The Rock Slide (expansion) will be released this December – www.startnext.de/blocky-mountains/blog/?bid=41058
03/04/2014
Die Blöcke sind da / The blocks are there: www.startnext.de/blocky-mountains/blog/?bid=28379 Voraussichtliche Auslieferung der fertigen Spiele im März 2014. / Expected delivery of the finished games in March 2014.
10/04/2013
Stretch-Goal #2: www.startnext.de/blocky-mountains/blog/?bid=22227 Stretch-Goal #1 erreicht / reached: www.startnext.de/blocky-mountains/blog/?bid=22121
09/16/2013
Neues Dankeschön „Große Expedition“ hinzugefügt (s. auch Projektblog). Dazu eine Diashow mit 24 Blöcken in 24 Bildern / New reward „Great expedition“ added (see also project blog). Click here for a slideshow with 24 blocks in 24 frames: www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=166902150166117
08/16/2013
Ausführlicher Videobericht zu „Blocky Mountains“ auf cliquenabend.de: www.cliquenabend.de/news/808500-Aktuelles-Brettspiel-Crowdfunding.html
