Spielwiese Plus
10.03.2003

Printgames.net: Alternative zu den Verlagsspielen

Wenn Schmalhans regiert, wird es auch für die Spieleautoren schwieriger ihre Ideen bei Verlagen an den Mann, sprich: auf den Markt zu bringen. Die beiden Österreicher Manuela Schöndorfer und Gerhard Wieser haben aus der Not eine Tugend gemacht. Ihr neues Internet-Angebot printgames.net http://www.printgames.net steht auch anderen Autoren offen.

Es geht um einen neuen Weg, Brettspiele im Internet zu vermarkten: Die Spielpläne und -regeln können aus dem Internet geladen werden. Einige davon sind kostenlos, die anderen kosten den Pauschalpreis von 3 Euro. Bezahlt wird unkompliziert über das Payservice "firstgate". Man braucht also praktisch nur einen Farbdrucker.

Bei den Spielen handelt es sich sowohl um Familien- und Erwachsenenspiele als auch um Kinderspiele. Sie haben so hübsche Namen wie etwa "Herr der Dinge" oder "Time Jump". Dabei handelt es sich um eine Weiterentwicklung von "Denkste!", das 1998 bei F.X. Schmid erschienen war.

www.spielwiese.at

The Fun Day Times
Issue #89
Aug 1, 2003

Print Games - "click - print - play." That just about sums it up. You click) and download an artistically designed .PDF file complete with pieces, board and instructions), you print (it definitely helps if you have a good color printer), and you play.

Well, you also have to cut, and in some cases even fold. But it's a small price to pay to wind up with a new, fun board game.

Speaking of small prices to pay, only a few of the games are actually free. For the rest, you do in deed need to pay a small price, maybe a few Euros.

These are bona fide board games. The instructions are generally easy to read. The pieces and board usually beautifully illustrated. But what makes this site of special interest is the whole idea that games can be invented, marketed, and even sold - without ever actually being manufactured.

It's an invitation to game designers who are fed up with the difficulties of getting their work into the hands of the players they've designed them for. It's an invitation to game players who are equally fed up with the expense and difficulty of acquiring new board games.

Some games are only a few pages long. Some as many as 10. There aren't that many, but there's a good variety.

With a little more visibility, Print Games could establish an exciting precedent for both publishers and players, providing inventors with far greater access to a wide and esoteric public, and players with an opportunity to find exactly the kind of game they're looking for - right on their own printers.

by Bernie DeKoven
(www.deepfun.com)
From The Fun Day Times
www.otb-games.com

Fun Freebies

With the holidays just around the corner and the economy heading for the coroner, finding perfect gifts for family and friends may be a daunting task for you and your students. Budgets are tight and spirits are sagging. What better gift to suggest than a game?

You wouldn’t be surprised if I sang the praises of the great value for money in the nearly endless replay opportunities from purchased board and card games. You might be surprised to learn, though, that there is a vast wealth of free print and play games for you to make and play in both classroom and home settings. 

Just type the words print and play free board and card games into your search engine and an abundance of sites listing a cornucopia of games will appear. My favorites come from www.printgames.net, which lists games suitable for ages 7+, and www.boardgames.about.com, which not only details links to various sites but also offers game industry guru Erik Arneson’s list of favorites and a 7-week e-course in free games.

If you find that the most you can do with scissors and glue is bond the blades together, there is also a wide range of parlour game that can be played with few, if any, supplies or props. The only resources parlour games require are enthusiasm and that most precious gift of all – time. Wikipedia.org’s page on Parlour Games incorporates links to instructions for 15 delightful games described elsewhere in the wiki as well as external links to sites detailing even more of these centuries old pastimes. My favorite for a large party is Mafia, but two can enjoy endless hours of amusement playing Botticelli (surprisingly omitted from the list of parlour games, but described elsewhere on Wikipedia.org).

Whatever your budget, there’s no excuse not to play this holiday season. Just make the time for timeless memories.

Descriptions of some of our printgames:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/publisher/4723

Board Game Design Project of group of San Diego State University: stating www.printgames.net as inspiration.
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/Courses/EDTEC670/assignments/boardgame.htm

British Science Association stating www.printgames.net as
inspiration for game designing

Spanish Translation (Castellano) of our game K.O. (pdf):
http://www.box.net/shared/cbgedojq8u