Of course, having those early copies on hand at Gen Con 2015 allowed us to record an overview of the game for those wanting to play along at home...
• Alex Churchill's Steam Works is another title that's been in the works a while for Tasty Minstrel, with this prototype pic from developer Seth Jaffee dating to January 2014. I'm always fascinated by development shots like this, imagining every change large and small that's been spurred by playtester comments or games that went off the rails or simply the desire to create something that challenges players in a particular way.
• Ken Gruhl and Quentin Weir's Dungeon Fortune, another preview title, mimics the levelling-up, press-your-luck gameplay and setting from TMG's Dungeon Roll, but with the game using cards instead of dice and with developer Seth Jaffee noting that it's a "step up in terms of complexity". He explains here:
• I've played Chen Zhifan's Design Town a few times and thought it a clever deck-builder, with players constructing a personal deck of double-sided cards, trying to flip them over to use special powers while also wondering when to press their luck in order to get more coins at the risk of increasing their town's unhappiness (and ending their turn). Now TMG has released a new version of the game with a new title — Flip City — and ten copies of a card from the expansion. Bonus!
• Cthulhu Realms is an interesting title in that TMG's Michael Mindes liked Darwin Kastle's hit card game Star Realms, but wanted to change a few things about it to make the design better match his tastes. After much tinkering, a change in theme, and a license from White Wizard Games to use the design, voilà — Cthulhu Realms.