Games, Links, Press, Updates Games, Links, Press, Updates

We Did It!

Well the dust has settled and the final numbers have been tallied and people, we ROCKED this little thing called Kickstarter!Richard sits in grim approval of our awesomeness (don't mind him, 'grim' is all he's got.)We ended up raising $38,585 dollars -- that's 154% MORE than our original goal. Because of you guys and your support, both in pledging, but just as importantly in spreading the word, we ended up hitting a stretch goal as well. The game now has a better board than it would have without you.And, I hear rumours, and these are JUST rumours that because we came so close to the SECOND stretch goal -- that we may end up seeing that happen anyway! Plus IDW has mentioned their might be some other surprises kicking about for those of you who pledged.Now I have been hearing a few common questions so let me answer them as best I can:Iago's severed head has a few questions he'd like to ask...Q: Conor, I totally MEANT to support the kickstarter but I was kidnapped by Bolivian revolutionaries and just got back from Sucre... What do I do? Can I still get the Game?A: Yes. Yes, you can. The game is going to be distributed widely. IDW wants Kill Shakespeare and all the other games coming out to be easy to get. Your local comic shop can order them, as can any store that specializes in board games. We're told that most of these stores will be able to stock Kill Shakespeare starting in June. And of course, Anthony and I will probably bring a few copies to sell to most conventions.(Oh, and I hope you had a chance to say "hi" to Evo Morales when you were in Bolivia...)Q: When will I get my game if I supported the Kickstarter? Before those "Hamlet-come-lately" store buyers?A: We're told end of May is the likely time for that. The game has been thoroughly play-tested, we were just waiting to see what kickstarter goals we hit before sending the game to printers.Q: So, IS the game going to be even more awesome than I am currently thinking it will be?A: Yes! Definitely! I can't tell you what it's going to be but IDW and Pandasaurus have already GUARANTEED that there will be bonus content shipping with your game.This is definitely NOT a hint. Nosiree... no hints here. Not a one... Uh-uh....Q: When can I play you and Anthony?A: Why, we're glad you asked that! We're planning a couple of events, including one here in Toronto, that will give you a chance to play the game against us, see what all the fuss is about, and get copies for yourself.And right here, right now, I'm saying if you can manage to beat me I will.... uh... sign your comic books for free!(what can I say? I suck at games...)Q: Is there anything else I can do to help the game out?A: Yes, for sure. Once you have the game set up some nights for your friends, and then encourage them to go to their local store and get them to order it. The more we can pull games through the retail channels the more IDW is going to want to do expansion sets and then some of those other stretch goals we just missed out on may become a reality (Meeples anyone?)Again, you guys are amazing. We're the luckiest creators in the world to have friends and a fan-base like you.Much thanks,Conor & Anthony.

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Uncertain Life and Sure Death

As the Ides of March approaches I’m kind of pondering that whole: “my thoughts be bloody or nothing worth” dilemma that Hamlet wrestles with. I mean, on one hand, murder is awful, bad, and often really messy – even if you’ve already covered the bathroom floor with a tarp and have the hack-saw and bag of quicklime on the go.On the OTHER hand – when Shakespeare does it, murder is pretty awesome. I mean, heads get chopped off, poison is consumed, there is not one, but TWO mass stabbings, people, Shakespeare once offed two kids by BAKING THEM IN A PIE and then SERVING THAT PIE TO THEIR MOM (“Mmm, this is good! Is this veal?” “No, it’s your kids, BOOM!”).So that got me to thinking about OTHER people who love Shakespeare like we do, and especially love the peculiar joy that comes with snuffing out some punk’s all too brief candle.This led us to David Malki ! and Ryan North – two of the creative engines behind the most excellent Machine of Death series of books and games. (PLUG ALERT: You may also know Ryan from his Blockbuster To Be or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure Kickstarter campaign.)Since Machine was such a HUGE success we thought it likely that it’s blend of wit, wordplay and cold-bloodedly hilarious focus on mass murder might be popular with you guys too, so David ! kindly let us design a BONUS SET OF CARDS for Machine of Death that has an all-Shakespeare flavour. You can download the card set here – these print and play beauties are ready to seamlessly fit into any Machine of Death game.

"Uncertain life, and sure death." - All's Well That Ends Well
"Uncertain life, and sure death." - All's Well That Ends Well

DOWNLOAD THE CARDS HERE: http://alice.idwpublishing.com/_7NERTM4cugLoZRBonus points (and prizes!) go to the first five people to correctly post in the comment section what play each card represents (or tweet us @IDWGAMES or @KillShakespeare). And if you know anyone who plays Machine, send’em over here – the more crossover between fans of Bardicide and fans of murder in general, the better.(plus, it means more credible suspects to throw the cops off your trail).Murderously yours,Conor

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Artwork, Games, Updates Artwork, Games, Updates

Kickstarter Update: Day 1

Wow!What a first day.You guys and gals are AMAZING! We’re already more than 50% of the way to our goal and that’s because of your incredible support. I’m more excited than that time Falstaff and I went on a bender and TOTALLY spilled beer all over Richard III’s gimpy hand!Thank you SO much for getting this campaign off to a great start. This is the first Kickstarter that Anthony and I have been involved in and it’s been a great success so far.Please keep supporting our campaign, with your help we can reach more and more people and start to unlock some of the UNBELIEVABLE stretch goals – yes these goals are so mind-blowing you will literally find your brain short-circuit until you start saying things like: “I simply cannot believe they are offering me this – they must be mad, as mad as that rascally King Lear!”As a little bonus for you awesome-sauce folks we want to share with you an EXCLUSIVE piece of art from the game that NOBODY else in the world has seen (and those that have we’ll kill – just to make this even more special for you).KSG_Action008

Take a bow, you magnificent bastards, you!

So please, keep sharing this with your friends, harass the tastemasters of the internet to talk about this, tell your Grandmother to finally get on the interwebs – because we want to make the Kill Shakespeare Board Game the best Shakespearean thing EVER!Oh, and for future sneak peeks – vote down in the comments if you want to see more exclusive game art or get a glimpse at ANOTHER awesome Kill Shakespeare project we’ve got on the boil (and bubble).The Game Play’s the thing! Conor McCreeryBardicidal maniacToronto, February 2014

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We guest blog on Reading With Pictures

Reading With Pictures is a fantastic site and resource for those who want to learn more about the medium of comics and especially for those who are looking to, or already to, teach comics in class.The two of us were honoured then when RWP asked us to contribute some guest blogs to the site.The first blog "Hamlet to Ham Sandwich" is up here. We hope you think it is an interesting take on why the comic medium deserves to be studied, why comics and Shakespeare are a great fit, as well as as why students of all ages respond so well to Shakespeare when he is presented in an accessible way (say, a certain graphic noel you may be familiar with?)Stay tuned as we should have more blogs up for RWP soon.Also we'd love it if you checked out the Kickstarter campaign for a fantastic new textbook that RWP is developing to help make teaching comics easier, and more rewarding than ever.(and some of the rewards for this campaign have GOT to be seen to be believed!)See you all in Dubai!

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