07:11 PM: Steve Kani says...
Live from GenCon '05: Jesper Myrfors and Peter Adkison on Clout Fantasy

I had a chance to sit down with Jesper Myrfors and Peter Adkison of Hidden City Games about Clout Fantasy - a game of dexterity and strategy for two or more players. This game is unique in that it uses a collectible poker chip that features high quality artwork.

I started out asking Jesper and Peter to describe Clout Fantasy for those of us who had never heard of the game. Jesper described it as a strategy game that uses poker chips... that are thrown. Twenty five points are spent on fifteen chips - like building an army. All the chips are used in the course of playing a game. Unlike Magic where there’s an element of “luck of the draw,” any one of the chips can be played at a time. A chip could be played in response to a chip played by an opponent, or it could be played as part of a longer term strategy.

I asked Peter what attracted him to this project. He said that he is always looking for games that take various themes in totally new and interesting directions. Clout Fantasy took the fantasy and collectible idea in a completely different direction.

I asked them why they chose the fantasy theme. Jesper said that the short answer was the fantasy theme is familiar and easily grasped by the gaming community. He said that the Clout system could work with any theme, but he chose to start with the fantasy theme because it would make the game more accessible. I asked where they envisioned this game in the future, wondering if there were plans for different themes. Peter said there were indeed plans for different themes for Clout. Jesper added that they would all be compatible with Clout Fantasy. Peter mentioned that they were looking into purchasing licenses and that some of these themes might target a younger audience.

I had to ask about organized play. Peter was quick to say that he really liked the competitive aspect of Clout Fantasy, but saw it as more of a game that one would play with a bunch of buddies over beer and pretzels. He didn’t rule out organized play, but said that it wasn’t going to be a focus.

So what do you get for your hard earned dollar? Well, for about fifteen smackers you can buy the starter kit which includes two sets of fifteen chips (enough for two players), a measuring tape, and a rule book. Boosters will retail for a couple bucks and contain two chips (a much better price point than previously feared).

As a side note, Mike can't get audio uploads to work from his laptop, so the podcast from the show floor will likely come in one big piece sometime next week. He would have posted about this himself, but from his position face down on the bed, I think he is saying, "Too bitter to post." So we might hear from him later tonight. It's sad when a computer defeats a man.