This week, Spytails - Tactics in the Shadows launched on Kickstarter. A game I have been working on for about 2 years now. It really has been a long and rewarding process where I have learned a lot.
About 2 years ago I reached out to a publisher about covering one of their games and after stating they had nothing they needed reviewing/blogging about, they asked if I had any game ideas. Funnily enough, as with most board gamers, I always have game ideas floating about in my head. We then started a 2 year journey to bring one of my ideas to the table.
I love trick-taking and I love deck-building and no-one has really blended these 2 mechanisms together before, not to the level that Spytails does anyway. Mokuomo, who are making the game, make wooden toys, so the game includes lovely, hand-made ani-meeples.
Spytails went through many changes over the testing periods and I remember the first time I played the first prototype, it did not even work properly. When someone won the first trick, we gathered the cards as normal and then lost who’s cards were who’s. Not ideal for a deck-builder, so mechanics had to be designed so people could keep their deck together. It was eye-opening indeed. Over many game sessions, with many groups, Spytails became the game it is today, a game I am very proud of and more importantly, enjoy playing.
Spytails has a unique bidding mechanic, where not only do you bid on how many tricks you will win but you also bet your points, creating a very dynamic bidding system that favours the bold. Along with that you have player powers to help you manipulate your hand and the tricks, to help you hit your bids.
Every player starts with the same basic deck and at the end of every round can add and remove a few cards, changing their deck to their liking.
Spytails is live for the next month or so, so if you are interested, go and give it a look.
