Hey everyone – as usual lots going on so let’s jump into it!
Mechanical Beast is Live on Kickstarter!
Mechanical Beast went live on 31 May and funded in less than an hour! And we’re mowing down our stretch goals so this one is going to keep getting better. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, Mechanical Beast was the big winner of the 2019 Solitaire Print and Play Contest, including the Best Overall Game. Ben Morayta, the designer, has come up with a fantastic tile laying/manipulation game that is awesome to play as a solo game or with multiple players in either cooperative or competitive modes. And we’re excited to work with Apolline Etienne and Brigitte Indelicato again for the art & graphic design (the same team who knocked it out of the part with Elements of the Gods).
All of our other projects are going smoothly with no major issues, so instead this month we wanted to highlight some of the charities we contributed to that we think are pretty awesome! 🙂
- Animal Humane Society of New Mexico: Founded in 1965, Animal Humane New Mexico is the state’s leading private 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal welfare organization serving more than 10,000 homeless & at-risk dogs & cats each year. They never euthanize based on age or length of stay & since 2010, have re-homed 100% of healthy pets in our care. They support every companion animal at Animal Humane with outstanding veterinary, social and emotional care & love. As a private nonprofit shelter, they receive no city, state or federal funding; each dollar judiciously spent is earned or raised.
- Child’s Play: Since 2003, the organization has set up Child’s Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 185 hospitals worldwide. Over the years, they have outfitted hospital wards and domestic violence shelters with gaming systems for therapeutic & recreational play.
- Road Runner Food Bank of New Mexico: Roadrunner® Food Bank of New Mexico, a Feeding America member, is the largest non-profit dedicated to solving food insecurity in New Mexico. As a food distribution hub, they provide food to hundreds of affiliated member partners around the state including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and regional food banks. They also distribute food through specialized programs helping children, families and seniors at schools, low-income senior housing sites, senior centers and with and through health care partnerships. Every week 70,000 hungry children, seniors and families are reached through this statewide hunger relief network. They are working together with their partners, volunteers and contributors to end food insecurity and hunger in New Mexico.
- American Indian Science and Engineering Society: Founded in 1977, growing the AISES membership above their current 5,900 individual members is key to achieving their mission. AISES supports 230 affiliated pre-college schools, 196 chartered college and university chapters, 3 tribal chapters, and 18 professional chapters in the U.S. and Canada. They promote the highest standards of education and professional excellence to widen the STEM workforce and grow sector support. They highlight the geographic, economic, and social aspects of STEM education and careers. In addition to awarding nearly $12 million and counting in academic scholarships, AISES offers internships, professional development and career resources, national and regional conferences, leadership development summits, and other STEM-focused programming.
Finally, we always have to plug the 2021 54 Card Game Design Contest on BoardGameGeek. 😀 We’re still in the feedback phase and voting will start next month so go check them out, give them a playtest (easy print & play builds and a huge chunk of them have Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia, or playingcards.io implementation so even easier!), and provide some feedback.
As always, if you have any questions or issues feel free to drop us a line through our social media outlets or send us an email at support@sideroomgames.com. Until next time!
Dustin
