As we said previously, after the effort, relaxation!
We are leaving for vacations to the USA where we’ll attend Gen COn.
That will be the occasion to present Discoveries for the first time to the American audience. We can’t wait!
In any case, we wish you to have a nice summer. Travelling by plane or train, holidays are the perfect time to play games! Enjoy this special time and see you soon on top form.
These last few weeks, the Ludonaute team was a little bit overwhelmed, snowed under with cartons. But it was for the good! We now have our big office and we are so happy to be there! It is large but we choose to gather all of us in a small part of it…. under the air conditionner.
The decoration is still to be done but Cedric’s presence makes it more attractive for sure. He offers you a small tour..
Cédric wants to show you his favorite work tool: the ACE, with camouflage option, invisible on photos.
Cédric’s work is going well, this is why he is smiling, that or seing the swimming pool through the window.
Cédric is supervising in the storage room, aka cutting room, aka the space to relax. All this at the same time.
« Wait! shot another one that shows how we work. »
Whatever, the first expansion of Colt Express is almost done…so after the effort, relaxation!
The nomination to Spiel des Jahres has offered us the opportunity to come to Berlin for the first time. The whole Ludonaute team (Anne-Cécile, Cédric and Marinella) joined by Jordi Valbuena and Christophe Raimbault has taken off Nice on the morning, going to Berlin.
This was a unique opportunity to visit the German capital all together.
At 7:30 pm the Jury and all the nominees meet at a dinner in a hotel. Despite the high stakes, there is a great atmosphere.
Of course we meet our French colleagues: Sébastien Pauchon, Philippe Mouret, Jean-Christophe Giraud, Croc and the team of Asmodee GmbH: Carol Rapp, Robin de Cleur…
What’s funny during the evening is that no one knows the winner, except one jury. Alea Jacta est.
That makes things easier. We enjoyed the evening by playing table football, in the French way: that is with 2 balls and 8 players, changing their place each time a goal is scored.
We’ve just live an unforgettable moment, a huge emotion and unlimited happiness. Indeed, yesterday in Berlin, Colt Express has been rewarded by the German Game of the Year prize.
With the As d’Or, awarded in Cannes, in February, the prestigious Spiel des Jahres is for our whole team (Ludonaute, Christophe Raimbault, Jordi Valbuena) a recognition.
In a room of the Hotel Kempinski, we gathered with a hundred people (journalists, publishers, game designers), all of them looking forward knowing the winners.
The wait is unsustainable and the Spiel des Jahres association knows how to make attendees become anxious, talking a lot in German, taking time to present every game.
First, the Kenner Spiel des Jahres is rewarded to Broom Service. The game is illustrated by Vincent Dutrait. We are happy for him.
We are a little bit sad for our fellow countrymen, the Space Cowboys.
Then the terrible time comes: the black curtain rises disclosing the winner box.
At this moment, my hear is beating like a drum, I’ve got sweaty palms and a frozen smile. There are two disappointed people and only one winner.
Even if we know that it is already a huge victory to have come this far, nevertheless, at the last minute, we believe we could win.
And suddenly, cries of joy shout and Colt Express yellow box appears, decorated with The red pawn!
What comes next is just a dream, shared with Christophe and Jordi. Kisses, congrats, some tears of joy too… What a wonderful path since the first game of « Pirates de l’Ouest » the prototype Christophe presented us two years ago.
Asmodee Germany team is thrilled. They deserve the reward too: their professionalism in distribution, the passion for the game has given Colt Express a good life in Germany. We have been working with Carol Rapp and her team for a year now; she patiently explained us about her vision and how the German game market works. It is really a pleasure to have such partners.
Bonne nouvelle ! Notre jeu Le Petit Prince – Voyage vers les étoiles s’apprête à sortir en France. Il sera disponible dans toutes les boutiques à partir de la semaine prochaine, le 7 juillet.
Pour les curieux qui n’ont pas encore eu l’occasion de le découvrir, le jeu sera présenté au Festival Ludique International de Parthenay entre le 8 et 19 juillet.
Pour les professionnels, n’hésitez pas à télécharger le dossier de presse du jeu.
You are playing Colt Express for months now? Today we have something to renew your game experience in the most funny train of the West.
The last weekend, the visitors of the game festival Paris est ludique received a leaflet with two special rules and a new decor to put the common deck on. You can know download this leaflet in English, just click to the opposite image!
For those of you who like live role-playing games, you can now find the special rules for a much bigger fun. These rules allows to play up to 12 players. Click on the opposite image :)
Finally, we have decided to work with Twinples to create special pawns for Colt Express. Here is a first sample :)
Do you like Lewis & Clark ? We do. This is the reason why we have welcomed Cédrick Chaboussit when he came back to us with a new game on this theme: Discoveries.
More than just an expansion of the first game, this one is a whole new adventure about the two explorers’ expedition (about which you know absolutely everything there is to know, of course).
While the first game was a race, this one is more focused on the exploration side. Discovering the territory, making a pact with the local tribes and an inventory of the natural species will be your main missions. To help you to do so, you will rely on your faithful companions, symbolized by dice.
The main interest in this game is the management of the dice’s flows, because you will be able to use yours as well as those of your opponents. Interaction and reflection will be the keys to victory.
Cédrick Chaboussit and Vincent Dutrait are still in charge, just let your wanderlust taking you away!
The day before yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit Ludofact factory, where the main part of our games are made. The company is based in Jettingen, 300 kms South of Frankfurt (Germany). About 100 people work there.
I have been explained the various steps of manufacturing board games, how are made punched boards, boxes, game boards.
Ludofact makes these elements on site. Each pallets of grey card boards sheets are glued, cut, punched…
The playing cards are made in another factory, a few kilometers away from there.
The rest of game contents are supplied by sub-contractors. The assembling of all contents is made on-site.
It happened that it was the day Discoveries was assembled. I could see the game taking shape before my eyes. A great moment in a publisher’s life! !
Assembling line of Discoveries:
chaine de montage Discoveries
The game will be released in Gen Con 2015, and in August in Europe. You will heard about it before this date. Stay tuned! :-)
Our upcoming game, The Little Prince -Rising to the Stars, is due to be released in August. Publishing this game is a special experience for us, since it is about an animated feature film planned in Fall 2015.
You may heard about this film in the next few days: it will be presented in Cannes festival on Friday 22th of May. Below, in preview, you can watch an extract of the film by clicking on the picture.
We also shot a video with Monsieur Phal and Docteur Mops. It shows how the game works (in French). Click below to launch the video.
We have just put online a page about the game. You can also download the game rules here:
Game rules in English
The wooden planes from the game
Each year, the game industry eagerly waits for the selection of the prestigious German jury. Some publishers secretly expect it, some do not even believe in and others are busy speculating about it.
Why so much interest, so much excitement around this prize? Because, in Germany, the Spiel des Jahres is a reference, as the Prix Goncourt can be in France about books. It si a kind of recommendation every German family can follow to fill up Christmas presents list.
This implies for the rewarded game a huge amount of sales, with no possible comparison with the « normal » sales. 300 000 copies sold can be expected…
But the prize is also know world-wide, more than any other game rewards.
The prize exists since 1979. As the game market changes, it evolves along the years, rewarding the best game and the most beautiful game, then the best cooperative game or the dexterity game.
Since 2010, the jury gives 2 rewards: the red Token (Best game) and the black Token (Best Connoisseurs’ game).
There is also a award for the Children game (Kinderspiel – blue Token), given by another jury, during a different ceremony.
The Spiel des Jahres rewarded extraordinary board games, through years. Among them:
The Spiel des Jahres jury consists solely of journalists who specialize in game reviews, have worked for extended periods for newspapers, magazines. The selection criteria are the game idea, the game rules and the presentation.
Thus Colt Express is a nominne for the Red Token, Spiel des Jahres 2015. Beside it, two other games: Machi Koro published by Kosmos and The Game published by NSV.
The winner will be known on the Monday 6th of July in Berlin. I may as well tell you that the upcoming weeks will be long.
Whatever the result is, this nomination is for us (and for Christophe and Jordi) an amazing adventure. It makes us measure the progress made since 2010 and our first game Offering. We are proud of it and we hope that it will go on as long as possible.
We count on your support until July. And if… Colt Express becomes the Spiel des Jahres… Such happiness!!!
