Just what we need. Another thing to have kids attached to their phones for. Yes, it may get them outside but .....

But what? It's just a different game console/platform. Kids have been eyeball deep into their Gameboys since the 80s. Myself included.

Not every kid is a hyper outdoorsy kid. I wasn't really interested in the great outdoors beyond the beach until I was 19. So yes, if it gets more inside kids out for even a little walk with Mom or to take the dog around the block, that's fantastic.

It's a cute idea, a huge money generating idea, and at least around here I see families playing it. Mom, Dad, and the kids. Hell, my mother plays it, or at least attempts to.

It'll die down eventually and everyone can move on to bemoaning this generation's youth for whatever the next latest and greatest craze is.

Now, excuse me. I think I need to rid my office of this Rattata infestation. Why can't it be an infestation of Eevees? I need more Eevee candy to evolve these little buggers.

They are exercising and getting sunlight AND SOCIALIZING. All good things some of them weren't doing before.

Moth just told me that there are close-up and faraway "gang signs" for each of the three teams. I advised her not to use them if she encounters other people when she's trying to get her gym back from the "three little punks" who "stole" it from her. Sigh...

Local news showed a poke-stop in the middle of a busy street and another on railroad tracks. I assume that they will filter these out as time goes by.

You don't have to be right "on top" of a poke-stop to get the goodies. There is a good radius. As we were driving around (to do other things), I was able to grab the items from poke-stops placed on street corners from the car as we were stopped at the intersection.

and at least around here I see families playing it. Mom, Dad, and the kids.

Same here. It's been wonderful seeing pre-teens walking around with their parents, and people interacting with each other face to face.
=====
Personally, I like the walking (and collecting) aspect of the game. It's a motivational tool to get me walking around my neighborhood and other places close by so I can hatch those eggs. Yep, gotta walk 5 km to hatch that egg!

~J (downside: if I'm walking, I'm not carving....)

The doctor is probably putting them in the office so the patients (kids and adults) have something fun to do while waiting

Jaxx

Whew! Just when I was gettin' worried my kids weren't on their smart phones enough.

I presume that means there will be knockoffs soon?

Well, I tried to start a Pokémon GO thread on the Geocaching and Other Games board but it went nowhere, whereas this one -- on a board it clearly doesn't belong on -- is going great guns. Ryan, you can close down 90% of the boards on AQ, everything can get discussed on Letterbox Chatter.

I keep seeing people out and about when normaly there is not a single soul. I think it's awesome that people are getting out. I'm a bit sad since I don't have a smart phone so I can't play too but really a great deal of these people would just be inside on their phones or whatever else, this way they are outside.

Why respond at all, if not for attention?...CLICK

Don't throw shade, Kirbert. It was my intention to promote the benefits of using Pokemon Go to inspire letterboxing...hence, mentioning said benefits on my original post....*sips tea*

Sent this message via smoke signals, did ya?

My brother has worked in the game industry for 20+ years. Everyone is kicking their butts that they didn't come up with the idea first.

Don't worry. They're all now thinking up ideas to do something similar. Most will die quickly, but some others will catch on too, but not as well as Pokemon GO. One MAY exceed it eventually, but won't rise as quickly. There may even be one that you (every one of you) will be interested in.

Well, I tried to start a Pokémon GO thread on the Geocaching and Other Games board but it went nowhere, whereas this one -- on a board it clearly doesn't belong on -- is going great guns.

That's because this board has (nearly) everyone who reads the boards, but that other thread has only about 10% of this one. Apparently more people here are interested in Pokemon GO than are interested in geocaching.

Who's going to do the Pokemon series of letterboxes? Of course there doesn't have to be just one. Who's going to catch them all?

I keep seeing people out and about when normaly there is not a single soul.

While I was out capturing munzees, I saw this group of about a dozen teens gathered around this small spot on a trail just off of the road. Another half dozen came up while I was walking by. I'm assuming that it is a poke-spot.

Where there are many Go players gathered, it could be one of two things, a Gym, where they can battle each other, or a PokeStop, where you can pick up free items, like poke balls, eggs, etc. If someone has attached/activated a Lure item at a PokeStop, this is what happens (text taken from a website):

When deployed, any PokeStop under the influence can be seen on the map with a shower of pink petals around the stop. This can be seen by all players, as Pokemon attracted to the location can be found by any player at that location - making it a great item to use with friends. A new Pokemon will show up approximately every 3 minutes.

So, instead of the player walking around in hopes of finding Pokemon, they are drawn to the PokeStop for a limited amount of time. ( yeah, both Pokemon and players, lol).

To get your freebies at a PokeStop, you spin the icon, and random items "pop" out. It's sort of fun, and takes about 5 seconds, maybe.

Who's going to do the Pokemon series of letterboxes?

I'm already planning an Eevee personal traveler, though I could be convinced to do an Eevee series, since that's one of my favorites, aside from Pikachu.

It is pretty fun. It's giving me a reason to get my fiancé out boxing with me, because he can get Pokemon on the way.
Also it's been a great cover as to why we're wandering around a park looking for things or sitting in an area too long. Twice people playing have noticed that we're playing but not that we were letterboxing at the same time!

And the thread comes full circle!!!

We saw a girl walk into traffic for a pokemon today. I also know a professor who had someone walk into her lecture, catch one, and leave without saying a word.

It's a cool idea, but people are surprisingly stupid.

I presume that means there will be knockoffs soon?

Soon? I made a game like this YEARS ago. Oddly, no-one wanted to find what I left lying around...

I made a game like this YEARS ago. Oddly, no-one wanted to find what I left lying around...

Ironically, even though yours was first, it would have been called "Pokemon Go Number Two".

Have you seen the latest ... Chardonnay Go?

Yes can we move it off of letterbox chatter. Games people play would be a more appropriate board. Hitting ignore thread after posting this one.

Hey game lovers... consider joining Great Lakes area letterboxers in playing the world's slowest Bingo game! It's a thing we do every year to wait out the winter months and is always a good time! Anyone is welcome to participate, but you must be a member of the LB Great Lakes Yahoo group to play as that is where you will find the necessary information and forms, etc., and also where the daily word is posted beginning Jan. 1. Time is running short as forms and prize items must be submitted by Dec. 30.

Wondering what Letterbox Bingo is or how to get in on the fun? Head on over to the LB Great Lakes Yahoo group (you must be a member to play, but any letterboxer can join the group)... or message me for more information!

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/LBGLK/info

SpringChick

If you would like to receive 11 puzzles during 2018 to solve check out the following postal tracker.

https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?trackerId=9541

Has anyone actually invented one and tried to get it produced?

Can I ask, how?

Who would you recommend to help design the board and cards?

Who or what to avoid?

Did it work it out for you?

Anything would be really helpful.

Thanks!

csk

CSK- please send me a message if you aren't able to find some help here. I can grill a friend of mine for some answers :)

Has anyone actually invented one and tried to get it produced?

I haven't actually invented one, though I do have an idea I need to develop. The owners of Tasty Minstrel Games (TMG) and Mayday Games play in our game group, Northern Utah Gamers Guild so I've played a few prototypes. If you were in northern Utah I'd invite you to come. (Anyone in the area is welcome to come as well.)

There is actually a game designers group in Salt Lake City. I haven't been to that, but if you're near a large city there is probably such a group near you. Use Board Game Geek to find your local board game group and they will probably know where to get in contact with such a group.

Let me give you the advice from the sessions from SaltCon 2017 on getting your board game sold from the (I kept notes): Play test the game. First get it playable personally. Then play with a group so that you can work out the kinks with other people. Before it is ready to be published it must be played at least 5 times without your help, though you can silently observe. Don't be afraid to put it aside for a while. Most board game designers have several ideas in the works at the same time. Keep notes.

This came up in multiple sessions from multiple designers: If someone tells you that something is wrong, they're almost always right. When they tell you how to fix it, they're almost always wrong.

When you get it ready to publish, don't worry about art work because the publisher will most likely redo the art work anyway. You can publish through Kickstarter, but the three board game companies presenting said that after that they are unlikely to pick it up. It is an issue of having the demand already served, but it can happen.

And when you sell your board game to them you get a percentage of the sales. The figures they gave for averages were: Mayday Games: 5% of wholesale which is about 40% of MSRP = 2% of MSRP. TMG averages 6% of their cost which is about 2.4% of MSRP. It doesn't seem like much but you don't have to worry about manufacturing, marketing, distributing and dealing with replacement parts.

And different game companies have different genres or audiences. Mayday and TMG had some games that they had reviewed that weren't right for their company that they referred the other company.

Good luck.

Wow, thanks for the information.

So you recommend selling the game and not producing it myself?

I have been sitting on this game way too long so I have considered hiring professional testers to get some neutral/professional feed back.

csk