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| By Heart of the Deernicorn |
Saved by the Bell?
This edition of Get Hype! takes a look at a new storytelling style game currently on Kickstarter: BFF! BFF! is a game that takes you back to just the absolute WORST time in your life: Junior High. Mother and son design team Terri Cohlene and Ross Cowman may think a little differently than I as Mr. Cowman explained, "Terri really wanted to make something that was just for Tweens. It is this magical transitional period of life between being a kid and being an adult..."
Sure, it is... Sure, it is...
I mean, maybe I'm a little biased because I thought junior high was going to be like Saved by the Bell. Zack Morris was, like, the COOLEST. I mean, I knew I'd never be AC Slater (who could?) but little did I know that I was going to be Screech.
But BFF! gives you an opportunity to rewrite those painful, painful memories. As a storytelling game, BFF! is less about slaying monsters, rolling dice, or managing resources and more about creating a unique shared experience between players. Players move their pawn, and possibly some of the other players', to a location on the map, and tell a story about the wacky hijinks that ensues. These stories are prompted by playing a card on your turn, such as "Share a Tradition" or my personal favorite "Make Up a Rumor". It's not hard to imagine how quickly this cute innocent game can turn a bunch of 35 year old men into the Plastics from Mean Girls.
While I was only able to get my hands on a prototype preview version of this game, at first glance BFF! looks to be a cute introduction to the world of tabletop games, with light rules that are designed so that everyone around the table can have a good time. No need to worry about stats, or bonuses. Just sit back and have a good time. Which is exactly the right approach when you're making a game that should appeal to younger audiences. And when I say that this game is cute, I mean it is CUTE. Like, baby chipmunks riding puppies CUTE. This game looks amazing. It's a charming design that reminds me of something like the lovechild of Lisa Frank and Adventure Time.
Sure, it is... Sure, it is...
I mean, maybe I'm a little biased because I thought junior high was going to be like Saved by the Bell. Zack Morris was, like, the COOLEST. I mean, I knew I'd never be AC Slater (who could?) but little did I know that I was going to be Screech.
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| Actual footage of me after talking to a girl... |
But BFF! gives you an opportunity to rewrite those painful, painful memories. As a storytelling game, BFF! is less about slaying monsters, rolling dice, or managing resources and more about creating a unique shared experience between players. Players move their pawn, and possibly some of the other players', to a location on the map, and tell a story about the wacky hijinks that ensues. These stories are prompted by playing a card on your turn, such as "Share a Tradition" or my personal favorite "Make Up a Rumor". It's not hard to imagine how quickly this cute innocent game can turn a bunch of 35 year old men into the Plastics from Mean Girls.
While I was only able to get my hands on a prototype preview version of this game, at first glance BFF! looks to be a cute introduction to the world of tabletop games, with light rules that are designed so that everyone around the table can have a good time. No need to worry about stats, or bonuses. Just sit back and have a good time. Which is exactly the right approach when you're making a game that should appeal to younger audiences. And when I say that this game is cute, I mean it is CUTE. Like, baby chipmunks riding puppies CUTE. This game looks amazing. It's a charming design that reminds me of something like the lovechild of Lisa Frank and Adventure Time.
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| Hey, there. I like your folders... |
What Exactly IS a Deernicorn?
Mr. Cowman is a brave man. Not only has he designed a game, but he's also designed it with his mother, "We never planned to make a game together... The idea just popped into her head while we were on a game retreat with some friends by the ocean." That is a braver man than I. But besides that, the designers look to fill a niche that is conspicuously void of games, "There is so little out there right now in the [gaming] world about people in that [tween] age range."
As a man who happens to have two nieces that are neck deep in that age range, I appreciate the effort of giving me something that I can bring to them. Previous attempts at tabletop gaming with them have resulted in tears and dents in the walls (Little girls are MEAN when they lose), so I'm excited about BFF!'s ease of play and the relaxed atmosphere it creates.
As of the writing of this preview, BFF! still has a little over two weeks to reach their funding goal, and you can still contribute and lock in a copy as your pledge reward here. Even then, the mother and son design team teases that BFF! is just the beginning to a larger franchise, "[Terri] wants to make BFF! – Silver Edition next. I'll let you speculate what that might be about!"
I know what my guess is...
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