Subsurface Games

04/06/2024

Excited to be featured on today's episode, reviews of With a Smile and a Gun, and Puppets in High Places

Thank you for taking the time.

30/05/2024

Puppets in High Places isn't just about rolling dice; it's about strategy and influence. Channel your inner Machiavelli as you navigate the cutthroat world of Gattory City. Will you rely on charm and persuasion, or will you need to use more forceful tactics? The choice is yours, but remember, the ends often justify the means...

Get the game on Kickstarter NOW https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/subsurfacegames/puppets-in-high-places

28/05/2024

The streets are yours, but can you control City Hall? Puppets in High Places is LIVE on Kickstarter! Commandeer the VIPs, bribe, intimidate, and become the ultimate power behind the throne. Pledge for a copy of the game today!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/subsurfacegames/puppets-in-high-places

25/05/2024

Packing heat? Check. Silver tongue? Honed to a shine. Puppets in High Places, the boardgame of backroom deals and dicey decisions, launches in 3 days! Get ready to show Gattory City who's boss.

21/05/2024

Looking for a new hustle? Puppets in High Places lets you ditch the day job and become a top-tier puppet master. Just one week until you can unleash your inner Machiavelli and manipulate VIPs like a pro. Remember, flattery will get you everywhere... or maybe a well-placed smile and a gun

16/05/2024

It was named a Hidden Gem back in 2021 by , and now we are getting ready to launch the stand-alone sequel - Puppets in High Places.

Hopefully not as hidden... for a mafia boss...

15/05/2024

A look back to 2020 and a prototype of "With a Smile and a Gun".

Thanks to for the picture 🖼️☺️ to think that we are just few days away until the stand alone sequel launches on Kickstarter.

12/05/2024

After gaining control of the streets of Gattory City, mob bosses are setting their sights to the next level: getting a foothold in City Hall.

Puppets in High Places is set to launch on Kickstarter late May, follow to learn more

10/05/2024

Subsurface Games is a woman- and queer-owned game studio founded in Montréal, Québec, Canada in 2020 by me, Amanda Vallerand. I hope to continue to broaden the diversity of perspective in the board game industry with my games

05/05/2024

Calling all mob bosses (or aspiring ones)! Puppets in High Places, a standalone sequel to With a Smile & a Gun, is a quick-playing (30 minute) strategy game for 1-2 players, launching on Kickstarter May 28th, 2024.
Outmuscle or outmaneuver your rivals using an evolving rondel and a dice-based tug-of-war mechanic to control the VIPs of Gattory City.
Perfect for strategy fans, solo players, and those who enjoy fast-paced showdowns!

30/04/2024

Looking for indie games to support on Kickstarter?
is coming!

All of the games launching on Kickstarter in May as part of

28/04/2024

In the game Puppets in High Places, players can gather resources, such as Goons, Cubes, Guns, and Smiles during a street round. These resources are crucial for gaining control of City Hall.

Players must use their resources wisely at the Speakeasy to ensure their success.

27/04/2024

Bribe the VIPs to bring them under your thumb, affect their influence… or just take them out of the picture!

In this dynamic tug of war boardgame for 1-2 players. Puppets in High Places will launch in MAY on Kickstarter so be sure to follow for more info and launch announcements.

https://mailchi.mp/268e39aadae7/withasmileandagun

24/04/2024

You need to order something on the menu that alerts your friends that you are in need, what do you order and why?

21/04/2024

Looking for boardgame streamers to join us in a short game over Tabletop Simulator.

DM to schedule a time

18/04/2024

Puppets in High Places is a cut-throat tug of war around an evolving rondel.
Manipulate the board and the high-scoring VIPs (Very Important People) to win.

1-2 players, 30mins, age 12+

Launching in May on Kickstarter https://mailchi.mp/268e39aadae7/withasmileandagun

14/04/2024

Puppets in High Places: enter a noir fantasy world of treachery and intrigue

This game uses an evolving rondel, which the players will modify throughout the game, and a tug-of-war mechanism where players try to score VIP's represented by dice, whose value the players will also influence.

10/04/2024

After gaining control of the streets of Gattory City, mob bosses are setting their sights to the next level: getting a foothold in City Hall.

Puppets in High Places is set to launch on Kickstarter in May, follow to learn more
https://mailchi.mp/268e39aadae7/withasmileandagun

07/04/2024

We will be teaming up with the games marketing team at Dina Said So Studio for our Kickstarter campaign of Puppets in High Places!
Looking forward to working with them

06/04/2024

How is it APRIL already?! Who else is launching a campaign in May? 👀

23/01/2024

Pictured: Peak Game Design Every now and again, I manage to play games, sometimes even play new ones, sometimes even good ones! And when I do, there’s often one mechanism that just sticks with me, a mechanism that I think about in the shower, in the car, in front of the fridge… This is what the SISIGIP series is about: Stuff I’d Steal in Games I Play....

Pictured: Peak Game Design Every now and again, I manage to play games, sometimes even play new ones, sometimes even good ones! And when I do, there’s often one mechanism that just sticks with me, …

25/04/2020

3 Games that nailed variable setups

I dig into 3 games that did variable setup especially well.
Have you added variable setup to one of your designs?
http://subsurfacegames.ca/2020/04/25/3-games-that-nailed-variable-setups/

After talking about why I like variable setup, and how to make it meaningful, I dig into 3 games that did it especially well:

10/04/2020

Palette Swaps: when variety underwhelms

Last week, I discussed why I am a big fan of variable setups, but acknowledged its shortcomings. The main one, I think, is variety that isn't meaningful. Today, I dig into that a bit more and talk about palette swaps. In video games (and I'm assuming animation in general), a palette swaps is when you create a new character by taking an old one and just changing a few colours here and there: that's how you get Luigi from Mario, Subzero from Scorpion, and 18 different types of goblins in Diablo. [ 1,607 more word ]
http://subsurfacegames.ca/2020/04/10/palette-swaps-when-variety-underwhelms/

Palette Swaps: a blog post about how to keep your variable setup meaningful!