Squirmish, the card game of brawling beasties, will be making it’s debut this week at the New York Toy Fair as the newest addition to Gamewright‘s excellent library of games!
Here is the new trailer for the game:
I had contacted Gamewright last year in hopes that they may want to license Squirmish. Gamewright was my first pick for a publisher for Squirmish, as my daughters and I love many of their games (I recommend Sushi Go! Party, Forbidden Island and Rat-A-Tat Cat, to name a few), all of their games are aimed at the same demographic (casual games that are equally fun for kids and adults), and they have great distribution (the Target up the street from us generally has over half a dozen of their games in stock).
To my delight, they were enthusiastic about the prospect of publishing Squirmish… so very soon, Squirmish will be reaching a much wider audience.
The artwork for the new Squirmish card back (yes, the cards are square!). The card back is available as a t-shirt by clicking on the image.
Squirmish has been recieved a few more reviews in recent weeks. Check them out!
“There is a ton of replay ability here… All of the boys, including Dad, are fans of Pokémon and Squirmish has provided a fresh and simple take on card battling games. The variety that is found within the game is really amazing.” – 8 0f 10 Stars at The Dice Have It.
“Overall, I’ve had fun with Squirmish both with my kids and with adult players. I think it’s a lot of fun for families. The dice-based abilities mean that there’s still a good amount of chance involved, which gives less-experienced players a chance to take on more-experienced players, so gamers who want something with pure strategy may not like it quite as much. And don’t forget to shout your battle cries as you enter the fray!” – Jonathan H. Liu at Geekdad.
“It’s a simple card game, but it has a lot of meat to it… If you’re looking for a battling card game that you can introduce to people to maybe even get them into bigger and deeper games, this is a great introduction to do so.” – David at Sit Down Standard.
“It’s pretty straightforward and it’s quick to learn, but there’s a lot of different beasts and abilities.” – Alyssa at Sit Down Standard.
“I get several requests for Kickstarter previews every week. Recently, I was sent a request for coverage for a game called Squirmish that was designed by a gentleman named Steven Stwalley. My heart sunk a little bit when I saw the words “card” and “combat” in his elevator pitch, but that all went away when I looked over the art assets he gave me. Squirmish’s art is juvenile, obnoxious, and maybe even a little gross. In other words? I loved it.” – Stephen Duetzmann at Engaged Family Gaming.
“This game is made in direct response to collectible card games aimed at the pre-teen age group, such as Pokemon. There are battling monsters in this game, but unlike a collectible game, everything you need to play is included in one box. I’m a Pokemon Professor and Judge for the card game, so I was really very interested to try this out. It did not disappoint and actually exceeded expectations.” – Chandra Reyer at TSR’s Multiverse.
“I don’t know what to say other than you might like it and maybe others won’t. I am one of those who like it. I don’t think it will replace Pokemon for me, but it is much easier to carry around around than all my Pokemon equipment! It is not cute. However , there are some cute Squirmish monsters. Cawfeather, Opossrat, Killgor the Conquerer, Cupcake, and a few more. I say anyone 2nd grade to 9th might like it. The Battle Cries are really funny! But don’t attempt to make a Donald Duck voice for Pompaduck. Oh, and be sure to add Googly eyes. 😉 Heheheheheheheheh 🙂 (^._.^)/ Keep on Gaming! Meow!” – Chandra Reyer’s Daughter at TSR’s Multiverse.
“It’s a really good game! I like the fighting.” – Ty (age 9) at Board Gaming at Home.
“Ty’s age, absolutely brilliant game. If there’s one downside, it’s the sheer variety.” – Russell at Board Gaming at Home.
“I like all the little characters that have been made up… they’re great fun.” – Kelly at Board Gaming at Home.
The Squirmish Deluxe Edition is on sale this week (August 15-22)! If you have been planning to buy a copy of Squirmish, now is the best time to do so. Savings start at $5, and go up to 33% off depending on how many people buy the game. The more people who buy the game (up to 100 people), the more money everyone saves. Tell your friends!
BONUS ITEMS!
If you buy a copy and email the receipt and your mailing address to info(at)squirmish.net, you’ll receive a special bonus in the mail as well!
If you like the game, please consider reviewing it and letting folks know at boardgamegeek.com, thegamecrafter.com, and/or your social networking application of choice. Doing so also makes you eligible for another special bonus in the mail! Just email the link to the review and your mailing address to info(at)squirmish.net.
I’m sure you’ve already heard about all your friends playing this, the latest exciting trading card game turned into an augmented reality game craze you can play with your phone… STOP AND SQUIRMISH!
Yes, that’s right… some of your favorite Squirmish card characters are now manifesting themselves at different locations in reality, tempting you to run into traffic after them!
No need to download an app with loads of dubious permissions to play! Our augmented reality game has augmented reality using paper and staples.
Find 3 different characters posted on a telephone pole or bus stop near you, take their photos, post them to Twitter with the tag #squirmishgame & win a prize!
To claim your prize, email your posts to info(at)squirmish.net along with your mailing address, and, thru the wonders of technology, it will show up in your real-world mailbox!
Here are the prizes… one of four “Ultra-Rare Printer Error Variant” Squirmish cards!
Variant 1: Purple-Assed Mr. Bottom!
Variant 2: The Inverted Chauncey
Variant 3: Ugg With Poop Club
Variant 4: Off-Register Squinch
Note, due to a minor bug in the game, it currently only works in Minneapolis.
Learn more about Squirmish, the Minnesota-grown alternative to Pokemon, at squirmish.net.
A Different Kind of Beast-Fighting Card Game for Kids
Minneapolis, MN, June 27, 2016– Battling card-games like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh are having a resurgence in popularity among the middle-school crowd. A new card game called Squirmish™ has been released that provides a unique alternative to the mainstream card-battling games. Cartoonist Steven Stwalley created the game when his 10-year old daughter got into Pokémon… but had problems finding people who knew how to play it among her friends who collected the cards.
“I was surprised that so many kids collected Pokémon without playing it. Much of the reason for this, I think, is the game is overly-complex…and just not very fun. What I see as its failings inspired me to make my own game,” said Stwalley.
Squirmish is for 2-4 players, takes about 30 minutes to play, and, the box points out, is not for babies.
Each card has a different ridiculous character, with names such as “Mr. Bottom,” “Figboot,” and “Big Dumb Bear.” The game-play for Squirmish is very straightforward… you draw a card, place a card, move or attack, and resolve special abilities. However, the cards’ wildly-varying special abilities add infinite variety and strategic complexity to the game.
“I wanted to keep the game simple enough the basics of it could be learned in a few minutes, but complex enough to reward repeated game-play,” said Stwalley.
Cards are placed next to each other in the middle of the table facing the player that places it (this makes it so everyone can keep track of their cards). The mass of cards is known as “The Squirmish.” Cards can only attack cards adjacent to them (unless a special ability lets them do otherwise).
The game also has some funny quirks. Each card has a “battle cry,” which when said in a silly voice when the card is placed gives that card +1 to its attack. Also, some cards belong to groups (such as the “Spooner Valley Cryptids,” “The Fraternal Order of Strange Fellows” and “The Biscuit Sisters”) with group abilities that are activated when more than one member of that group is in play. Players are encouraged to use o-shaped cereal to keep track of a card’s damage.
The first player to knock out three of their opponents’ cards for their victory pile wins the game.
While it is a beast-battling card game, Squirmish has little resemblance to its mainstream inspirations. With bizarre, funny, and often grotesque characters like, “Boil Boy,” “Tackyosweatersaurus,” and “Old Picklenose,” Stwalley’s visual inspiration comes much more more from Mad Magazine than Pikachu.
Three different sets of Squirmish cards have been released. Sets A and B contain 54 unique cards each, along with a die. There is also a Deluxe Set that includes all of the cards from both sets A and B, as well as 4 dice, 50 damage counters and a cloth bag (at a lower cost than buying Sets A and B separately).
Unlike the mainstream monster-fighting card games, Squirmish is designed with the emphasis on playing rather than collecting… all of the cards needed to play are included in the deck.
“Squirmish is made for having fun playing the game… there is no focus on collecting. Save that money for college, kids!”
Squirmish has a website, which includes previews of cards so you can learn about them before playing.
“It’s a simple card game, but it has a lot of meat to it… If you’re looking for a battling card game that you can introduce to people to maybe even get them into bigger and deeper games, this is a great introduction to do so.” – David Bray at Sit Down Standard.
“Overall, I’ve had fun with Squirmish both with my kids and with adult players. I think it’s a lot of fun for families. The dice-based abilities mean that there’s still a good amount of chance involved, which gives less-experienced players a chance to take on more-experienced players, so gamers who want something with pure strategy may not like it quite as much. And don’t forget to shout your battle cries as you enter the fray!” – Jonathan H. Liu at GeekDad.
“This game is made in direct response to collectible card games aimed at the pre-teen age group, such as Pokemon. There are battling monsters in this game, but unlike a collectible game, everything you need to play is included in one box. I’m a Pokemon Professor and Judge for the card game, so I was really very interested to try this out. It did not disappoint and actually exceeded expectations.” – Chandra Reyer at TSR’s Multiverse.
Squinch loves to fight, and it is a good thing, as it is all he is good at. While this plus-sized pugilistic pigeon wears boxing gloves to punch his opponents, he rarely uses them… he prefers to use his head to beat his opponents. That is not to say he outwits them… his IQ is lower than a snail’s bellybutton. He literally uses his head as a blunt instrument to beat his enemies with.
His neck acts as a giant spine-spring, enabling him to attack from a distance… his whiplash ability lets him attack any card in play. If he rolls a 6 on his basic attack, his attack does three damage to the attacked card and another card in play!
Unfortunately, using his skull for a club has left his brain completely addled. His skull is extra-thick and durable, leaving little room for brain to begin with… and the years of bopping his miniature-mind-matter around his brainpan has left it bruised, battered, and barely-functioning. It has left him able to do little beyond fighting. You would think that this would make him an easy opponent to beat… indeed, even his coordination has suffered, and he stumbles around dizzily. However, his head-hammer is quick and far-reaching, and only misses on a roll of one.
Ruggles is a good boy! Good boy, Ruggles! Who’s a good boy? Ruggles is a good boy! Good Ruggles. That’s a good boy. That’s a boy!
If you roll a 6 on Ruggles’ basic attack, in addition to doing 4 damage, his Go Fetch attack lets him move any card in play to a spot next to him. This is good for making it so he can attack whatever card you want him to next turn… and for moving particularly nasty cards away from a position where they can attack Ruggles.
Using his special ability On the Scent, Ruggles can move any time a card adjacent to him moves.
Ruggles is a member of Crew K-9… and as such does 2x damage to other members of Crew K-9, as they all love a good fight, but can get a bit carried away.
Pompadoo, the cat with the pompadour hairdo, is a failed internet celebrity. Impressed by the popularity of Princess Monster Truck and Hipster Cat, Pompadoo figured his greasy pompadour hairdo would instantly land him fortune and fame. So far, it has only landed him a greasy hairdo, but he’ll keep trying.
Pompadoo is a good fighter… he always lands some damage, regardless of the roll. On 6, he does his cuddle claw, so smooth and gentle, his opponent’s don’t even know they just took 3 damage… and the attacked card can’t attack him on their next turn. Why would they? He didn’t do anything to them, right? And where is all this blood coming from?
Like an excited kitty pouncing on a mouse or spot of laser light, Pompadoo loves a moving target. Using his catnip crazy special ability, he does +2 damage to any card that moved on its last turn.
In spite of being a good fighter, Pompadoo is also a reluctant fighter. He hates to do anything that might mess up his hair. “Why must we fight, dollink?” is his battle cry. He rarely calls anyone by their actual name… indeed, he is so self-centered, he rarely bothers to remember names. He prefers to call everyone “dollink,” “baby,” “sveetcakes,” “punkin,” or “honey bunny boo.”
Pompadoo is another member of the Kitty Kat Club, and as such can not attack other members of said club.
