One of the things we like to do here at The Malted Meeple is give some extra attention to our favorite board game publishers and designers. In our monthly Publisher’s Spotlight we provide a bit of background on the publisher, discuss a few of their games, and may even announce a visit to The Meeple by some of the publisher’s representatives!
This month, we shine our Publisher’s Spotlight on our friends from Level 99 Games!
Level 99 Games takes its name from classic videos games, where in many games the 99th level was the highest that a hero could obtain. Many of their game designs and artwork are also inspired by classic video games.
Level 99 Games is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but works with artists and designers from all over the world. The company began its foray into gaming by creating iOS based apps for roleplaying games and a few small video games. Lead designer and President D. Brad Talton Jr. had always made his own board games, and decided to try his hand at publishing after seeing the success of early boardgame Kickstarter projects. Soon BattleCON, Level 99’s first Kickstarter project, was born and the rest, as they say, was history!
The mission statement of Level 99 Games is “Design, Development, and Discovery.” They strive to make games that will grow with the players, becoming deeper and offering new and exciting options as players learn the intricacies of strategy over repeated plays. In fact, the company makes it its goal to design games at the extreme end of modularity and replayability. D. Brad Talton’s personal philosophy is, “the games exist at the moment of discovery, and so seeing something new or trying something new each time is important. I want to force players to adapt to constantly changing situations.”
Some of the games that Level 99 Games is most famous for include: BattleCon, Pixel Tactics, and their most recent success, Millennium Blades. While this game is for experienced players, it offers a ton of replay-ability as a collectible card game simulator where you and your friends play the fictional CCG Millennium Blades. You will buy, trade, and sell cards in order to build the perfect deck to take with you to the regional championships.
So what’s new at Level 99 Games? The company just finished reprinting one of their most popular games, Argent: the Consortium, a game where players are working to become the chancellor of a magical university. It should be back on shelves soon, so be on the lookout for it! Level 99 is also working on a train game with a magical twist; Empyreal: Spells and Steam. We are all looking forward to this game about magical trains set in a fantasy world!
The next time you visit The Malted Meeple, be sure to ask your Game Master for their favorite game from Level 99 Games!
Karington Hess is a lifelong gamer whose passions for hospitality and all things game-related led him to Ravenwood Castle, where he served as an Innkeeper before joining The Malted Meeple. When not pouring beers, crafting milkshakes, or teaching boardgames, Karington can be found behind the DM’s screen, weaving intricate stories for his fellow gamers.