We’ve covered several games from Button Shy Games here on GeekDad in the past—in particular, Button Shy makes a series of wallet games that they’ve funded through Kickstarter. Each one comes in a little vinyl wallet that holds the cards and a small rulebook; there are all sorts of different games, from silly party games to racing games to mini 4X games.
Well, their model of little games is cool, but there are some other things they do that aren’t exactly a great fit for Kickstarter. That’s why it’s worth checking out the Button Shy Patreon page. You could just back Button Shy at a buck a month, which gets you access to digital print-and-play files before other people get them, as well as a buck off purchasing a wallet game either from the site or on Kickstarter. But if you back at $5 a month or more, you can join the Board Game of the Month Club.
The $5 level gets you a postcard game each month on top of the other rewards—these are micro games printed on a heavy cardstock postcard. At the $10 level, you’ll also get an additional microgame, promo, or game pack. Right now, the upcoming bonuses for the $10 level will be a standalone expansion to the micro 4x game Universal Rule (which I reviewed here).
The way the expansion will work is that over the course of the next several months, you’ll get one of the mini-expansions: Duplicity, Magnitude, and Attack! Attack! Each of these will serve as an expansion that requires the base game, but once you have all three they can be played as a full game. So if you have Universal Rule already, you’ll be able to start mixing them in. If not, you can always pick up a copy from Button Shy, or wait until you’ve gotten all three (and play the various postcard games in the meantime). You’ll have to become a $10-and-up backer before July 1 if you want the Universal Rule set, but of course you can always join or drop out at any time.
It’s a cool idea if you like weird, quirky games, and unlike some monthly clubs, the price is low and won’t break the bank. Visit the Button Shy Patreon Page for more info!
