
Killer Queen: A 10-Person Console Game - dnetesn
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/nyregion/killer-queen-a-10-person-console-game.html?ref=technology&_r=0
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arbernat
We've got a cabinet at Pure Storage in Mountain View. In fact, the "private
collector" is one of our managers - and he's a video game nut all right. The
game is tremendous fun, and very well balanced. We used to think economic
victory wasn't worth it because you'd finish snail first, then a team focused
and swept. And playing 5 on 5 is just crazy.

This summer our interns were laying waste to everyone else. I thought I was
good, but they were better. Good thing they went back to college!

So if anyone wants to come by, see the office, and sneak in a game - I'm sure
you'll find interested people.

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airiza
Awesome game - I'm one of the aforementioned interns, and have been
experiencing bouts of KQ withdrawal ever since I got home.

Hi Drew!

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gojomo
Played this at the XOXO festival. Very fun.

The path to victory mentioned in the article is the 'Snail' approach, a sort
of tug-of-war at the bottom of the screen. The other two are 'Economic' (bring
10 power-ups back to home 1st) and 'Military' (kill the other queen in Joust-
style flying-combat 3 times).

Lots of surprises and shifts because of those varying paths. Lots of frantic
team communication as you both adapt to the other team, and bring new players
up to speed.

You might be able to bootstrap similar games, in public places, with a giant
projection screen and the 10 (or more) players using their handheld devices as
controls.

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Tiktaalik
Snail victory is somehow the most satisfying.

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arbernat
There's nothing like the increasing panic of the other team as you get closer
and closer. We've often ended with a military victory just before a snail
victory - the enemy queen comes in for a last attempt and is nailed by a
warrior.

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aeikenberry
There's a cabinet at our local arcade (Logan Hardware, Chicago), and it's been
awesome. We have a Facebook group for serious player meet-ups and a monthly
tournament. My team won the first.

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tehwebguy
Just got back from Logan, what a blast. In Chicago for the weekend and
wouldn't have known to check for it if it weren't for your comment!

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yzzxy
A previous discussion of the game in a different article:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7719520](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7719520)

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gojomo
…including comments from both of the game's creators, ~JoshDeBonis and
~nmikros!

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arbernat
I've dealt a lot with Nikita, and he's an awesome guy - patient, always
willing to help out, just all around great. And they've got a new game coming
out (Hero Trap), looks great!

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pohungc
I got to play this at IndieCade last year, and the live-action version at Come
Out and Play in the Mission District of San Francisco. It's a ton of fun and
highly recommended :)

EDIT: if you want to play some cool live-action / physical / playground games
the come out and play festival is happening in a few weeks in SF
[http://comeoutandplaysf.org/](http://comeoutandplaysf.org/)

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zaroth
> The game has since become such a popular perk in the Kickstarter offices
> that it has its own Twitter account (@ksr_killerqueen) to inform employees
> of an impending match.

> “I would say our biggest buyer so far has been tech companies,” Mr. DeBonis
> said. “Space is less of an issue for them.”

The cabinets sell for up to $15k each. Killer Queen - the new tech bubble :-)

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Roboprog
I miss that there are so few home games that are multi-player, without having
to buy a console, TV, and another copy of the game for each player.

Even though early 80s games were crude, at least you could in many games sit
side by side with a friend and go at each other in the game. Much more social
than network based multiplayer.

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kentbrew
Played the prototype two years ago at California Extreme, and the console
version at this years' plus XOXO. It is unlike any other arcade experience;
watching teams learn to chant SNAIL! SNAIL! SNAIL! just before victory is
outstanding fun.

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pisarzp
Anyone know if it's possible to play it anywhere in London?

