Update: Aeolis has launched on Kickstarter, and the campaign will run for 12 days. The creators responded to the complaints regarding the appearance of the female characters by adding the option of a 'family friendly' pledge both for the core game, and the all-in bundle of expansions and add-ons. Somehow they neglected to list Greece in their shipping section. Those sexy ladies are indeed distracting.
Our preview post below was published on October 20.
Cooperative kingdom builder Aeolis will come to Kickstarter on 21 October. The game with civ elements like technology trees features several scenarios and will have you trying to survive enemy attacks, natural disasters and riots.
The player roles all play differently and bring their own specialty to the game. The Merchant will use the trade wheel to influence prices and get resources for cheap on the market - or sell them with a profit. The Priestess uses her faith dice to activate an ability. The Magi use crystals for spells, while the Philosopher focusses on research for discovering technologies. And the Queen will handle events with her diplomatic skills.
The game is set in an alternative historical Greece, with women holding all important positions. It is labeled 18+ and a Dirty Old Men Kickstarter Deluxe version will probably include a box of tissues.
Do check out the Facebook page by Dreamcraft Games for introduction of the player roles and let yourself be submerged in the deep lore of Admiral Sappho and her contemporaries. Find out for example why apprentice Serpent Magi of the Oracle like the one pictured above have to sleep naked, and read about a nightly visit of a lustful mentor.
Then get back on earth again with a look at the rulebook.
I'm sorry that you feel like this but I'm afraid that 'grumpiness' and sarcasm is part of who we are. Both of us also have a heart of gold but perhaps it's not so apparent. :)
I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea but we cannot compromise our style.
There is no shipping costs to Greece, and Greeks are advised to not pledge and buy directly with a message to Meeple on Board.
PS. I like the grumpy style with which you approach everything in your articles, both you and Athena but it is getting tiresome for me.
Thank you for the response, Niko. The gameplay looks intriguing, and I would really like to watch a playthrough video.
I hope you understand that, as a woman, I'm not particularly fond of seeing female characters dressed liked strippers. The point is not to make a 'family-friendly' edition, because this isn't about child-friendliness. It is about how female characters are perceived and displayed.
Of course I know that I'm in the gaming world minority, and games that show nudity tend to sell like hot buns. At the end of the day, this is a marketing decision, and you select your customer base.
Despite my criticism, I wish you success in the KS campaign. :)
Hi to everyone, i am Niko, part of the Dreamcraft Games Team. First of all a THANK YOU to the writer for mentioning us. Every critism is well accepted. Only with that we can become better. I just would like to note that, indeed we have many half naked women in our campaign. But we are not focussed on that women, as explained here. Our witch, is an old, ugly woman (you can have a look on her in the campaign if you want). On the other hand, we don't have only half naked women, but also men. We do have the philosopher, the architect, the merchant and so on (all are dressed :-) ). So actually we were focused o…
Well, being male and the "supposed" target group for this artwork does not mean I like it either.
It will have to be exceptionally good and with a very good price in order for me to even consider buying it.
There are soooo many good games that I still don't own that getting something that is not 110% to my liking is out of the question!