Our Initiative GameTheNews tackle the US Elections

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The Auroch Digital initiative GameTheNews has teamed up with American satirical net stars Wonkette to bring you the chance to run for the presidency of that great country across the pond. 

It's fairly obvious that we love games and we know that you do too, so we've decided to branch out from the digital world and create a card game which combines that love of games with everyone's favourite hobby, laughing at those crazy Yanks racing for the White House.

Elections of US America Election: The Card Game is currently live on Kickstarter, check it out to see what we've been working on and support us if you can! 

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Nina Adams

The Last Days of Old Earth announced!

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We’re proud to announce our latest title, The Last Days of Old Earth. The project is a hex-based tactical wargame with a rich single player campaign and deep multiplayer mode, developed in partnership with Slitherine Publishing.

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The Last Days of Old Earth comes to Steam Early Access in Early 2016. Wishlist it now to keep it on your radar!

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Auroch Digital

Marketing and Community Managment for Auroch Digital in Bristol, UK.

Sharpen Your Game Design Skills - 'Chainsaw Warrior' New Card Competition

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We are offering the chance to leave your own footprint in the tale of Chainsaw Warrior, by designing a card to be used in his latest adventure, ‘Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night’. We are looking for your best idea for a weapon, item of equipment, zombie, monster or trap. Our favourite of the entries will actually get added to the game, and the creator will be given a special design credit!

If there was one weapon or item you could equip him with to aid him in his mission, or a trap or monster to slow him down, what would it be? Chainsaw Warrior relies heavily on his kit when he's off saving the world. From his trusty 'saw, devices like the Heat Detector warning him of approaching threats, all the way to the bullet-spewing chaos of the Reaper, his loadout has saved what skin he has left more than once. Perhaps you want to make this tough game even tougher? Can you design a new opponent or trap to mash, stab or eviscerate Chainsaw Warrior?

Whether you choose to design an aid or an obstacle, it has to be fair so that the challenging and entertaining balance of Chainsaw Warrior is not disturbed. In the same way that the powerful Laser Lance only has limited ammo, we want your entries to enhance the gameplay in a plausible and unbiased manner (so no Laser-Reapers!)

Get creative, send us some sketches if you have an idea of how you would like it to appear, and we will design and implement the card into the game! It can be a hand-to-hand, light or heavy weapon, an item such as a piece of technology or transport, an item of clothing or armour, a trap card, or a new enemy for Chainsaw Warrior to overcome.

To apply simply submit your design work to gtn@aurochdigital.com before the 31st August. This competition applies to 'Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night' only.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter too! 

Links to coverage;

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Auroch Digital

Marketing and Community Managment for Auroch Digital in Bristol, UK.

The End is Nigh: Games Workshop's cult classic 'Dark Future' returns heralding the beginning of the end

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Dark Future, the cult Games Workshop board game of clashing highway warriors, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once America, is getting a reboot from Auroch Digital.
The Bristol-based indie developers are known for their acclaimed version of another Games Workshop classic, Chainsaw Warrior, as well as for GameTheNews, an initiative that blurred the lines between reality and gaming, and included titles such as NarcoGuerra.

Auroch’s Dark Future: Blood Red States is supported by the Wellcome Trust, and will be a turn-based strategy game, played out in simultaneous real-time action. The gameplay is a furious mix of hammering chain-guns, tactical high-speed manoeuvres and the ripping of metal as vehicles smash into one another. All the action is conducted against a dark background of the decline of humanity; too wild to be true and too close for comfort. The game is due Spring/Summer 2016.

Dark Future was originally released as a board game in 1988, and later expanded into a series of books. The world it inhabits is a very different reality; cyberpunk more weird than wired.
It's an alternative, bleak, hollowed out America, in 2023. The major cities are either corporate controlled high-tech gated communities (Patrolled Zones, or PZs) for those who can pay, or lawless shanty towns for those who can't (NoGos). Between these is 'The Big Empty', the polluted, wasted Red States of America where vicious gangs hunt and fight. The atrophied state has all but given up trying to impose law and order here and instead relies on a new breed of bounty hunter come highway warrior to keep the roads open, the Sanctioned Operative.

Into this fractured new world the player must make their fortune. The player runs a Sanctioned Ops agency; taking on missions for bounty outside the PZs. As well as the tactical action on the road, the player must also manage both the vehicles and drivers – from upgrades to the front-mounted HMGs to booking a driver into the clinic for a new set of bionic eyes.
More information about our descent into darkness can be found at DarkFuture.info and @DarkFutureNews. Stay in the loop with Dark Future: Blood Red States by following Auroch Digital on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Tomas Rawlings

Chainsaw Warrior Review Contest

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COMPETITION NOW CLOSED - WE HAVE A WINNER! 

Join us on an epic journey with Chainsaw Warrior for an opportunity to win a boxed copy of the classic (and long out of print) 1987 board game from Games Workshop, by writing a player review of the existing games in the style of an 80s action movie.

To win your very own boxed copy of the game, all you’ve got to do is to get your cliché on! Up for grabs is Stephen Hand’s seminal single player board game, Chainsaw Warrior, an instant classic upon its release in 1987, and Auroch Digital’s digital adaptations have only added to the legend. In a world where 80’s nostalgia reigns supreme, one man is fighting the forces of Darkness with a chainsaw! Hold on to your tropes, things are about to get clichéd...

We’re looking for short reviews of Auroch Digital’s ‘Chainsaw Warrior’ or ‘Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night’, packed with as many action movie clichés as you can manage. Auroch Digital only have a single copy to give away, and it’s going to the player who crams the mostest and bestest into their review: “In a world…” “one man…” and anything you can think of that transports us back to 1987: If your review could be describing a Van Damme/Arnie/Stallone movie you’re on the right track. Extra points for recording yourself reading it in a Don La Fontaine voice!
 

PS. We should add we don't need it to be a positive review to enter; as long as it's creative, funny and in an 80s style then you can enter it and it might win! If you've already written a review and don't want to change it, you can submit it to us in another way!

WINNER - Doctor X

We asked you for entries that would transport us straight back to 1987 and Doctor X, AKA Captain Defenestrator, AKA Jim (he's very mysterious) went above and beyond by resurrecting the voice of the 80s action movie himself, Don LaFontaine! His review was left on the Chainsaw Warrior 1 Google Play page.

Well done to him, and massive thanks to everyone for their contributions. His copy of the original board game will be sent out today. 

Click on the image to see the extended screenplay for Chainsaw Warrior: The Movie, directed by the visionary Doctor X

Click on the image to see the extended screenplay for Chainsaw Warrior: The Movie, directed by the visionary Doctor X

Coverage:

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Tomas Rawlings

Auroch Digital's Dr Tomas Rawlings Delivers Keynote at PLAY15

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Auroch Digital's Dr Tomas Rawlings was invited to deliver the opening keynote for Hamburg's PLAY15 Festival of Games. Tomas spoke on the topic of games and democracy, talking about how video games, as simulations of complex systems help both engage and understand the democratic process. Auroch Digital wishes to thank the organisers of PLAY15 for their hospitality!

Dr Tomas Rawlings at PLAY15. Image courtesy of Games Ringvorlesung.

Dr Tomas Rawlings at PLAY15. Image courtesy of Games Ringvorlesung.

For further information on the talk; there is a video of it online (thanks to Elbe Studios) and also more links on Tomas' blog.

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Tomas Rawlings

Ballot Bots Game Launches for BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat

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Auroch Digital, through it's innovative newsgame initiative GameTheNews has been working with BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat to produce a game tied in to the upcoming UK general election. The final result is 'Ballot Bots', a light-hearted game aimed at engaging an audience facing it's first election. The game itself is a fun, puzzle-style game in which you have to pair up the Politician bots with their respective Voters, collecting bonuses along the way which allow you more moves, and answering questions for bonus points. These questions both inform and challenge the player to take up an interest in the world of politics. The player works their way towards Downing Street through various different zones which have been highlighted as key points within this election. They are; Education, Immigration, Housing, Cost of Living and the NHS. The game features politicians from all the main parties and the regions plus has a special Northern Ireland themed level. The game is available on the BBC's new interactive Taster service, which aims to promote digital and technology content.

Play the game here.
See Newsbeat's coverage of it here.

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Tomas Rawlings

Just 60 Minutes to Save the World as Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night Launches to Mobile and Tablet

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Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night, the sequel to the cult Games Workshop classic Chainsaw Warrior, gets its metal teeth into mobile and tablets today. Last time he saved New York, now he must save the whole world! This new incarnation finds the eponymous hero once more called on to complete a desperate mission against all odds. He must fight through the jungle, face hordes of Aztec Zombies, dodge deadly traps and finally hunt down the extra-dimensional horror known only as Darkness. To ramp up the challenge; there is just 60 minutes to complete this deadly mission. As Tomas Rawlings, Design & Production Director at Auroch Digital, remarked, “Chainsaw Warrior earned its cult status for its healthy dose of chainsaws, zombies and death – generally the player's death. Fans told us they loved that about the game, how often you die. We've listened and given them more mortality-based opportunities. The game was a great challenge back in 1987 and now with Lords of the Night we've build an experience where it is fun to die again and again – and the payoff when you finally win is such a great feeling of success!”

Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night features three new decks packed with exciting traps and enemies, new weapons and equipment and new gameplay to challenge players at every turn. The game is packed with challenges and difficult decisions plus new mechanics such as the hard-won blessings to help you reach Darkness - or die trying! Equip yourself with new firearms, new chainsaws and the trusty the laser-lance as you once more fight through the hordes to Darkness and on to victory. The game has three challenging difficulty settings, including classic for those who want the truly gruelling experience of the original board game.
The game is out now on for iPhone and iPad at the App Store and on Google Play for Android at $5.99/€5.99/£4.49. For more information, visit the Chainsaw Warrior website at ChainsawWarrior.net. Stay in the loop with Chainsaw Warrior by following Auroch Digital on Facebook and Twitter.

Coverage (so far):

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Tomas Rawlings

Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night Hits Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux.

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17th February 2015: Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night, the sequel to the cult Games Workshop classic, Chainsaw Warrior, hit Steam today. In this new incarnation we find Chainsaw Warrior once more called on to save us from an unending night. Last time he saved New York,  now he must save the world! Fight through the jungle, face hordes of Aztec Zombies, dodge deadly traps and hunt down the extra-dimensional horror known only as Darkness. Once more there is only 60 minutes to complete this desperate mission. As Steve Martin, designer and writer at Auroch Digital, puts it, “With tonnes of new enemies and traps Lords of the Night will be Chainsaw Warrior’s toughest challenge yet.”

In this fast paced digital adventure, every decision counts, from the moment you pick your gear to either you or your enemy’s final breath of life. Featuring three new decks packed with exciting traps and enemies, new weapons and equipment and new gameplay to challenge players at every turn, while new mechanics such as the hard-won blessings will help you reach Darkness - or die trying! Equip yourself with new firearms, new chainsaws and the trusty laser-lance as you once more fight through the hordes to Darkness and on to victory. The game has three challenging difficulty settings, including classic for those who want the truly gruelling experience of the original board game.

The game is out now on Windows, Mac and Linux at Steam for $5.99/€5.99/£4.79. For more information, visit the Chainsaw Warrior website at ChainsawWarrior.net. Stay in the loop with Chainsaw Warrior by following Auroch Digital on Facebook and Twitter.

Reviews and coverage:

Graal
Nerd Maldito
RockPaperShotgun
Angry Centaur Gaming
C+2 Magazine
Gry Online
Apprehensive Gamer
Scott Dog Gaming
Binary Option Evolution
Game Debate
the Shelter Network
Horror News Network
The Needs
tr1ppa's Youtube playthrough
lamaslany's Youtube playlist
Got Game
Games Workshop
Invision Community
Gamerevolution

 

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Matt Davies

Auroch Digital's GameTheNews.net Listed in Nominet 100

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Auroch Digital are honored to have been included in the 2014 Nominet 100 - a list of technology organisations, companies and individuals doing amazing things for the social good with tech. Auroch Digital were included for their GameTheNews.net project, which is exploring newsgames as a means of engaging people with real-world issues via gaming. There is more information on the nomination here and the full list is here.  Develop also covered the announcement.

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Matt Davies