11/11/11 Enter today in the Cutthroat Caverns 'Create an Encounter' Contest and you could find your creation in an upcoming expansion like FRESH MEAT! (Yes, it will finally be here in August!!!) Think up a solid, balanced critter that makes us say, "OMG that is so nasty and cool" and you are on your way. Check the link above for more details. And Good luck!

10/16/11 Lots of updates today. Run for Your Life, Candyman! 2nd Edition is in stores this week after 8 months of being out of stock. Look forward to 18 new cards, updated and revised rules, premium die cut tokens and shorter game play - just in time for the Holidays. Grab some gingerbread, some frosting and your family and run, run as fast as you can to pick this up.

Also, SUTAKKU is shipping with a little surprise inside! A small deck of cards that adds a little Smirk and Dagger kick to game play. Find out more on the Sutakku page. And ask your local retailer to sign up for the pre-release event. If you do the demo for them, you'll score two Sutakku sake glasses for helping out. And they are pretty cool.

More news coming. Stay tuned.

6/26/11 Our new 'push your luck' dice game, SUTAKKU, will be launching in August 2011 with a preview at Gencon.

From the PR release: Sutakku literally means, "to stack", in Japanese and describes the dice stacking element of game play. For, in this quick-playing, push-your-luck dice game, you attempt to create the tallest stack of dice in order to gain the highest score per turn.

"It's addicting," said the designer, Curt Covert, "and a bit of a departure for us at Smirk and Dagger. We're known for our 'stab a friend in the back' style game play, but in Sutakku, there's more of a 'screw yourself' vibe as you try to pull ahead or catch the current leader."

The general rule… Roll three dice and add two of them to an ever-climbing stack of dice. You can choose to stop rolling and score your stacked dice at any time, but pushing your luck will net you more points if you succeed. Continue as long as you dare. But like the Stonecutter of legend, who was never satisfied, you may find yourself with naught, right back where you began. The wise will distinguish ambition from reaching beyond one’s means.

Regarding the components:
"It was important that we really up the ante on game components," said Curt, "to craft the game with classic Japanese design aesthetics and authentic art. Chiyo Nagahara Romei is a very gifted brush artist and painted the Japanese and English letter forms for the logo, box art and the dice themselves. Speaking of the dice, we made our own and went all out. They are engraved with Japanese brush character numbers and are much larger than most dice. They are a hefty 3/4", which makes them ideal for stacking into towers reaching 12 dice high (which sounds easier than it is). But it isn't a dexterity game. The difficulty in stacking them comes from the laws governing your ability to do so. Still, smaller dice just didn't have the same appeal or stability."

"Aside from the art, the game itself is steeped in Japanese folklore," Curt continued, as SUTAKKU was originally developed to teach the common man the foibles of wishing for more than he had. "There is this great Japanese folktale, which is echoed in many other cultures as well, about a Stonecutter, who makes a wish to be more than he is, has it granted and can never be satisfied. He becomes a wealthy man, a prince, the sun, the clouds, and even the rocks of the mountain, each one better than the last, until he hears a man chipping away at his mountainous base and wishes himself back to his original state, with nothing - but wiser and happier for it. This game mirrors that lesson."

The game includes 12 premium dice, a cloth dice bag, stacking board and scorepad. The rules are printed in English and come with the full background of the game including the Japanese folktale which inspired it.

Look for it in August!

6/21/11 Run for Your Life, Candyman!, our twisted parody board game of cookie v. cookie cartoon violence, is currently back on press with a Second Edition - with a few changes to enhance game play. You can look forward to shorter game play, a few updated/added rules, sexy new die cut tokens with art unique to each cookie character and 18 new cards. The box will be labeled as Second Edition and is graphically covered in black licorice, so you can easily see this is the new game. Happily, we'll be able to keep the same price point. And yes, for those who have a copy of the original and just want the extra card set, I'll have a limited supply of cards for sale.

12/3/10 Okay... news updates. Cutthroat Caverns ADVENTURES - Module B1/ B2, which we had a limited run printed for Gencon '10, will be in full distribution this January. On top of that, a new module penned by Jonathan Lavallee and titled "The Daggers of Strife" is underway for release in Spring/Summer.

In other news, Run for Your Life, Candyman is nearing the end of the print run. Hopefully, we'll have enough for the Holidays. We'll be putting that back on press in a few months - and will make some very small changes - including upgraded movement tokens, like those in Shootin' Ladders.

9/21/10 HEX HEX XL, our bigger, better more exciting version of your favorite party game is back in stock and in stores everywhere!

6/1/10 Just had a really nice article printed on DEAD HAND Chaos Poker by a comprehensive casino/gaming site based in the UK, Casino On-line. Here's the link if you'd like to read more: http://www.casinoonline.co.uk/articles/dead-hand-chaos-poker

6/1/10 Hot off the press at Smirk and Dagger Games:

After almost a year of the HEX HEX core set being out of stock, we are publishing a new version which I hope to have by July-Aug.

Hex Hex XL will replace both the 1.5 base game and Hex Hex Next, becoming the new base set. As you might surmise from the title, the new, larger game will include a larger, but streamlined deck of 150 cards taking the 'best of' cards from both sets. In addition, the game will have 2 NEW variants (with new cards and bits to support them).

The variant Hex Hex Vexed includes 25 new 'law' cards and 12 new tokens -- and is perfect for a one-game sitting, where you want to see a few classic HEX•HEX ‘Laws’ come into play DURING play. Each Hex cast becomes a specific type of Hex – that delivers a curse upon all the players who become Hexed that hand.

The other variant, Hexen Stix, adds a lightning-fast reflex element to game play – a ring of hexagonal shaped obelisks that mete out penalties for those who do not rise to the challenge quickly enough in grabbing them and can reward those who do.The wooden obelisks, 16 new cards for the effects and 9 new specialty cards for the base deck are included.

Intrigued? I'd love to hear your first impressions.

Neither of the variants changes the game in any major way, but playtesters(many of whom had never played the base game) reported that they couldn't imagine playing the game without them. So, I guess that bodes well. Hopefully, you'll agree.

9/3/09 Hi all. Well, SHOOTIN' LADDERS: Frag Fest is indeed here and will be arriving at stores in a week or so. We launched with a few preview copies at Gencon this August and got a lot of people talking about it during the show. I think you'll find this multi-scenario game has a bit more meat than Candyman - but the same 'rip off the limbs' gingerbread fun. It is a mighty fun new parody game and with 12 dice to drop, limbs will be flying quicker than ever!

Next up will be the reprint of Hex Hex. More on this as it develops, but we are looking at doing something special for its third printing and will look to have it out early next year if all goes well.

For you fans of Cutthroat, eagerly awaiting Fresh Meat - well, playtesting continues and if we get it right sooner than later, you may just see that next year too! We've been talking about all new characters with wildly different abilities, life totals and hand sizes for a while now - and once they are balanced, playing a Fey is gonna be a lot different than playing a Half-Ogre. More as we get closer...

6/15/09 Jumpin' Jimmeny! The planets and stars have aligned. SHOOTIN LADDERS is ahead of schedule and may just make it in time for this year's Gencon! Fingers crossed!

3/22/09 You heard it here first -- after four years, we are announcing a second game in the 'Games Gone Bad' line. We've been asked to follow up 'Run for your Life, Candyman!' with more twisted kid game parodies - but have held off until now. We are currently Beta testing "Shootin' Ladders - Frag Fest". Yes, it is an amped-up, high calibur, candy carnage-filled send up of a first-person shooter style game and Snakes and Ladders. Yes, the gingerbread men are back, Taunty, Stinky, Mr. Crumbles and the rest are joined by newcomers Sgt. Rockk Candy and GInger Joe. So sling your M&M16, grab your Dessert Eagle and get ready to CRUMBLE!!!

Oh, and no -- we have no idea when it will finally release. Maybe end of this year if all goes well.

3/7/09 CUTTHROAT CAVERNS HITS SHELVES TODAY!!! The base game, Deeper & Darker, Relics & Ruin and Tombs & Tomes are all in stock and available at your local game stores. If they don't have 'em yet, place an order with the store and they'll have it in just a few days.

2/14/09 Crayola 3D Outdoor Chalk just won Outdoor Toy of the Year at Toy Fair. It is the Oscar of the mainstream toy and game industry - and not a bad showing for our first licensed product. Yea us!

1/2/09 Happy New Year. I know many of you are anxious about the release of our much delayed Cutthroat Caverns games. Us too. But after a very drawn out and tumultuous wait, we have good news. The sample games I just saw over the Holidays looked great and the printer is in the final phases of packing all the materials into the boxes. We should have a ship date shortly and then we will have a solid two weeks of getting them landed and out to stores and to those of you who pre-ordered WAY BACK at Gencon. Our sincere apologies again to those folks - believe me, we had no idea it would be so long (it is a first for us) but I hope you all find it worth the wait. I will post again when I have a ship date. Til then, have a happy! Best, Curt

10/24/08 Crazy news! Curt Covert and Justin Brunetto have just been nominated as the Rising Star Inventors of the year (one of three) by the larger toy and game industry. The TAGIE award is the first annual awards show honoring the inventors and designers in the more mainstream market and is part of a four day event including educational seminars, meet and greets with industry giants and a two day game festival at the Navy Pier in Chicago (Nov 20-23). Our nomination comes as a result of our two year journey to license game and toy ideas to some of the biggest companies in the nation like Hasbro, Mattel, Endless Games, and Fundex, to name a few. Twenty ideas later (four of which were very nearly picked up) we had our first big project get licensed to Crayola, 3D Outdoor Chalk. You may have seen the ad on TV or seen it in stores everywhere (if not, take a look at our new webpage section "Yep, we did that"). It was a gigantic success, winning the Oppehheim Gold Seal for Best Toy, hitting the Top 5 Hottest Toys of the Summer list, making the rounds on The Today Show and other morning news shows - and promptly selling out in June, just two weeks after the TV spot ran. We couldn't be more delighted and honored by the nomination for Rookie Inventor of the year and thank Mary Couzin for being such a longtime supporter of inventors and the toy and game industry in general. Thanks also to Hasbro and Mattel for sponsoring this great showcase of creative talent.

For the inventors out there who may read this, I strongly encourage you to follow the links below for more information about all these unprecedented opportunities to learn more about what it takes to make it as an inventor, network with the industry leaders, pitch your ideas, showcase your games with the public and hangout with a bunch of great folks.

TAGIE - Toy and Game Expo: http://www.toyandgameinventors.com/

CHITAG - Chicago Toy and Game Fair: http://www.chitag.com/

Discover Games - resource for Inventors: http://www.discovergames.com/

And the nomination itself: (Voting is open to anyone working in the toy and game industry) http://www.toyandgameinventors.com/top3risingstars.html

10/20/08 Color proofs are finally on their way. Assuming all is well this time, we can finally start rolling the press soon on Cutthroat Caverns and the three expansions. More as I know more...

9/24/08 For those of you patiently waiting for Cutthroat Caverns, especially those who pre-ordered the game and its new expansions this August at Gencon, we’ve had some recent, disappointing news. Two separate, unforeseeable issues have arisen that have delayed the release. We can’t apologize more for the delay (honestly, it is just killing us not to have them for you) but please know that we will ship your games the very moment they hit the warehouse. Our hope is to have them before the Holidays and we will post updates on our website as we know more. Thank you so much for your understanding and patience. If anyone has questions please contact me at covertc@smirkanddagger.com.

So, that was the bad news. The AWESOME news is that the newest releases in the Cutthroat Caverns line received extremely enthusiastic support when we debuted our hand cut sample games at Gencon. We booked most of our events solid (or over capacity) and at the conclusion one night as they wrapped the game, each table came over to shake our hands to tell us how impressed they were by all the new mechanics and creatures.

Add to that our sensational finals tourney in our booth. We figured out a way to squeeze 7 people in for the finals round (using standard playing cards for Initiative cards). This was no ordinary game of Cutthroat either, as we introduced the first Tournament Adventure Module. As you may know, Tombs and Tomes comes with two RPG style adventure books that add a whole new dimension to play. Well, Relics and Ruins has no Adventure packed in its box, but we created a special Gencon 08 adventure book just for the finals event --- and it was DEADLY!!!!! Only two of the seven original players lived – and only just barely, with Brian Cummings claiming the title. His prize? A set of real leather bracers from the artisans at Elvenforge.com, the very ones pictured in our Relic Card, Vampiric Bracers! We will be posting this Gencon special adventure module on our site for download, once the actual games come off press. Look for more to come --- and if you create an awesome adventure of your own, share it with us and we may post it on our site for everyone to enjoy.

Thanks all – and stay tuned for more news!

4/1/08 The results of the 'Create an Encounter Contest' for Cutthroat Caverns are in. Check out all the winners and get a sneak peek at what lies ahead for Cutthroat Caverns. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who entered. It was great fun.

3/1/08 The 'Create an Encounter Contest' for Cutthroat Caverns drew to a close today - with overwhelming response! We had nearly 100 submissions - and believe us, there are some very cool entries. It is going to be very difficult to pick out 'the best of the best' but we're gonna have a blast playtesting them all. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! You rock! Stay tuned for the results - to be announced just as soon as we can give each Encounter its due and select a winner. The Prestige alone will be worth the wait. Talk to you soon! - Curt and Justin

11/05/07 The Cutthroat Caverns 'Create an Encounter Card' Contest has officially begun! Put on your thinking caps and come up with some wild new ways to challenge the party! Your idea may just end up in the new expansion with your name on it - plus you can score a bunch of cool product taboot! Click the link above or visit the Cutthroat page for more... Good Luck!

10/31/07 Happy Halloween! To help keep you in one piece amid the horrors and goblins, we have a new PDF ENCOUNTER for Cutthroat Caverns ready for download. Visit the Cutthroat Page to grab 'WellSpring' featuring the art of Eric Martin.

10/24/07 Okay, a new FAQ for Cutthroat Caverns is up, hopefully tidying up those pesky grey areas we could have explained better. Hope it helps.

Also, our first NEW PDF ENCOUNTER for Cutthroat Caverns is now available for download. Check the bottom of the page for Cutthroat for the link. Then use Obsidian Gate to play it in your next game!

9/1/07 Back from GenCon - and what a trip! Saw all our fans and launched Cutthroat Caverns as well as the expansion Deeper and Darker to a very warm reception. In fact, we sold out our advance shipment. The bulk of the games will be arriving in stores sometime in the next week or so. OH! And we've put up a new section for the Cutthroat Expansion including a new art gallery - a must see!

Congratulations to our Gencon Tourney winners for Hex Hex, Cutthroat Caverns and Run for Your Life Candyman. We will have photos of the winners up soon (and a look at the Candyman Trophy, which was pretty damn cool if you ask me)

8/8/07 More big news: For those who are able to make it to Gencon Indy this year, we will have a special promo card for Cutthroat Caverns given away FREE to anyone who picks up the game. The card, it's artwork and more on its artist, Uraga, is in the Cutthroat Art Gallery (last page).

8/7/07 The last installment of the Cutthroat Caverns Art Gallery is up with all 25 creature cards available for preview - and remember to click the images for bigger versions of the original art. Read about the artists, see their personal gallery pages via link and get psyched - the game is almost here!!!

7/27/07 Hey everyone... the second installment of the Cutthroat Caverns art gallery is now up. Come check out preview creature cards and learn about the artists behind the images. We are delighted to have 19 artists from literally around the globe involved in this project and encourage you to visit their personal web galleries. Some will even have prints of their work for sale!

7/12/07 In celebration of the amazing art featured in Cutthroat Caverns, we have posted the first of several art galleries to our website. Get a preview of the game cards, click the images to see a full view of the original art and find out more about our talented pool of 19 international artists. Check it out!

6/3/07 Cutthroat Caverns is nearly here. After two years in development, we are due to launch the game at Gencon in August. The reaction we've gotten to the game has been astounding. Playtesters, retailers and other game designers who got a chance to play at GTS, and nearly everyone else is calling this game our best effort yet. Click on the link and get a preview. You can even get a first look at the rules! We will be posting preview cards and the amazing art in our art gallery over the next few weeks. Stop by and take a look!

8/1/06 The wait is over! Hex Hex 1.5, the new base set and Hex Hex NEXT, the expansion deck have landed in the warehouse! Look for them on the shelves of your favorite retailer this month. Speaking of that, you can now find a retailer near you by clicking our new retailer directory feature!

6/16/06 Hi All! Just got a look at the new Hex Hex games. I have to say, they look great. Revised shipping date estimates now place the boat here in late July. I don't know about you, but I can't wait. The revised base set has two new cards not found in the original set, replacing two cards that just weren't cutting it, Reflection and Reap What You Sow. In their place are cards that help balance the game better...Level (which may help those tragically behind get back in the game) and The Forgotten (which helps put an end to 'love-fests' between two players while the others watch). And did I print a few extra to add to your original set? Why, yes I did. Come see us at GenCon.

Sadly, I won't be able to see you all at Origins this year. Big family reunion I simply can't miss. Family first, they always say.

Meanwhile, Cutthroat Caverns is underway and is looking better than ever. Just wait til you see the illustrations - they are nothing short of amazing. We will be posting sneak peaks of the cards as the project moves forward.

4/9/06 Last month's Gama Trade Show in Las Vegas was quite a show. We met a bunch of new folks and said hello to some old friends. I even joined Aldo Ghiozzi in giving a few seminars on marketing. Three to be exact - one for marketing to distributors, another for marketing to retailers and finally to consumers. A lot of fun, hopefully informative and right up my alley. (Yes, I am in fact a marketer by trade. Try and forgive me.) I should mention too that I have written a weighty tome on making the most out of a tradeshow like GTS, Toy Fair or Games Expo and it will be posted on the GPA website. It is meant for manufacturers / exhibitors who are working the tradeshow floor. A lot of common sense stuff - but a few things that may be of help to those who care to look.

As for our booth and what's to come... well, the question on everyone's mind was "when is Hex Hex going to be back on shelves?" Soon. But not soon enough for anyone - including us. To say that we've run into some delays is to put it mildly. The good news is that the additional time has led to further refinements and improvements on Hex Hex 1.5 and Hex Hex Next - and will be stronger games for it. The games are in fact at the printer as we speak. Our hope is that they will be into port and out to stores by late June. It is our sincere hope that you will find them both worth the wait.

On top of that, we debuted an early alpha version of our upcoming game Cutthroat Caverns. We typically show our games off at early stages and get feedback from other designers, retailers and distributors. Looks like it could be another pretty strong hit for us judging on the playtesting and reactions to the sales pitch. No word on a release date as of yet - but count on next year.

I can tell you that it has a standard dungeon-crawl theme. You are all adventurers who have sworn an oath. The first pick of treasure every day will go to the party member who slayed the most prestigeous and toughest beasts of the day. It's been working out GREAT! Bar room brawls are down, and morale is high. Until this morning. For this morning, the party has unearthed an artifact of such unspeakable power that today's pick of treasure is the only pick of treasure that will ever matter again. You are bound by the word of your oath, lest ye be struck down by lightning bolts from above - but not the spirit of the agreement.

"Without teamwork, you will never survive. Without betrayal, you will never win" That's the name of the game. It is both cooperative and chock full of back-stabby goodness. If you don't work together, the denizens of the caverns will take you apart. But you will have to jockey for position to make sure you land the most killing blows in order to win. Eventually, that means messing with someone else and putting the party at risk.

We received some great input and more importantly, great reactions that tell us this one is a keeper. We'll keep you updated on its development.

Oh, and I should mention... GTS gave rise to a new set of Special Treat cards for Run for your Life, Candyman! The Extra Special Treat packs contain 9 all new treats including Frosting (which lets you graft on someone else's body part onto your cookie) Sugar Frosted Golem and more - plus 2 blanks for your own creations. And I did come home with a few that I could be convinced to part with.

Til next post,

Keep Smirkin'

11/6/05 Quick Update. HEX HEX 1.5 and HEX HEX NEXT will be going on press this month and should be releasing sometime March 06. I will be posting some feature cards over the next few weeks to whet your appetites. Talk to you soon.

7/26/05 Run For Your Life, Candyman! Should be in full distribution this week at your favorite game store and is now available here as well. I have updated the site with a Candyman section featuring the rules, Gingerbread Status sheet pdf, a FAQ and a review section. Enjoy!

7/23/05 Hi all. Recently back from Origins and 'Run for your Life, Candyman' seems to be another hit for us. I will have a new section and the pdf download of the Gingerbread Status Sheets up very soon. We will be attending Gencon and will have plenty of real gingerbread men on hand for our late night Candyman events. And if all goes well, we'll have Lady I. Scream live and in person. See you there!

1/10/05
At long last (after year) the site has been updated. Check out our new Store, Games Page and Sneak Peeks for a bunch of new stuff. Many thanks to Nelson Beach over at Cheese Weasel for giving us a much needed revamp. Thanks also to my friend Bill Walko for teaching me just enough Dreamweaver to be dangerous - and assure that my updates can be more timely this year. By the way - voting is still open for the Inquest Gamer Magazine Fan Awards...get out there and help support HEX HEX for Best Card Game 2004. We appreciate it!

12/03/04
HEX HEX nominated for Best Card Game of 2004 by Inquest Gamer Magazine’s Fan Awards. Be sure to pick up a copy of issue #117 and vote for your favorite games or visit wizarduniverse.com in the Inquest Gamer section to participate on-line. And be sure to check out the Holiday Buying Guide while you are there. Give a friend a very HEX HEX Holiday!

11/30/04
DEAD HAND Chaos Poker™ is at long last at the distributors and should be in stores this week. For those who have been anxiously waiting since the summer, our thanks for your patience and understanding. Now that it has arrived, hop into your nearest retailer and grab the best stocking stuffer of the year! Can’t find a store soon enough? You can order it right here as well!

11/20/04
DEAD HAND Chaos Poker™ (after two weeks sitting off the shore of Oakland) has cleared customs and has arrived at our warehouse. It is being turned around same day and shipping out to fulfill your long standing orders!

11/13/04
We’ve cleared the very outdated news box and begun anew. My severe lack of web knowledge combined with some serious health issues had kept updates to our site at a stand-still. But with that all behind us (and for the morbidly curious) I’ll provide a snap-shot of the last few months.
The summer conventions were absolutely wonderful for our young game company. Both Origins and GenCon Indy were wildly successful in introducing our games to a rabid gaming public, generating a lot of great press and goodwill, untold hours of demos and some really great sales. Thanks to all who came by.

We got amazing reviews on HEX HEX in several highly respected magazines and websites devoted to bringing you the best in gaming news. Among them, Kenzer and Company’s Knights of the Dinner Table (issue #90) gave us a “Destined to be a Classic” rating. Scrye Magazine (issue #74 Aug) gave us “4/5 Gameplay 5/5 Replay value 3/5 Appearance and 4/5 Overall --- with (get this) a record-breaking number of reviewers coming forward to pen the review. Gamingreport.com has two looks at the game by Marc Shayed and another by Tom Vasel – both very glowing and honest views. And of course boardgamegeek.com has a litany of opinions all of which started with veteran game designer (and personal gaming hero of mine), Tom Jolly, who rated us 8/10. Heck, even Bruno Faidutti put us on his ‘Ideal Game’ list after seeing our game at Essen. To say that we are delighted to receive such terrific acclaim on our first game is an understatement.

We also introduced DEAD HAND Chaos Poker at GTS in March to a wildly enthusiastic response. We even entered into a two month negotiation with WizKids who were interested in licensing the game from us, doing deluxe packaging and taking it to mass retailers with full TV advertising support. In the end, however, t’was not to be (and not for lack of wanting on Jordan Weisman’s part). The mad scramble to rush the art and mechanicals and get the game off to press started again in earnest – and turned out to be a far longer process in getting the game produced overseas than we ever imagined. But when it finally arrives, it seems likely to out-do HEX HEX by leaps and bounds.

And of course there is more to come. We’ve got 5 new products in varying stages of development that we’ll be showing off in the months to come. Stay tuned – and keep smirking!
-Curt Covert