Love Letter is a game of courtly intrigue in which two to four players seek to gain the affections of Princess Annette. However, the Princess is locked away in the palace and not accepting visitors, which means that her suitors have to rely on occupants of the palace to deliver their letters of undying love.  I guess a trip to the local post office is not an option.

Love Letter was originally a Japanese game designed by Seiji Kanai. Its potential was quickly recognised and a version with a new theme and redesigned artwork was released for the Western market. The game proved to be hugely successful and triggered a trend for microgames. Typically, these games come in a tiny box, with simple rules and only take a few minutes to play. Not only did the original inspire a host of similar games but also led to a range of re-themes, which include Adventure Time, Star Wars and The Hobbit.

The game consists of a deck of just sixteen cards, only eight of which are unique. At the start of the game, to add a little unpredictability, one card is removed from the already skinny deck. Players are dealt a single card and then are good to go. On a turn, players simply draw a card and then play either of the two cards in their hand. Used cards remain in front of the player for the rest of the game to aid deduction and break ties. Each card represents a member of the royal household, from lowly guards to the princess herself. The world of romance can be brutal and unforgiving, which means that to ensure that your letter gets delivered to the princess, you must do your best to eliminate the opposition. You do this by enlisting the help of members of the palace, each of who have a special skill.

A round ends when there is only one suitor left standing or the deck of cards is exhausted. If more than one player is still in the game then the one with the highest ranked card in their hand wins. If more than one player has the same ranked card then the tie is resolved by adding up the ranks of the cards that they have played during the course of the game. The winner is awarded a point, with the amount of points required to claim victory dependant on the number of players.

To get a feel of how Love Letter actually plays we will need to take a look at the cards. Each character card has a ranking, with the highest being the princess. Having her in your hand is risky because if a player is ever forced to discard the princess then they lose. The King demands that two players exchange their cards, whilst the Prince forces a suitor to discard their card and draw a new one. The countess doesn’t have a special power and must be discarded if you also have the Prince or King. The Baron favours a no-nonsense approach, giving the owner the chance to challenge another player. Both reveal their cards and the player with the lower rank is eliminated. The handmaiden protects you from the effects of other cards for an entire turn, whilst the busybody priest will let you take a peek at another player’s card. Lowest ranked and most numerous are the guards. These give you a chance to guess an opponent’s card and if correct, then the unfortunate target is eliminated.

Love Letter is a wonder of minimalist design; it is incredible how just a few cards can conjure up such a delicious feeling of court intrigue. Deducing the cards in your opponents’ hands is obviously the key to success, There are obvious ways, such as playing a guard but also other subtler ways, which usually involve trying to read between the lines. However, beware because a smart opponent will be actively trying to distract you, leading you up the garden path, only to be waiting in the bushes to whack you over the head with a garden gnome. A shrewd player will keep a check on the cards played and those that possibly remain. They will try and put others off the scent by, for instance, using a guard to issue a challenge when they know very well that the target doesn’t have that particular card because it is already nestling in their own hand.

Each round plays so quickly that it never gets dull, even getting eliminated will not have you sitting on the sidelines for too long. The simple nature of Love Letter means that you never take it too seriously. Because the time investment is so short you are encouraged to be reckless, which makes the game so enjoyable.

The digital version looks the part, sticking closely to the art design of the original, complete with heaving bosoms and fluttering fans.  Each card uses stars to provide up to date information regarding how many copies of each card remain in play, which makes things even easier. Options are pretty limited, you can play offline against AI opponents or online in public or private multiplayer matches. Playing the app also eliminates any potential cheating but there again why would you play with cheats in the first place?

The big question is why you would want to play this over the original card game? The physical version is cheap and portable and comes in a cool velvet bag. I guess the big draw is that you can play online whenever you want. However, transfer the game to a clinical online environment and the game’s shortcomings are thrown into stark relief. A lucky guess can have the game ending before it has even begun, whilst a lot of the time the game feels like it is playing itself with no real input from the player.

More than many other games, Love Letter relies on the human touch. The Princess Bride style bluffing just doesn’t work without that immediate interaction with other players. It is not a shortcoming of the game but a shortcoming of the digital medium that makes it an odd choice for conversion to the digital format.

Addressing the rapidly growing user base around GraphQL, The Linux Foundation has launched the GraphQL Foundation to build a vendor-neutral community around the query language for APIs (application programming interfaces).

“Through the formation of the GraphQL Foundation, I hope to see GraphQL become industry standard by encouraging contributions from a broader group and creating a shared investment in vendor-neutral events, documentation, tools, and support,” said Lee Byron, co-creator of GraphQL, in a statement.

“GraphQL has redefined how developers work with APIs and client-server interactions,” said Chris Aniszczyk, Linux Foundation vice president of developer relations…

Read more at The New Stack

Skype-a-Thon is coming soon! On November 13th and 14th, classrooms across the world will be breaking down their walls and connecting students with peers from various countries and cultures, as well as experts in various fields.

This year, our collective Skype-a-Thon goal will be to travel over 14 million virtual miles. For every 400 miles traveled, Microsoft will make a donation to schools in need. So, not only will we be making a positive change in the world by connecting students from various backgrounds, cultures and faiths, but we’ll also help raise funds for supplies for those less fortunate!

For new participants

If you are new to Skype in the Classroom, fear not! Any educator can take their students on a Skype-a-Thon adventure. First, create a free account on the Microsoft Educator Community.  Once there, spend some time perusing the rich content at your fingertips. Find a Virtual Field trip that connects to your unit of study or reach out to a guest speaker, who will inspire your students. You can request a free, live and interactive Skype experience directly on the site. Maybe you want to try a Skype collaboration or a game of Mystery Skype, too. Request a lesson, a field trip, a collaboration event, or a game for Skype-a-Thon, and you will be part of something massive!

For past participants

If you’re a veteran Skype in the Classroom teacher, challenge yourself to take your Skype-a-Thon to the next level. Try to participate in multiple calls during the eventm or travel to several countries in one day. Try something new, like a connected Kahoot using Skype screen sharing. Last year, my class played a Global Pop Culture Kahoot game with students from ten nations. Every question on the Kahoot dealt with pop culture. The students learned that despite their religion, race, and country of origin, they all knew that Shrek lives in a swamp. They found out we are way more alike than we are different! There are so many engaging ideas you can explore on Skype in the Classroom. Challenge yourself to try something new.

How to get parents involved

Maybe you might want to try something unique and include parents in your Skype-a-Thon plans. One fun idea that I do each year is to host an optional pitch-in Skype Breakfast during the morning of Skype-a-Thon. Parents have been hearing about the engaging and authentic learning that has occurred throughout our school year. They are curious and jump at the chance to experience the magic of Skype in the Classroom for themselves.

Students love showing off their Skype skills for their parents, and the parents are always blown away by what they see! Last year, they teamed up with their children for a Mystery Skype adventure with a 5th grade class in Spain.  This year, they’ll join on another Mystery Skype alongside their child. It’s a fun way to kick off Skype-a-Thon!

Another meaningful way to include the parents is to create a homework assignment where the students report back what they learned to their folks. Then, they ask the parents to respond about which Skype-a-Thon destination they found most interesting and why. The kids love having homework that their parents need to do. More importantly, this assignment encourages rich discussion between parent and child. That is a win-win!

And don’t forget…

There is a fantastic collection of Skype-a-Thon resources available to seasoned and new Skype enthusiasts alike on the Skype-a-Thon Teacher Toolkit. You might be inspired to create a passport for your class’ Skype-a-Thon journey, create a class map to track your travels, and so much more!

By joining you will be part of something amazing! You’ll be taking action on so many levels, and your students and their parents will benefit as well. Make sure you share your experiences on Twitter by using #skypeathon #MicrosoftEDU, and definitely use the Microsoft Educator Community to register for calls. Miles will be counted when Skype in the Classroom lessons are booked there. Finally, I would recommend you watch the on-demand “how-to” webinar for Skype-a-Thon with VP of Education Anthony Salcito and Skype Master Teacher Stacey Ryan, to learn how your class can participate and how you can organize your Skype-a-Thon activities from start to finish.

Have an amazing Skype-a-Thon, everyone!

The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Venice, California

Venice, California-based Wevr is now hiring UE4 artists, engineers, and animators for an unannounced high profile VR project, based on one of the biggest entertainment IPs of all time! If you have gaming/interactive media experience and are looking to join an ace team that is working on an ambitious, high-visibility and potentially career-defining project, we’d like to hear from you.

What we’re looking for

• 3-5 years of Unreal Engine experience
• Proficient in writing shaders to develop a range of hyper-real looks
• Experience in rendering, lighting and frame rate optimization
• VR experience a plus
• Los Angeles based, preferred not required
• Contractor position with potential to be permanent hire

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

In this GDC 2012 talk, EA/Maxis’ Stone Librande discusses a series of card and board games he’s developed that are not only designed to entertain, but also to teach the fundamentals of game design.

Stone describes the evolution of the games he’s developed and talks about the underlying lessons contained in each one.

For example, each one of the games covers a specific topic such as writing rule systems, choosing goals, tuning opposition, or balancing asymmetric systems.

It was an insightful talk that’s still worth watching, so developers shouldn’t miss the opportunity to do so now that it’s freely available on the official GDC YouTube channel!

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Americas.

Starting at 6:00 p.m. PDT today, members of the Xbox One Preview Alpha Ring will begin receiving a new 1811 Xbox One system update (181026-1939). Read on for more about the fixes and known issues in the latest 1811 system update.

New Features:

Family Settings

• Children signing up for new accounts will now be asked to add a parent only if required to by local privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR or COPPA). This means that some minors, like teens in the U.S., will no longer have to add a parent and join a Microsoft family during signup. Xbox privacy and online safety defaults will still be applied based on age, and in order to change those, the minor would need to add a parent on Xbox who can then change their settings. Minors not in a family can add a parent anytime in Settings > Account > Family settings > Add a parent. Joining a family would also allow the parent and child to use other family features like content restrictions, screen time, activity reporting, and spending.
• Children that are subject to local privacy regulations will still be required to add a parent during signup. While this will create a Microsoft family through which the parent can use family features like content restrictions, screen time, activity reporting, and spending, the parent will no longer be required to sign in on Xbox. If a parent wants to change their child’s Xbox privacy and online safety settings, the parent can sign in separately on Xbox and manage their family in Settings > Account > Family settings.
• Existing child accounts are not affected by this change and will remain with their parents in their current Microsoft family.

 Mouse & Keyboard Support

• We have enabled mouse support in the build.  Please check out the Quest in the Xbox Insider Hub to experience mouse and keyboard support in Warframe.

 Search Enhancements

• The search function has been enhanced across the console and will now return responses from the Xbox Assist application for example to help with help, support and troubleshooting.  Please check out the Quest in the Xbox Insider Hub to help us gather feedback.

Fixes:

My Games and Apps:

• Fixed issues in which some users were experience Games and apps failing to launch at the splash screen.
• Fixed an issue in which Recently installed games were not showing in collections.

Networking

• Fixes to address the console loosing network connectivity at random times.
• Additional fixed issues in which the console is fully powering off when it is placed into Instant On mode.

 Notifications:

• Fixed the Achievement toasts issue in which it was not clearing.
• Fixed the Welcome to Game Pass Toast every time.

 System

• USB keyboard navigation fixes in the system.
• Store twist updates to improve performance and stability.
• Localization fixes.

Known Issues:

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

Swords and Soldiers 2 Shawarmageddon is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off!*

Take command of mighty Vikings, sly Persians or brutish Demons! Destroy your opponent’s base while defending your own in this action-packed side-scrolling RTS!

*Offer ends November 13 at 10AM Pacific Time

General

• Fixed an issue where some players were unable to access The Lost Cryptarch quest

Disruption/Insults/Disrespect

Disruption/Insults/Disrespect

Harassment/Personal Attacks/Privacy Violation

Gory Violence/Explicit Sexuality

Illegal Activity

Hacking/Cheating

Spoilers/Stolen Content

Soliciting/Phishing/Impersonation