From the workshop
The Ides
Our letter from the workshop, about once every two months — design diaries, campaign post-mortems, and word on what we are building next. Every issue is here.
The Ides
Be the first to read the next one.
New entries land in your inbox about every two months, along with insights into how our games get made, the best deals on new games, and word on new launches.
February 25, 2026
The Ides of January 2026
You are the very first to hear the official announcement! Roma XLI will be on Kickstarter on February 24th! Vote your opponents into exile, build your power by gathering endorsements, and form (and break) alliances at…
January 20, 2026
The Ides of November 2025
Black Friday starts a week early this year, because why not? Starting now, everything you order on FacadeGames.com will be automatically 30% off in your cart! Be a hero and stuff those stockings with Parkade and…
November 20, 2025
The Ides of September 2025
Welcome to ancient Rome, where friends are fleeting and enemies stand in your way. Where will you travel? Who will you betray? And will you finish as ruler of all of Rome? Coming to Kickstarter in March '26! We'll give…
September 18, 2025
The Ides of July 2025
Lots of traffic at Facade HQ today. Which of the circling vehicles deserve the open spots? Found in the wild. We were tagged with a "cinematic" shot from @ushelf42 of Hollywood Deluxe! Follow us on instagram and tag us…
July 17, 2025
The Ides of June 2025
These newly-designed Roma meepawns will soon be joining the Facade universe! Found in the wild. It's not every day that you get to watch a real life pirate do an unboxing. Captain Jeff MacKay gave Tortuga 1667 Deluxe a…
June 17, 2025
The Ides of April 2025
Much of our production is on hold as we wait for some clarity on the US tariff situation. It's a tough time to be a small business, particularly in the toy and game industry as our costs to sell games in the US have…
April 15, 2025
The Ides of March 2025
We have it on good authority that the friar from Bristol was buddies with the real Saint Patrick. Don't get pinched today! Found in the wild. In honor of the recent Pi Day, here are some Salem-inspired pies made by a…
March 17, 2025
The Ides of January 2025
It's Trophies solo-mode time! Start a 10-second timer and think of a word for each topic that starts with an R. If you succeed, take this participation trophy. Go! Found in the wild. One of our favorite things besides a…
January 15, 2025
The Ides of December 2024
Happy holidays from Facade Games! Our monthly newsletter usually includes bits about what we're working on and who's playing our games. We know that December is busy enough, so this month we're keeping it short and…
December 16, 2024
The Ides of November 2024
Consider this your official commission to read the Ides of November! Found in the wild. Never a bad month when your game shows up in a viral video! Smosh Games played Salem (rubber chicken and all) and it has passed…
November 15, 2024
The Ides of October 2024
Found in the wild. One of our favorite fans hosts a Salem night every October with 30+ participants. Good friends, good food, and witch-hunting. What more could you ask for? What we're working on. This month we've been…
October 18, 2024
The Ides of September 2024
Found in the wild. A group of deployed Danish soldiers turned their coffee table into the map of Tortuga! What we're working on. This month we've been coordinating the ocean freight of our soon-to-be-released Dark…
September 17, 2024
The Ides of August 2024
The only thing we enjoyed more than meeting some of you at Gen Con was building and then slowly dismantling our wall of Parkade. Found in the wild. Some of the very best play-through videos of Salem , Tortuga , Bristol…
July 16, 2024
The Ides of July 2024
"Ides of July" has a nice ring to it! Summer means game conventions, and this month we swung by Origins in Columbus. In just a couple weeks we will be at booth #533 at Gen Con in Indianapolis. Please come say hello!…
June 17, 2024
The Ides of June 2024
As you hop into your car, dogsled, or broomstick for a summer adventure, we sincerely hope the traffic doesn't look like this Parkade standstill! Found in the wild. This month Hollywood 1947 was mentioned in The…
June 16, 2024
The Ides of May 2024
The gavel has fallen on another month, and it will soon fall on our Kickstarter for the Dark Cities Deluxe Editions (including the Salem pieces seen above). We are down to the final week ! Is it cake? Regrettably, "Is…
May 1, 2024
Deluxe Editions now on Kicktarter!
Deluxe Editions for all of our Dark Cities games are now on Kickstarter ! The deluxe editions for Salem, Tortuga, and Deadwood are brand new, and we're also offering the deluxe editions of Bristol and Hollywood. For…
April 16, 2024
The Ides of April 2024
It seems like just yesterday that we sent the very first Ides Newsletter . It has, in fact, been 31 days. We've had a busy month designing (and playing pretend with) the coolest money since Monopoly. These little guys…
March 15, 2024
The Ides of March 2024
Welcome to the Ides. This is Holly & Travis, founders of Facade Games. Hello! For the last several years we’ve been searching for a better way to connect with you, the members of the Facade Games community, and bring…
September 16, 2022
Hollywood 1947 Launches on Kickstarter January 17th!
On January 17th Facade Games will launch Bristol 1350 on Kickstarter . This will be the 5th volume in the Dark Cities Series (previous games include Salem 1692, Tortuga 1667, Deadwood 1876, and Bristol 1350). Hollywood…
May 12, 2020
Bristol 1350 Launches on Kickstarter May 26th!
On May 26th Facade Games will launch Bristol 1350 on Kickstarter . This will be the 4th volume in the Dark Cities Series (previous games include Salem 1692, Tortuga 1667, and Deadwood 1876). Bristol 1350 is for 2-9…
October 29, 2019
Facade Games Founders Speak on the TEDx Stage
Holly Hancock and Travis Hancock, Founders of Facade Games, recently had the opportunity to speak on the TEDx stage. The talk is titled "Birth of a Board Game" and outlines their basic process for coming up with an idea…
October 18, 2019
Trophies Kicks Off New Line of Party Games from Facade Games
We're pleased to announce that very soon we will be launching a new line of "party games." These games will be slightly smaller than our current Dark Cities line, will accommodate even MORE players at a time, and will…
September 6, 2018
How to Publish a Board Game
Over the years we've had hundreds of aspiring board game designers ask us about the process of publishing a board game. We’ve created this handy little guide to help you on your way! 1. Come up with an initial idea for…
September 6, 2018
Ranking All 73 Board Games in my Parent’s Game Closet
For all of my life, Christmas break has consisted of playing lots of board games with my family. I can trace a lot of the reasons why I’m now in the game-making business to happy memories surrounding this tradition.…
September 6, 2018
Our Advice to Fellow Kickstarter Creators
Our first game, Salem 1692 , raised $103,000 on Kickstarter in 2015. Our second game, Tortuga 1667 , raised $403,000 on Kickstarter in 2017. Our third game, Deadwood 1876 , raised $587,000 on Kickstarter in 2018. Our…
September 6, 2018
Why Every Board Game Needs a Little Luck
Every card or board game, with few exceptions, has a component of luck involved. This luck varies from the dice rolls in Yahtzee to the infected cities in Pandemic to the colors of train cars flipped over in Ticket to…
September 6, 2018
The Origin Story of Facade Games
If you told teenager Travis that he would eventually make board games for a living, he’d probably have several reactions. First he’d say, “Suuure. There’s no way you could make any money doing that.” Next he’d say, “But…