Welcome to the Frown Lab. If you’re viewing this unlisted page, you’ve been personally invited to check out some of my unreleased designs. All games have been thoroughly tested and are seeking homes with publishers. Note that images shown here are from Tabletop Simulator prototypes, so art and graphics are not final (although some do already have commissioned art!). Feel free to email dickie@frownclowns.com if anything strikes your fancy.
Think you’ve got what it takes to help us test stuff online in Tabletop Simulator? Join our Discord!
Barnstormers
2-5 players | 30 minutes | 8+
In the 1920’s, many American pilots returning from war maintained a life of adventure by traveling from town to town in “Flying Circuses,” performing daring aerial acrobatics for the locals, many of whom had never even seen an airplane before. As word of these skybound spectacles spread, “barnstormers” became underground national heroes. In Barnstormers, you and your fellow pilots will fly your biplanes to small towns across the country, performing shows and mesmerizing crowds with death-defying stunts. The more you dazzle, the more Prestige you’ll earn. To win, be the first to reach 30 Prestige or have the most Prestige after 5 shows.
Black Marketeers
2-5 players | 30 minutes | 13+
Buy and sell rare items in Black Marketeers, a lite game of set collection and press-your-luck. On your turn, you can (a) buy an Item, (b) sell an Item, or (c) sell to a Collector.
When you buy an Item card, pay the cost below the card and draw the associated number of Heat tokens. The cheaper the Item, the more Heat you must take. If you draw a Raid token, the Police bust any player with Heat that exceeds the Raid number. Those players lose 3 of their cards.
When you Sell an Item, collect its current market value. That Item’s value then moves to the bottom and others are raised.
When you Sell to a Collector, discard the Items they want to earn larger amounts of cash.
The player with the most money when the Items deck runs out is the winner.
High Score Heroes
1-5 players | 30-45 minutes | 8+
It’s time to hit the arcade! In High Score Heroes, you’ll draft cards and use them to play your favorite retro arcade games and get on the High Scores list, bumping your opponents down (and sometimes off!) to earn victory points. Collect Gems from the arcade to boost your scores or spend them to take home some choice Prizes. The player with the most points after 6 rounds is the new High Score Hero!
Includes a challenging solo mode with dedicated components.
The King’s Things
2-4 players | 40 minutes | 8+
There’s a new king on the throne, and the greedy tyrant wants to fill his castle with cool stuff! He has ordered you, his agents, to acquire the Resources his royal artisans need to craft kingly items for his personal collection. To gain his Favor, you’ll venture out into the kingdom and use various methods to wrangle said Resources from their stingy Keepers. The first Agent to reach 30 Favor wins.
Prizefight
2 players | 30 minutes | 13+
Prizefight is a head-to-head boxing game with the fast pace and flow of a real boxing match. It finds a home between overly complex boxing games that require looking up punch results in various charts, and lite, goofy games with very little realism.
In the game, players take turns choosing and rolling dice in a series of “exchanges.” Block your opponent’s punches with your defense dice, play it safe with high-percentage jabs, or go all out and throw power punches to inflict more damage. Be careful though, as all punches use up valuable energy – especially the big ones. At the end of each exchange, the player who inflicts the most damage moves the Prizefight token a number of spaces towards their opponent in a tug-o-war mechanic. If the token moves into their KO zone, it’s a knockdown (and potential knockout!). You can also cut your opponent, which takes away important attributes and can even lead to a TKO. After the 5th exchange, the fighter who inflicted the most damage wins the round. The player who wins the most rounds wins the match. Of course you can also win at any time by knocking out your opponent.
Prizefight features 32 colorful fighters, each with unique skills. A match typically takes around 30 minutes.
Recess
2-4 players | 30 minutes | 8+
Bring the playground to your tabletop! It’s Recess time at school and you and your classmates are out to pack as much Fun as you can into your precious outside freedom. Roll dice to play on your favorite playground attractions, frolic with your bestie, and collect lost treasure – all while playing an epic game of tag. The kid with the most Fun when the bell rings wins!
Simmer & Spice
2-5 players | 45 minutes | 8+
Stir up the fun in this deliciously competetive game where every pinch, sprinkle, and dash counts! Add just the right blend of spices to out-season your rivals and whip up the most mouthwatering soups. Will you impress the chefs enough to join their ranks as masters of the kitchen?
In Simmer & Spice, you play as an aspiring sous chef bidding to acquire spices to craft 3 flavorful soups. Following your secret recipe, you’ll score points when you add the perfect amounts and lose points when you don’t. You’ll make 1 soup for each of the 3 randomly selected chef judges, who award bonus points for boosting their favorite spices.
Xterminators
2-4 players | 45 minutes | 10+
When your neighborhood is overrun with pests, you know who to call – the X-terminators! As an employee, you’ll be drafting dice from a shared pool and using cards to remove pests from buildings to earn money. You can earn additional money in the form of in-game and game-end performance bonuses. The X-terminator who brings in the most money is named employee of the month and wins the game.
2-5 players | 30 minutes | 8+
In Elix6irs, you play as potion makers competing to gather ingredients from the forest in order to make 6 different elixirs. Score points for completing potions, for using your unique “enchanted” ingredients, and for making your Charms. When any player completes 4 of their elixirs, the player with the most points is the winner.
2-4 players | 60-90 minutes | 13+
Coming to Kickstarter in 2024 on Pop Art Games / Frown Clowns!
Hair Band is a dice placement and resource management game in which you’ll form an upstart 80’s glam metal band in Hollywood and compete to become the most awesome new band on the Sunset Strip. Each round, you’ll be rolling dice and placing them on the board to practice, write songs, play shows, promote, or party. Heavy metal musicians can be a reckless and unruly bunch, so you’ll need to steer clear of band drama and keep your rowdy Rockers out of trouble. There’s a record deal at stake here, and the first band to reach the label’s contract requirements gets to sign on the dotted line and wins the game.
Hair Band is a humorous tribute to the most decadent and often ridiculous scene in rock music history, and the target audience are music fans, 80’s kids, and anyone who was ever in a band or wanted to be.
2 players | 30 minutes | 8+
Oosterang is a forgotten word mariners once joyfully shouted when they reached port after a long journey at sea. In Oosterang, you command a fleet of merchant vessels, each carrying different cargo. You must compete with rival merchants, navigate treacherous ever-changing waters, avoid the sea monster and dodge the dreaded pirate. The first player to safely navigate 3 vessels over to their opponent’s ports is the winner.