Your Move Games

Corporate Backgrounder

Market Overview: Tabletop Wargames & Your Move Games

Tabletop wargaming is a category of games that enables two or more players to simulate military battles, historic or fantasy. Nearly all such games involve the use of models – usually metal figures that must be hand-painted. As a result, the hobby has three major entry barriers that prevent some people from playing and reduce play time for others:

• Expense. Buying the models for an army can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
• Time. Months of painting can be required before play begins, excluding non-painters from the hobby and reducing play time for those who are more interested in gaming than painting. Model-based wargames also entail a lengthy set-up time.
• Portability. Model-based wargames are heavy and cumbersome to transport, typically requiring the use of large cases with each model separately packed in foam or other protective material.

Your Move Games removed these barriers for strategy gamers and enthusiasts by developing the non-miniature wargame Batleground: Fantasy Warfare. Battleground provides the same level of enjoyment, strategy and interaction as tabletop miniatures while creating an easy entry for wargamers by means of a portable, card-based system. Battleground replaces metal models with cards, each card representing a unit of troops. (Unit-based wargames would typically do this with many figures mounted on a tray.) Although quite simple, this approach represents a complete reversal of product strategy for the category, which prior to Battleground has been models first, game second. By focusing on gameplay rather than selling models, Battleground has made the category far more accessible. Battleground also been hailed as one of the best rules systems of any tabletop wargame by commentators on TheMiniaturesPage.com and other dedicated miniature wargaming websites.

Your Move Games

Your Move Games designs and publishes card and boardgames aimed at hobby enthusiasts. Our flagship product is Battleground: Fantasy Warfare, an award-winning card-based tabletop wargame. The company was founded to develop highly interactive strategy games, and has evolved to provide a new standard for portable tabletop wargames. The company’s mission is to remove these barriers for strategy gamers and enthusiasts by developing non-miniature games that provide the same level of enjoyment, strategy and interaction as the tabletop miniatures and easy entry board and card games that allow players to quickly participate in strategy and action. Founded in 2004 by two renowned strategy gamers, Your Move Games is headquartered in Brookline, MA.

Product Offerings

Battleground: Fantasy Warfare

• A tabletop tactical wargame that uses cards, rather than expensive models, to represent units
• Battleground currently has five different factions/armies: Men of Hawkshold, Orcs, Undead, Elves of Ravenswood and Dwarves of Runegard. A sixth faction, the Umenzi Tribesmen, will be launched in February
• Each army comes in two decks, Starter and Reinforcement. Unlike collectible card games, Battleground can be played with just one Starter deck
• Specifically designed for strategy gamers with an interest in tabletop wargaming
• For miniature enthusiasts it offers a rich game that can be used with miniatures as well as an alternative way to play when time or space do not allow for a full miniatures game. For gamers who have perhaps been kept out of tabletop wargaming by the high entry costs (time and money), Battleground offers an entry into this fascinating category of strategic play.
• Battleground has an extraordinary conversion rate from demonstrations. On average, based on convention demo statistics, Your Move Games has a 50% conversion rate, consistent with the demo rate from retailers.
• In a survey that asked 100+ Battleground customers “What best describes how many Battleground decks you're likely to buy?” almost 9 out of 10 Battleground customers responded that they expect to spend over $100 on the game and 40% expect to buy every Battleground deck available.
• According to reviewer James Brow of Infinity Games UK: “An absolutely superb recreation of the classic miniatures style war gaming experience, made much more affordable and both easy to set up and take down again…Battleground deserves to be a huge hit – it’s easily one of the best games that I have played for a long time, and comes highly recommended for all players looking to scratch that war-game itch in a convenient and affordable format.”
• MSRP $14.95 per deck.

Succession: Intrigue in the Royal Court

• A board game for up to five players.
• The king is getting old and needs to name a successor to the throne. He’s narrowed his choice down to five candidates – and you’re not one of them.
• Highly interactive and with lots of humor, Succession also appeals to the serious game strategist.
• Succession is specifically designed for people who like to mix humor and strategy and don’t mind a little friendly treachery.
• According to the reviewers at Games International, who rated Succession a 9 out 10, “Succession is a very enjoyable game to play as it requires both considerable thought and careful use of resources on the one hand, and is fun and very interactive on the other.”
• MSRP $14.95

Space Station Assault

• A fast-paced, easy to learn, two player game of fighting spaceships.
• Space Station Assault is designed for people who want an easy-to-learn and fast paced game that can be played in half an hour.
• The rules can be taught while shuffling the deck and even a beginner can have a close game with action on every turn.
• Allows players to plan ahead and combines elements of offense and defense in every move.
• According to Gamerdad.com “Space Station Assault provides an excellent, light, two-player strategy game in a portable card game format.”
• MSRP $4.99.

Leadership

Robert Dougherty, Co-CEO

Dougherty founded Your Move Games in 2004. Dougherty is also the owner of a hobby game store (founded in 1994) and an events business, both operating under the Your Move Games name. Dougherty is one of the largest hobby gaming tournament organizers in North America. He enlisted in the US Army in 1987, completed Airborne School, and served as an M60 gunner. He received an honorable discharge in 1995. Dougherty attended NorthEastern University Electrical Engineering School.

Chad Ellis, Co-CEO

Ellis founded Your Move Games in 2004. Prior to founding the company, Ellis was Vice President of Marketing for the Xelibri business unit of Siemens Mobile. Ellis received an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School in 1998 and a BA in philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University in 1990.

Darwin Kastle, Game Developer

Kastle has been involved with YMG on a consulting basis since its founding and joined the company full time in November 2006. Kastle was previously a game developer for Upperdeck Entertainment, makers of the Vs. System collectible card game. Kastle designed Space Station Assault and the soon-to-be-published Hill 218. Kastle received a BA in communications from the New House School of Communications at Syracuse University in 1994.

Kastle and Dougherty are two of only ten members inducted into Magic: the Gathering’s Pro Tour Hall of Fame.

Quick Facts

Founded: 2004 by Robert Dougherty and Chad Ellis

Headquarters: Brookline, MA

Web address: www.yourmovegames.com

Core Products: Battleground, Succession, Space Station Assault

Retail Distribution: US, Canadian and European hobby game and online outlets