Global Thermonuclear Ping Pong Showdown in a Box!

Penny Arcade and Game-ism collaborate delivering ping pong face offs for the first time ever through a tabletop card game in “Paint the Line ECG: Red Tide”!

July 9, 2012 – Seattle, WA – With the specter of nuclear war looming worldwide, the UN Security Council introduced the Table-Tennis Accords in 1976, which decreed that conflict between all nations get resolved through the dialect of Ping Pong.  Now, Penny Arcade and Game-ism are sharing this with players everywhere through “Paint the Line ECG: Red Tide,” available now for just $29.99.

“Paint the Line ECG: Red Tide” features a thrilling combination of card play and dice rolling that captures the epic struggle for table tennis domination. The package includes everything two people need to play in a single box, and multiple boxes allow for further customization and strategy.  This expandable set contains 71 unique cards, built into two full 60 card decks ready for head-to-head action. Also included is the ever present Escalation Index: a special 8 card deck that administrates each perilous volley. Finally, the all-important ping pong ball (a d20) can also be found within.

The game takes inspiration from a mini-series at the Penny Arcade site a few years back, which originally appeared here http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/6/25.  The Set Up:  When Chinese terrorists struck down the US Table Tennis Team in 1979, a rag-tag band of students was forced to play in their stead. Lead by rivals Johnathan Gabriel and Tycho Brahe, they were victorious – but not unharmed. 

"Like many of our projects, the idea of a Paint the Line card game started out as a joke," said Penny Arcade's Jerry Holkins.  "But it was a joke that designer Steve Bowler took very seriously."

Game-ism’s Steve Bowler relays "Making Paint the Line has been one of those once-in-a-lifetime dream projects. Taking a challenging game design concept from inception through completion with some of the most fun and talented people in the business has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life."

“Paint the Line ECG: Red Tide” is available for purchase at the Penny Arcade store http://store.penny-arcade.com/products/paint-the-line-red-tide for $29.99.  Penny Arcade will sell the game at San Diego Comic-con from its booth 1334 on the Expo Floor where fans can also meet the team. 

About Penny Arcade

Equal parts online comic and commentary, Penny Arcade (www.penny-arcade.com) keeps its finger on the pulse of the gaming industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members to industry experts. What started as a hobby in 1998 for Jerry “Tycho” Holkins and Mike “Gabe” Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon serving over 70 million page views a month to millions of readers worldwide. In addition to the comic strip and PAX (www.paxsite.com), Penny Arcade has expanded its reach to include the PA TV web broadcasting channel, The Penny Arcade Report, a growing line of merchandise, a video game series and management of Child’s Play (www.childsplaycharity.org), a gamer-driven charity for children that spans the globe.

About Game-ism

Game-ism started as a challenge to create a game design website (game-ism.com) to explore and dissect game designs and theories, and one day became all grown up and blossomed into a game design and consulting company.