Hello everyone!
It's a busy month since I last posted. Here's what's up:
Fulfillment Complete
I'm very happy to report that I'm 100% finished with Kickstarter fulfillment! Everyone that wanted a game shipped to them had one sent their way. Everyone that wanted a game hand-delivered has received theirs. I've even managed to sign copies for everyone that has asked. My Kickstarter campaign is officially concluded! Thanks again to everyone that contributed to making Manaforge a real game!
Reviewers
So, now that Manaforge is a finished product, I figured I could benefit from some reviews (as opposed to previews) in order to help focus some attention on the game. In late March I posted a request on one of the game reviewer-centric Facebook groups, asking if any reviewers would be interested in doing a review. The response I got was overwhelming. Facebook response posts, direct messages, emails... people expressed interest in all sorts of ways. In the end I had to create a spreadsheet just to keep track of everyone.
I ended up sending out about a dozen copies to various reviewers. I wish I could have sent out more, but it started becoming too expensive. (I don't mind losing the games themselves, as those are already paid for, but at around $15 a game for shipping it adds up very quickly. I started running out of funds in my business account.)
I've received reports that many people have gotten their copies, and a few have sent me initial favorable responses. Let's see if this goes anywhere from there. :)
Store Demos
Since I've been busy, combined with monetary hiccups and lack of time, I've been putting off going the run around Florida to demo Manaforge that I wanted. However, I haven't given up on the idea yet.
So far, I have three stores targeted: Cool Comics and Games, and Dungeon Games (Ft. Myers area), and Gamesville Tabletop (Gainesville). I still need suggestions for the St. Augustine and Jacksonville areas. Anyone have any ideas?
Sky Pirates
So development on my 'Sky Pirates' game is still chugging along, if slowly. I got some decent feedback at Prototype Con: the game's general concept is good but the way you physically interact with the game is confusing. Players did not seem to understand how to slide cards underneath to add to a pile, and were confused by how the information was presented on the cards. It gave me some things to focus on with how to move forward, but without really much of a direction.
A couple of weeks ago at one of my playtest sessions at Coliseum of Comics, I was able to get the game to the table again, and this time got some very good feedback from some of the more experienced designers there. One designer in particular suggested a couple of mechanical changes to the game that would separate some of the information in the game and free up the layout on the cards, enabling me to rework the game's presentation in such a way as to make it less confusing. I haven't had the time yet to incorporate the ideas into my prototype, but they're still there bubbling in the background, and I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Should see an updated version out within the next couple of weeks.
Dark Magic
A lot of my creative energy has been going into my expansion set. For those of you who haven't heard, I've started the design work on the expansion for Manaforge, currently named "Manaforge: Dark Magic". The expansion is meant to add ot the game in two ways. The first is that a lot of people have commented on the 'multiplayer solitaire' nature of Manaforge, suggesting that more player interaction would be beneficial. The second is that some of Manaforge's fans have commented that the game could use more cards, more variety in the items that show up from game to game.
So with those in mind, I've started designing new game elements in three blocks:
New Items - The item cards will be the most tame of the new additions to the game. With the items, I've been designing around the goal of forcing the players to think about their actions relative to what the other players are doing. I've designed workshop cards that react to other player's actions, allowing the player to gain a benefit whenever another player does a specific thing. I've also added some store cards that change in value based on what actions the other players have taken that turn. And I've added in some new wand cards that give extra benefits besides points, including some that benefit all players instead of just the one that built them.
New Talents - The new talent cards are intended to be a bit more aggressive, including a couple of effects that disrupt the normal boundaries of the game or allow the player to mess with the choices that other players have. I don't think I quite met my design goal here, as it seems like I'm getting pulled in a different direction with some of my ideas, but this is still early design phase and a lot of the work I've done so far can be easily discarded or pushed off to a future expansion (yes there will be more than one).
Black Die - This is where the nastiness comes in. Each player will get a black die in addition to their regular dice. Each die has a different effect on it, one that messes with another player. Steal gems, sabotage their workshop items, or force them to reroll their dice are all potential effects of this die. However, as a die, it costs one of your dice usages for the turn to invoke this effect, so it's not completely without cost. I will have to play a few games with this die to figure out the right balance for it, but adding this sort of attack in might be just what the game needs. Or not... I'm designing this die in such a way that the game can ruin without it, for players that don't like this sort of direct player attacking. We'll see in what form this survives playtesting. :)
Bit Bowls
I'm still chipping away at my idea for making my own folding game component bowls. I have a few new prototypes made with my company logo on them, and so far I think they look pretty good. I'm concerned about the component quality, though. The plastic snaps on the corners feel somewhat flimsy and I'm worried about them breaking off after I've sold them. (You have to be gentle pulling them apart; yanking too hard is definitely bad for them.) Aside from that, these bowls look good and accomplish their purpose perfectly. I think I'll just have to sell them at a low enough price that if one breaks here or there, that the buyer won't feel too bad about it. (They're inexpensive enough to make that I should be able to just replace it on the spot.)
Amazon
Last bit of good news, Manaforge is now listed on Amazon! I'm not doing fulfillment by Amazon, so they are basically just a fancy purchase referral system. Still, being listed on one of the world's largest online marketplaces should help to increase my visibility. I haven't sold anything yet, but at least Manaforge is out there if anyone chooses to go looking for a copy.
And that's it for now. I'm sure I will have a lot more to report soon, what with the reviews and demos coming up. Here's hoping.
Thanks everyone!
It's a busy month since I last posted. Here's what's up:
Fulfillment Complete
I'm very happy to report that I'm 100% finished with Kickstarter fulfillment! Everyone that wanted a game shipped to them had one sent their way. Everyone that wanted a game hand-delivered has received theirs. I've even managed to sign copies for everyone that has asked. My Kickstarter campaign is officially concluded! Thanks again to everyone that contributed to making Manaforge a real game!
Reviewers
So, now that Manaforge is a finished product, I figured I could benefit from some reviews (as opposed to previews) in order to help focus some attention on the game. In late March I posted a request on one of the game reviewer-centric Facebook groups, asking if any reviewers would be interested in doing a review. The response I got was overwhelming. Facebook response posts, direct messages, emails... people expressed interest in all sorts of ways. In the end I had to create a spreadsheet just to keep track of everyone.
I ended up sending out about a dozen copies to various reviewers. I wish I could have sent out more, but it started becoming too expensive. (I don't mind losing the games themselves, as those are already paid for, but at around $15 a game for shipping it adds up very quickly. I started running out of funds in my business account.)
I've received reports that many people have gotten their copies, and a few have sent me initial favorable responses. Let's see if this goes anywhere from there. :)
Store Demos
Since I've been busy, combined with monetary hiccups and lack of time, I've been putting off going the run around Florida to demo Manaforge that I wanted. However, I haven't given up on the idea yet.
So far, I have three stores targeted: Cool Comics and Games, and Dungeon Games (Ft. Myers area), and Gamesville Tabletop (Gainesville). I still need suggestions for the St. Augustine and Jacksonville areas. Anyone have any ideas?
Sky Pirates
So development on my 'Sky Pirates' game is still chugging along, if slowly. I got some decent feedback at Prototype Con: the game's general concept is good but the way you physically interact with the game is confusing. Players did not seem to understand how to slide cards underneath to add to a pile, and were confused by how the information was presented on the cards. It gave me some things to focus on with how to move forward, but without really much of a direction.
A couple of weeks ago at one of my playtest sessions at Coliseum of Comics, I was able to get the game to the table again, and this time got some very good feedback from some of the more experienced designers there. One designer in particular suggested a couple of mechanical changes to the game that would separate some of the information in the game and free up the layout on the cards, enabling me to rework the game's presentation in such a way as to make it less confusing. I haven't had the time yet to incorporate the ideas into my prototype, but they're still there bubbling in the background, and I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Should see an updated version out within the next couple of weeks.
Dark Magic
A lot of my creative energy has been going into my expansion set. For those of you who haven't heard, I've started the design work on the expansion for Manaforge, currently named "Manaforge: Dark Magic". The expansion is meant to add ot the game in two ways. The first is that a lot of people have commented on the 'multiplayer solitaire' nature of Manaforge, suggesting that more player interaction would be beneficial. The second is that some of Manaforge's fans have commented that the game could use more cards, more variety in the items that show up from game to game.
So with those in mind, I've started designing new game elements in three blocks:
New Items - The item cards will be the most tame of the new additions to the game. With the items, I've been designing around the goal of forcing the players to think about their actions relative to what the other players are doing. I've designed workshop cards that react to other player's actions, allowing the player to gain a benefit whenever another player does a specific thing. I've also added some store cards that change in value based on what actions the other players have taken that turn. And I've added in some new wand cards that give extra benefits besides points, including some that benefit all players instead of just the one that built them.
New Talents - The new talent cards are intended to be a bit more aggressive, including a couple of effects that disrupt the normal boundaries of the game or allow the player to mess with the choices that other players have. I don't think I quite met my design goal here, as it seems like I'm getting pulled in a different direction with some of my ideas, but this is still early design phase and a lot of the work I've done so far can be easily discarded or pushed off to a future expansion (yes there will be more than one).
Black Die - This is where the nastiness comes in. Each player will get a black die in addition to their regular dice. Each die has a different effect on it, one that messes with another player. Steal gems, sabotage their workshop items, or force them to reroll their dice are all potential effects of this die. However, as a die, it costs one of your dice usages for the turn to invoke this effect, so it's not completely without cost. I will have to play a few games with this die to figure out the right balance for it, but adding this sort of attack in might be just what the game needs. Or not... I'm designing this die in such a way that the game can ruin without it, for players that don't like this sort of direct player attacking. We'll see in what form this survives playtesting. :)
Bit Bowls
I'm still chipping away at my idea for making my own folding game component bowls. I have a few new prototypes made with my company logo on them, and so far I think they look pretty good. I'm concerned about the component quality, though. The plastic snaps on the corners feel somewhat flimsy and I'm worried about them breaking off after I've sold them. (You have to be gentle pulling them apart; yanking too hard is definitely bad for them.) Aside from that, these bowls look good and accomplish their purpose perfectly. I think I'll just have to sell them at a low enough price that if one breaks here or there, that the buyer won't feel too bad about it. (They're inexpensive enough to make that I should be able to just replace it on the spot.)
Amazon
Last bit of good news, Manaforge is now listed on Amazon! I'm not doing fulfillment by Amazon, so they are basically just a fancy purchase referral system. Still, being listed on one of the world's largest online marketplaces should help to increase my visibility. I haven't sold anything yet, but at least Manaforge is out there if anyone chooses to go looking for a copy.
And that's it for now. I'm sure I will have a lot more to report soon, what with the reviews and demos coming up. Here's hoping.
Thanks everyone!
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