So, there hasn't been much news lately. I've been busy, but haven't achieved much in the way of milestones. Thought I'd post something anyway; it has been about a month, after all. Here's where I stand:
Sky Pirates
Development on Sky Pirates has slowed down. Not for lack of trying, but more that there isn't much development left to do. The new command tokens are working well. The card powers seem to be good. I've done a few playtests lately and I've gotten primarily good feedback. The biggest complaint I've been getting is that the cards aren't quite balanced yet. But if I'm having small balance issues instead of major mechanical issues, then that means I'm doing something right. I have some detailed data from one of my latest playtests and I think I know how I can balance the cards better. Just need to sit down and do it.
Besides tweaking the balance, the next major step for Sky Pirates is to write the rulebook. I've been chipping away at that, though it's been slow going. I'm about halfway done with my first iteration. I suspect that this first draft will be a pretty big train wreck. I remember how the first draft of Manaforge was; the rules needed a heavy dose of editing and reorganization just to make them usable. But at least I have some of the experience from that to help me here; I doubt it will make my first attempt better, but it should give me a better indication of what will need to be improved. Regardless, it is a work in progress, if a slow one.
Once the balancing and the rulebook are set, the next step is to print some decent quality prototypes. These will be very rough; placeholder artwork and non-final rules. But it should be enough that I can ship them out to some remote playtesters who will really put the game through its paces. Soon, hopefully.
Manaforge Expansion
Recently I've been pouring a lot of my time and creativity into the Manaforge expansion. Seems like a simple task, create more item and talent cards for the game. I've had two design goals in mind while I do this: increase the amount of player interaction, and highlight the dual-element pairs. My previous design goal of adding take-that elements to the game has been completely scrapped; after a lot of contemplation, I determined that that's just not the direction that the players of the game want the expansion to go.
For some reason, designing these new cards is turning out more difficult than I expected. I've been exploring the design space of Manaforge, going back to old ideas I had and adjusting them to fit into the current structure, and finding new mechanical edge cases and ideas for component interactions that I hadn't considered before. However, not all of my ideas are fitting neatly into the structure I'm trying to build. I'm trying to add player interaction, which in this game is taking the form of effects that trigger during other player's turns, effects that benefit other players during your turn, or ways for other players to use your resources (giving you a bonus as well).
I've had to add in one minor mechanic (with associated component) so far to make enough design space to hit all of my targets. I'm still running a little short on ideas that work, but hopefully soon I'll get over this block. I'm hoping to have a basic prototype that I can start playtesting with before the end of the year.
Upcoming Event
One other piece of news: I'm having a Manaforge demo event! The event will be at the newly-opened BAMF! Comics & Collectibles store, located at 500 E Horatio Avenue in Maitland, Florida. This event will be on Sunday, Nov 11th, from 11am until 2pm (or later if there is interest). I will be available to run demo games of Manaforge, plus there will be copies available to purchase, and the store has a cool game rental system where someone can pay to borrow a copy of Manaforge (or other games too!) for a few days. Plus, we'll be getting some attention for a new local business that opened shop recently; the more places to game the better! I'm hopeful that we'll have a good turnout. Stop by if you're in the area!
That's all for now! More posts when I have something to actually report. With luck, it'll be a completed Sky Pirates rulebook. Fingers crossed!
Sky Pirates
Development on Sky Pirates has slowed down. Not for lack of trying, but more that there isn't much development left to do. The new command tokens are working well. The card powers seem to be good. I've done a few playtests lately and I've gotten primarily good feedback. The biggest complaint I've been getting is that the cards aren't quite balanced yet. But if I'm having small balance issues instead of major mechanical issues, then that means I'm doing something right. I have some detailed data from one of my latest playtests and I think I know how I can balance the cards better. Just need to sit down and do it.
Besides tweaking the balance, the next major step for Sky Pirates is to write the rulebook. I've been chipping away at that, though it's been slow going. I'm about halfway done with my first iteration. I suspect that this first draft will be a pretty big train wreck. I remember how the first draft of Manaforge was; the rules needed a heavy dose of editing and reorganization just to make them usable. But at least I have some of the experience from that to help me here; I doubt it will make my first attempt better, but it should give me a better indication of what will need to be improved. Regardless, it is a work in progress, if a slow one.
Once the balancing and the rulebook are set, the next step is to print some decent quality prototypes. These will be very rough; placeholder artwork and non-final rules. But it should be enough that I can ship them out to some remote playtesters who will really put the game through its paces. Soon, hopefully.
Manaforge Expansion
Recently I've been pouring a lot of my time and creativity into the Manaforge expansion. Seems like a simple task, create more item and talent cards for the game. I've had two design goals in mind while I do this: increase the amount of player interaction, and highlight the dual-element pairs. My previous design goal of adding take-that elements to the game has been completely scrapped; after a lot of contemplation, I determined that that's just not the direction that the players of the game want the expansion to go.
For some reason, designing these new cards is turning out more difficult than I expected. I've been exploring the design space of Manaforge, going back to old ideas I had and adjusting them to fit into the current structure, and finding new mechanical edge cases and ideas for component interactions that I hadn't considered before. However, not all of my ideas are fitting neatly into the structure I'm trying to build. I'm trying to add player interaction, which in this game is taking the form of effects that trigger during other player's turns, effects that benefit other players during your turn, or ways for other players to use your resources (giving you a bonus as well).
I've had to add in one minor mechanic (with associated component) so far to make enough design space to hit all of my targets. I'm still running a little short on ideas that work, but hopefully soon I'll get over this block. I'm hoping to have a basic prototype that I can start playtesting with before the end of the year.
Upcoming Event
One other piece of news: I'm having a Manaforge demo event! The event will be at the newly-opened BAMF! Comics & Collectibles store, located at 500 E Horatio Avenue in Maitland, Florida. This event will be on Sunday, Nov 11th, from 11am until 2pm (or later if there is interest). I will be available to run demo games of Manaforge, plus there will be copies available to purchase, and the store has a cool game rental system where someone can pay to borrow a copy of Manaforge (or other games too!) for a few days. Plus, we'll be getting some attention for a new local business that opened shop recently; the more places to game the better! I'm hopeful that we'll have a good turnout. Stop by if you're in the area!
That's all for now! More posts when I have something to actually report. With luck, it'll be a completed Sky Pirates rulebook. Fingers crossed!
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