First play. Putting a boardgame prototype on the table.

I'm resurrecting this blog to talk about my recent experiences in conceptualising, designing and playtesting my first ever boardgame design.

I've been playing boardgames for a lengthy period of time. During this time, I've come across many different themes and mechanics in boardgames. But it was only in the recent months when I stated contemplating crystallising fleeting thoughts into a coherent design. After making a pact with some friends to actually create a game by a specified deadline, I presented my first prototype, Smokehouse, yesterday for playtesting. 

Smokehouse is a game where players manage a barbecue restaurant - buying ingredients, cooking up delicious meals, and feeding the masses of hungry barbecue enthusiasts.

The resulting playtest was not unexpected. While there might be a kernel of playability within this early design, there were issues with fundamental mechanics that either created complexity without depth, or diminished the impact and cost of meaningful player decisions. There were also issues of balance, but in light of the aforementioned problems with mechanics, these are less of an immediate concern.

Upon reflection since yesterday, I've come to realise that the core tension I had hoped to introduce to this game is a trilateral pull between:

1. the supply and availability of resources/ingredients,
2. the demand for resources from customers, 
3. and the degradation of those same resources.

The intended focus on this core concept was diluted by the introduction of unnecessary mechanics. The original design included worker placement/assignment, and trade mechanics. The worker placement/assignment had minimal impact upon decision making. The trade mechanic diminished the scarcity of resources (allowing players take what they want from each other). 

The initial design sought to emulate the workflow of managing a restaurant. The result of this is a game that is mechanically linear, and does not offer players a puzzle to solve, or a tension to make decisions meaningful.

There were other issues of concern, including confusion with phases and turns, allowable actions, and being overly "fiddly" (having far too many components). 

Going forward, this game will need to focus on the trilateral tension as outlined above. Any additional mechanics or systems must be in service of that - to increase the tension, impact and player cost/stakes to make decisions meaningful.

New boardgames purchased!

I'm inviting several friends over in a couple of weeks so I thought it'd be appropriate for me to refresh my games collection with a few new additions. As I'm expecting a fairly large group to turn up, the primary consideration for these games is the ability to take more players.

In light of that, I picked up the following:

7 Wonders











Formula D











Space Hulk: Death Angel: The Card Game

Playing Command & Colour: Napoleonics for the first time

Playing Battles of Westeros reignited a desire to play Command & Colour: Ancients again. Though both games are nominally based on the same system, there were a number of things that I preferred in C&C. Namely, I felt that the way units moved, and were encouraged to stay in formation, was very true to era depicted.

So when Shawn brought round the latest in the series, I was interested to check it out. I was curious to see if my opinions about Ancients carried over into the Napoleonic iteration. Just as we started a game, I took a few snaps:

Unboxing Battles of Westeros

It's now a habit for me to participate in Boardgamegeek's annual Secret Santa during the Christmas period. It's a great little deal: I anonymously purchase a gift for a person on Boardgamegeek, and someone else does the same for me.

The Battles of Westeros must be a popular game in 2010, because this was the game that I received AND gifted as well. It's easy to see why it'd be so popular: It's based off a well-regarded game system (same as Battlelore and C&C:Ancients), and uses a popular fantasy setting (A Song of Ice & Fire).

I was so excited when I received this game, so I took a few snaps as I unboxed the game:

It's been a long time since... / Catacombs

It's been a long time since I last played a boardgame. My last recorded play was two rounds of Space Hulk earlier in January 2010. Before that, it was in August and July 2009. And before that, it was in 2008. So it's pretty clear that my boardgaming has gone down drastically since I've moved to Melbourne.

There's a number of reasons for that. 1) My games collection is back home in Singapore, and I'm not keen on re-buying most of them. 2) We've moved about from one rental home to another, and owning games would be a hassle. 3) It's a touch more troublesome getting to meetup groups.

I do still try to keep up with the newest games being released, and I've still got a couple of pre-orders still going on. And one particular game that's caught my eye is Catacombs.

And it's pretty simple why it's caught my interest. Catacombs = Descent: Journeys in the Dark + Pitchcar. It's a dungeon crawl game where playing pieces are flicked around a board.

From the reviews and session reports on Boardgamegeek, it seems like a light game with minimal strategy, but with some tactical depth. It also seems to foster collaborative group play, which appeals to me.

I'm not sure if it's available in Melbourne, but I think it'll be worth a hunt. Neither Milsims or Mindgames seem to list it on their sites, so I'm probably going to have to get to a store to physically search for it.

Mechwarrior 5? Hells yeah!

I've just got another reason to be excited. By all accounts, this will be a series re-boot. It'll bring the game back into the gritty, more simulation-like gameplay that characterised the earlier games in the series.

I wasn't a fan when the game took a turn for a more arcde-like style with Mechwarrior 4, and the Mech Assault games on the Xbox. So I'm really excited.

In the clip, you'll see the Warhammer, Jenner and Atlas (my most favorite mech). I'm not sure if the video is from actual gameplay though I doubt it very much.

Blood Bowl available on PC

Ooh... Blood Bowl for the PC has just been released, and I'm very tempted to go get it. It's available as a download, for the price of €42.89.

I've never played the old Blood Bowl tabletop game, but it is a premise that I think I'd enjoy very much: Fantasy characters (elves, orcs) playing a brutal form of American-styled football. It has always been well-received, and there's still remains a loyal following.

This new PC iteration seems to offer the same type of experience. In fact, it seems to offer two kinds of experiences: A turn-based system, more akin to the original boardgame, and a real-time mode which would appeal to more twitch players.

Either way, it's only a small download (3gb) and it seems to be worth my while. I'm thinking that I'll need to rustle up a few players and get a league going.

Blood Bowl is available here.

My Secret Santa Gift: Warriors of God

I've taken part in BoardgameGeek's Secret Santa program for a few years now, and it's always a great deal of fun. I surprise someone with an awesome gift and I receive one in return. This year was no exception though I had to be extra patient. My Secret Santa gift just arrived two days ago having traveled many miles from the far north.

And inside was Warriors of God.

Warriors of God focuses primarily on the Hundred Years' War from 1337 - 1453. The game is beautifully produced with excellent components. The rulebook read very easily, and suggests that while the rules are simple, there is a great deal of depth in the game play. I'm looking forward to getting this on the table soon.

Published: Board & Videogames

I wrote a couple of posts some months back on board & videogames (Part 1 & 2), and the relationship between the digital and analog formats. I've been working on that piece since then to have it featured in issue 5 of Pixel Hunt, a local (aussie) videogames e-zine.

I'm pretty excited about it, and I'm really happy the way it turned out. I never written for anyone other than myself here so please do go check it out. My feature is on pages 11 to 14.

A Very Gamey Weekend

It's been a very gamey weekend, which is excellent. I've got so many things to play on my plate right now, it's absolutely glorious. I played a couple of boardgames on Friday evening (Manoeuvre & Roma), played Fallout 3 for most of Saturday and Sunday. I received Dead Space and Fable 2 in the mail, and tried the Mirror's Edge demo which was brilliant. I also picked up Wii Fit on Friday, which has quickly become the bane of my gaming life; Yoga, aerobics, and calisthenics? You've gotta be flippin' mad!

Impressions of these games to follow.

Albury, NSW

I drove up to Albury, NSW to attend BorderCon 2008 over the weekend. It was a leisurely, pleasant 3½-hour drive, mostly because I was in the backseat. We arrived there Friday evening, stayed in a quaint motel and immediately got right into gaming.

It was less of a convention and more of a game group meeting, but it was still loads of fun. I met many nice people and played a bunch of new games, which is always the aim of attending any convention.

Albury seemed like a nice town, and it was bigger than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting a rural backwater, but I sure wasn't expecting clean, wide, well-paved roads with plenty of street lighting. The city centre was also bigger than I thought it would be. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Games played:
Battlestations x2
Cash & Gun
Container
Crokinole x2
Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper
Tikal
Tomb
Zopp x2

Field Commander: Rommel

I recently acquired a copy of Field Commander: Rommel, a solitaire WWII wargame, and I've been dying to get it on the table. In the game, the player controls the Axis, while the Allies make moves based on a pre-determined set of rules.

As luck would have it, my wife had to attend a company function tonight, which left me with plenty of time to explore this intriguging game. I just completed the Ghost Division campaign, which marked the events of the invasion of France. The game took about 2 hours, and I can safely state I am not the commander that Rommel was; I didn't even come close to the victory requirements.

The initial turns started slow, and my forces were not able to break through the Allies at Dinant. This caused a bottleneck, and a crucial delay that contributed to my failure. It took me a full two turns before I was able to subdue the Allied forces there. After the break through, I was able to bring my forces to bear on the Allies in Brussels and Cambrai, before proceeding onto Arras. This secured 2 victory objectives, but precious time had already been wasted. Additionally, I did not realise that there was one last victory checkpoint located at Cherbourg, which I had no hope of reaching at this point.
I was only able to barely hold onto Cambrai and Arras, whilst the Allies commenced their counterattack. I was completely hammered, and held on only by the skin of my teeth.

I really enjoyed the game, and I look forward to playing again (and hopefully winning too!). The moves made for the Allies posed quite a challenge, a lot more than I would have thought. But I'm quite sure that given enough tries, I'll be able to prevail eventually. There are two more campaigns in the game after I conquer this one.

Boardgames on the table again

I can't believe how long it's been such a long time since I last played any boardgames, it's almost unfathomable. Ever having moved here to Melbourne, I haven't been able to find any opportunities to join in any of the local groups for various reasons.

Weeknights are generally not a good time for me, when Billabong Boardgamers and Gamers@Dockers meet (Tuesdays and Thursdays respectively). I'm usually occupied on weeknights; Dockers is also in the city, which is a fair distance to travel for me.

So it's with absolute joy that I attended EuroGamesFest yesterday afternoon, in Kew. I was feeling a little anxious about going to a strange place meeting strange people, as I often do in any new social situation. And I had never been to that part of Melbourne before. But the lure of games was too much, and I had been going through the longest dry spell I could remember.

First game I played was Race for the Galaxy, with Audrea and two other people we just sat down with: Ryan and Maya. It's an interesting card game, that required quite a bit of orientation, as Audrea and I kept getting lost in the different phases and different abilities of each card. Essentially, each player is trying to put down cards representing planets, or tech developments, which will in turn produce goods which one then turns either into currency (more cards) or victory points. It's quite a clever game of hand management, as the cost of each card placed down is paid for by discarding cards in hand, and one needs to pick the right combination of cards to be placed down to generate goods more efficiently. My main gripe with the game is there is very little player interaction, and as such, no cause for direct player conflict. I was doing quite well in the game, until Ryan starting collecting 2x victory points. We ended the game with him 10 points ahead of me, a gap that I could have easily closed had I started churning victory points far earlier.

The next game I played was Last Night on Earth, which I've talked about previously. I played the game with another group of new people: Daniel, Martin, KK and Chew Yien (I think that's how his named was spelled, I didn't catch it clearly). We played the Escape in the Truck scenario, and we had to scramble about the map, looking for keys and gasoline to a truck, so we could drive off to safety from the zombies. It was one heck of a game, with many close calls. Martin was almost taken down by zombies while hanging on to the keys and gasoline. Lights kept shorting out, leaving us in the dark and unable to find new items and weapons. The waves of zombies were relentless. And in the end, Martin and Daniel jumped into the truck, and drove off leaving the rest of us in the dust, and to our demise. Those bastards.

It was a fantastic day, and I hope to get back to there for the next gathering next month. Thanks for the games, guys.

Boardgames and Videogames, Part 2

See part one of Boardgames and Videogames here.

I previously talked about the long-standing relationship that boardgames had with videogames, and how boardgames has left a thumbprint on videogames.

Here, I'd like explore how boardgames, especially in recent years, has been drawing a lot of inspiration from videogames as well. Boardgames has seen a bit of a resurgence especially within the last 10 years, this being prompted in part by the increase of German-styled (or Euro) boardgames becoming available in USA (and by extension, worldwide). This is coupled by the increase in production of various other genres of table-top gaming (e.g. wargames, RPGs and miniatures). There is also a sizable overlap in the demographics between videogames and boardgames. In addition, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that many new boardgamers specifically sought out a different gaming experience because they were burned out on electronic gaming. One of those reasons is the lack of (or minimal amounts of) social interaction; Being able to sit across a dining table and enjoying a shared gaming experience is often cited as a pull factor of boardgames. So at the beginning of the decade, we have more boardgames, more boardgamers, and gamers who had more than a passing knowledge of videogames. It would seem inevitable and obvious that crossovers would be emerging before long.

One of the first few high-profiled videogames to be converted to the table-top format was Warcraft. The game attempted to recreate the feel of the videogame, by requiring players to gather resources, establish buildings and bases, build units and engage in combat. The boardgame was not well received however. Main complaints about the game were that the gameplay was too one-dimensional, and it was quite bland, with barely any differences between the 3 main races. Part of the appeal of the videogame was the vast differences in each race, but in trying to balance it for the boardgame, most of that appeal was lost.

One of the next major videogames to be converted was Doom. Released in 2004 by Fantasy Flight Games, the same company that produced Warcraft, the game was initially panned by what players felt were glaring oversights in the game rules. Many players, including myself, felt that the game was extremely unbalanced, which made the experience extremely frustrating. In trying to re-create the foreboding sense of claustrophobia and terror, the game was initially skewed too widely against the player, by essentially crippling their abilities to progress in the game. It did not help that Fantasy Flight Games did not handle post release backlash very well. However, they have since refined the base mechanics, and released an excellent game based on the original system: Descent: Journeys in the Dark.

Sid Meir's Civilization: The Boardgame (Eagle Games, 2002) is a particular example, as I had earlier pointed out. The 2002 version of the boardgame was inspired by the PC game that was inspired by the original Civilization, published in 1980.

Videogames that have also made the transition to boardgames include: Anno 1503 (Mayfair Games, 2003), Age of Mythology (Eagle Games, 2003), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (Winning Moves, 2003), Railroad Tycoon (Eagle Games, 2005), World of Warcraft (Fantasy Flight Games, 2005), Starcraft (Fantasy Flight Games, 2007), Age of Empires III (Pro Ludo Games, 2007).

Boardgames and Videogames, Part 1

There is considerable overlap between boardgames and videogames (both PC and console), though it may not always be apparent. And moving forward, I think we will see even more of such overlap.

Some of the classic videogame franchises that we see now had their beginnings as boardgames. This is no more apparent than the Civilization series of PC games, which was inspired by the 1980 boardgame, Civilization. Spawning 4 sequels, the PC game even made the transition back into modern boardgames in the form of Sid Meier's Civilization: The Boardgame, released in 2002.

Another game that made an impact on videogames is the Battletech series. Originally published by FASA, the boardgame had players facing each other off through the control of squads (or in Battletech terminology, lances) of heavily armed metal behemoths. And Battletech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception was the first in a line of PC and videogames over the course of 17 years. In addition, these games (especially the Mechwarrior series) have also helped in creating an entire genre of videogames. Today, the boardgame still enjoys a healthy following, having just released a revitalised ruleset. Other spinoff games include a collectible card game, and a collectible miniatures game.

These 2 games were not the only ones to make the transition onto the electronic format: Full Metal Planete (Infogrames, 1990); 5th Fleet (Avalon Hill, 1995); Wooden Ships and Iron Men (Avalon Hill, 1996); Europa Universalis (Strategy First, 2000). An in-depth search will reveal even more of these games.

Thebes

I finally had a chance to play Thebes, by Queen Games yesterday at SOG. I've been wanting to play this for a good while now, and I'm glad I finally had the chance.

In the game, players control archaeologists who travels around the western world gathering knowledge, equipment and assistant. All these preparatory work will then allow players to gain better success when they finally travel to five different archaeological sites to dig for artifacts. Players score victory points based on the number of artifacts found (valued anywhere from 1 to 7). Players can also score VPs based on exhibitions they might put up, conferences they conduct, and if they have the highest amount of specialised knowledge. VPs are calculated at the end of the game.

One interesting mechanic that must be pointed out at this moment is the resources that players use to gather knowledge and organise digs. Each action (travelling, researching, digging) requires a number of weeks to complete, but there is an overall cap on how much time there is available in total. In the 4-player game I played, there were only a 104 weeks available to complete as many tasks as possible. But do not think that you have the luxury of time, as most tasks require multiple weeks to complete, not counting travelling time. For example, one could spend 3 weeks traveling from London to Vienna and then another 3 to gather general knowledge; equipment and cards are marked with the location they are available. Players move from one location to another and make one action, and then move their marker forward on the time track. In order to balance the usage of time between players (preventing one to use up all 52 weeks in a year), turn order is determined by whoever is last on the time track.

Players have to balance between gathering more knowledge to increase their chances to pick up more items, and being the first at a site to pillage and ravage it. Once they have the ability to dig at a particular site, the number of pieces they can draw out of a bag is determined by their knowledge level, plus assistants and equipment. But not all the pieces are valuable; a large number are blank pieces representing dirt and sand. What is most intriguing is that as you dig at a site, the valuable pieces are claimed by the player, but the blank pieces are thrown back into the bag. So in other words, the more a player digs, the more the returns are constantly diminishing. In my game, one player completely ravaged Egypt which left the rest of us with only 4 sites remaining to fight over.

Some people might not like the game for the luck level involved; The rewards on digging is sometimes hard to determine, and the cards for knowledge and equipment can be quite random. In a spate of good luck, I was able to secure a car and multiple conference cards in the same location. But therein lies the key to the game: managing luck and reducing its effects on your strategy. Balancing between spending time researching and time digging is a pressing concern, and balancing between getting to the right site first and increasing your returns on the dig is also key.

I found this game to be wholly enjoyable, as I am not bothered by the luck factor. In fact, I think it helps build the theme of the game very effectively. It's not easy going for archaeological expeditions, and even the greatest knowledge does not guarantee that one returns with the prizes to show for it.

Always Open to Gaming

I just hosted my last SOG for the forseeable future, and I now leave the group to very capable hands to continue in my stead. As some might already know, I will be re-locating to Australia, and I ought to be gone within the month.

SOG has been a constant in my life for the past two years, and I've been at its helm for 23 sessions; There was that one time I was absent when I traveled to the States. SOG has been my one highlight, the one thing I look forward to every month, and the one thing that keeps me going.

I cannot overstate how much each session means to me, and how much effort I take to make sure everyone who games with me is enjoying themselves. When I would go around, making sure I knew everyone on a first name basis, you would know how important this was to me. And my closest friends would know what little weight I put into remembering peoples' names and faces in any other situation. But SOG... That was different. It was my creation, my endeavour, the first time I was the creator, and not just another consumer.

And the thought that I won't be in that room, playing with people whom I've grown to consider friends, pains me. I'm sitting here, in my chair, and I'm ready to tear. I feel a strain in my chest, an ache where my heart is. And I'm struggling to find the words to describe my sense of loss.

An Ode to FAB: The Bulge

Sweet, sweet FAB: The Bulge.
How I have waited for you;
Long into the night have I teared into my pillow.

You arrived on my doorstep,
But there was no welcome waiting.
The postman took you away, and there was one more joyless night.

The sun arose this morn,
with the promise of new life.
At the post office I received you, which made me late for work.

Original bad poetry by me; Photos taken at my desk

AT-43

I don't often get excited about a game that's been released for a while. Usually, if a game doesn't grab me from the get-go, it's hard to get me interested again. But AT-43 is an exception, and there's a very very good reason for this:

Gorillas in power armour, with giant laser cannons strapped to their backs. Bloody frickin' genius!

AT-43 is a miniatures strategy game, along the lines of Warhammer 40k, or Warmachine. But I have been fairly ambivalent towards it; I'm generally not a fan of miniatures games. Most games in this genre require assembly and painting which I do not enjoy. But AT-43 comes fully pre-assembled and pre-painted.

Opinions have been positive overall, but I'm still undecided if I should dive into it. Cost is always an issue, and I'm not sure how popular the game is. But the miniatures look super sweet, and I'm having good feelings about it. Good feelings in my special places.

Connect One!