Virgin Playtesting

Ok, not that kind of virgin. Virgin as in "we've never done this before", virgin.

Maybe a little background info about Rainmaker is in order. It's a hex tile based-game where you start with a big hex frame (in which the tiles can be laid) and each tribe starts in a corner. On your turn, scout a new tile, place it, and take any of your other available actions. Thus the map generates as the game is played and one tribe's territory might eventually connect to anothers. What happens if two opposing territories connect? Good question. Hadn't thought of that. Note to self: Self, figure out what happens when two territories connect.

I'd like to say the first playtesting session went amazingly well, but it'd be more honest to say it went amazingly slow. There were 4 of us, and we only made it through 3-4 turns each. In an hour. Yeah, that slow.

It wasn't too bad though. We spent a LOT of time going over what can be done in a turn, and examining things in great detail. Which is good. We refined the rules a bit and all became generally more familiar with the basic play.

We did decide that the next session would just involve two players (with the others spectating and analyzing), so that we could get further into the game. It's so hard to tell how well it's going to play when you don't make it past turn 3.

Lightning, not Lightening, dummy!

Thanks to my good buddy Sean for pointing out the correct spelling of Lightning. I was using "Lightening". Per Dictionary.com...

lightening
noun
1. descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity that occurs late in pregnancy; the fetus is said to have dropped.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. " - can anyone name the movie and character for this quote? =)

Thanks, Sean!

My first feedback

I sent out the first (very) rough draft of the game concepts and mechanics (I hesitate to actually call them "rules" yet) to a few close friends via email this week. Unfortunately, I hadn't gotten any feedback as of this morning, but my fortune changed as I was able to go to lunch with three of them and explain the game to them in detail. Turns out it's easier to get people to listen to a game design than to get them to actually read a 3 page design document.

So we spent an hour at Buffalo Wild Wings (yum!) licking our fingers and going over the general gameplay and concepts. Many great questions were asked, and it made me feel good that I had ready solutions to most of the issues that they came up with. Not all of them, but most. Together, we came up with solutions for the others and talked about how to generally tighten it up.

One of their first concerns was theme - "Couldn't you have come up with something more umm... interesting?". And then one of the others (who'd actually read my design doc) piped-in, "That was my first thought too, but wait til you see what he's done. It's cool." Again, made me feel good.

Turns out, the theme was really never a concern for me because I knew that I was planning on the game having Supernatural elements in it. It wasn't just a "see who can collect the most beaver skins or build the most teepees" game. It's got Rainmakers calling lightening storms and divining hidden burial grounds, and summoning ancestral spirits! And hopefully, it'll be cool.

So at lunch we added some new elements, and refined a couple more. The most encouraging thing I left with was hearing the excitement in their voices when they'd say "It sounds awesome. I can't wait to play it. When can you have it prototyped?"

Good question! First step: get the wing sauce off my notebook. Next step: Prototyping.

Rainmaker

Well, I consulted a few friends and the fine folks in the Board Game Developers Forum at Board Game Geek, and have decided that while it's a little premature to disclose all the details about my new game's concepts, it should be OK to share a few details.

The title is Rainmaker, and it has a Native American theme. From the first draft of the rule set...

"Assume the role of a Native American Medicine Man leading one of several tribes vying for dominance on a once fertile plain that has been plagued by drought. You must use your skills as a Rainmaker to compete with rival tribes and claim territory in order for your tribe to expand and grow in this parched and arid landscape."

Now, I'm not the most experienced gamer by any stretch, but a search of the database at www.boardgamegeek.com didn't turn up anything similar, so I think I've got a decently original idea. What do you think?

Does it sound even remotely interesting and something you'd consider playing? Suggestions? Questions? Ideas?

Edit: This helpful tidbit was posted on the Board Game Developers Forum today. It's a link to an article on BGDF.com that addresses in good detail the issue of publicizing your ideas during the development process: http://www.bgdf.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Copyright

Mother's, Progress, and a Delimma

I made a surprising amount of progress this weekend considering it was Mother's Day weekend and I have both a mother and a wife who's a mother. Happy Mother's Day to them both and to all you other mom's out there. You're a blessing we couldn't live without.

So I began work on defining the rules for my first game, and I surprised myself with how much progress I made in two days. Basically, a few days ago, the game was nothing more than a title in my head. Is that common that game designers come up with a title and theme before even beginning to think about the mechanics? Or should you develop the "game" first in terms of mechanics and then slap a them and title on it as a polishing touch?

I dunno. In the absence of experience and advice, we'll try it this way first and see where it takes us. So far, in a few days, I've conceptualized the board, most of the pieces, and most of the rules. It's not a complex game in terms of rules, but I'm hoping it will be subtle in it's strategies and elegant in it's simplicity. And hopefully a darn lot of fun to play.

As a novice game designer, I'm still debating on how much of it I should share with the "public". On one hand, I want to get all the feedback and advice I can get on it. On the other hand, I don't want anyone to steal my concepts.

That being said, some of the "experienced" resources I've read online don't seem too worried about novice designers losing their ideas to thieves. Generally, their thoughts are that because game mechanics can't be copyrighted, there's little to deter anyone from stealing the concepts of existing games, much less games like mine that are in their infancy and have yet to have any proven value.

Give me a day or two to consult a few friends whose opinions I value, and I'll get back to you on how much about the game I'll disclose here publicly. Any opinions either way will be greatly appreciated.

Has anyone seen my backscratcher?

All my life I've been a hobbyist - all kinds of hobbies. Some of these lasted longer than others, but one central theme to almost all of them has been gaming. I've been into board games, card games, role playing games, sports (those count as games, right?), console games, computer games, trading card games, billiards, poker, and more. The thing that's central to all these hobbies is the gaming itself. In it's purest form, it's the enjoyment of the camaraderie and competition with others that I love the most.

That love of gaming recently landed me in a local gaming shop. Not a toy store ala Toys-R-Us, but a bonafide gamers' gaming store. I was there to play the new World of Warcraft TCG that me and a few friends had picked up from being avid WoW PC Gamers. However, in the downtime between WoW matches, I found myself drawn to the shelves of boardgames - games with strange names such as Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, and Citadels. And one of those nights I decided to try one.

Now I've got nothing against Monopoly and Clue. I grew up on those games. But until that point, my idea of a hardcore game was Risk! I had no clue that there was a whole other echelon of games out there, real games for real Gamers - games designed for great game play experiences, not just for mass market appeal and a quick buck. Needless to say, I'm very excited about all of this and my inner gamer has developed an itch that I'm dying to scratch (hence the witty title regarding my backscratcher).

I want to be a game developer. I want to develop the kind of classic table-top games that bring you together with your friends to share laughs and make memories. It's been a long time since I had a real dream - a dream that excites me and I'm passionate about. A dream that I feel could be actually be realized without sacrificing my career and family. I'd forgotten what it feels like to have a dream like this - something to strive for and work towards. It feels good!

So I decided to go for it. It will cost little more than my time and effort at first, so what've I got to lose? I've started researching games development and production. I started this blog to document the process for myself and those who're interested. I've discussed my dream with a few close friends and bounced a few ideas off of them. And most importantly, I've actually started design on my first game.

If you're a game developer or (like me) an aspiring game developer, I'd love to hear from you and exchange advice and experiences - I need all the help and advice I can get. If you're a gamer, come back and visit often because hopefully I'll be looking for play-testers in the future! And finally, if you're a friend, I'm glad you're here - I appreciate the support.