The ‘grid’ is something I’ve spent a long time thinking about. In a game with extreme variance and replayability, yet a world which a DM ISN’T generating, it doesn’t make much sense to have set campaigns with large maps pre-drawn out. Although it would be fun to create specific campaigns I’m more fond of the idea that the board generates it’s own story.

Another thing I dislike about the idea of campaigns set in stone on a map is that visually, the player knows when they’re nearing the end, or at least the end of a particular encounter. I’d like to somehow create a ‘fog of war’ type effect where the player doesn’t know what the next corner holds. The grid, hex, whatever I decide on will be very important for this to work.

(Source: Flickr / wananga)

The Basics

I spent some time deciding exactly what I want the end result of this game to be. What I want players to accomplish and what I want it to feel like. Some concepts I know I want are:

• Cooperative. X number of players must travel through setting X and complete X goal. If every hero dies then you lose.
• Easy expandability
• Variance between playthroughs
• Choices matter
• Goblins

Some of these are hard concepts to tackle in a meaningful way, others are easy.

I wish I could draw realistically, but the truth is I don’t have the patience for it and I strongly admire those who do. I did freelance design and illustration for long enough to use this crutch as an advantage and just call my art style ‘unique’ which is often a code-word for ‘somewhat crappy.’ I’ll be doing all of the art myself, so we’ll see where this ‘uniqueness’ gets me.

Fun

I am not a game designer.

I enjoy video games and board games a like, and have been playing them for as long as my tiny hands were dexterous enough to handle a NES controller. Although I’ve always enjoyed getting wrapped up in a world created on a table-top or a digital screen, there’s always a part of me who wants to look under the table and behind the glass. One who analyses why things are done they way they are and what catches people’s interest. As a result, I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating what is ‘fun’ (for the lack of a better term).

Of course in today’s age of awe-inspiring graphics and technologically extensive physics systems that little question is still very important, yet being asked with less frequency: What is fun?

Roleplay

I briefly mentioned D&D before, in my ‘Why’ post.

D&D, for a large portion of it’s player base, fills a great role in allowing one to use their creativity in order to experience an adventure; and as a result, the adventure typically takes priority over the numbers. “It is the journey, not the destination,” I’ve heard quoted many times. I feel this fits the core of what D&D is for most people. 

When I really sat down and thought about, I decided what I wanted was more GAMEY(for the lack of a better term). One where the numbers mattered and where there were winners and losers, yet something which required cooperation and teamwork. A game where nobody decided your fate but the board you were playing against and the die in your hand.

This separation from roleplaying is a distinction I made early on. I knew I wanted something that could house a role-playing crowd or environment, but wasn’t at all reliant on it.

I found D&D had one more thing I didn’t want: complexity. The truth is, not anyone can just pick up D&D and play it; and often times I found rules which felt like they exists just for the sake of having rules. This is likely the result of having a massively popular, open-ended game which has existed for years. Complexity, however, must be finely tuned, as it can breed both great fun, and large barriers to enjoyment.

Why?

I’ve thought a lot about why I’ve decided to start this project. A very basic answer is that I’m the type of person who needs projects. Someone who’s self-worth is, in some ways, valued by the result of what I create, and in other ways, valued by the enjoyment the process of creation brings.

This particular process of creation brings me a tremendous amount of joy, but in the end, the results are what I have to keep my eye on. They have to be, after all, the motivation in order to create something truly great.

The less ambiguous answer would bring me to the world of Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve always been intrigued in the game, but never enough to get truly involved. On certain days of the week some friends and I have some time set aside where our schedules open up and we’re able to get together and have fun. Most recently, this time has been occupied with Magic, a collectible card game. Trying to expand our kitchen table’s horizons, I started looking into D&D and other role-playing/table-top based games, and in the end I was never enthralled with what I found.

What I instead decided, was to take control of what I did want, and what I thought would truly be fun.

So I guess in the end; the answer to why, is entertainment. To bring joy, fun, creativity into someone’s life, if only for 30 minutes at a time. I think doing that will mark this project’s success.

What am I doing?

I am making a board game. For now, just this one, and it will tentatively be code-named ‘KOALAMO.’ Honestly, I’ve owned this domain for a long time and have been waiting for something to go here or maybe start some company for secondary income.

This will be a place for me to put my thoughts and experiences on the process. I will have achieved success when what I create brings joy to those surrounding my kitchen table and possibly beyond.