Blogs

This coming weekend, I'm making the sojourn to Indianapolis, Indiana (USA) for the annual GenCon gaming convention.

I recently stumbled on BGDF through BGG, and I'm hoping that it will serve as a good sounding board, reference, and general support network for my endeavors in game design.

Following is an update of my current state of game design (since we are on a new site now and I don't want to port over all of my content). Also, I changed my username to mistre from markmist for those wondering. Edit: Found a new avatar! I quite like it.

Castle Raiders - I have a potential blind playtest group lined up (A friend of mines buddies in Orlando, FL are going to try it). Edit: The game was shipped out 8-14-08 to Orlando! I can't wait to hear some feedback.

Over the years I have come to the realization that, for me, the hardest part about game design, is my lack of time. As with most people my time seems to just disappear. With all the usual family events or working too much, I find it hard to sit down and make what I would call decent progress on any of my game designs.

And lately I have been attempting to organize my life in general to be more focused and help myself accomplish more in my life.

So I have been pondering a neat little concept called Daily Actions.

A card game for 2 to 4 players in which players control television networks and vie for the attention of the viewing public.

The game is made up of cards. Program cards represent various television programs which you run in your two 1/2 hour time slots each day, Event cards effect the state of the game and Programs in your lineup, Modifiers alter Programs in play, and Advertisements establish Revenue to pay the costs for other cards.

Game play is interactive as you bid against rival networks for Programs and place them in time slots to compete with opposing Programs.

General viewership for Programs is determined by a roll of the dice and tracked throughout the game. As your Programs gain a following, they become more valuable. But watch out! If a Program gets too popular it runs the risk of Jumping the Shark! Attach advertisements to your Programs to generate Revenue when the Program is viewed (when it's number comes up). Program Modifiers temporarily increase the likelyhood of your Programs being viewed, or otherwise make your Programs a little better or opponent's Programs a little worse. Event cards have a lasting effect on the game: altering the state of the game or cards in play.

New Programs become available to bid on each week. With careful choice of Programs and management of Revenue you can come out on top and run your competitors into the ground, blowing their Programs out of the water and stealing their viewers for your own.