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Iliad/Trojan War themed game

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Gabe
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I'm trying to figure out which game to focus on designing next. There are a number of decent ideas floating around in my head and in my notebooks, so I need some feedback from people who know their stuff.

With that said, would anyone be interested in a Co-op game set during the Trojan war in which you play as the Greeks trying to hold off the Trojans long enough to complete the Trojan horse?

Any thoughts, comments, or ideas are greatly appreciated.

mulletsquirrel
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Would this be a co-op game

Would this be a co-op game where there are two opposing player teams, or where everyone is a Greek?

Gabe
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I think both of those options

I think both of those options have value, but the game I'm thinking of would have everyone on the Greek side. As of now, it's a 2 player game.

In the "Aeneid," it tells the story of the Greeks being unable to break through Troy's walls and on the verge of losing the war. So, they devise to build a giant horse to win the war through deception.

The game picks up right there. The Trojan army is bearing down on you, and you're just trying to survive long enough to complete the horse.

mulletsquirrel
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I think it is definitely a

I think it is definitely a cool game idea. History buffs would get a kick out of it if you use a lot of real references in the game. I suppose you could make the game just last X turns until the horse is finished, or you could make decisions about how many forces to use building the horse vs. playing defense. Interested to see what kind of mechanics you'd use!

ruy343
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I like it!

There are a lot of games that have a classical-era theme, but few are cooperative, allowing the players to tell such a story from the past. The best part, though, is that we don't know the geography of the siege, so you can say whatever you want!

I think that looking at the structure of "Shadows over Camelot" could give you some good ideas. The way that you have a limited number of people, but many objectives to deal with, forces the players to think differently. It also opens up the possibility of a traitor mechanic, who must be ratted out before the end or the Trojans will find out about the Greek plan.

Also, the story itself speaks about a number of great characters that would be great for the players to play. Odysseus, Agamemnon, Ajax, Achilles, and other heroes all took part in the battle, and have memorable deeds written about each. Perhaps letting players play as these historic figures could help them get into the theme of the game.

Maybe the the Trojans will advance from different directions determined randomly, and the heroes can stand in one of three lanes to repel the invaders. However, the players must also spend time collecting resources and building. Perhaps, at the last, the players may need to abandon the defenses in order to get that last bit finished of the horse. Sounds like a rousing conclusion to a co-op game!

So, in conclusion, it sounds like a great idea. Keep me posted with what's going on.

Gabe
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Ruy, you and I are definitely

Ruy, you and I are definitely on the same page. I own Shadows over Camelot, and I've been pondering on what elements could be borrowed from it.

Also, the game board would be laid out in a 3x5 grid. At the top would be the Trojan wall and at the bottom would be the sea. In between would be 3 rows of battlefield and 1 row of beach (with the last row being the sea).

Battles begin on the top row next to the wall. Battles are fought by playing cards. A four sided die is rolled to see how many Trojan cards are placed on each of the top 3 battle spots. Trojan army cards could be valued at 1,2,or 3. Or a card could be 1 of 3 heroes, Hector, Paris, or Aeneas. Heroes affect the battle in different ways. And they could potentially kill a Greek hero. The Trojan army cards are face down, so the players only know how many cards are there but won't know how big the force is until the battle phase.

The players have hands of Greek army cards also valued from 1-3 that are drawn from a common draw pile. And they'll have to decide how many cards to pit against the Trojan forces on the board. Each player will also have hero cards that they have access to without having to draw them.

One player will have Achilles and Odysseus cards. Another player will have Ajax and Patroclus cards. These are powerful cards that affect the game in different ways. (Powers listed below.)

After the players place their cards against the Trojan army cards, the battle phase commences and the Trojan cards get turned over. In each space, each army's cards are added together, and the higher value wins. These battles aren't necessarily happening at the same time, so heroes could participate in multiple battles.

If the Trojan force wins, it's highest value card that isn't a hero moves down to the next battle space in that column and the rest of the cards are discarded. During the next army placement phase, when the d4 is rolled, the army will be placed on this space.

If the Greeks win, the players get to choose one card from the Greek force that isn't a hero to go into a common pool to be used later. (effectively you have a veteran force to be deployed again that doesn't count as a card in your hand)

If the Trojans push all the way to the sea on any of the 3 columns, you lose.

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While this is going on, supply ships are coming in carrying various goods needed to build the horse and to feed your troops. (If your food supplies run out, each army card is worth 1 less) Currently, the goods are wood, iron, and food. The horse requires different combinations of the goods along with soldiers to reach different levels of completion.

3 ships come in per round carrying goods that are drawn randomly from a draw pile. Sometimes a ship is lost at sea and brings nothing.

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And to keep the players on their toes, once per round a god/goddess card is drawn. Some of the gods are on the Trojans' side, some are on the Greeks' side. Sometimes the card will hurt the players, sometimes it will help them. Nothing game changing or anything, just enough to mess with the players.

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Hero abilities

There are 3 cards for each Greek hero. 1 card per hero is simply an attack card with no ability. The other 2 cards have abilities but no attack value. To play a card, place it on the battle space that you want its effect to occur. Once a card is used, it's turned face down. A player can play 1 food resource card to turn it back over to be used again.

Greeks

Achilles
[ ]Fight value 5
[ ]Rage: You win this battle no matter what
[ ]Reputation: Discard 1 Trojan attack force card after seeing it
(Kills Hector if in the same battle)

Ajax
[ ]Fight value 4
[ ]Strong Leader: Double another card’s fight value
[ ]Fright: Move one Trojan attack force card to another battle

Patroclus
[ ]Fight value 3
[ ]Mistaken Identity: Discard 1 Trojan attack force card before seeing it
[ ]Resourceful: Double the value of a resource card
(If Patroclus dies, refresh an Achilles card for free)

Odysseus
[ ]Fight value 3
[ ]Strategist: Reveal the Trojan attack force
[ ]Clever: Use 1 resource card as a wild

Trojans

Every Trojan hero card has each of these abilities.

Hector
[ ]Fight value 4
[ ]Doubles the fight value of Trojan 1’s and 2’s
[ ]Kills Patroclus

Paris
[ ]Fight value 2
[ ]Kills Achilles

Aeneas
[ ]Fight value 3
[ ]If Aeneas loses a battle, put him back into the draw pile and shuffle it

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Sorry for the long post, but that's pretty much everything I have so far. I'm open for any suggestions. Does that battle system work? Are there other options?

My goal is to make a 30-45 minute game. My wife and I are missionaries in Honduras and we don't get much time to play games, so I've been trying to create some 2 player games that can be played in a short amount of time.

With that said, should I add more complexity to the game? It would be easy in some regards to simply create "Shadows over Troy," but is there value in having side quests for the players to overcome on their own?

Thanks for the help and feedback!

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