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Trove: A super-asymmetrical cave-crawler

10 replies [Last post]
Thu, 05/29/2014 - 09:20
smrvl
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Hi all!

I have a super-asymmetrical cave-crawler in the works, and I'd love feedback on my rulebook and advice for taking it to publication.

In Trove, players take on the roles of the Knight, the Goblin Horde, the Cave, and the Dragon — each with unique pieces, powers, and paths to victory. Essentially, 4 mini-games play out on a single board, interacting with one another to create dramatic and unexpected stories and challenges for each player...

My rules are attached. The two things I'd be so grateful for are:
1. Any feedback whatsoever on the game or the rules.
2. Any suggestions for publishers who you think might be interested in a game like this. (I have a shortlist, but I'd love outside suggestions.)

Thanks in advance for taking a look!

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Thu, 05/29/2014 - 10:48
#1
The Chaz
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Initial thoughts

It definitely looks like you've spent a good amount of time on this.

1) The typeface is a bit off-putting (specifically the "U" and "V") - I can barely make it through a sentence, and I'm no linguistic slouch.

2) I would not use "ameritrash" in writing, especially not in a rule book/sell sheet. You should be more specific about the audience (and their preferences).

More to follow!

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Thu, 05/29/2014 - 10:52
#2
smrvl
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Great thoughts! Yeah, the

Great thoughts! Yeah, the Ameritrash was definitely a placeholder — I'll go ahead and yank that in future versions. And good point on the font, I'll look into toning that down a little.

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Thu, 05/29/2014 - 11:01
#3
Masacroso
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Surely the platform

Surely the platform roll20.net maybe interested on this (maybe not)... You can try to add this game to their shop, it seems enough developed.

I cant critic this game because Im a novice on this kind of game, sry.

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Thu, 05/29/2014 - 11:02
#4
smrvl
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Wow, how did I not know about

Wow, how did I not know about Roll20.net? This is really cool, thanks!

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Thu, 05/29/2014 - 19:08
#5
RyanRay
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Looks very well thought-out,

Looks very well thought-out, and I LOVE the formatting of the rulebook. Some feedback:

-Add a section showing a few sample turns. This always helps new players.
-How is the Knight's health tracked?
-It took me a long time to realize the Goblin tokens had different symbols. Perhaps larger symbology.
-Are there tokens for the Summoned monsters?

I'd be very interested in trying this game out. Have you tested it pretty thoroughly for balance and catches?

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Fri, 05/30/2014 - 05:44
#6
smrvl
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Thanks so much! - I'll

Thanks so much!

- I'll definitely add some sample turns. Great suggestion!
- The Knight's health is tracked by her Level Cards, which I see is a little unclear. The cards themselves say, "Flip over when hit" or "set aside when hit" — the idea being that when the cards are gone, she's dead. But I totally see that needs to be clarified.
- Yup, good idea, I'll make the symbols bigger.
- No flat, circular tokens for any monster except the Queen Spider, who leaves egg tokens behind ... but all monsters have pawns/standups/player tokens.

I'd love to share the PnP when it's ready, if you're interested. I've tested the previous generation extensively, and this one is very much based on the math and bones of that one ... but no, the next 4 weeks are going to involve some heavier balance testing on this latest version. That said, the balance of the system is there, it's just a matter of adding or pulling certain cards I'm aware of to tilt it one way or the other.

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Sun, 06/01/2014 - 04:55
#7
shoppingtom
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I'm new to this all, so

I'm new to this all, so forgive me -- what does "super-asymmetrical" mean?

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Sun, 06/01/2014 - 06:47
#8
smrvl
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It's a made-up term, so no

It's a made-up term, so no worries that it didn't make sense! In this case, it means that players in the game all have different pieces, powers, and paths to victory — no two player has the same cards or win conditions. So it's almost like 4 mini-games playing out on a single board, interacting with one another to create really interesting situations, from both a storytelling and strategy perspective.

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Wed, 06/04/2014 - 22:42
#9
GrimFinger
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1. Change the font - Go to

1. Change the font - Go to http://www.blambot.com/ and find something better. It's not that what you have in place is difficult to read. Rather, if you want to use a special font, then use one that is attractive, not one that is annoying.

2. Overall, the rulebook looks good. By that, I mean, it looks really nice. But, solid black would be preferably to the dark grey, as it would yield more visual contrast. The game is expected to cost sixty bucks, but your rulebook has no color, even though it would probably benefit form such.

3. I really like the collapse feature - a lot.

4. Would I pay sixty bucks for the game, based upon the rules? Nope. Your rulebook looks a bit bland. It's a great concept for a game. I want to see the actual tiles. The visual elements of the rulebook, you might want to consider improving the aesthetics of such.

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Thu, 06/19/2014 - 14:14
#10
smrvl
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This is great feedback,

This is great feedback, thanks so much! Sorry, I had missed this post until now. I really appreciate the input, and will definitely think hard about making a more finished rulebook sizzle.

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