Purpose: to design a game from scratch and get it published. And to document it every step of the way.
So, Revenge of the Mummy has slowed a bit. The reason is I have been dedicating a large amount of time to learning graphic design, so as to be able to do the layout of my rule book, player mats, cards etc for Defenders of Wessex. I don't know anyone who will admit to being a graphic designer who is willing to work on the cheap, and thus it falls to me. If the assorted documents end up looking like garbage I maybe forced to reconsider. But for now, graphic design is me.
However, I have devoted some time to Revenge of the Mummy. A good amount of research has gone into critters, being nocturnal (antagonists bent on raising a mummy as the avatar of Apep to devour the sun and plunge the world into endless nigjt) and the protagonists who are not nocturnal. In addition to that I have made a few variations of rough sketches of the game board for the purpose of layout and organizing my thoughts.
The game will have 3 "classes" (I use the term very loosely since there is quite a blur between them) being Adventurers, Inventors, and Wizards. Adventurers are the best at recovering artifacts to be used to banish the Apep mummy, and also use a resource called Charisma to recruit followers who may then be deployed to perform activities to further the agenda of good. Inventors use items called gears to make steam punk automatons. Inventors gain the biggest bonus for general actions and are kind of a jack of all trades, though are also quite useful at research to find out what is needed to destroy the avatar of Apep. Wizards use the resource Magic to summon elementals and cast spells, and are the best at fighting the agents of the Cult of Apep, with the aid of magic.
The enemis will spawn according to a deck of location cards and will have various abilities, like hindering the work of the heroes, working the ritual to raise the avatar of Apep, and trying to generally ruin the world.
There is a lot going on, I know. I am almost certain that items that look integral to the game right now are going to get cut at later developmental stages.
Comments
mcobb83 wrote: The enemis
The enemis will spawn according to a deck of location cards and will have various abilities, like hindering the work of the heroes, working the ritual to raise the avatar of Apep, and trying to generally ruin the world.
One thing you might want to do before you go to the publisher is ask yourself the following 2 questions:
1. What's the wow-factor of my game?
2. How is my game different from all the other similar games?
Those are both great
Those are both great questions ElKobold. And they have both crossed my mind many times. Currently the answer for the wow factor is "?". I don't feel like I've developed the concept enough yet to be able to satisfy that question, but a wow factor will be forthcoming.
As for question number 2, the core mechanic of the game is a recruitment/worker placement game where the players are able to create more workers and in true Ameritrash fashion are able to roll the dice and kill the bad guys workers. Of course the bad guy can return the favour.
Obviously the idea needs to be refined quite a bit. I will know by the end of today how much time I have to work on this (currently my artist and I are pushing toe get Defenders printer ready within 2 weeks so that I can have a copy ready to show off at Fallcon; if we aren't able to do it, then production will not be as hurried and I have more time for this project)
Graphic Design
For Defenders of Wessex - You would probably not need to have great Graphic Design skills if your focus is to try to have your game published by a Publisher.
Basically you need a functional prototype that can be blindly playtested.
As such basic card design skills are all that is necessary. Even the way the information is presented need not be the same for the final product. All you need is workable prototype(s).
Generally speaking the production of the final product might be done by the Publisher which would include all artwork and graphic design...
The only exception is if you want to Self-Publish a game. IMHO I would try to find a Publisher for your game. I am in the process of trying to take my second game into the hands of an able Publisher so that the game gets the distribution it deserves. Marketing Indie games is near impossible aside from Kickstarter(s).
In any case, don't be so hard on yourself if your Graphic Design skills are only basic. They could be just enough to design the prototype and find someone to take your game to the next level...
I truly hope that one of the publishers I have contacted decides to take a closer look at my own game - even if the artwork is completed...
I don't have the funds necessary to make 1,000 - 2,000 copies of a game and then have the distribution network to sell those copies.
Food for thought!
For Defenders of Wessex the
For Defenders of Wessex the plan is to use The Game Crafter via Kickstarter. It's not huge distribution, but it is valuable experience. The idea is to self publish a game, and then real publish a game. The real publish game is going to be Revenge of the Mummy, or whatever it ends up being called when it's ready to go.
I want to self-publish not because it's going to make a ton of money; it's not. I've already crunched the numbers and on 100 units sold I stand to make $576 (that calculation takes into account Kickstarter fees, merchant fees, stretch goals, etc). Eventually Wessex might turn into something massive, and even now it's exploding a lot more than I thought it would. But that's not the point.
Basically the nuts and bolts is that I'm going to get really good at making board games in multiple publishing strategies. I enjoy it, I have a passion for it, and it makes me happy to do.
Short version: Wessex is being self-published. Mummy is going to be traditionally published.