Skip to Content
 

Am I deluded?

8 replies [Last post]
monodreme
monodreme's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/28/2015

Hello, I'm very new here. I haven't even lurked very much to speak of.

I'm only working on the development of one game and I'm only at the play-testing-with-friends stage right now, so I'm not looking to get detailed feedback on my game, (certainly not to promote it - that's way down the line) but I am interested in talking in more general terms about the kind of board game I am interested in...

I have always loved the aesthetic quality of watching people play the classic games (chess, go, backgammon, mah jong, etc) on handcrafted wooden boards with quality playing pieces that give a very tactile satisfaction. There's a certain glamour in this for me. Yet I have to confess that I don't actually enjoy the gameplay of these games so much, and it's been a source of frustration to me: it looks kinda cool to me from outside the game, but doesn't feel so much fun when I'm actually in a game. I'm a hopeless fantasist and the reality never matches my daydream.

So my self imposed mission is to create a game that matches the aesthetic qualities I'm talking about yet has the right balance of accessibility vs dynamics. If I made a science fiction fantasy film I would want to have a couple of impressive characters sitting down on a faraway, exotic world and playing this gorgeous looking game - but I would want the game to be real, and to be genuinely enjoyable and challenging at the same time.

I know...masses and masses of people have been getting full on satisfaction from the classics I have mentioned since forever, but I just have this niggling feeling that the perfect balance in this kind of game is still out there waiting to be achieved.

I'd love to talk about this subject in your fora, if only to find out that the general consensus is that I'm deluded :)

Anyway, I know this particular forum isn't the place for such a discussion so I will head over to the "Deconstructing Classic game "X" forum and start a thread. Hope to see you there x

ilSilvano
ilSilvano's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/31/2008
The new GIPF series?

Good luck with your idea!
I personally think GO is the best game I have ever played, but there is always space for new abstract games.
Just take a look at the very cool and "timeless" games in the GIPF project:
http://www.gipf.com/
because the author, Kris Burm, started with a similar concept - to creates some simple new abstract classics, with satisfying bits to play with.
I think you will find something more modern that the games you cited, so I hope they will give you some inspiration.

Jarec
Offline
Joined: 12/27/2013
Welcome to the boards! I

Welcome to the boards!

I myself can somewhat relate to your woes. I'm always going for my projects with something visual and tactile first, not so much abstract aesthetics, but with descriptive miniatures and crafted boards.
I enjoy the crafting and painting aspect, but one thing why I do it, is that it's much easier to get your friends playing (not that they otherwise wouldn't, but I'd like to make things nice for them), since they kinda think it's magic what I do with paints and foam board.

I don't enjoy Chess that much either, and I can't really think anything that would "revive" it in my mind. I'd much rather enjoy a new game that would not need such a high skill cap as Chess.

This all reminds me of a one topic here http://www.bgdf.com/forum/game-creation/new-game-ideas/feed-back-request...
I really see potential in elberons project.

monodreme
monodreme's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/28/2015
Ooh! Thanks for those quick

Ooh! Thanks for those quick and helpful responses, guys. Maybe I've come to the right place :) I'll check out your links pronto and give you fuller replies when I get the chance.

MarkJindra
MarkJindra's picture
Offline
Joined: 01/24/2014
Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations

I am currently reading Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations and it is a great source of abstract games. This would certainly help you see what has come before and maybe give you ideas about where you want to go.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486238555?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_...

The Duke and Jarl look to be tile laying games but are making an attampt to be more abstract.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36235/duke

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170901/jarl-vikings-tile-laying-game

Abalone made an attempt in 1987 to create a new abstract game and I even owned a copy ... wish I knew what I did with it

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/526/abalone

And don't forget to check out whats going on here at BGG

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamesubdomain/4666/abstract-games

Good luck with your game I hope you come up with something cool and unique

=M=

RyTracer
RyTracer's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/11/2015
Classic Games

I think what you are after is simplicity, high production value, and a battle of wits. I mean, there are some games with some nice production values out there, and then anniversary copies come out with even the wooden pieces you're speaking of, but in the case of Catan and Small World, there are just so many pieces that it lacks that sci-fi scene you're looking for. That's why chess, go, checkers, etc. are so good. Only 32 pieces in chess, so the producer can spend a lot of time on the pieces themselves. As for the characters playing it on the sci-fi world, let me flesh out that a little. These characters are usually the gurus or wise old men or ship captains or something that makes them very smart, and they are evenly matched. That's why these abstract games have identical sides except for who goes first. So you will need to keep your game in that respect the same. Thus it is a battle of wits. And all the games you mentioned are just that. Even checkers or backgammon are very deep despite their simple rules. Why you may not have enjoyed them as much is because the one who owns the nice board is usually the significantly better player having invested time and money into the game. And there is a huge gap between novices and masters. So what I think you're looking for is a bit of a contradiction: a game that challenges the mind deeply, and one where the novice can beat the master occasionally.
This is getting long-winded, but let me recommend two games that I think you will find interesting in your search for this elusive paradox.
1: Element. It came out a couple years ago, was nominated for a Mensa award, and is a great two player contest which could be constructed with a high production value. The retail copy, though it has a wooden board and glass pieces, only ran me $7 on ebay. It is a battle of wits, but there are four D6s involved which give a bit of luck, enough that a player who wins most of the time, does not necessarily win all of the time. My girlfriend and I battle it out all the time, and a game only takes about 15 minutes. I win more often, but she is very good too.
2: Thud. Almost every sci-fi or fantasy story DOES have a chess-like game. Out of all the ones I've seen (Star Trek Chess, Star Wars Chess, Cheops of Dune) the best one is definitely Thud from the Discworld. The game is themed with a Troll vs. Dwarf battle, but really is an abstract game that non-fans of the books could enjoy. It is interesting because it is non-symmetrical, so you have to develop a solid Troll game AND a solid dwarf game. Unfortunately, this game does have a steep strategy curve, and a master like myself never loses to a beginner or intermediate player, and I have yet to play anyone else I would consider a master, as obscure as the game is.

MarkJindra
MarkJindra's picture
Offline
Joined: 01/24/2014
Thud

Hey Ry, do you know if anyone has put Thud on TableTop Simulator? I have never played but you have intrigued me with this game. Asymetric games fascinate me.

=M=

monodreme
monodreme's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/28/2015
Thanks Ry and Mark. I will

Thanks Ry and Mark. I will follow links and check out suggestions.

Ry, I've read the other post you made in my old school classics thread and made a fuller response there to some of your thoughts.

I appreciate your time and thoughtfulness, guys. This seems like a nice place.

RyTracer
RyTracer's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/11/2015
Thud

Mark,
I have never used TableTop Simulator but I imagine it wouldn't be hard to simulate a Thud game with assets already in use in the package: 8 rooks for Trolls, 32 pawns for dwarves, a king for the Thudstone. The 15x15 board might be a little more difficult. Of course, it allows importing of homemade assets, too.

If you're okay with a 2D view instead, you can go here: http://www.million.nl/thudboard/ and play by email or hotseat with someone, or just move the pieces around yourself. Also, I made a module for Zillions of Games, which only offers the player legal moves and has some very poor AI to play against, look for it in the games section of http://www.rytracer.com.

Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut