(I’ll get to part 2 of “From Thought to Game” – but first a Work-in Progress status report)
The holidays can be very stressful time for some, and a joyous one for others. I sincerely hope that your time was restful and peaceful.
Over the last two months I’ve made good progress, despite work demands and all the holiday things. So let’s get right into it.
Play testing
Apart from my family and a small group of tolerant gamer friends, I have no well cultivated play test group. Fortunately for me, there is a local play test group in the area but unfortunately they tended to meet on days and times that were utterly inconvenient. Rather than curse my darkness, I opted to light a candle – meaning that I approached the organizer, suggested a new set of times and a new location (a game store very near my home) – and after a bit of discussion and refinement, I’m running a play test meet up every other week. I’m still tweaking times to work with folks that are interested in participating but so far so good. I’ve even managed to re-arrange some life things and am now trying to attend more of the established play test meetings.
I’ve purchased badges for two upcoming Protospiels in the area – and will likely be going to a third one as well. As I noted in an earlier post – these events in particular are very productive and good for my development process.
Hex Match
I’m settling into the notion that the name shall remain Hex Match. It is descriptive and to the point. I’ve managed to have over a dozen play tests with various player counts – and even one blind play test with complete gamer novices. Feedback has been largely positive.
I am now struggling with writing the rule book and am stunned to learn that such a “simple” game is very hard to describe in words. Compound this with my lack of artistic skill (pictures could help a lot) – and I’m trying hard not to write a novel fr a 15 minute game…. Ugh. I’ll nail this but it’s going to be a tough process. Another surprise: my technical writing experience is not much of an asset. So much for that.
Body Shop (code name)
This game is in version 2.5 and facing a possible major redesign. Many of the core mechanics are solid but a fair amount of work is needed. Play tests have brought me far, but I see that the road to completion is further still.
Board re-work on prototype v.2 My trusty tea mug, playtest book, and bit bags… Solo test
Like I said, I’ll pick up part two of my creative process next month. Until then, take care, be kind and make your days amazing.