Designing the game is not 8 hours job
I don't know how other designers work. I don't know if I am a freak among designers or I am a clasical example. But I want to tell you how it looks. How it looked with Robinson. I spent last year on the Island. Really...
For me 2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because for the last 12 months I only read adventure books. I really mean it. I read a lot of Julius Verne novels. I read all novels I could find about castaways. I read all books about survival I could find. I read also comic books and I – certainly – watched all movies I could find that were about deserted Island or castaways.
I read about tens of ways of making fire. I read about building shelter from almost nothing. I read how to find water, I read how to find north without compas, I read everything I could. I am – with no doubt – one of the most educated persons on this planet... in terms of castaways...
If, by any chance, you are on the deserted Island, just call me. I will teach you how to survive. You don't need to worry.
For me 2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because every single weekend of this year I had prototype of the game set up in our living room. Our home was literally paralyzed by Robinson. The game is big, it covered nearly whole table in our living room (I have to say – we have a big table). Because of Robinson we had mess on that table for every single weekend of 2012. I played it all the time, every single weekend, I drove my wife crazy with this tokens, cards, notes, dice with all that stuff that was living with us this year.
It was like part of our furniture. We had sofa, we had table, we had chairs and we had Robinson. It was part of our everyday life.
2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe for my whole family. Kids have grown – it is a year of time! - and they saw and hear all the time about Robinson. They discovered this story. They played prototype with me. They played live Robinson all the time. They built real shelter in our garden (ok, I helped them a little), they spent countless hours in our garden hunting imaginary beasts, strengthening the roof or searching for treasures. With no doubt, if in 20 years I ask my kids about summer 2012, they will tell 'It was time of Robinson'.
*
2012 was year of Robinson Crusoe because it really touched our every day life. We spent holidays this year by the sea and of course I had Robinson with me. Game was with us all the time. Sometimes it touched our life in a funny way. I remember one Sunday few weeks ago. I was a little bit late for a dinner, I entered the room, all kids were already eating and there was no plate for me on the table. I asked: 'Hey, what about me? I don't eat?!'
And I heared answer from 10 years old Nina: 'You know, it is like in Robinson. There is never enought food... Today you get 2 wounds'
Woow. That was accurate...
*
Next week I am in Essen. My adventure with Robinson ends. I finally leave the Island. I am finally free. I spent here whole year of my life. It was great but I that's enough. It is time for you to visit the Island. I strongly recommend. This is a great adventure.
*
I read about tens of ways of making fire. I read about building shelter from almost nothing. I read how to find water, I read how to find north without compas, I read everything I could. I am – with no doubt – one of the most educated persons on this planet... in terms of castaways...
If, by any chance, you are on the deserted Island, just call me. I will teach you how to survive. You don't need to worry.
*
It was like part of our furniture. We had sofa, we had table, we had chairs and we had Robinson. It was part of our everyday life.
*
*
And I heared answer from 10 years old Nina: 'You know, it is like in Robinson. There is never enought food... Today you get 2 wounds'
Woow. That was accurate...
*
Next week I am in Essen. My adventure with Robinson ends. I finally leave the Island. I am finally free. I spent here whole year of my life. It was great but I that's enough. It is time for you to visit the Island. I strongly recommend. This is a great adventure.
The Lesson
[This is third and last one article that was inspired by my visit in Czech this spring and playing Robinson with Vlaada. That would be good if you read previous ones (they are here on my blog) so you know what the story is all about so far.]
The game ended badly. One of characters is dead. It is game over and it is game over in bad style. They had no chances. They weren't even close. It wasn't a good game.
'You were unlucky. Too many bad events. It's adventure game, sometimes you have luck, sometimes you don't...' I say. Vlaada is searching throught decks of cards. 'There are good and bad events in all of those decks?' he asks pointing four decks of cards.
'Yep.'
'You can't have good events, here, Ignacy' he says.
Did I just hear him saying the thing he just said?
'Are you kidding?! You've just lost because of lack of good events!'
'There can not be good events in those decks. You have to get rid of them. You don't control the game at this moment. Ignacy, you – as an author – have to have control over your game.'
OK, I have to admit it - at that very moment I wasn't sure what he was talkin' about. Remove good events? Why? Have control? How?!
I have, however, courage to ask. So I asked Vlaada to explain me. And he did.
'How many good and bad events you designed in that deck?' he asked pointing Event deck.
'There are 40 good events and 60 bad events.' I answered. 'Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed IslandStatistically you will have 3 bad and 2 good events in first part of the game and then again 3 bad and 2 good events in the second part of the game.'
'You have to get rid of all good events. Ignacy you don't control it. This is bad. You can't design game that you don't control.'
Still no idea what he is talkin' about. And still have courage to ask and learn.
'Vlaada I don't get it.'
He took one of my sheets of paper and my pen. 'Look' he said. 'During set up you take five cards from this deck, right? You say that statisticaly there should be 3 bad and 2 good cards and that this is an avarage difficulty level, but...' and he starter to write.
'There may be:
5 bad, 0 good
4 bad, 1 good
3 bad, 2 good
2 bad, 1 good
1 bad, 0...'
'I get it.' I said.
'You want game to be difficult, you want game to throw at players 3 bad events and you want the game to help them twice. That is your dream configuration. But math is cruel. There will be games like ours today, with 4 bad events and only one good. There will be even games with 0 bad and 5 good events. Players will play it, will have 5 good events, finish the game without smallest effort and then they will write on BGG that game is easy like piece of cake and boring and they don't recommend it.'
'You are right.'
'You need to control the game. Now it is rollercoaster. You have no idea what will happen. It may be extremely easy. It may be extremely hard. Your intended configuration of 3/2 is only one of many possibilities. What about others? You have to remove all good events. You have to make it 5 bad events, 0 good events and then set difficulty of the game.'
'Math sucks' I said.
If I were Vlaada, I'd say that Robinson sucks but Vlaada is a nice person. He didn't say that.
Conclusion? I had to take some about 120 events from 5 different decks and throw them to the bin. I needed to take control over my game and to do so, I had to trash 40% of cards I was designing over last 4 months.
I did it. Without a blink of an eye.
The Lesson? Few, actually.
Vlaada knows math.
Math is a bitch.
Game designers need to have courage to throw ideas to the bin and start right from the beginnig.
That what game design is - no mercy.
The game ended badly. One of characters is dead. It is game over and it is game over in bad style. They had no chances. They weren't even close. It wasn't a good game.
'You were unlucky. Too many bad events. It's adventure game, sometimes you have luck, sometimes you don't...' I say. Vlaada is searching throught decks of cards. 'There are good and bad events in all of those decks?' he asks pointing four decks of cards.
'Yep.'
'You can't have good events, here, Ignacy' he says.
Did I just hear him saying the thing he just said?
'Are you kidding?! You've just lost because of lack of good events!'
'There can not be good events in those decks. You have to get rid of them. You don't control the game at this moment. Ignacy, you – as an author – have to have control over your game.'
OK, I have to admit it - at that very moment I wasn't sure what he was talkin' about. Remove good events? Why? Have control? How?!
I have, however, courage to ask. So I asked Vlaada to explain me. And he did.
'How many good and bad events you designed in that deck?' he asked pointing Event deck.
'There are 40 good events and 60 bad events.' I answered. 'Robinson Crusoe: Adventure on the Cursed IslandStatistically you will have 3 bad and 2 good events in first part of the game and then again 3 bad and 2 good events in the second part of the game.'
'You have to get rid of all good events. Ignacy you don't control it. This is bad. You can't design game that you don't control.'
Still no idea what he is talkin' about. And still have courage to ask and learn.
'Vlaada I don't get it.'
He took one of my sheets of paper and my pen. 'Look' he said. 'During set up you take five cards from this deck, right? You say that statisticaly there should be 3 bad and 2 good cards and that this is an avarage difficulty level, but...' and he starter to write.
'There may be:
5 bad, 0 good
4 bad, 1 good
3 bad, 2 good
2 bad, 1 good
1 bad, 0...'
'I get it.' I said.
'You want game to be difficult, you want game to throw at players 3 bad events and you want the game to help them twice. That is your dream configuration. But math is cruel. There will be games like ours today, with 4 bad events and only one good. There will be even games with 0 bad and 5 good events. Players will play it, will have 5 good events, finish the game without smallest effort and then they will write on BGG that game is easy like piece of cake and boring and they don't recommend it.'
'You are right.'
'You need to control the game. Now it is rollercoaster. You have no idea what will happen. It may be extremely easy. It may be extremely hard. Your intended configuration of 3/2 is only one of many possibilities. What about others? You have to remove all good events. You have to make it 5 bad events, 0 good events and then set difficulty of the game.'
'Math sucks' I said.
If I were Vlaada, I'd say that Robinson sucks but Vlaada is a nice person. He didn't say that.
Conclusion? I had to take some about 120 events from 5 different decks and throw them to the bin. I needed to take control over my game and to do so, I had to trash 40% of cards I was designing over last 4 months.
I did it. Without a blink of an eye.
The Lesson? Few, actually.
Vlaada knows math.
Math is a bitch.
Game designers need to have courage to throw ideas to the bin and start right from the beginnig.
That what game design is - no mercy.
Are you designing game? You better have Vlaada Chvatil in your testing group!, part 2
I give Merry car keys. 'You drive. I work.' I say and I sit in the back seat. I have Robinson prototype all in blood and tears after Vlaada's comments. My beloved game was hurt and wounded. I had it right next to me. I also had sheets of paper and pencil. And I had three hours of car drive to Poland.
I came to Czech to present my great game. I going back with game torn into pieces. Oh, yes, I am pissed off.
So we are going home. Merry is driving. My daughter Lena is singing. I am working.
***
The problem – if player gets wound and as a consequence he looses skill, he is unable to fight back and get out of troubles. But on the other hand, if player gets wound and there are no consequences, he is not afraid of getting wounds. And this sucks.
I look at the notes from last night, new rules I designed in the hotel room. 'It is step in good direction...' said Vlaada. 'Good direction'... I'll show you 'step in good direction'...
I torn it all into pieces. I don't want good direction. I want: 'Ignacy, this is brillant'.
Did I mention I may be a little bit angry that day? Just a little.
I took clean sheet of paper. I wrote: WOUNDS. CONEQENCES. LOOSING SKILLS.
I crossed out LOOSING SKILLS.
WOUNDS. CONSEQUENCES. I need new approach. I need new point of view. Merry is driving. Lena is singing. I am working. And I am really pissed off.
***
It always starts from a story. So I am sitting in the car and I am trying to imagine myself on the Island. I am trying to imagine that I got hurt. I am trying to imagine what is happening...
I am unhappy. I am scared. I am complaining. I want rest of team mates know that I got wounded so they know I won't be able to work as hard as I wish. They are sad, demotivated, morale drops down. I am complaining...
Morale drops down. Hmm... Interesting. When player gets wound morale drops down. That is a new point of view.
There may be track of morale. It would show if players are motivated or not. It is one track for all. If one player gets wound, it affects this track. All group suffers. He is complaining. He is crying. He is hurt and wounded. Morale of team goes down...
Oh, yes! I got it! Merry is driving. Lena is singing. I am pissed off but I am getting close to start being happy.
***
So what we have here? Solution fits the story – which is always very important for me – if player gets wound and another wound and another one at some point he starts to complain demotivating the whole group. I can imagine it. It works with the theme, with group of people on deserted Island. Spirit of the team. One for all, all for one.
What else we have? If player gets wounded, he doesn't loose any skills. I disconnected skills and wounds. You have skills till the very end, no matter how wounded you are. So when player is in trouble, if he gets wounded, game is not kicking him down. He is still capable to fight back.
What else? If player gets wounded whole group suffers. It means that he doesn't want to be hurt because all players will have troubles but on the other hand if he suffers, he can still play and act and don't feel like being next to the game. He is not having this bad feeling of being excluded from the group. He is in the game till the very end.
The problem solved. Certainly, at that moment in the car I did have no idea how morale of team would work, but it was just small detail, right? The thing – shifting wound penalty from one player to whole group was the most important.
***
Few hours later I found something more. I can differentiate characters. Explorer will have only one level of complaining. He can gets six wounds in a row and he will say no single complain. He is explorer. He used to be in much worse shit. The cook? My dear, cook is moaning pig, he complains after he gets three wounds, and then he complains after two wounds and then again, two wounds and again he is grumbling. You better have food for cook, if he is hungry, he will get 2 wounds and then will lament like a slaughtered calf.
It is fun. It – in very simple way – help diverse characters. And it help feel the character, feel the theme, feel the story. One characters will decrease morale often, other not. Ones are moaning pigs, other are tough like John McClane. This is simple and this is fun. This is good.
***
When we arrived home I was relaxed. My game was repaired. Vlaada pointed problems in my game, I managed to solve some of them during way home and now my game was much better than 3 days before. When I reached home I turn my laptop, open BGG and sent geek mail to Vlaada. I was eager to once again thank him for his help. And very eager to tell him that problem is already solved.
Well, what can I say... I may not look like Bruce Willis. But when I am pissed of I am getting better. Just like John McClane...
I came to Czech to present my great game. I going back with game torn into pieces. Oh, yes, I am pissed off.
So we are going home. Merry is driving. My daughter Lena is singing. I am working.
***
The problem – if player gets wound and as a consequence he looses skill, he is unable to fight back and get out of troubles. But on the other hand, if player gets wound and there are no consequences, he is not afraid of getting wounds. And this sucks.
I look at the notes from last night, new rules I designed in the hotel room. 'It is step in good direction...' said Vlaada. 'Good direction'... I'll show you 'step in good direction'...
I torn it all into pieces. I don't want good direction. I want: 'Ignacy, this is brillant'.
Did I mention I may be a little bit angry that day? Just a little.
I took clean sheet of paper. I wrote: WOUNDS. CONEQENCES. LOOSING SKILLS.
I crossed out LOOSING SKILLS.
WOUNDS. CONSEQUENCES. I need new approach. I need new point of view. Merry is driving. Lena is singing. I am working. And I am really pissed off.
***
It always starts from a story. So I am sitting in the car and I am trying to imagine myself on the Island. I am trying to imagine that I got hurt. I am trying to imagine what is happening...
I am unhappy. I am scared. I am complaining. I want rest of team mates know that I got wounded so they know I won't be able to work as hard as I wish. They are sad, demotivated, morale drops down. I am complaining...
Morale drops down. Hmm... Interesting. When player gets wound morale drops down. That is a new point of view.
There may be track of morale. It would show if players are motivated or not. It is one track for all. If one player gets wound, it affects this track. All group suffers. He is complaining. He is crying. He is hurt and wounded. Morale of team goes down...
Oh, yes! I got it! Merry is driving. Lena is singing. I am pissed off but I am getting close to start being happy.
***
So what we have here? Solution fits the story – which is always very important for me – if player gets wound and another wound and another one at some point he starts to complain demotivating the whole group. I can imagine it. It works with the theme, with group of people on deserted Island. Spirit of the team. One for all, all for one.
What else we have? If player gets wounded, he doesn't loose any skills. I disconnected skills and wounds. You have skills till the very end, no matter how wounded you are. So when player is in trouble, if he gets wounded, game is not kicking him down. He is still capable to fight back.
What else? If player gets wounded whole group suffers. It means that he doesn't want to be hurt because all players will have troubles but on the other hand if he suffers, he can still play and act and don't feel like being next to the game. He is not having this bad feeling of being excluded from the group. He is in the game till the very end.
The problem solved. Certainly, at that moment in the car I did have no idea how morale of team would work, but it was just small detail, right? The thing – shifting wound penalty from one player to whole group was the most important.
***
Few hours later I found something more. I can differentiate characters. Explorer will have only one level of complaining. He can gets six wounds in a row and he will say no single complain. He is explorer. He used to be in much worse shit. The cook? My dear, cook is moaning pig, he complains after he gets three wounds, and then he complains after two wounds and then again, two wounds and again he is grumbling. You better have food for cook, if he is hungry, he will get 2 wounds and then will lament like a slaughtered calf.
It is fun. It – in very simple way – help diverse characters. And it help feel the character, feel the theme, feel the story. One characters will decrease morale often, other not. Ones are moaning pigs, other are tough like John McClane. This is simple and this is fun. This is good.
***
When we arrived home I was relaxed. My game was repaired. Vlaada pointed problems in my game, I managed to solve some of them during way home and now my game was much better than 3 days before. When I reached home I turn my laptop, open BGG and sent geek mail to Vlaada. I was eager to once again thank him for his help. And very eager to tell him that problem is already solved.
Well, what can I say... I may not look like Bruce Willis. But when I am pissed of I am getting better. Just like John McClane...
Are you designing game? You better have Vlaada Chvatil in your testing group!
Certainly, I didn't see much of Czech country. I didn't see Czech at all. I spent two days in games room playing Robinson Crusoe and Convoy. But my wife said country was nice. She went for a small trip when I was playing...
Anyway, at some point when I was looking for new players to play test Robinson, Vlaada Chvatil appeared in the room. One of players asked him to join test game. Vlaada looked at me, looked at Robinson and said: „OK, let's play.” We began.
The game was hard. Players quickly got wounded. Few times they were very unlucky. Because of wounds they started to loose their character's skills (when you got some level of wounds, you were loosing skills) and they looked like in despair. Since 4th turn Vlaada started to complain.
'We are going to die. We won't make it'
I was in good mood. The game was tough, they really needed to fight hard to survive on the island. I liked it. 'Stop complaining, fight. Do your best!' I told Vlaada.
5th round. They got another couple of wounds and again lost some of character's skills. 'We gonna die next round' said Vlaada.
'Stop doing that!' I said. 'You need to fight. You need to do your best. You need to survive. Think, try to find solution.' I insisted.
'I do. But there is no solution. Game will kill us next round.'
Other players weren't demotivated as much as Vlaada, they saw chances, they tried. Vlaada gave up. He saw that the end is close.
6th round. They are dead. Vlaada is right. They didn't make it.
***
'You should try harder.' I said.
'Game has bad construction. We had no chances.' Vlaada answered. He was thinking, watching cards, character boards, dices. 'If I may suggest... Well, in my opinion you have problem here Ignacy. When players got wounded, they loose skills. This is bad.' he said.
'Are you kidding? This is awesome! It's like Die hard! You got wounded, you are bleeding, you have broken leg, you feel pain all over your body, but you can not give up, you need to fight!' That was exactly what I wanted. You got wounded, you loose skills, you have to try harder. 'It is like Bruce Willis, right? Wounded, bleeding but still fighting back!'
'Ignacy, it ain't a movie. It is a boardgame.' Vlaada replied. I don't know if Vlaada likes Die Hard, but at that very moment, he didn't look like he was a big fan of John McClane.
'Vlaada, c'mon! It's like in Die Hard movie! You know, Bruce Willis in torn shirt, lots of blood and fight till the very end. Bruce Willis never gives up. That is the feeling I want to have here in Robinson. I want you bleeding, suffering but still fighting for survive!'
'It's a boardgame. You are designer. Not director. Remember?'
***
'There is a serious problem here.' Vlaada said. 'When you get few wounds, you loose level of wounds and you loose skills of your character.'
'Yes, this represent that you are tired, hurt and you loose your abilities...'
'Take the story aside for a moment. Focus on problem. You get wounds when you are in troubles. When situation gets tough. Whey you have problem. But the game is not helping. It is knocking you down. You got wound, you are in troubles and what is more, game takes your skill away. It is double hit. You need tools to get away from problems. But here in Robinson when you are in troubles, game takes away your tools. You get the point?'
'Yep.' I may be John's McClane's fan, but I am not an idiot... 'But if character gets wound and there are no consequences, getting wound will not be problem! I need players to be afraid of wounds!'
'It doesn't work. This mechanism is bad. You are in troubles. You get wound and at the same moment you loose tools to scramble out of this shit. This is bad.'
He was right. He just took whole 'wound mechanism' and throw it to the bin.
I hate when people are right.
I took my prototype. I went to the room.
No, I was not crying. True John McClane's fans don't cry.
***
That night I didn't sleep well. To be honest I didn't sleep at all. Well, maybe two or three hours. Let's face it - if Vlaada Chvatil says that your game has a problem, you don't sleep. Right?
I spent few hours rewriting rules. Tried to find solution. I wanted players to be afraid of getting wounds but on the other hand I understood what Vlaada said about taking skills away. I changed levels of wounds that take away character's skills. I changed skills, now when you loose them you don't suffer as much. After few hours I had new set of skills, new levels and I was sure that now, when players got wounded, they will still have chance to fight back. But still, getting wound was bad, was something that players will try to avoid.
I caught Vlaada on breakfast. 'Got minute for me after breakfast?' I asked. 'Yes. Actually I wanted to talk with you. I was thinking about the game last night.'
I showed him my notes. I showed him how I changed levels and skills. I showed him how I changed wound rules and consequences of wounds.
'Is it ok? This is what you were talkin' yesterday?' I asked.
'Well... It is step in right direction' he said.
For all of you who don't get it – 'step in good direction' is polite way of saying 'Man, it sucks. Try harder.'
We talked about other problems of Robinson for an hour. Then I packed Robinson, Convoy, my wife Merry and my daughter and we drove back to Poland. My prototype was devastated.
So here is my advice for all of you - think twice when you decide to take prototype to Czech next time...
To be continued...
Why I needed three years to discover Frozen City?
Year later I discovered that 51st State is not a perfect game. Year later I designed direct interaction rules for 51st State and that's how The New Era hit the market. With direct agression 51st State was just awesome. I believed I designed perfect card game.
Year later I discovered that The New Era is not a perfect game. Year later I designed Frozen City and Production dice and thats how Winter hit the market. With Frozen City, Production dice 51st State was just awesome. I believed I finally designed perfect card game...
*
Leaders
Leaders? Players who played 51st State were complaining about them a lot. They are powerfull and player who have them have huge advance. If you are draw a Leader you are in better position that your opponent. Many gamers compained. 'Leaders suck.', 'Leaders are unbalanced.', 'I play without Leaders!'
This is bad.
OK, let's take a moment to look at the problem. Leaders are bad or distrbution of Leaders is bad?
I take all Contact cards and all Leaders put aside. I put them on special board called Frozen City. Every player can send ther a worker whenever he wants to have a new Leader. It is no longer random draw. It is no longer huge advance. Everybody can have Leader if he wants to. It is simple. It is obvious. Why it didn't work that way since the vry beginnning?
The question? Why I am such a moron? Why I needed three years to discover it?
Production
It is first round. You play Merchants or Mutants and you have – almost – no chance to attach Location. Incorporating new Location cost you two irons, at the beginning you don't have them. And no chance to have them. You play first round and you know you will not play a Location on the table.
This is bad.
It is last round, you have six or seven Locations with Action icon. Each of them needs a Worker, but you produce only 3 workers. Pitty. You were developing for an hour and now you are stuck. Half of your Locations will not work. It sucks.
This is bad.
In 51st State production is constant – every single round you get 3 Workers and 1 Resource but players needs aren't constant. At the beginning they need iron to build Locations, then they need redevelopement tokens to change Locations, then they need hell of a Workers to make many Actions... Why not make Production phase different in every round? Why not make Production phase follow players needs? Why not give them additional Iron at the beginning of the game and additional worker at the end?
The question? Why I am such a moron? Why I needed three years to discover it?
*
Every year, when I finish my new design I am 100% sure that this is a perfect game. I see no flaws. I see no points where it could be improved. I see it as a brillant piece of work.
And year after year I learn something new. Every year I discover new stuff. Every year it turns out that I can do better.
Today I am happy to announce – without false modesty - that Winter is a perfect card game.
But to be honest I have a hunch I may want to change this statement next year...
Die Hard Merry
Merry was playing terribly. Chaos on the table. No good decisions. No strategy. It was terrible and yes, I really mean it. I was tired after work and I was disappointed with Merry's approach. At some point I just put my cards away and say: 'OK, we stop. You are playing like moron. Thank you very much for such help!'
I was really disappointed that she didn't want to help me with testing.
Merry however didn't say sorry. She reacted quite the opposite. She exploded. Yes, woman do that.
'What?! I don't care?! I fake that I am doing my best?!' and it was just beggining... 'I am playing here with you though you didn't even care to explain me rules! I didn't play 51st State, remember? I don't know what I am doing and I am desperately try to understand this damn icons! I don't care?! Are you kidding me?!'
It always ends like that. Man is the one who is guilty. Man is to say 'sorry'. So I did say sorry. I took my cards back. I spent 20 minutes explaining rules. We played again. Merry was playing really good.
That very first night of testing she felt in love with The New Era.
***
Since then Merry played countless games of The New Era. It can be more than 300 or 500 games. I have no idea. She is playing all the time. She was testing it with me. Then, when The New Era was balanced and I was really sick of it, she decided to find new players. And yes, she found them.
Are you going to visit Mr. and Mrs. Trzewiczek's house? You will play The New Era. Merry will explain you rules and make you play it.
Did you invite Mr. and Mrs. Trzewiczek to your house for a nice evening? Yes, Merry will, 'by accident' have The New Era with her. She will explain you rules and make you play it.
Are you on convention? Merry is there too? She will hunt you down and teach you and play with you The New Era.
Boardgames club in Gliwice? Sure! Every single Monday she is there. Playing The New Era...
***
'It has the same problem like Race for the Galaxy' once she said. 'You've just developed your state, you have great cards built, you want to finally start scoring big points, but the game suddenly ends. You have 12 cards in RftG, or 33 points here and that's it. I want it last longer.'
She looked at me. 'Could you...? Please.'
What a man can do? Can he resisit that look?
So I designed 'Winter' expansion.
***
I changed pace of the game. Now it takes always six turns. Game is much more strategic now. You plan your actions for all following turns, you plan how to develop your state and you plan how many points you can make in that time.
It is so much satisfying. Or so much frustrating when you see other player is developing better, having better plan, having their combos working so smoth...
I moved Leader cards and Contact cards out ouf the deck and put them into Frozen City section – now it is no longer luck that decides whenever you have Leader or not. You just take him if you need.
I changed production - now it follows players needs, in every turn it changes a little bit, so players get additional workers, additional cards or resources. It gives them great possibilities to create new combos and develop their state.
I played many times Winter and I am proud of it. I tested it for few months and I believe it is great. But what is more, I saw Merry playing it hundred of times with people. She is die hard fan of 51st State line and every time she played Winter I saw in her eyes that this is it, this is the expansion that fans were waiting for. I am happy seeing that every time she plays Winter.
***
Writers sometimes, on the first page of their novel, write dedication. Something like: 'For my beloved wife and kids' or 'For Jenny' or whatever.
Winter is not only dedicated to Merry. Winter is designed for her.
What can I say. You, 51st State fans are lucky bastards. You have die hard fan of the game living with me. She will be forcing me to design new cards for next 20 years. Stay tunned :)
Poland has gamers
I may be wrong in today's post. I may have not right perspective. But what the hell, this is my blog and I write here what I feel. And I feel and I think, that here in Poland we did a really good of a job and we enriched gaming hobby in past 5 years.
From my perspective it all started in 2007, when Portal presented Neuroshima Hex in Essen. I remember words that Greg J. Schloesser said that year. It was: "I honestly don't know much - OK, anything - about the gaming scene in Poland but if Neuroshima Hex is any indication I am impressed."
Poland was a blank point on the boardgames scene. No gamer known anything about Poland and Polish games. With Neuroshima Hex we had a really good entrance.
Today Neuroshima Hex is worldwide known game, 138th place in BGG ranking, thousands of copies in gamers collections, six new armies published as expansions, more than 20 fan armies published as a PDF files. There are US, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian (Polish of course) editions, new editons are in progress. This is great what Neuroshima Hex achieved.
Two years later Portal published Stronghold, another great epic game that was widely discussed, was nominated for International Gamers Award, for Golden Geek, for Game of the Year in Poland and then was licensed and published worldwide by Valley Games. Without false modesty I do believe that designing Stronghold was an important for many players. There wasn't such a game before.
We did a bunch of other games like 51st State or Pret-a-Porter, but Poland is not only Portal...
In 2010 Polish company - Rebel.pl - published K2, great family game about climbing the second-highest mountain on Earth. It is a great board game, with easy rules and engaging gameplay. It was designed by my friend, Adam Kałuża, who lives 20 miles away from me. This year Adam and his K2 was nominated for Kennerspiel des Jahres. It is a huge success. Many players now decided to try K2 and I believe they will love it, they will try to climb and risk a hard path or easy one, and will have to decide when to attack the mountain and when to rest... Simple rules, great game play. I do believe that designing K2 by Adam was adding a small gem to our hobby...
If we talk about gems... There is a guy called Edrache, my friend from Poznan, who in March 2010 started a tremendeus project called Minimalistic posters. His geek list gathered 886 thumbs and this is not a surprise. It was a great stuff. He decided to design posters for different boardgames. His work was so great that Hans im Glück contacted Edrache and asked him to design 12 posters for their games. They published it in a form of calendar.
I was happy to have my games 'postered' by Edrache. Poster of Stronghold is hanging in passe-partout in my room. I love it. I have pleasure to know Edrache and play with him my games.
This 886 thumbs is quite a few. Edrache introduced to our hobby something that is interesting and new, something that enriched our hobby.
We have two war gamers who brought something really special last few years. Rober Żak designed Strike of the Eagle - it was published first in Poland and then licensed and published by Academy Games. I haven't played it yet, but the reviews are quite clear - this is a great war game. The same situation is with Conflict of Heroes: Price of Honour - Poland 1939 co-designed by Michał Ozon and published by Academy Games. I haven't played it yet, but it is on my short list to play, already on my shelf, waiting for free evening. These are great games from Polish designers. I am eager to play them.
And last but not least, my close friend Pancho. In 2000 when I was publishing RPG magazine Pancho was one of writers and he wrote a really great stuff for Warhammer RPG. When in 2010, ten years after he came to me, said that he founded Big Daddy's Creations and asked for license for Neuroshima Hex for IOS I couldn't refuse. We knew each other for a decade.
But, I am lucky bastard. Big Daddy's Creations did one of greatest apps for IOS.
Neuroshima Hex is an example of best adaptation of board game for electronic devices. It was chosen as second best board game app by IGN magazine. They got iOS Game of the Year (GameShark), they got Best Card/Board game – runner up (TouchGen)... They did an awesome job.
And then they did Caylus. And now they do Eclipse. This is great crew from Poland.
In 3 weeks I do another edition of boardgame convention in Gliwice. We will meet together.
Pancho will bring me some screen shoots and stuff from Stronghold for iPad. I am very excited about this release. I now they will do a wonderful job with this app.
Michał Ozon will bring pre-production copy of CLASH: Jihad vs. McWorld. This is rethemed version of R.R.R. great abstract strategy game I brought from Essen two years ago and showed in Poland.
Adam Kałuża will show Cave, his new game about exploring caves. This is his great passion and hobby and as far as I heard, games is as good as K2. Once again Adam put his whole heart into this design.
I will show them my Robinson Crusoe, another take for epic game with strong theme. Like in 2009 with Stronghold, this time I again spent almost whole damn year working on it, and once again I believe I was able to put into Robinson's box my passion, imagination, my heart. This is great adventure co-op I was dreaming about for years.
We will sit at the table, share our ideas and designs, drink a beer or tea, and have fun. We are a nice bunch of gamers. This year we will have good stuff for you. Again.
*
From my perspective it all started in 2007, when Portal presented Neuroshima Hex in Essen. I remember words that Greg J. Schloesser said that year. It was: "I honestly don't know much - OK, anything - about the gaming scene in Poland but if Neuroshima Hex is any indication I am impressed."
Poland was a blank point on the boardgames scene. No gamer known anything about Poland and Polish games. With Neuroshima Hex we had a really good entrance.
Today Neuroshima Hex is worldwide known game, 138th place in BGG ranking, thousands of copies in gamers collections, six new armies published as expansions, more than 20 fan armies published as a PDF files. There are US, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian (Polish of course) editions, new editons are in progress. This is great what Neuroshima Hex achieved.
Two years later Portal published Stronghold, another great epic game that was widely discussed, was nominated for International Gamers Award, for Golden Geek, for Game of the Year in Poland and then was licensed and published worldwide by Valley Games. Without false modesty I do believe that designing Stronghold was an important for many players. There wasn't such a game before.
We did a bunch of other games like 51st State or Pret-a-Porter, but Poland is not only Portal...
*
In 2010 Polish company - Rebel.pl - published K2, great family game about climbing the second-highest mountain on Earth. It is a great board game, with easy rules and engaging gameplay. It was designed by my friend, Adam Kałuża, who lives 20 miles away from me. This year Adam and his K2 was nominated for Kennerspiel des Jahres. It is a huge success. Many players now decided to try K2 and I believe they will love it, they will try to climb and risk a hard path or easy one, and will have to decide when to attack the mountain and when to rest... Simple rules, great game play. I do believe that designing K2 by Adam was adding a small gem to our hobby...
*
If we talk about gems... There is a guy called Edrache, my friend from Poznan, who in March 2010 started a tremendeus project called Minimalistic posters. His geek list gathered 886 thumbs and this is not a surprise. It was a great stuff. He decided to design posters for different boardgames. His work was so great that Hans im Glück contacted Edrache and asked him to design 12 posters for their games. They published it in a form of calendar.
I was happy to have my games 'postered' by Edrache. Poster of Stronghold is hanging in passe-partout in my room. I love it. I have pleasure to know Edrache and play with him my games.
This 886 thumbs is quite a few. Edrache introduced to our hobby something that is interesting and new, something that enriched our hobby.
*
We have two war gamers who brought something really special last few years. Rober Żak designed Strike of the Eagle - it was published first in Poland and then licensed and published by Academy Games. I haven't played it yet, but the reviews are quite clear - this is a great war game. The same situation is with Conflict of Heroes: Price of Honour - Poland 1939 co-designed by Michał Ozon and published by Academy Games. I haven't played it yet, but it is on my short list to play, already on my shelf, waiting for free evening. These are great games from Polish designers. I am eager to play them.
*
And last but not least, my close friend Pancho. In 2000 when I was publishing RPG magazine Pancho was one of writers and he wrote a really great stuff for Warhammer RPG. When in 2010, ten years after he came to me, said that he founded Big Daddy's Creations and asked for license for Neuroshima Hex for IOS I couldn't refuse. We knew each other for a decade.
But, I am lucky bastard. Big Daddy's Creations did one of greatest apps for IOS.
Neuroshima Hex is an example of best adaptation of board game for electronic devices. It was chosen as second best board game app by IGN magazine. They got iOS Game of the Year (GameShark), they got Best Card/Board game – runner up (TouchGen)... They did an awesome job.
And then they did Caylus. And now they do Eclipse. This is great crew from Poland.
*
In 3 weeks I do another edition of boardgame convention in Gliwice. We will meet together.
Pancho will bring me some screen shoots and stuff from Stronghold for iPad. I am very excited about this release. I now they will do a wonderful job with this app.
Michał Ozon will bring pre-production copy of CLASH: Jihad vs. McWorld. This is rethemed version of R.R.R. great abstract strategy game I brought from Essen two years ago and showed in Poland.
Adam Kałuża will show Cave, his new game about exploring caves. This is his great passion and hobby and as far as I heard, games is as good as K2. Once again Adam put his whole heart into this design.
I will show them my Robinson Crusoe, another take for epic game with strong theme. Like in 2009 with Stronghold, this time I again spent almost whole damn year working on it, and once again I believe I was able to put into Robinson's box my passion, imagination, my heart. This is great adventure co-op I was dreaming about for years.
We will sit at the table, share our ideas and designs, drink a beer or tea, and have fun. We are a nice bunch of gamers. This year we will have good stuff for you. Again.
Yes, you can.
We are preparing final files to print Robinson Crusoe. We are ordering wooden cubes, we are ordering cards, we are preparing tens of tokens. We are doing all that stuff that I really really hate. One mistake and man, you are in serious trouble. Robinson is a huge epic game. Reminds me Stronghold. Reminds me August 2009...
In August 2009, when we were finishing work on Stronghold every single day I was wondering what mistake we will do. I wasn't wondering if we make mistake. I was wondering what mistake it will be. Oh, yes, I was sure that we will botch something. Nearly 150 tokens, nearly 100 cards, 60 pages long rulebook in 3 languages, more than 300 wooden pieces. It was a big production with 'FFG' impetus. It was like ride on rollercoaster. It was fast, exciting and it had to end badly. In August 2009 I had no doubts about that.
We were not FFG. In Portal there was 3 guys. 3 guys making biggest game in their lives. 3 guys scared as a hell. 3 guys that wanted to make good worldwide impression. 3 guys that tried to do 'FFG production'.
We had no marketing department and yet we were on #1 place on The Hotness list on BGG for many weeks before Essen. We had no budget for advertisement and yet we had movie trailer presenting Stronghold. We had no copywriters and yet with our GDJ series we were one of the most discussed games before Essen fair.
Production of Stronghold exceed our possibilities. Not twice. It exceed it ten times. We were doing our best. And yet every day we were motivating each other to try harder. It was our life time moment. Our biggest game.
You, gamers, saw cover and board of Stronghold, you read GDJ stuff, you watched movie trailer, you were participating with this whole hype and buzz, and then, after Essen you were nominating us for International Gamer Award or Golden Geek but did you know that this whole fuss was done just by 3 friends?
Production department in Portal? Whole department - Michał Oracz.
Testing team? Oh, sure! Big big team! Rafał Szyma and Ignacy Trzewiczek (and bunch of our close friends).
Marketing department? His Majesty Storyteller Ignacy Trzewiczek
Artwork director? Michał Oracz, again.
Game development team? One Man Team - Ignacy Trzewiczek, again.
Movie trailer? Michał Oracz.
Essen stand design? Michał Oracz.
etc.
Yes, it was crazy. But we did it. There was no mistake in Stronghold. We did one of the most famous and respected games of 2009. It was awesome.
Today Portal is twice as big. We have 3 guys responsible for Neuroshima RPG and Neuroshima Tactics miniature game and 3 of us responsible for boardgames. We grown, but still - in a fact - we are bunch of few friends doing their best to bring you best games possible. This year we will bring Robinson Crusoe. This year again we have to exceed our possibilities. This year again we will do everything we can to stand next to FFG and other great publishers.
Have dreams. Have courage to follow these dreams. Do your games. You don't need to have big budget. You don't need to have 20 people crew. You don't need anything except passion and will to fight. Fight for your success. It is at your fingertips.
***
In August 2009, when we were finishing work on Stronghold every single day I was wondering what mistake we will do. I wasn't wondering if we make mistake. I was wondering what mistake it will be. Oh, yes, I was sure that we will botch something. Nearly 150 tokens, nearly 100 cards, 60 pages long rulebook in 3 languages, more than 300 wooden pieces. It was a big production with 'FFG' impetus. It was like ride on rollercoaster. It was fast, exciting and it had to end badly. In August 2009 I had no doubts about that.
We were not FFG. In Portal there was 3 guys. 3 guys making biggest game in their lives. 3 guys scared as a hell. 3 guys that wanted to make good worldwide impression. 3 guys that tried to do 'FFG production'.
We had no marketing department and yet we were on #1 place on The Hotness list on BGG for many weeks before Essen. We had no budget for advertisement and yet we had movie trailer presenting Stronghold. We had no copywriters and yet with our GDJ series we were one of the most discussed games before Essen fair.
Production of Stronghold exceed our possibilities. Not twice. It exceed it ten times. We were doing our best. And yet every day we were motivating each other to try harder. It was our life time moment. Our biggest game.
You, gamers, saw cover and board of Stronghold, you read GDJ stuff, you watched movie trailer, you were participating with this whole hype and buzz, and then, after Essen you were nominating us for International Gamer Award or Golden Geek but did you know that this whole fuss was done just by 3 friends?
Production department in Portal? Whole department - Michał Oracz.
Testing team? Oh, sure! Big big team! Rafał Szyma and Ignacy Trzewiczek (and bunch of our close friends).
Marketing department? His Majesty Storyteller Ignacy Trzewiczek
Artwork director? Michał Oracz, again.
Game development team? One Man Team - Ignacy Trzewiczek, again.
Movie trailer? Michał Oracz.
Essen stand design? Michał Oracz.
etc.
Yes, it was crazy. But we did it. There was no mistake in Stronghold. We did one of the most famous and respected games of 2009. It was awesome.
***
Today Portal is twice as big. We have 3 guys responsible for Neuroshima RPG and Neuroshima Tactics miniature game and 3 of us responsible for boardgames. We grown, but still - in a fact - we are bunch of few friends doing their best to bring you best games possible. This year we will bring Robinson Crusoe. This year again we have to exceed our possibilities. This year again we will do everything we can to stand next to FFG and other great publishers.
Have dreams. Have courage to follow these dreams. Do your games. You don't need to have big budget. You don't need to have 20 people crew. You don't need anything except passion and will to fight. Fight for your success. It is at your fingertips.
Scania, I see market for you here!
I am on vacation now. And you, boardgamers know that vacation is a great time. This is the moment when we can finally play all these great games we were buying and collecting for whole year!
We have many games. We are well prepared for every occasion.
Is it raining for whole day? Everybody on vacation is pissed off except us, boardgamers! Rain, this is great! You must sit in hotel room! Now you have time to open Arkham Horror with all expansions you bought for last decade and play it for 24 hours!
Is it cold? Don't go sightseeing, it sucks and you can got a flu! Sit at your hotel room, open suitcase and bring it to the table - Twilight Imperium, III ed. Oh, yes, I wish it is cold for whole 2 weeks. No problem at all.
Nice weather? OK, let it be nice weather. I am not big fan of nice weather, but what the hell, I ame prepared! I can go to the beach. I can go to the beach with Cash & Guns, Tichu, Hystericoach and have some fun. Of course, when on the beach, be aware of water, especially if you can't swim, like me.
You are with kids? Give them Talisman and you don't need to care about them for next 6 hours. Giving them Talisman is like hiring a nanny but better because it can handle up to 6 kids! What nanny can beat this?!
You are with friends who don't know boardgames yet? Put Ticket to Ride on table and look how their eyes open with excitement and new born passion. This is huge moment. It is worth playing Ticket to Ride for the 328th time in your life.
You are with die hard geeks? Lucky bastard, make it Neuroshima Hex's vacation! Start league, play every day, with tables, results and final price. You do drink beer, do you? If not, send you price to Portal, we will handle it.
Oh yes. Boardgames have answer for all vacation situations.
That's why I have everything with me here on vacations. Settlers of Catan to play with kids. Twilight Struggle to play with my wife. Brawl to play tournament with my friend Widlak. Neuroshima Hex so our kids can play tournament. Prototype of Robinson and Winter so I can test it on my friends. Yes, vacations and games work great together.
But... There is one small question I had to ask.
How the hell I am supposed to pack all these games to my car?! Where to put clothes and stuff?! I need a truck!
Scania, I see a huge market for you here. I will need to rent a truck for two weeks. And my fellow geeks too. What are the prices? Any discount for BGG members?
You have to have guts to ask this question.
Last weekend in Bulgaria there was a
final of The Volleyball World League. Polish team beat US team 3:0.
It was nice, thank you very much Americans ;)
Anyway, when I was watching the match I
realised that you can learn a bit as a designer when you take a
second to talk about volleyball.
You know, for almost my whole life
rules of scoring in volleyball worked like that: when you serve and
win the point, you score. If opponent serves and you win the point,
you don't score, you just have the right to serve. If your attack is
successful now, you score. If the opponent wins, he only has the
right to serve...
Official volleyball federation was
founded in 1947. For 40 years people were playing like described
above. If you serve, and I win, I don't get a point. I only get the
right to serve. So now I serve, but this time you win, so you don't
score but now you can serve... And it goes like that for two
hours. Score? 0:0.
Watching volleyball was kinda' boring
for over 40 years.
And then somebody finally figured it
out. This game is broken, he said. We have to change the rules. You
need to score after every successful attack, no matter who served.
You know, it's not easy to change the
rules of a game that is played for almost 50 years. A game that was
played in world championships, during olimpics, a game with officiall
leagues in almost all countries all over the world.
But the Federation of Volleyball had
the balls.
They had the guts to say: "Our
game sucks. We can make it better." And they changed the rules.
It was 1998, 41 years after Federation was founded. They had the guts to remove rule that was making volleyball boring.
Volleyball got
much more simple. It is fast, extremely engaging. It is a great sport now.
***
This is a nightmare for a designer. You
design a rule. You test the game, you play a lot, you get used to
this rule. Finally you're stuck with it. You don't ask yourself an
important question:
"Does my game really need that rule?"
It is hard to ask that question. There
is a risk that you could hear "No". You would need to
delete this rule. The rule you got used to. The rule you like.
Exactly that rule...
So you're stuck with it. Your game is
filled with rules that don't bring anything to the gameplay. They
don't make the game better. They don't bring more choices. They don't
bring more emotions. They just are. They just are because you
got used to them after these all those test games.
All those rules could be removed if you
had the guts to ask the question.
***
I am a young designer. Yes, I was lucky
to make some - I believe good - games like Stronghold or The New Era
but this is just the beginning. I am aware of that. I am still in the
primary school of designing. I am learning every single day. I have
flaws that I need to get rid of. I know that.
One of my flaws is putting to many
rules into my games. I have difficulties with designing simple games.
It's hard for me to delete rules, to ask myself a question: "Does
my game really need that rule?"
But I am working hard. I am trying to
be better. I am aware of the problem and I believe this is a good
beginning. I see the problem. This is always a good first step.
During the last months I was working
damn hard on my Robinson Crusoe game. The game is ready. Works really
great. I am proud of it and I can't wait for you guys to see it. But
it's not going to print yet. I still have a few weeks left.
During these weeks I will ask myself
the question.
In 1998 the Volleyball guys showed that
they have guts. Now it is my time to act.
How I didn't win Spiel des Jahres
No orcs. No mutants and tanks.
No "Trzewiczek style".
Spiel des Jahres jury, I am coming!
I took brushes, I took paints and started to make a prototype. I have huge range of Citadel paints, very expensive, but very good. I wanted my prototype to look great. I used Citadels. I painted 32 tiles with green paint (sweet meadows!). I drew 158 little sheep and then I painted all of them (yellow, white, blue, red). It was great, I was imagining myself coming to the office, showing the prototype to the guys and telling them that I've just designed a great game! It took me whole night. Nearly 5 hours of painting little sheep.
It was very late in the night, but I was so proud of myself. It had to be a hit! I was excited. I didn't go to sleep. I took a box of chocolate, I painted it grey, and then I drew a meadow and some sheep on the front cover. It was awesome. Spiel des Jahres jury, I am coming!
Finally I went to sleep.
I woke up the next day. I was so proud. I ate breakfast and sat at the table to play my game. The first test. I was very excited. First time in my designer life I was about to play a test game on such a beautiful prototype. So I played.
Well, not exactly. I didn't play because it didn't work. It didn't work at all! I was sitting at the table and couldn't believe that I spend whole night painting sheep without first checking if the rules make any sens.
Can I bite your game?
The first time I came across this term was in 2007 during my interview with Bruno Faidutti for Polish magazine “Swiat gier planszowych” (World of board games). I asked him how many games he had in his collection. "More than five thousand, hard to say. I cannibalize many games.""What?" - I asked, clearly not understanding what he meant. My conversational Polishenglish combined with his Frenchenglish ... I think you can sympathize.
"I cannibalize. I take components from other games and use them in my own prototypes. Thus, a lot of my game boxes are incomplete and will never be playable again."
"Oh." I said. That was something absolutely new for me. And it was two years after my conversation with Bruno, when – during my works on Stronghold - I finally fully understood what he meant.
***
I have used wood from two Mykerinos boxes, two Glik boxes and one box of Elasund for my Stronghold prototype. I’ve added a cartload of Lego bricks as walls, pots, cannons, hooks... The castle looked like a vast construction site. For a moment it even seemed possible that five incomplete game sets and a pile of my son’s bricks was enough for me to work. Unfortunately... During the final stage of my work on the game I had to send the prototype to testers, and had I not discovered a store with wooden beads I would have been in serious trouble and Ystari company would have been over the moon with twenty more Mykerinos boxes sold.
While working on Prêt-a-Porter I’ve cannibalized copies of Arkham Horror. This game has wonderful cash tokens. I’ve borrowed one of the copies from the club in Gliwice, the other one was lend to me by Tycjan from Opole. I have tarnished the sanctity during my works on Stronghold: Undead – I’ve used chess pawns for priests. I have also made use of green cubes from Space Alert. They have worked so well that eventually we contacted our friends from the CGE and with their help the final version of Undead is equipped with the same tape of cubes as in Space Alert, however they are blood-red colored...
My 51st State was created using wood pieces from Light Speed, and Light Speed was created on the basis of Ikea glass markers. I designed Witchcraft with the usage of damage indicators from the first edition of Neuroshima Hex, and Machina (Machine)... To be honest, I've created Machina from scratch, all by myself. It was my first game. I didn't know then that one should steal the components, and not cut them out with scissors from cardboard…
***
I write about all this all as now working on my Robinson game I’ve cannibalized without even noticing my favorite CGE game - wonderful and crazy Galaxy Trucker. And now, not only I cannot fly into space and experience great adventures there – I also had to splash some paint on my brave Czech astronauts for the sake of Robinson. In my prototype I needed meeples in four different colors, so I had to paint the astronauts. Their resemblance to Neil A. Armstrong is lost.
Galaxy Trucker is one of my son's favorite games. And what will I tell him now? How can I admit what I have done? Even if I finish my work on Robinson pretty soon, even if none of the astronauts is lost during the tests and they all eventually return to Galaxy Trucker’s box, space trips will never be the same again. Robinson has left a considerable mark on them …
Ignacy, there is no such card!
Essen fair has ended, stress level has fallen- finally a moment to catch a breath. I can play in the newest releases, see what the other authors have prepared, take a gulp of new ideas. I’ll note the interesting solutions that may be inspiring and I’ll allow my mind to be stirred by others. Sometimes – quite unexpectedly - something completely new is born from all this commotion.
Finally, after several plays, the commotion came. Oh yes. And as a result, within two weeks after Essen the brand new prototype has landed on the table. We play. Turns come and go. Step by step Merry is gaining the upper hand and finally I can see nothing’s going to change that in the following two moves before the end of the game. I was beaten. The prototype seems to be cool, yet the cards have little to do with balance.
I draw my last card. It's named Commandos, yet there is no text nor symbols with rules on it, only the title and cool graphics. I didn’t have a slightest idea for the mechanics, only a cool title, so I just tossed this card into the deck. Very clever. "Trzewiczek style" they call it - the story always comes first, then you’ll have time to worry, dude, about the rules.
And so I draw this stupid Commandos and with a poker face I put it in New York saying "Commandos. I won."
Merry’s eyes widen.
If I had to buy her some contact lenses just in that moment, they would have to be the bottom of a jar size.
"What?" she asks almost completely speechless.
I lost miserably. The only thing left for me was to tease her a little bit. "Well, I pulled Commandos. Didn’t I tell you that when Outpost draws that card, it wins? And so I won."
Merry didn’t believe in what she’s just heard. "There is no such card."
I keep my face straight. "There is. As you can clearly see here. Commandos wins the game."
"Ignacy, there is no such card!" Merry furiously rushes to the other side of the table, grabs the Commandos and throws it away. The card lands besides the window. "Ignacy, there is no such card."
All I could do is bursts out laughing.
Two days later, the Commandos has its abilities described. Maybe it does not win the game, but… but still gets to be my favorite card in the whole deck.
Finally, after several plays, the commotion came. Oh yes. And as a result, within two weeks after Essen the brand new prototype has landed on the table. We play. Turns come and go. Step by step Merry is gaining the upper hand and finally I can see nothing’s going to change that in the following two moves before the end of the game. I was beaten. The prototype seems to be cool, yet the cards have little to do with balance.
I draw my last card. It's named Commandos, yet there is no text nor symbols with rules on it, only the title and cool graphics. I didn’t have a slightest idea for the mechanics, only a cool title, so I just tossed this card into the deck. Very clever. "Trzewiczek style" they call it - the story always comes first, then you’ll have time to worry, dude, about the rules.
And so I draw this stupid Commandos and with a poker face I put it in New York saying "Commandos. I won."
Merry’s eyes widen.
If I had to buy her some contact lenses just in that moment, they would have to be the bottom of a jar size.
"What?" she asks almost completely speechless.
I lost miserably. The only thing left for me was to tease her a little bit. "Well, I pulled Commandos. Didn’t I tell you that when Outpost draws that card, it wins? And so I won."
Merry didn’t believe in what she’s just heard. "There is no such card."
I keep my face straight. "There is. As you can clearly see here. Commandos wins the game."
"Ignacy, there is no such card!" Merry furiously rushes to the other side of the table, grabs the Commandos and throws it away. The card lands besides the window. "Ignacy, there is no such card."
All I could do is bursts out laughing.
Two days later, the Commandos has its abilities described. Maybe it does not win the game, but… but still gets to be my favorite card in the whole deck.
Moneyball
The day when we were to close our tests and start preparing files for printing was getting closer, and the army was behaving ridiculously. Finally I couldn’t stand it. I called Michał Oracz.
"Michał, come to the Company. We must weaken the Steel Police. What we have here is a mockery of a balance. "- since from January 2011 Michał no longer worked in Portal, we had to call him to the Company if we wanted to mix with Neuroshima Hex. And it seemed that we had to mix a lot. Michał had to come. Two hours later he stood in the doorway of our office.
"Michał, the army is not balanced. I have the entire file of results – and it looks very bad. " I greeted him quickly getting to the point.
Michał took the printout. Looked. And nodded.
"You’re playing it wrong."
I gaped at him.
"What?"
"The army is balanced. You’re playing it wrong. Who's watching the rules during the tests? "
"Maciek."
Michał sat down with him and began to question him from rules. Just like during the exam. He pulled from his sleeve the most bizarre situations and asked how he would interpret them. Such thing has yet never been seen in Portal. The situation was peculiar.
Maciek’s passed the test. He answered all the questions. And so Michał invited him to play.
"Show how you play the Steel Police."
Michał took the Hegemony. And took victory over Steel Police in stride. They played again. Steel Police has lost a second time. They played a third time. Steel Police has been beaten the third time in a row.
"The army is balanced. Learn how to play." He said simply and went home.
***
A few days later Steel Police tests moved to the next stage - we sent the file to the most trusted and experienced Neuroshima Hex players in Poland. Those guys who win tournaments. The ones that go to conventions and organize game shows. The biggest NS HEX geeks in the country. They were obliged to send daily packages of results, along with a description of their plays. The results ended up in Michał Oracz’s mailbox and a copy was sent to me. I watched them. They made my hair stand on the end.
The Steel Police was almost unbeatable. The results were frightening. We had 3 weeks to the tests’ closing date and the army had absolutely nothing to do with balance. It won all of the battles.
During this time I called Michał almost every day.
"Michał, did you get the latest results? We are weakening the army, huh? Introduce a few changes, please."
"They have to learn how to play against this army. It is balanced. Do not change anything. "
Just 3 weeks left. I was close to a heart attack.
***
Have you seen Moneyball? There is an extraordinary scene where Brad Pitt, manager of the Oakland Athletics is called along with his assistant on the carpet by chairman of the club. Team results are a catastrophe, Oakland lost eighteen games in a row. They are last in the group. The chairman asks what they’re going to do.
"We estimate that we will begin to win in mid-season."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The team will start to win in mid-July. We will qualify to the playoff. Trust us, please. "
They’ve just lost the eighteenth game in a row. Trust us. Yeah, they certainly have the nerve.
***
It was several days ago. Two weeks before the zero hour. After the weekend I received from our testers another large batch of Steel Police results. Resigned, I gave it a glance. And immediately, I mean immediately grabbed the phone.
"Did you see the results?!" I almost shouted to the receiver.
"They’ve learned how to play." Michał replied calmly.
The bastard was right. He had known from the start what would happen.
"They’ve learned how to play." I said and nodded. "They’ve learned how to play..."
In this story Michał has played the part of Brat Pitt. I was only the chairman who withstood the pressure and didn’t start to tamper in the team ...
Jokes are over
It’s January. Jokes are over. We begin the Operation: Essen 2012. It’s been like that in Portal for years. October means the Essen fairs, in November we take a break and rest, and in December we look through ideas, prototypes and different sketches we’ve collected over past few months. Then comes January.
In January we begin working on prototypes and new ideas. We analyze and discuss them. Finally, we choose the one we think is best and has the biggest chances for success. The one we want to present during the next Essen fairs.
In 2007, before Essen, Michał Oracz showed us his newest game prototype. He worked on it for the rest of the year and in January 2008 it was all clear - we will publish a game about a wizards duel. This is how Witchcraft was born.
In 2008 I had my idea for a game about a castle siege. It’s been a couple of years but I still remember how nervous I was when in January I came to the firm with a big sheet of paper with a castle drew on it to present my prototype to the rest of the guys. We decided that the game has a big potential. We began working on Stronghold.
We closed 2010 without an idea for a new game... We closed it with a finished game. That year we published Pret-a-Porter in Poland. We didn’t plan to publish it in other countries, but as weeks went by, that idea became more and more tempting. The reviews in Poland were incredible. Everyone was asking us the same question: “Are you going to Essen with this?”.
We didn’t want to do that. Pret-a-Porter was completely different from our previous games – theme was so strange. And cards - they were full of text. We also knew, that if we sacrifice another few months to prepare international edition of the game, we won’t have anything new for the Polish market.
Tough nut to crack. You have a great game on the table and a decision to make. Do you start working on it’s new edition? Or maybe put it on the shelve and begin a new project?
Finally, we decided to give Pret-a-Porter a chance for an international career. We had a lot of time. We designed the best, most legible icons in the history of Portal's games. We balanced the game even more. We added few new, great cards. We went to Essen 2011 with a fantastic game. Thanks to many months of hard work we polished up Pret-a-Porter in the smallest details.
What’s more, we still had a lot of time to rest, clear our heads, look for new ideas and prepare for the next year.
It’s January 2012. Again, there’s a lot of prototypes on our table. We have second 51. State’s expansion, we have a two-players card game, we have a new cooperative game, and couple of new armies for Neuroshima Hex. January is a month of playing and discussing. A month of decision making.
In a few weeks our publishing plan will be ready and approved. We’ll begin the Operation: Essen 2012.
It's a mystery
What are we going to do now?! - he shouts a question in director's face.
Nothing, sire. - the director calmly responds. - It always works out in the end.
How?
I do not know, sire. It's a mystery.
***
From the sole beginning I had a problem with interaction in the 51st State. Testers said the game was fun, gave quite a satisfaction from playing, but - what a shame - no interaction. Again and again I heard the same thing repeated to me: cool and interesting, but you know, lacks the interaction...
As I subsequently added draft rules, open production rules and the Thieves Caravan, the complaining voices slowly died away. Testers saw that I was changing the game trying to add at least a bit of cooperation between players.
What's more, I've wrote articles explaining why there is no space for burning, raping and pillaging in the 51st State. In my posts on BGG I've argued that if the players were allowed to kill each other it would kill the game, everything would fall apart and turn into an old scrap.
People read, agreed with me, admitted that maybe I was right...
But you know, little interaction ...
***
Peter caught me in Essen. He is the guy responsible for Portal games' distribution, you know. I make games and he does business. I'm trying to invent the best game I can and he's doing everything to sell 50,000 copies. Or a hundred thousand.
So he caught me and said as if to a child - Trzewik, 51st State is a hit! Publishers fight for the rights to English edition. And they ask whether they will be expansions. Will you make an expansion?
I will.
Great, great. A very good game, everyone likes it, You did a really good job.
Glad to hear that.
Only you know what? - he pauses choosing the words carefully - I do not want to impose, but is there a chance that in this expansion...
...was more interaction? - I finish for him.
Exactly. So you've heard there is a bit too little interaction?
Yea, so I've heard.
Damn interaction.
It had kept me awake at night for more than half a year then. - There will be an expansion. There will be interaction. Don't worry.
***
We came back from Essen. It was the end of October. I had absolutely no idea what to do with the interaction. Not even a hint. No conception was born in November either. And still nothing at the end of December.
I caught my friend and friendly spirit from France on Skype.
Hi Yann, what's up on French forums? Are people playing in 51st State? Any opinions, suggestions for an expansion?
Yes, they play and discuss a lot. They do like the game, but all complain about the lack of interaction.
Yann, gimme a break, ok?
***
Having no idea for the expansion's interaction rules in October did not worry me in the slightest. In November I still maintained calm. I believed - like Geofrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love - that everything will be fine.Yet, in December, two months after Essen, I still had no idea for the interaction. I think that Peter, my distributor, slowly began to worry in that time.
I rushed into January in unwavering good mood, although, with the end of the month coming closer even I began to worry.
Maybe believing that it always somehow works out is a bit illusory? Maybe it is a load of crap with Geofrey Rush? Gosh, I love this movie, but maybe I shouldn't base Portal's publishing plan on it?
Do you have this interaction ready? Designed many cards, huh? - Peter inquired.
None. - I replied. February was coming soon. - I still have no idea. But I'll manage.
How?
I do not know, Peter. It's a mystery.
***
I play football on every Monday . We play in the hall late at night until we fall. I come back home just before midnight and I sit in the darkness having good two hours of gasping for breath and letting my adrenaline to chill. Hot tea, dark house and silence. I can analyze all my plays then, getting angry with myself for all the opportunities wasted and replaying in my mind all that came out nice.
Thoughts wander in my barely alive body... One moment, I even don't know when, I have my rules of interaction. They're just there. Suddenly. I don't have a slightest idea where they came from or how they got inside my head. I walk cautiously through the dark room trying not to trip on one of the toys scattered on the floor. I get to my desk. Paper, pen, three sentences, two drawings. Done. I carry out the tests in the morning. It works. Just so.
How?
I do not know, sire. It's a mystery.
Pret-a-Porter like Oliver Stone's movie...
In the end I couldn’t stand it. I put my notes aside. I also put aside the role of game’s author who’s carefully watching the ongoing test plays. I'll play - I said and sat down to play with Martin.
I won the first fashion show. I dominated him, got the biggest number of Stars, biggest amount of money and bright perspectives. I had carefully watched Martin’s moves throughout all those previous plays. I knew how to beat him. I knew Pret-a-Porter as my own pocket. My game. My territory.
Things went in an absolutely unexpected direction next round. Martin blocked me in the Warehouse, where materials can be bought. He did not need those materials. He did not have to do this. But he wanted to.
My clothing company went through a huge tumble. I obtained materials from a different source, but this slip had cost me a lot, the second fashion show turned out to be much worse. I would have managed to get on an even keel and stand to fight as an equal during the third show if I were fighting against an opponent that might allow that. I was not. Martin blocked the Credit House and once again left me standing at the Warehouse’s doors. It was as if he held his knee on my throat. And pushed harder every time he put his pawn on the board.
I finished the game with a disastrous result. Martin battered me so hard that I didn’t know where to look.
We played a rematch a week later. This time I managed to defend a bit longer. The decisive blow struck me not until the last quarter...
***
In 1987 Oliver Stone made a terrific movie with Michael Douglas called the Wall Street. He talks about what money can do with people. Wall Street does not show the well-behaved businessmen. It cannot be associated with peaceful economic games in which we buy raw materials, change them into goods and sell at a profit. Wall Street shows the struggle, the betrayal, shows that money is - just like firearms- a tool that can kill.
Pret-a-Porter is like Stone’s movie. It is dynamic, aggressive and players feel the pressure of fighting for victory in subsequent rounds of the game. It has been achieved in a simple manner – there are four moments of scoring (fashion shows) during the game and you have to be ready for each of them. You must be active all the time. You need to have your short-term strategy (for the upcoming show) and a long-term one (for which show to press the most and on which ones to allow your company to catch a breath). You have to watch your opponents’ moves and try to thwart their plans - win the show for which they prepared the most, get at least a tie in other scorings - not allowing them to win and get a large amount of cash.
This is a real fight. Here, you count your money and calculate what you can afford. Whether you have the funds to pay the maintenance costs of the company? Whether you have enough to purchase materials? Or enough funds for your business development? And if you have the money, you calculate even more. What if? What if I employ a model thus increasing the maintenance costs – will that thwart my enemy’s plans? What if I opt for more expensive materials’ purchases – will I outdistance my opponents on the show where the quality counts? Can I afford to buy more materials in advance in order to dominate the following show? Will taking the credit for those actions pay off? Will I manage to invest money and win the next show?
This is facing the constant choices. This is observing your opponents. This is finding weaknesses in their businesses and snatching the employees they need from under their nose. This is inflating your maintenance costs to draw your opponents into a trap, into an exhausting race for dominance in Public Relations. This is checking your expenses constantly and analyzing what else you can afford, how far you can risk the struggle for collection’s other features. This is sometimes bluffing and sometimes merciless stabbing in the back. This is training your employees, buildings development, loans, materials of three quality classes, short-term contracts and permanently built buildings.
When I sat down to work on this game and I wrote down the feelings and emotions that I wanted to rise in my players, I did not expect that I could achieve all of that. That my flesh would creep before making each move. That I would hold my breath before my opponent’s actions. That I would swear like a sailor or a tavern wench seeing what my opponent’s doing and how much he crashes me with his movement.
I have to admit this today. Pret-a-Porter came out to be much better than I expected.
The race begins
Last year there were 650 game releases in Essen. A year before - as far as I recall - there were 630 . This year, the record probably will be beaten again. How many of these 600 games will get to players’ wishlists? How many of these games will manage to attract attention and leave players without 20 or 30 euro? How many games will be remembered after a year or two?
Essen 2010? 7 wonders. Vinhos. Troyes. Inca Empire. London.
Essen 2009? Dungeon Lords. Stronghold. Egizia. Small World.
Essen 2008? Dominion. Ghost Stories. La Havre. Space Alert.
600 new games each year. But only a few of them stay with us for a really long time. That’s truth. The Brutal and cruel truth..
The authors and publishers of these upcoming games are on the stand today and they start preparing for the most important race of the year. Race for players wallets. How will they try to seduce?
Theme
Great, new theme? If you have the theme, you will attract players, even if they've never heard about you and your publisher. Tell them that you do a 4X game, and you will immediately gather true circle of science fiction geeks. And believe me, this is a very good start. In 2009, I had my Stronghold. I had great theme. That was it. The game blasted off like a rocket.
A year earlier, in 2008, I presented in Essen a game called Witchcraft - wizards fighting each other. Have you ever heard about this game? Well...
Name
Do you have a name that makes people buy every single game of yours? An author with a recognized name is a treasure. People look for his new games, they are driving a spiral of excitement and expectation. Gossips, shots of prototype, sneak peeks from test games...
If your name is Martin Wallace, Uve Rosenberg or Bruno Faidutti, you are probably a lot less scared before Essen than young designer like Ignacy Trzewiczek.
Publisher's reputation
Does your publisher have a known brand? Did previous games get him good reputation? Has he a bunch of regular customers who go back year after year for his titles? Such a faithful player base is a blessing.
In 2007, Portal was an anonymous company from even more anonymous Poland. I remember words from Neuroshima Hex review written by Greg J. Schloesser for Counter magazine: "I honestly do not know much - OK, anything - about the gaming scene in Poland but if Neuroshima Hex is any indication I am impressed." Then, in 2007 we were starting from nothing.
Today, five years later, we are in much better situation, we are those people who made Neuroshima HEX, 51 State or Stronghold. I feel that, through our hard work, step by step we are getting closer to famous brands, slowly approaching CGE, Fragor or Ystari Games.
Demo games and prototypes
Had your game been presented at large cons? Did you go with the prototype and tested it by playing on every possible convention? If so, that is good. There are relations and session reports on various sites written by people who were lucky and played the game before its release. At opiniatedgamers.com there are first opinions, BGG is full of rumors - someone out there was playing, and someone saw, and it was a damn good...
Game becomes legend. You are lucky bastard. There is nothing better than a rumor saying that there is a great game out there, and there are some players who played it and apparently the game is great...
Traditional Marketing
If you can afford it, you will have banners on most important board games' websites. You'll expose the cover, show preorder offer, bundle offer or whatever. Finally, you get some attention, you are positioned in their minds. You show up on their wishlists. Your cover becomes recognized, theme is well known, even - in the end - people remember your stand’s number and Essen promotion price of the game.
Not very subtle, but it does its work.
Visual side
Okay. Time of honesty. Rise a hand to admit, but honestly, that sometimes a cover was so amazing that you just put the game in your bag not even knowing a single thing about rules. It is just the cover. The board? It's the same thing. Hands up who had never heard of Mr. Menzel. People buy stuff with their eyes. Clothes, furniture, games, doesn’t matter.
Zack & Pack? I knew nothing about this game, yet I bought it. Golden Compass? I saw the board and bought the game. With a good illustration on the box player has zero chance of defense reaction. He sees the artwork and he buys the game.
Two years ago we paid a hell lot for Stronghold’s cover. For Pret-a-Porter we hired Tomasz ‘Morano’ Jedruszek. It was the most expensive artwork in the history of my company. This is the guy who works for the FFG on a daily basis and who made covers for Middle-earth Quest, Battles of Westeros or A Game of Thrones LCG. This is the guy.
A good cover is like Aikodo. It throws a man to the ground and simply makes him defenseless.
Preorders and promo stuff
A great preorder offer? Some promo stuff for free? This is something that can make a difference. If a customer has a choice of two games and cannot decide which one to pick, it is better to have some kind of limited bonus in your game for Essen occasion . A few extra cards. Additional tokens. Unique extra miniature figure.
The player will rather take the game with special Essen free figure. This second game he will probably buy after Essen. Or not at all.
Luck
Or maybe you just have a bust of luck? And maybe your stand in Essen - by accident - will be positioned next to some famous publisher and you will have large traffic? Or maybe you’ll manage to convince people that you printed only 500 copies of the game and they have to buy it now or never? Or maybe the game will be played by the boss of big US game store at a hotel lobby in the evening? Maybe he will fall in love with the game? And the next day he will buy 250 boxes from you?
Conclusion
You'll need it all. In Essen, six hundred new games will have their debut. Famous BGG Geeklist "Top Ranked Essen Games" contains slightly more than 20 titles. So - 20 games make it and the other 580 go overboard and you will never hear about them again. This is brutal. This is cruel. This is Essen.
In 2009 and 2010 I had the honor to have my games in this 20 games list.
However, this year - after doing Neuroshima HEX, Stronghold and 51st State - I'm going to Essen with the game about clothes and fashion. Pret-a-Porter. Fashion. Clothes. Hot models.
This is crazy. I can't believe it.
And you cannot imagine how scared I am.
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