New FOTNR Boardgame

[andrew]

Heya mamama thanks for the kind words!
edit: I really enjoy Arkham Horror as well. I am inspired by a few tid-bits from AH, such as the narrative style of event and mythos cards, but I want to avoid the long setup times and complex phase/turn structure of AH.

I've been juggling my time between the rpg and the boardgame- depends where inspiration strikes! I'm a few chapters into Illuminated Edda right now because the last few days have been explosive new ideas for the creation myths and how to blend in some other indigenous religions of the area/time. While I'm on the boardgame I'm refining the AI for more co-op and solo play. After a few solo games I had a thought for a campaign mode: what if you could keep your kingdom from game to game and keep building your lineage over even more generations? What if all players can do that? The thought process for campaigns is still in its infancy, but it had me thinking back on how much more I loved the Warlords Battlecry franchise than the Warcraft franchise simply because heroes were persistent and leveled up over hundreds of games. Anyhow it wouldn't be a flagship feature (or at least it doesn't feel like it needs to be right now) so it'll go on the back burner for now.

Tonight's game has been moved to tomorrow night, so I have one extra day to update the event and quest decks. Oh and a reprint of the action cards for all players. More after tomorrow night's game.

[andrew]

Not too many recent posts here because I have been investigating an alternate mechanic for units. It required a new set of cards, so time was spent investigating the merits of having one unit token to represent many unit types. The tokens are called "presence" meaning you have a physical presence in the zone (map territory). Cards trigger events which define what type of unit the presence token is for the upcoming challenge. There are many merits to going in this direction:
- Simplified game components
- Simplified unit rules
- Nice surprises on the board
- Versatility of play (if current strategy is failing)

However here are some things that emerged rather quickly:
- Your strategy becomes much more dependent on the cards you draw (card decks and draw rules have to be fine tuned)
- In multi-player it is harder to pin down an opponent's weaknesses and strike strategically (satisfying to defender, more frustrating to attacker)
- To assess a player's power is becomes important to see how many cards they have in hand, more than the token count on the board
- A lot less tokens are needed on the board, easier to manage, less token tower accidents, but less satisfying for those who like token stacks

One of the other things I like with the "presence" mechanic is that is works so well as a high level concept along side "influence" tokens. In this version of unit mechanics, buildings feel way too micro and would need a re-design on a more macro-level. Perhaps kingdom upgrades, or some localized zone upgrades (founding of the shrine of Upsalla, etc...)

I think this will have to see a public test to assess the popularity of this unit mechanic.

I'm also considering a name change for the game. When choosing a name, it's important to ensure it googles well, and "Axe Age" uses very common terms. I'd also like to reserve it for the FOTN:R 2016 saga trilogy. The current working title I'm using is "Heimskringla", meaning a circle of the world... a little hard to pronounce, but it is much more of a recognizable title (maybe hard to remember). I'm going to survey folks about it and see if it sticks. Another option is "Chronicle of Kings".

[lisaprez]

This is a really great thread! LUV it! ^^
Can I has beta pleeeeez?

Will you do the same for lords of the ash or the illuminated edda????

[andrew]

I may]/i] do the same for the next game book. The reason I started it was more to keep track of my own thoughts and ideas and be able to go back and see how the design is progressing. I have designed both RPGs and card games before, so I'm much more at ease in those arenas, but this is my first boardgame, so I'm using every tool in my arsenal to get it right.

Lisa, once it has a stable rules-set, I'll have it up on BGG with a print and play. I may also take the time to create a TGC print version for those who'd like a pre-kickstarter limited edition (also good for BG reviewers). I think a few other kickstarters will pass in front of this one, despite it taking a lot of my bandwidth these days. Illuminated Edda is flying when I sit to write and the partnering authors for the novels and churning out pure gold and breakneck speeds. So stay tuned!

[Feralkoala]

What I'd like to know from those who know boardgamegeek (BGG), can an entry be created before the game is complete? I'd like to setup a print and play before any kickstarter for this.

Late to the party, but yes, you can create a BGG page before the game is complete.

[andrew]

What I'd like to know from those who know boardgamegeek (BGG), can an entry be created before the game is complete? I'd like to setup a print and play before any kickstarter for this.

Late to the party, but yes, you can create a BGG page before the game is complete.

That's great! I wish I could decipher their cryptic interface LOL!

The last week has been pretty hectic with the beta test circle widening to more new blood. With new pairs of eyes come new comments and direction. I've been testing a much deeper and engaging hero system. After the hero was relegated from being its own unit type, instead being one of the others as a proxy noble, players felt like the role was relegated to the back seat. The kingdom playmat has been redesigned with nobles and heroes much more front and center and they have much more flavour and purpose now.

Unions have also been simplified to someone (or more than 1 spouse in some cases) bound to the ruler. Marriage between non-ruler nobles (your kingdom only has 1 ruler at a time) seemed pointless and has been removed. Overall everyone agrees that it's a good simplification.

I have also been fighting my own design goals with a struggle I have been having with some of my regular players. While in mechanics simplification and streamlining mode I have been trying hard to get rid of unit stacks. BUT, and it's a big "BUT", my original design goals were to allow players to play their own preferred style in order to win... and the RISK player (bad game, but it gets the player type across) is one of my key demographics and these types of players get an adrenaline rush from seeing stacks of units marching across the map. Inadvertently I have been writing their play style out of the game, I had my light-bulb moment, sorry guys, I'm with you, and we're going to keep army stacks in.

Many new players have been asking "where is that FOTN flavour?" and they are right. So far, the cards have been testing game concepts without drenching the game in FOTN lore. The next pass of cards aims to correct this since we're a lot more solid with which decks will remain in the game. Expect more than 1 Einherjar card, and some Galdrs and Seithkonas to boot!

[DavetheLost]

Very pleased to hear that the game will support solitaire play as that is how I end up playing most games.

I wonder of it would help the brand identity to have "Fate of the Norns" or "Ragnarok" in the game title? Certainly I think something that catches some recognizable Viking connection would be good.

[andrew]

Yes it'll have "Fate of the Norns -" as the prefix, much like Gulveig. The name is still very much up in the air. As for solitaire play, it's been on my radar well before we started this game. There are a lot of avid boardgamers who can't find enough players to play with on a regular basis.

So the diary has gone a little quiet in the last month. The mechanics designs have been progressing and so have the test plays however, I'd rather keep the mechanics under wraps for now. 2015 is the year of the Viking. This year I hope to get a longship full of games and books out to you guys!

The next Kickstarter is really soon if all goes well. Having extra authors, designers, editors and artists on the team allows us to scale up the projects nicely. Thanks to everyone who backed Seith and Sword.

[andrew]

I need to start testing this with a wider audience, does anyone know of an online virtual tabe-top where you can create an unknown board game (assign pieces, board, cards, etc?

[raleel]

I need to start testing this with a wider audience, does anyone know of an online virtual tabe-top where you can create an unknown board game (assign pieces, board, cards, etc?

tabletop simulator on steam