I really like this one so far, the cards and the overall design is awesome! However, I'm curious. The art you use to decorate the cards and the board isn't something you've drawn yourself, right? If you have it would be very impressive!
Sure you can be the Anarchists! But I still need to tweak them a bit...the Victory Conditions are not right for one. Other factions I am thinking of are The Imperialists, The League of Nemo, The Zeppelin Masters, and The Rail Barons. But thats for later; right now I want to get the cards done. One more set of 18 done. One more set to go.
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I really like this one so far, the cards and the overall design is awesome! However, I'm curious. The art you use to decorate the cards and the board isn't something you've drawn yourself, right? If you have it would be very impressive!
Yes, that would be impressive! Unfortunately I can't take any credit for them. All that art was gathered by me from various parts of the internet- mostly by simple image searches in google using terms like "Victorian", "drawing" and then whatever I was looking for- airships, trains, steam engines, etc. I also found a bunch of really good stuff out of some of the Project Gutenberg scanned books. A few of them I had to piece together, like the rocket and the gentleman standing beside it. The "rocket" is actually just part of another image, cut down in photoshop and resized so it looks like a large(ish) rocket-thingy. The factory with the airship floating overhead is the same- just pieced together.
On the exceedingly slim chance that this ever got published, I would think all that artwork would have to be redone. And not by me! I am by no means an artist.
On a side note, I have been thinking of the combat, setup and movement rules for the game. I think once I get to writing them up, that I will use a combat system where you roll a single die for each unit that is in combat, and each roll of a 6 is a hit that eliminates an opposing unit. I am also thinking of revamping the map to dispense with the continental coloring and the bonuses that would normally go along with them in a classic Risk game. That and some other things I am thinking of would make it soo far from Risk that I think I can say it will be a new game. Hmmm...gotta think of another name for it now.
Here is the next set of cards. I think I will make up 3-5 more (cards, not sets!). Then I have to go back and revise the map, write the rules, and make up 4 more player mats. I am also thinking about re-naming the game. How does "SteamBlitz" sound? Or maybe "Armies of Steam"? I also thought "Steam Age" would work.
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If you want it to be brisk play like Risk, then SteamBlitz is entirely appropriate. I like that you've let it morph away from being just an alternate Risk board and now it stands on its own.
The more rules, the slower the play, ofttimes. Since you're not doing an *accurate* economic simulation, it's okay to simplify things and repeat over and over "It's a game"... :-). Exactly what gets lost when the Booby Trap is played could be left for playtesting - for this contest you mostly need it to LOOK good. And be mappy, of course.
Though frankly if I wanted to buy a copy and play it, your creation would be more likely to get my vote, or more exclusively my vote. So far that's where you're headed (needing to provide a printable version or ship physical copies) !
Last edited by jbgibson; 01-19-2014 at 07:33 PM. Reason: typo
Been working on the map a bit and I need everyones opinion. I was thinking of adding in a point track that travels around the board edge, like the one in the game Ticket to Ride. This in effect would create a psudo-minigame within a game, as you see your counter "race" your opponents around the track. But, when adding it on, I found it didnt look like I envisioned it. What do you think? Would you say it works, or is it too heavy and confining for the actual map?
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I think the color is off. The lighter color of your point-border should be the color of the gears in the corners. The darker color, I'd say the color of your steamship.
Also... if the point track is part of the game, it should be enclosed in the game somehow... maybe extending the board color/texture out beyond the points track, or putting a different border around it?
I don't know how to exlain what I mean.. :/
OK, this map is definitely better and well along the way to being finalized. Time to go back, finish up the last cards and player mats, and rough out the rules.
Hmmm...this little project has rather taken on a life of its own.
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Oooo I really like the two different point tracks.
And the shading is much more... i don't know the word I'm looking for :/ (It's a good word, though!!)
The whole map looks fantastic, and so do the cards. I'm ready to play now
EDIT: I missed the ship in the top right. It's fantabulous. (yes it is too a word, cause I said it)
Last edited by Jalyha; 01-21-2014 at 12:04 AM. Reason: I missed the ship in the top right.
Glad you like it. What I found amazing was the drawing of the cigar shaped ship on the lower right, that I found during my searches for odd looking watercraft. They actually built it! Apparently it was supposed to have had a massive rotating propeller in the center, and this would be powered by two steam engines, one on either side. The idea was that this would cut down on water resistance.
The design was not successful.