Waiting on BoardGameGeek

I've submitted both Exile In The Forest and Grill Time for the boardgamegeek.com directory. It's taking weeks to get them listed, though. I had to do some revising of the listings and wait again and I just don't know how long it will take.

I'm excited to upload all the images and files and materials. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting!

12/22/2016 Exile In The Forest

Life stuff has been getting in the way of game design BUT I got my copy of Exile In The Forest came!

It looks so beautiful. I did a couple of videos to show you:

Wed 12/14/16 Hunter/Gatherer

Okay, I'm going to see if I can explain my idea for this trick taking game. It will be good practice towards writing up a rule set.

The twist in this trick taker is that there are two tricks happening at the same time. You can play either to the hunting trick or the gathering trick. There are three suits in each (and one of each is a trump suit).  

At the end of the game you get positive points for one type and negative for the other. So if you have more gatherer cards you'll get one positive point for each of those and one negative point for each hunter card and vice versa. If you manage to get exactly equal you get a point for all cards. 

You have a hand of six (4?) cards and you draw back up at the end of your turn. 

The game has an uncertain ending. In the last third of the deck there will be a winter card and when that is drawn the game ends instantly.  

If you want to play on the hunting trick but you don't have the suit, if you have the suit for the gathering suit you have to play that one, but if you don't have either you can play whatever you want on the hunting trick. You can play a lower number card of the correct suit to avoid winning the trick.  

A trick is scored once there are as many cards in it as there are players, but since there are two tricks that isn't necessarily one round. If there are four players there will be eight slots to play. So you can play on the same trick more than once to force it to score. The person who scores a trick starts the new one. 

I've tested this out a bit solo but still not sure how well it's going to work. Going to try to get it played with other people soon!

Tue 12/13/16 Finalists Announced for Adventure Game

Well, Exile in the Forest did not make it to the finals. I'm pretty disappointed. I put a ton of work into it and looking at the judge's comments I feel like she's not really accurate so that's frustrating. Like she said that my rule book didn't have an example of dice combat with pictures but it definitely does. Also apparently my video didn't process right and just came out as still pictures. I wish I had a way to tell her that that was not what it was supposed to be and I wasn't able to see that it hadn't worked. Oh well.

What this means is that I don't have to wait until final judging before making tweaks to my game and putting it on sale. So I've fixed up some stuff and it's now published at The Game Crafter. This one I haven't put out a print and play version because it's a really massive game.

Once I get my own copy I'll get a video up and better action pictures but because of the Christmas rush it will be a few weeks for that.

Please do take a look at the page, download the rulebook, and let me know what you think!

Sun 12/11/16 Grill Time, Hunter/Gatherer, and Bento Box Lunch

Last night I got Grill Time all set up at The Game Crafter (see the links here). I added it to the BGG database and I'm waiting for that to be approved so I can add the files, pictures, and other stuff.

Today I tested out Hunter/Gatherer with index cards and found a few snags that I need to work out. Still pondering whether the whole idea is even going to work!

While I think about that, I'm putting together some artwork for Bento Box Lunch. This time I'm trying to make the tetriminoes.

Sat 12/10/16 Hunter/Gatherer and Grill Time

Considering I have not tested this at all and the rules are not even clear it is too early to do art for it but I enjoy doing graphic design and it inspires me so I worked up some card images. I am very happy with how they are coming out!

 I also tested out Grill Time again, made a couple little tweaks and it is ready! I'm uploading the files to make it both print&play and on The Game Crafter both regular and "light" version (where you supply your own dice and timer)

Fri 12/9/16 Grill Time and Hunter/gatherer

I wasn't able to test Band Parade on Thursday. I'll probably have to wait until next week. It requires exactly four players at this time!

Today I made a color prototype of Grill Time so I can play it with my husband soon. First thoughts, though, are that I want to make the art on the die faces a little larger.

I also sourced images for the cards in Hunter/Gatherer. I'm looking at vintage drawings of berries, fruits, nuts, roots, small game, and animals.

Pondering my trick taking game

What I'd really like to do for my twist on the trick taking (current contest at The Game Crafter) is to have two tricks going at the same time. One for hunting (meat cards) and one for gathering (berry cards).

My idea is that at the end of the game the cards you have the most of are positive points and the cards you have the least of are negative points, so you would focus either on being a hunter or a gatherer.

Still working on ideas for how you win the tricks, get rid of ones you don't want, and end of game. Lots of possibilities brewing.

Thurs 12/8/16 Band Parade Test

Tonight is our weekly game night and I'm hoping to get my friends to test out Band Parade again after another round of changes.

Wed 12/7/16 Work on bento box lunch and hunter/gatherer

This morning I looked and saw that a new contest is up at The Game Crafter. This one is for a trick taking game with a twist. I haven't played many trick taking games but I understand the contest. I watched some videos about it and brainstormed.

I came up with what I think I'm going to use for my twist. I just have to see if it will actually work.

In the afternoon I got some work done on the artwork for Bento Box Lunch. I have a rough draft set of rules and I want to try it out with a lunch time board game group I know. In order to get them interested in playing it, I want it to look nice and somewhat polished.