Game Designer Wannabe

Just a mini-update today.

Titans of Industry is where I want it to be. Last night we had a test and the game was great. Bottoming-out is gone. The game ends in less than two-and-a-half hours with five players. The strategy is deep. The tactics are sharp. Turns are filled with tension. Players always have something valuable to do.

This is the version I am sending to a publisher who requested it at GenCon.

On Saturday I'm going to a completely new playtest group and let them do a blind test to make sure my rulebook is comprehensible.

Next week I'll make up a new, pretty, prototype to send out and send it.
A couple of caveats:

1. I am still fashioning a "beginner's version" of the game. However, I know exactly what it will do. It's just a matter of physical contruction. For now, I'll just include a note to the publisher that I am developing a simplified version for first-time players.
2. Whoever decides to publish this (if anyone), may decide that he or she wants the game changed. That's fine with me. But this is the version that I will shop around. I am done developing this game. It is time for me to move on to finishing Privateering and start detailed design work on my city builder game, which I've decided to call Municipality.

I'm proud of this game. A lot of people will hate it. It's (relatively) long, complex, and can be more than a little dry. But there are people out there who will like it. It is a good game.

Maybe I'm deluding myself and this game is too niche or poorly designed to ever get published, but I don't care. I am happier with this game as it is than I've ever been with one of my designs and I can feel in my heart that it will get published. I am going to enjoy that feeling for a while.

This was a good week.

 Categories: Municipality, Privateering, prototype, publisher, Titans of Industry