So there was a load more playtesting of Shape Up! on Sunday, in various different versions, and I think I’m now going to call it finished. I’ve expanded the print requirements from 18 to 27 cards, to allow for more players if desired. This is done by adding another shape (making 24 symbol cards) and […]
One thing I’d like to do with Shape Up! is to not have any text on the cards. Partly to allow people who don’t read English to play it, and partly because it seems that it should be possible to present a pretty abstract game like this more elegantly without text. I’ve found it surprisingly […]
Product of another sleepless night. Tentatively entitled ‘Monstrosity’.
I took Shape Up! to the Playtest meeting again last weekend, and got lots of very positive feedback (some on BGG…) This is the point where for a 'normal' game (like Fishy Business) I would be thinking about trying to get it published. However being a microgame, I'm not sure that is really practical. I […]
I’m not sure which is the clearest and most concise/elegant way to convey the scoring tariff in the Shape Up! game. If you’ve got a moment or two, please do take a look at these three examples: http://www.holkar.net/wording_choices.png and see what you think. (And see here for a description of the game (slightly out-of-date but […]
Here’s the file (3-page PDF): www.undyingking.com/board_and_card_games/shape_up_rules.pdf If you’d like to give it a go, that’d be brilliant. (Although I hasten to add that it won’t be everyone’s kettle of poison.) Any feedback very welcome!
We’ve done a few playtests now of the microgame mentioned the other day, and it’s gone quite well. In fact I think out of all the games I’ve got as far as prototyping and testing, this has been the one that’s most ‘worked’ on the first go. (Which hopefully means that I’m learning something from […]
Had an idea just now for a microgame. I’ve seen a few bits lately about such games – there’s a definite buzz on. The aim is to have the complete game be in 18 cards or fewer. My idea is an abstract tile placement game for two players. Each of the 18 cards has on […]
Just capturing this quickly here before I forget it all. This is another boardgame idea, a family-game type of thing. Light and non-serious, but hopefully with a bit of tactics and replay value. It’s for two players. The board is divided laterally into seven back gardens, of values 1 to 7. (1 is a grotty […]
I went to another meeting of the Playtest group in London yesterday (like last month), and again had a jolly good time. Despite the trains still being buses and most of the tubes non-existent. It made for about a 3-hour door-to-door journey, which is a bit much I think for a 75-mile distance. But hey […]