Lets Go!

I played a game of Marooned yesterday with a friend... scratch that, I played several games of Marooned yesterday with a friend. There seems to be a pattern that happens when people play the game it goes something like this....

First game... what the? You mean I don't roll the dice? Why can't I do that? Oh I see... Well you've won but you would wouldn't you, you invented it. Ok...Give me another go.

Second Game... I'm Getting it... Oh, that can kill me? Yes I forgot.. And you've won... yes but you would wouldn't you. Another Game.

Third Game... Right! ha Ha! That Shocked you didn't it... No I'm gonna... HA! Right... Got it now.... AGAIN BITCH!

This to a varying degree of language is the usual way things go... I played a few other games with another friend who said something along the lines of "well you know I hate board games, but I'd play that again" which is high praise indeed coming from her.

This week I have been wrestling with a design program to make the boards and other components that are needed to make the game. I used to use Corel for my design work but no longer have it on my computer so am now using a combination of INK and GIMP two freeware programs that do the same job. I've been trying to keep things very paired down for this incarnation. Theme isn't that important to Marooned, it is more or less what you would call an abstract game, it's not trying to recreate building castles in the 16th century, the rise of the industrial age or the fight against a pandemic (all good themes for very good games) but simply the plight of your little men as they try to get from one side of the board to another.

This is a good thing I think... sure if X games company take the game on board and say they want to re theme it in a automated cake factory I'll say hell yeah and take the royalties but until that day comes... I'm keeping it wide open.

This is a bit of a quickie as I have to get other things done, but I wanted to put a couple of things up here... the first I put up on my Facebook Page is the Logo...

Look at that Dunnit look lovely! and the little meeples falling off! Argh! off they go the little buggers

And the design for the Death Square in the game....

I See Dead Meeple.

Silly Huh?

Oh and one other thing... This Blogger thing lets me see where people the people are that read this blog... and I'm intrigued... who are you lovely people? there are some in the UK but also some from The US and Canada... even some from far flung places like Bulgaria... so if you fancy putting me out of my mystery then why not post a little comment after this blog to say briefly who you are, where you are from, how you found your self here and why you read this blog... Go on... you know you want to.

IH OUT

Radio Four and Hell

Hey I'm Listening to 'Left Bank Two' on the Youtube here... you might know it better as the theme tune to Tony Hart's Gallery if you are in the UK, if you are not in the UK then you might know it from the game Little Big Planet... either way I was prodded into listening to it because of a Radio Four programme i was listening too this week about Library Music which can be found here. Rather wonderful stuff.

What has this got to do with Marooned? I here you ask... well you have to do something whilst you are painting and sticking and re-sticking and swearing at 40 little cubes to get them how you want them!

It has been a big learning curve has this.

Each cube has to have a number on each of it's faces and the best way to do this with my limited real world artistic skills is to design something pretty in a cad tool then print them out on stickers and stick them on cubes... dead easy right?

The Addams Family Game Night Look

Wrong.

The design part went ok, till I saw an old design that I had done and wanted to include elements of that in the new design but still that was just a time thing. I found some cheap stickers in my local 'The Works' and decided to just print over them regardless of pre cut lines and then sort it out later. To add to durability I thought I would use laminating plastic on the face of the printed stickers... this was a mistake. Whilst the laminating plastic stuck to the stickers fine it also warped them and meant that they slowly peeled off the cubes after a while to rescue these I flattened them by pressing them against a cool iron whilst on the cube then stuck them down using prit stick extra strong glue... that worked! It also gave a sort of rubbery surface to the cubes meaning that they would grab on to any surface they were on or next to not good if you need them to slide freely as I do... so a coat of pva glue was then needed to stop the sticky.  That worked.

A Finished In Block

As a process this is far too long and involved to do for every cube... I measured my time by Radio Four programmes and put it this way I ended up listening to Jenni Murray more than once... too long.

So I have learned some lessons for the next set.

A Finished Out Block

I'm also going to do a bit of a redesign on the cubes themselves... the Victorian Gothic is a nice look but a little too dark for playing in anything other than full light and perhaps a little to themey for something with only the barest bones of a theme... they are starting to look a little too much like floral versions of the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser.

Spot The Difference!

Quick review on the to do list....

Make the 100 cubes into 10 two player sets.
40% done (with problems)

Get the Play testers NDA sorted out.
Not Going to do this after advice has been taken but will produce a handout

Organise a local play test night/day
Um yes... next on my list now that i have enough cubes for a few games

Get the guys who have offered to take Marooned to a Trade Show to play test, up and running with the game.
This will depend on me getting the thing above sorted won't it? so Um... yes

Edit the Rules and  put pretty Graphics into it.
To Start Today

Make up or source some feedback forms and get them printed.
Later

Think about what else this blog needs (If anything) while the game goes into beta mode.
Later

Price up the Demo Version, attempt to come out at a fair price point.
Much Later I need to get a workable way of manufacture up and running before I do that!

 

Stop putting Random capital letters in my Sentences!
yeah Right like that's Ever gonna happen!

So that's where we are at the moment... looking groovy I think... every set back is a thing to learn from next time me thinks... here's to less time making and more time listening to Radio Four!

IH OUT

Brahms and Lists

Hello all,

Not been about for a bit...been a bit poorly and had to do some other stuff for a while, also I'm making a present for someone which is quite involved time-wize but I'm going to make time to do a blog entry and make a little list of things to do in the near future at the same time.

This list will not be in order of priority but more in order of when things occur to me.

Make the 100 cubes into 10 two player sets.

Get the Play testers NDA sorted out.

Organise a local play test night/day

Get the guys who have offered to take Marooned to a Trade Show to play test, up and running with the game.

Edit the Rules and  put pretty Graphics into it.

Make up or source some feedback forms and get them printed.

Think about what else this blog needs (If anything) while the game goes into beta mode.

Price up the Demo Version, attempt to come out at a fair price point.

Stop putting Random capital letters in my Sentences!


That'll do for now... gosh it does seem to be a big mountain to climb. The make the 100 cubes into 10 demo versions alone breaks down into loads of little things like. Buy some black paint, sand down the 800 sharp edges into 800 less sharp ones, paint the blocks, make the stickers (Size them, print them, laminate them (possibly) cut them) then stick them to the blocks) Make some counters (Stickers again poss, or web sourced tiddlywinks or both) design the board, print the board.... Graghhhh!

You can see why it's a bit of a big mountain to climb.

But I shall get there!

(best get on with it eh?)


IH OUT