Those of you who’ve followed this site for a while have probably noticed that the number of “workbench” articles have declined somewhat.
Okay, stopped completely.
The reason for that is that I’ve been bitten by the game-writing bug. I’ve currently got six projects in the pipeline:
A scenario booklet for Starships. You’ve seen four beta versions of these scenarios, and there will probably be seven or eight of them when I’m done. The plan is to test them thoroughly and release the compilation on Wargame Vault.
Aliens Built My Hot Rod. It’s a card game where players modify their cars with alien components to win a rally race. If any game is going to cover me in money, it’s this one: fast playing, non-technical, and highly addictive. The down side is that it needs around sixty pieces of art, which is not easy to assemble, even if I do have loyal minions. The up side is that my role is pretty much done. The game is written and tested. This one is most likely going to hit in 2016.
Purple Fuzzy Gunslingers (working title). This is a fast-play gunfighting game set in the same universe as Starships. The battles take place on the colonized worlds, where 19th Century technology is easily available, and high-tech weapons from Earth can make an outsize impact. The first draft of the game is ready for playtest.
The Somali Yacht Club. Successful Somali pirates have retired to race yachts … but they’re still not following the usual rules. Cheating begins with mounting cannons on their yachts, and proceeds from there. This is being built on top of a one-page sailing duel game I wrote last year, and I’m working to add flair to it.
Alchemists of Ruine. This one’s a departure for me, in that it’s a co-op game. The players are alchemists in the fantasy land of Ruine, and their task is maintain the great weave of ley lines. The challenge is that the ley lines are fraying everywhere, and the system is woven tightly enough that a cascade failure is imminent. This game is the least well developed at the moment. It’s one step beyond the blurb.
Finally, there’s Star Noir. You might have seen the tag on a previous post or two. If it ever gets finished, it will be the role-playing game set in the same universe as Starships and Gunfighters. Given how much work will need to go into it, I plan on posting bits of it to the site until there’s enough to aggregate into a book.
Leanne
Mark