Tag: game design

Nova Regula On Sale Now!

Posted on Categories GamingTags , , ,

Last year, I wrote about a new game I was working on, Nova Regula. After several rounds of playtesting, a couple of modifications to the original rules, and way too much time sitting on the back burner, I have finally listed the game for sale at The Game Crafter. While you’re there, be sure to check out the Nova Regula Expansion Set, also available now!

Nova Regula

Nova Regula is a classic card game with one twist – the rules are always changing. Players take turns playing cards into the pot. If you can’t play a regular card, play an event card instead. Some event cards change the rules, but beware – the change may not be in your favor!

Includes a custom deck of 54 classic playing cards, 20 Event cards, and 30 Rules cards.

Available Now at The Game Crafter!


New Game in the Works

Posted on Categories Digital art, GamingTags , ,

Nova Regula

Over the last couple of weeks, I have dedicated some of my free time to working on a new card game, Nova Regula. Based on several classic card games, Nova Regula is designed to be easy to learn for even the most casual gamer.

Nova Regula utilizes a custom deck of 54 playing cards, 20 Event cards, and 30 Rules cards. Nova Regula follows the usual method of playing cards to the middle of the table, with one twist – the rules are always changing.

I have completed the game prototype and expect to begin playtesting soon. I plan to put the game up for sale in the next month or so, but in the meantime you can check out the product page at The Game Crafter.

Wolf Illustrations

Posted on Categories Gaming, IllustrationTags ,

I’ve been working on some illustrations for a game idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. They’re pretty simple, but that’s kind of the look I’m going for.

I’m not sure if they’re final yet or if I want to play around with them more. I still need to decide which one I like best, but I thought I’d share them out for your viewing pleasure.

Wolf Illustration 1 Wolf Illustration 2 Wolf Illustration 3

Coming Soon . . . Two Treasure Tomb Expansions

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Treasure Tomb Shop Backdrop

Four months ago, I released Treasure Tomb, a game of strategic tile-laying, dice-rolling, and card collecting. The game includes components for up to 4 players, allowing a small group to enjoy the wonders of the tomb.

Beginning October 1, 2015, you will be able to expand your games of Treasure Tomb to include up to 8 players! Add the new 5-6 Player Expansion to the basic game to play with 6 players, or expand even further with the new 7-8 Player Expansion!

Treasure Tomb 5-6 Player Expansion

The Treasure Tomb 5-6 Player Expansion includes the following components to expand your game:

  • 1 book of supplemental rules
  • 2 game board extension pieces
  • 48 tile cards
  • 54 treasure cards
  • 2 player pawns (meeples) in 2 colors (orange & purple)

Along with components for up to 6 players, this expansion also adds a new “Hieroglyphs” treasure card. The Hieroglyphs card allows a player to use a Hidden Passageway without attempting to roll a “1” on the die.

Treasure Tomb 7-8 Player Expansion

The Treasure Tomb 7-8 Player Expansion includes the following components to expand your game:

  • 1 book of supplemental rules
  • 3 game board extension pieces
  • 24 tile cards
  • 54 treasure cards
  • 2 player pawns (meeples) in 2 colors (black & white)
  • 1 mummy pawn (white)

Along with components for up to 8 players, this expansion adds a second mummy, a second Burial Chamber treasure card, and rules for two players to score a dual victory in the new Throne Room.

Order the Treasure Tomb 5-6 Player Expansion and 7-8 Player Expansion on The Game Crafter now, and watch for their official release on October 1!

“Treasure Tomb” – Evolution of a Game

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Treasure Tomb Shop Backdrop

Treasure Tomb

Over the past couple of months, I have been working on a board game, Treasure Tomb. Several design and rule changes later, Treasure Tomb is ready for final publishing and went on sale today at The Game Crafter.

Treasure Tomb is a game of strategic tile-laying, dice-rolling, and card collecting. Players lay tiles to construct pathways through the mummy’s tomb, drawing treasure cards each time they pass a treasure token. When a player lands on a sarcophagus token, the mummy enters the tomb, blocking treasure card icons. Treasure cards are either event cards or gold, and the first person to collect 50 gold wins the game.

Treasure Tomb actually started off many years ago as a much, much different game named Ziggurat. My first prototype was an 8.5″ x 8.5″ game board created in Microsoft Paint with Legos for game pieces. I was at the height of my Mesoamerican obsession phase, so the original idea was a Mesoamerican trivia game with the difficulty level of questions increasing as the players travel deeper into the pyramid. Each player had four stackable pieces, which moved in separate “lanes” from the other players. The goal of the game was to be the first player to get all four of your pieces stacked on top of each other on the finish space in the center of the pyramid.

Enter European board games and The Settlers of Catan.

In the early 2000s, I was introduced to The Settlers of Catan, which opened up a whole new world of board gaming. My borderline obsession with Catan soon led me to discover other European-style games like Ticket to Ride, Zooloretto, and Carcassonne. When I discovered The Game Crafter a few months ago while trying to make custom Catan tiles, the idea of Ziggurat resurfaced.

While I plan to go back and revisit at least some of the original game mechanics from Ziggurat some day, I decided to give the game a complete makeover. I wanted to create a tile-laying game similar to Catan, but with a build-as-you-go mechanic like Carcassonne. By the time I was finished, the end product had evolved into a cross between the original idea and the new idea, with some of the newer mechanics discarded. Those discarded mechanics soon evolved into an unrelated micro-game, my recently-released Wolf in the Fold.

Check out Treasure Tomb at The Game Crafter and get your copy today!

New “Wolf in the Fold” Microgame

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Wolf In The Fold Shop Header Image

Wolf in the Fold

In March, I began working on a couple of concepts for games which I have had floating around in my head, and I am pleased to announce the first finished game went on sale today! Created from unused concepts from my upcoming Treasure Tomb board game, Wolf in the Fold is more of a microgame than a full game. The rules are simple and the playing time is short. Most test games have clocked in at around 15 minutes, although games could be longer if other players take a long time to consider their tile placements.

The game was originally inspired by the tile-laying game Carcassonne, in that I wanted to create a tile-laying game where the players build something. While working through my ideas, I ending up with Wolf in the Fold, a game of tile placement and player cooperation. Players build fences and hire shepherds to protect sheep from the wolves. Points are gained when sheep are fully-enclosed within fence tiles. Also included are rules for competitive play, where players compete to see who can enclose more sheep inside fences.

Although designated as for ages 8 and up, the rules are simple enough for younger players to understand. Care should be taken around younger children who may choke on the game tiles.

Download the Game Rules
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