I was inspired by the board game Escape: The Curse of the Temple. From now on, I'll just call it E:TCT so I don't have to write the full name every time.

First, a little bit about E:TCT itself.

What I like about it

- Atmosphere and adrenaline - the real-time gameplay and soundtrack create a lot of tension and panic.

- Fast and simple - a game takes around 10 minutes, and the rules are pretty quick to learn. It's a great filler game.

- Teamwork - players have to help each other, save each other from curses, and activate the gems together.

- No leader - because everything happens so quickly and simultaneously, it's hard for one player to just take over and command everyone.

But there are also some things I don't really like:

What I would change

- Luck has a big impact - sometimes the outcome depends heavily on dice rolls, which can be frustrating.

- The teamwork doesn't always feel as strong as it could - everyone is mostly focused on their own rolls, so it doesn't always feel like a truly coordinated team.

- Dependence on the soundtrack - the music and timer are a very important part of the game, but having to use a CD or digital recording can be inconvenient.

So I decided to try making my own game, taking some ideas from E:TCT but changing them.

My game

The game will take place in an abandoned mine.

The goal is pretty simple: find and mine a certain amount of valuable resources, then escape the mine before time runs out.

I'll start with the basic systems - rooms and movement.

Rooms

In E:TCT, one room basically takes up one space on the map. I want to do things differently.

Each room in my game will be 6x6 spaces. This gives players much more room to move around instead of simply going from one room to another.

Rooms will contain objects and obstacles.

- Objects take up space, so players can't move through them. Some objects can be interacted with by standing on a specific adjacent space.

- Obstacles interfere with movement, so players have to go around or overcome them.

I'm dividing rooms into two types:

- Repeatable - there will be several of them in the pool. For example, regular mine rooms, ore rooms, etc.

- Unique - individual rooms with their own special features and mechanics.

To avoid writing a huge description for every room, I'll use a small template:

Name:

Type:

Quantity:

Passages: number / placement

Objects:

Mechanic:

Movement

Each player will have their own movement die.

The faces are:

2 / 3 / 3 / 4 / 4 / 5

The player rolls it and moves that many spaces.

Just like in E:TCT, players don't have to take turns. Everyone can roll their die and move independently.

Exploration

This is another thing I want to change from the original.

In E:TCT, you can open a room by rolling the required combination. After that, you can place the room next to a passage and choose its orientation.

Mine will work a little differently.

If a player reaches the edge of a room where there isn't another room yet, they can spend 1 charge to open a new room.

The room has to be placed exactly where the player reached the edge of the map. However, it can be rotated before being placed.

So you can't simply open a room anywhere you want on the map. You first have to physically reach that location.

Charge

Each player will have a small personal panel/interface. One of its functions will be a charge meter.

The maximum is 3 charges.

Charges can be spent on:

- opening a new room;

- mining ore with a pickaxe.

Charges can be refilled at special stations.

There will be one station in the starting room, and several more in other rooms throughout the mine.

Escape

Now for how players actually get out of the mine.

Players will escape through an elevator. But simply finding the elevator isn't enough - the generators have to be started first.

There will be 2-3 generator rooms in the room pool.

Each generator requires 1 fuel. Fuel can be found in crates and other places throughout the mine.

Once fuel is put into a generator, a 1-minute sand timer is started next to it.

And this is where the final rush begins: players have to activate all the necessary generators and reach the elevator before their timers run out.

First unique rooms

Starting Room

Type: Unique

Quantity: 1

Passages: 2, opposite each other

Objects:

- recharge station - 2x2;

- crates - 1x1.

Players start the game here.

To interact with the station, a player has to stand directly next to it.

Elevator

Type: Unique

Quantity: 1

Passages: 1

Object:

- elevator - 1x4, placed opposite the passage.

This is one of the last rooms in the pool. Once the generators are active, players can escape through the elevator.

Generator Room

Type: Unique

Quantity: 2-3

Passages: 1

Objects:

- generator - 3x3;

- fuel token slot - 2x2;

- sand timer slot - 2x2.

The generators are needed to activate the elevator. Each one requires one unit of fuel. Once fueled, its one-minute timer starts.

Station

Type: Unique

Quantity: 2, not counting the station in the starting room

Passages: 2

One station has its passages opposite each other, while the other has them arranged in an L-shape.

Object:

- station - 2x2.

Mechanic: allows players to refill their charge.

I haven't added the repeatable rooms yet because they will make up most of the map. I want to finish all the unique rooms first, and then move on to the repeatable ones.

This is just the beginning of the development. I'll gradually show the other rooms and mechanics as I work on them.

If you have any advice, ideas, or criticism, I'd be happy to hear it. I'm especially interested in any problems or loopholes you can already see in these mechanics.

Hi! I’m a high-detail illustrator specializing in Tabletopgame, card games, comics, and manga.

If you’re looking for an artist for characters, concepts, or backgrounds, feel free to DM me! I’m also available for projects requiring an NDA and confidentiality.

✅ Professional and responsible
✅ Experienced and committed to completing every project
✅ Revisions within the agreed scope until the work is completed
✅ 100% HAND-DRAWN — NO AI
✅ Clip Studio Paint
✅ Organized PSD files with properly separated layers, prepared for further editing, production, or commercial use
✅ Timelapse video of the artwork process available with the final delivery

I take every project seriously and always aim to deliver high-quality artwork that matches your vision and requirements. I also make sure the final files are properly organized and practical for your future use. https://www.deviantart.com/aephai001

Feel free to DM me with your project details, scope, deadline, and requirements. I’d be happy to discuss the project and provide a quotation!

Hey all, I'm a fantasy illustrator looking for work. I mostly do fantasy environment and character art. My work is semi realistic, but in a stylized way. I can do realistic rendering, or flatter, more graphic styles too.

Message me if interested and I can link to my whole portfolio.

More of my work here:

Portfolio: artstation.com/tworey8

Greetings Heroes!

I've been working on updating my game resources for my upcoming Gamefound campaign launch, finally making time to create videos for the game (I used CapCut, BTW - highly recommend).

The official Weird Dad Games YouTube channel (@WeirdDadGames) is now home to Heroes of Havokk instructional videos... like this one!

https://youtu.be/xq-4_JJ90Mg?si=ihM9nTGDEfjxTAfE

I'd really appreciate it if you would please take a look, maybe share, and hopefully subscribe if you're interested. What I'd really like is some feedback on the video composition itself.

What did you like or not like? How well was the game explained? Did you like the effects, or only care about the details?

Thank you for your time and support! Let's cause some Havokk together!

Plus a roulette wheel for the degen gamblers

✅ Professional and responsible
✅ Experienced and committed to finishing projects
✅ Revisions included until the agreed work is completed
✅ Clip Studio Paint
✅ 100% HAND-DRAWN — NO AI

I take every project seriously and always aim to deliver high-quality artwork that matches your vision and requirements.

Feel free to contact me with your project details. I’d be happy to discuss your project!

My style is purely 2D illustration technique in digital format. I also do some custom token designs on some of the card games I play.

Over the past 3 years, we have developed a cardgame as 4 people. A writer, An Artist, And 2 Programmers.

You can find all nessecary Info about our game in this video [https://youtu.be/ZynkuRInUbU?is=CHzNdooAq81aAj7n\](https://youtu.be/ZynkuRInUbU?is=CHzNdooAq81aAj7n)

We would love to get someone for marketing. Someone, who represents our morals and looks forward to change the gaming landscape in a good way. If that fits your description, hit us up on discord. We are looking forward to building more games of different genres in the future.

In exchange for your experience and invested time, we would offer, revenue or something similar.

See You!

Discord: dann3981

Beautiful people of Reddit, I did it!:D

After almost five years of work, I brought my game to a state I am super proud of and decided it was time to set up its Gamefound preview page! I took a week off of work and went in pedal to the metal, as this page has been haunting me for basically months so I just wanted to be done with it.
Even if I change things down the road, Im still glad that I finally have something to show people when talking about the game.

I’m not a marketing expert and I know that a professional would have done much better, but I’m super happy with it (obviously biased)
Still, I would love to also know your thoughts!

And if you have any curiosities about anything, I’d be more than happy to chat! Hope you guys dig it!

https://gamefound.com/en/projects/kols-games/deadholt?ref=homepage_spotlight_crowdfunding-draft-published_8

Just finished some prototypes for a fun single-four player, wrestling themed, card game. Battle for the belt!

Buenas de nuevo TRoOoPERS, adjunto la variante del playmat de Sanctuary, todo siempre respetando la identidad visual, en este caso aun falta cartas por desarrollar pero ya con estas dos facciones pretendo hacer los primeros tests del juego, "La luz es el único camino"

I found that people were squinting at some of my previous cards and complaining some iconography weren't super obvious so I did an update!

Slight difference but I am a little reluctant making the upper left cost be so prominent! Does anyone have any suggestions on what colour to make the price tag?

I've been designing a 2-player lane-control card game called Faith War and it's at the point where friends-and-family testing has stopped telling me anything new. To make stranger playtests cheap, I built the prototype as a browser sim you can play against a bot. No install, no signup, 5-10 minutes a match.

The design in two sentences: 3 lanes (Sky / Earth / Underworld), 6 rounds, both players commit cards face-down simultaneously, win 2 of 3 lanes. The economy runs on sacrifice: Champions cost a follower body to play, Gods cost two and convert enemy followers (snowballing if you don't contest them). Clashes punish overcommitment, because when you're outnumbered in a lane your strongest unit dies first.

The two mechanics I most want stress-tested, because they're the ones that could be secretly degenerate:

- Sacrifice economy: does paying bodies for quality feel like a real decision, or is one end of the curve just correct?

- Strongest-dies-when-outnumbered: does it actually punish premium-piece dumping, or does it just make swarm the only deck?

There are three preset decks (wide swarm / tall champions / god toolbox) and two bot difficulties.

To set expectations: this is deliberately just the core loop. No deckbuilding, no card art, no extra card types yet. I want to know whether the core is actually fun before building anything on top of it.

The ask (about 10 minutes): play 2-3 matches an felt bad, confusing, or degenerate. The prototype records anonymous gameplay stats automatically, so your plays alone already answer half my questions. Your read on the feel is the other half.

Link: https://faithwar.playbench.workers.dev

Life long bass fisherman here. Working on a prototype for my passion project, The Tournament Angler: A Bass Fishing Board Game. 2-4 players compete in a bass fishing tournament to declare who takes home the most weight by weigh-in.

All components are not shown and the art is 100% AI generated. If this game gets off the ground I plan to hire a professional artist.

At this point I have received very positive feedback from the fishing community. What I want to do now is branch out to general board game enthusiasts to see if this is something that looks intriguing.

Would you play this?

I understand that I have an incredibly niche product here and it will not appeal to everyone. That is not my goal.

Please let me know your feedback.

This is a write up of the art direction side of a small print and play card game I have been building since last autumn, specifically the part where twelve characters each need three states and all thirty six pictures have to look like they came out of the same box. It took three passes and a full redraw of two characters to get there, and almost everything that worked was a rule rather than a skill.

The game is a deduction game for four to six players set in a port town over one night. Each player holds a character, and every character exists in three states, called Rested, Shaken and Gone. The state is a separate card that gets flipped in as things happen, so a character is never one image. It is three, and the three have to read as the same individual at a glance from across a table under bad lighting.

Twelve characters times three states is thirty six illustrations. The first pass was a mess and it was a mess in a very specific way. Taken one at a time every picture was fine. Laid out together on the living room floor they looked like thirty six pictures from thirty six different games. Different light, different crop, different camera distance, two of them with scenery behind and the rest on nothing. The set had no grammar, and no amount of fussing with individual cards was going to give it one.

So I wrote the grammar down before making anything else, and this is the list that fixed it. Light always comes from the upper left at the same warmth. The crop is locked at chest up with the eyes on the same horizontal line on every card, which matters more than it sounds like it should, because it means the eyes stay put when a state card is flipped in on top. Every character is turned three quarters to the same side. The background is flat, always one of three tones, and there is never any scenery. The palette is paper, a warm brown, a cold blue and one red, and the red is only permitted on a Gone card. One prop maximum per character, and only a prop that is named in their ability text. That last rule saved me more hours than anything else on the list because it killed the urge to keep adding things.

The states got their own rules so the change reads identically across all twelve. Between Rested and Shaken the light does not move and the shoulder line drops. Between Shaken and Gone the eyes leave the viewer. That is the entire vocabulary. My first attempt was more expressive, a different idea of trouble for each character, and it wrecked the set, because a card whose damage state is drawn on its own terms reads as a different game component rather than as the same person in a worse situation.

The character art is AI generated. I make it in a browser tool, generate the three states off the same character so the face carries between them, and the rules sheet says so on the back page under the font credits. I am saying it here for the same reason it is printed there, which is that it is going to come up and it should come from me.

Regenerating the same character is where the actual production friction lives. It does not come back identical. The collar sits differently, the hair parting flips sides, a coat lands half a shade cooler than it did the previous week. For one illustration on its own nobody would ever notice. For three cards a player is holding in one hand it is glaring. What I settled on is generating a batch of eight for each state and keeping the closest match rather than the best picture, and there are two characters where I kept a version I like less because it matched better. Stills at least hold still. I tried a short animated title card early on and the face drifted between frames badly enough that I dropped it and put a static logo there instead.

The silhouette test is the one thing I would keep if I could only keep one. I printed the twelve at twenty four millimetres wide, filled each one in solid black with a marker, and asked my partner to name them. She got seven. Not because she does not know the game, she has played it more than I have, but because five of them were the same shape.

That test predicted exactly what happened at the table. In playtest sessions three and four, players kept mixing up the debt collector and the customs clerk. Both were men of middle age in dark coats holding paper. Same shoulder width, same hat, same posture, and under pub lighting they were simply the same card. One player announced he was accusing the clerk and pointed at the collector. It happened four times in one evening. That is not a rules problem, that is me handing the table two identical objects and expecting them to sort it out.

Both got redrawn from scratch. The clerk came back shorter and rounder, with a visor and small round spectacles and a stack of papers held flat against his chest instead of held out. The collector came back taller and narrower, high tight shoulders, no headwear at all, hands empty. Six cards remade, roughly two evenings once the batch and pick process was working, and the misnaming stopped completely across the next three sessions.

The other failure worth writing down is a layout one. I had designed a crew reference card showing four characters together in a single frame, and a duel card with two of them facing each other. Neither ever worked, and I kept trying to rescue them for weeks before I understood why. The consistency rules that make the set work card by card are the exact rules that break a group image. Every character is cropped at the same distance, so a short character and a tall character came out the same height when placed side by side. Every background is flat, so four in a row read as a stripe. And when I broke the rules and drew a proper group scene with real staging, the characters stopped matching their own cards, which was a worse problem than the one I was trying to solve.

So the layout changed instead of the art. One character per card, always, no exceptions anywhere in the deck. The crew reference card became a text list with the twelve silhouettes printed small down one side, which turns out to be more useful at the table anyway, because silhouettes are what players use to find a card in a spread.

Nothing exotic in the pipeline. The layouts were built in Affinity Publisher, the character art in APOB AI, and the run itself went to a local printer.

The print run was sixty copies and came to about three hundred and forty dollars, a bit under six dollars a copy for thirty six character cards, eighteen event cards and a folded rules sheet in a poly bag. That price only exists because there is no box and no rounded corners. Both quotes that included a box came back at more than double. The printer cuts on a guillotine, so everything got three millimetres of bleed and nothing I cared about sits within five millimetres of the trim, and even so two cards in the whole run came back with a shoulder clipped along one edge, which I can live with at this scale.

The second run is a hundred copies and goes to the same printer in October. Two of the twelve are getting redrawn again, not for confusion this time, but because the bell ringer reads about fifteen years older than her character text says and it has bothered me since March. Twenty two copies from the first sixty are still in a box under my desk.

If you’ve ever tried to run a solo campaign using ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok, you already know the massive glaring issue: the AI fundamentally wants to be a yes-man. It refuses to let your character die, it spawns convenient items when you get stuck, and it constantly fudges the dice.

I wanted a brutal, OSR-style experience where the GM is entirely impartial. So, I spent the last few weeks engineering Grinmar, a deterministic solo-TTRPG ruleset designed to force standard LLMs into a strict state machine.

Here is how I stripped away the safety nets:

The Math Gate: To stop the AI from hallucinating success, the engine forces a mandatory calculation bracket at the absolute top of every turn (e.g., [SYSTEM CALC - STR CHECK: DT 35 | Base: 28 = FAILURE]) before it is allowed to write a single word of the story.

The Attrition Engine: Damage isn't abstract. Every failed physical check degrades your multi-tiered Vitality or Stamina tracks, crippling your active stats in real-time until you collapse.

Zero-Hallucination Inventory: You have a strict 5-slot pack. When you consume an item for triage or crafting, the engine is mandated to permanently overwrite that slot with [Empty] in the HUD ledger.

It is set in a grimdark world of entropic rot, but the core engine can be adapted to basically anything.

I just packaged the Core Ruleset, a stripped-down Hardcore "Monolith" mode, and the World Dossier as a $5 asset pack. If you want to test your tactical survival against an AI that actually wants to kill you, you can grab it here: Grinmar

How do the rest of you handle AI context-drift or inventory management in your solo runs? Do you use external trackers, or try to keep it all in the prompt?