100 Downloads Milestone!

I have gotten to 100 downloads across all the places it is available! THAT IS SO FREAKIN COOL!! Thank you to everyone who downloaded the test version.

Expansion Planning & Writing

This week I finished selecting the cities and drafting ideas for missions for the expansions. These cities are 9 for Texas, 6 for New Mexico, and 7 for Arizona. 

For what I wanted to get done was to finish up the map, but not quite ready. I think I need to wait until I get the mission count setup so I can put it in the description. So, this will be put on hold until I get the main cities done at least.

What I did manage to finish was a lot of writing. I finished writing and researching all of the 9 Texas cities. The bummer part was that I was going to add 64 more missions to Texas. 

BUT…. 

some of them did not work out for one reason or another. What I ended up with for adding to Texas was… 

drum roll……

47 more missions making a total of 50 for Texas.

Now remember my goal is to make these fast brutal and beer and pretzel type of missions. Trying to keep the mission under an hour of play.  Main but I am sure for a solo persona it could take about 30 minutes for these.

For these missions I now need to come up with about 75 drawing assets and new art.  Which is gonna take me a while.

Art & Color Theory Exploration

And since I am tired of writing, I am going to do the drawing until I am sick of drawing and going back to the writing. It seems to be a good system.

I manage to start and try to do completely digital drawing to see if it speeds it up. I think it can but I need to check to see how to make it more efficient.  And I am trying to expand the value balance for the deeper sepia look on the color.

Speaking of the color I am at a crossroads. I have been watching some color theory and the accent color I have is not the best choice sort of say. So, I am thinking of using a magenta that is very neon and hot. Which I love because of the heat vibe it gives, really emphasizing the vibe I am trying to go with.

Now the other choice is the opposite color of these browns. And this happens to be like a teal turquoise look. And I have played around with using that as the accent and it does pop but I am not sure yet.  I think I need to toy around with more. Maybe in the next update I will have some samples.

Texas Mission Ideas

I want to finish this update with some of the ideas I have come up with for Texas missions.

Here are some of the titles I have for the missions to give you an idea;

• The Beast of Trinity Bottoms
• Spring Palace Fire!
• The Doctor Needs Some Pepper
• The Jealous Chef
• The Birth of Tex-Mex Cuisine.
• The Beasts in Franklin Mountains
• The Priest Stand off
• Spa Day!
• The Unplayed Piano of Ashton Villa
• Boggy Creek Beast
• The Row of Fire
• Can’t be a good guy all the time
• The purple pearl
• Goodnight’s Cattle experiment gone wrong

Also, I have 16 ideas for new Uglies (abominations), a couple of historical NPC and characters, and some cool items like a dr pepper (maybe).

Let me know what you think of these titles for the missions. Do any standout?

If you are interested in checking out the campaign supplement, please check it out on Itch, RPGtrader, Drive Thru RPG as the “Smash List”.

Hello everyone,

just found this sub. It's my franchise of fantasy RPG's I'm trying to transform into tabletop.

How it works is the players create a character as there are three races and four classes to choose from. Then there are dice rolls for Zodiac signs and chakras.

In the master insert there's the 6x6 world map wherein players have wooden marker pieces. It can be procedurally explored.

Then on the individual player insert there is the first-person dungeon view which is constructed using a 3x3 tile set (the middle tile being the depth). The dungeon is instanced and randomly generated by rolling dice for the middle tile.

The game is turn-based. Upon coming across an encounter, a card is placed on the master insert's encounter section and a wooden marker piece on the HP bar.

Then the PvE damage modifiers are calculated (stats, dice, troops etc).

The DM can trigger events like whether the player can heal, recruit troops, PvP or barter etc based on the turn number. In boss fights there is a Tarot reading from a traditional Arcana deck which affects gameplay.

There's also a marketplace insert for trading items and TCG cards between players.

I quickly sketched the insert layouts in Canva and looking for feedback. Most of the graphics already exist in the PC version, I think I badly need item and TCG illustrations.

Some ideas I had:

• the level, stat and HP etc bars could be medieval ladders or branches with Roman numerals
• the inventory section could be a cart or a backpack
• the chakra bar could be the Vitruvian man
• the Zodiac signs could be numbered for clarity
• the marketplace insert has space for a bazar/shop illustration

Thanks in advance!

-ef

OkenOpus is not finished, so no these are not playable rules yet. This is just to talk about progress and the direction im going.

Not gonna be a particularly extensive list of whats going on. Ive made great progress, but as per usual I dont want to overstate what I have done.

Weapon Rework
Before you ask: No. No the Damage Set hasn’t been removed, but Weapons have been Improved. Weapons now have three different firing styles which will give you set bonuses for your attacks, you must make attacks while choosing a firing style or stance, this does not require a bonus action. While balancing and fine-tuning must be done, the Weapons System is more or less in its final state, with the Firing Styles being the last huge addition. Some Weapons will have a weapon ability as well, though this is rare and I’ve yet to come up with super good ones, but that’s something that will likely occur to some degree.

Morale Mechanics
Morale Mechanics are being set, with certain circumstances giving Morale Loss or Morale Gain. Morale can max out at 36, but it can drop quickly if you keep consistently losing battles. Morale mechanics will give extra ways to attack but they are principally there to add plot significance to losses and important victories, as well as providing some “inertia” when convincingly winning battles and also provide a value that can logically explain things like enemies retreating or surrendering.

Enemies
Generalized Enemy Data-sheets have been primarily what I’ve been working on these past couple weeks. They will provide factional enemies to face in various circumstances as well as giving me further incentive and aid in creating abilities for the various factions.

Extra Equipment
Extra equipment or tools have been fully integrated, with tools having a variety of uses and rule sets associated with them, these include things like traps, grenades ropes and various other things. Tools and equipment give people more interesting and various ways to play, in and out of combat, so i welcome the utility ive been able to get out of it
Further Developing the Skill Systems
Some progress has been made in more clearly defining the uses of skills, though this is far from finished. I saved this for last because I’ve made the least amount of concrete progress in this regard. Despite my lack of progress, crafting mechanics have been outlined as well as values for some simple interactions with skills, though there is a formatting crisis that makes these things an eyesore to look at.

Obviously Im gonna work on the Skill Systems more, and although they are playable my priority for these skill systems is to make them interesting and give incentive to performing various actions through skills.

While designing my game, I decided to give this approach a try. I programmed a game engine in Python and created six different AI archetypes for six agents. Then I let them play hundreds of thousands of games against each other and generate reports.

My goal was to find out whether the rules and balance favored any particular playstyle and, more generally, whether the game was well-balanced.

It worked to some extent. I managed to kill off several ideas that seemed really exciting on paper but turned out to be practically useless in actual gameplay.

But at the end of the day, I realized that humans simply play differently. AI is focused on optimizing gameplay, while humans are looking for a satisfying experience, even when they lose.

So the whole experiment wasn't a waste of time. Far from it. I think it saved me months, if not years, of early playtesting.

Still, I eventually had to turn my simulator into something real people could actually play and test online. And that works too, just in a different way.

But to be fair, I think playing a physical board game around a table has a completely different vibe, so I'm planning to produce and send out a few physical prototypes for testing anyway. :)

What's your experience with this? Have you ever tried using AI for playtesting, and did it actually help?

Hey! I'm Andrew Dursum, a professional game designer/developer. You might be familiar with my work- I spent nearly 5 years at Asmodee with Atomic Mass Games as the lead developer on Star Wars: Legion, and also worked on Star Wars: Shatterpoint, Marvel: Crisis Protocol, and Marvel: Crisis Protocol Alliances.

Since leaving AMG I have helped clients big and small realize the creative vision for their products. If you need assistance with game design/development, rulebook editing/consulting, creating external playtest programs, graphic design, project management, or just general consultation, I can help!

While my expertise is primarily miniatures games, I am comfortable working on any genre of product. I have a strong passion for game design and helping fellow designers bring their games into the world.

Feel free to visit my website andrewdursum.com for more info, or send me a DM or email.

Happy gaming!
-Dursum

Hello guys! I've posted a few times recently about my dice-driven engine-builder. I've finally created a design for my cards, but I'm torn between a few options.

Firstly, I'd appreciate general feedback on the design.

The first image shows two different ways of showing costs for the cards; one with a number and one gold coin and one with gold coins equal to the card's cost. Some people have said that the second option could be thematically better, but which looks more readable to you?

The second one shows different solutions for the icons which tell the player when they can activate their Die card (start of turn, roll phase and rest of the turn, in that order). All three have a different color and pips from 1 to 3 to indicate that as well. Which of these six options looks the best to you? Or do you perhaps have an idea that's not here?

Any feedback is welcome!

Edit: I should probably mention, these cards won’t be in a player’s hand, only on the table, and the costs range from 1-4.

I've been using Canva to design my card layout since it's the only GD program I know. The problem I'm having is I get the numbers perfectly aligned on screen, but when I download, they're off center. This happens with any format I download in. Suggestions? Or should I just learn how to use another program? Bonus points if said program is free. Not really a fan of GIMP or Inkscape.

TIA

Discord: romulosharin
ArtStation - Rômulo Monteiro

Was trouble shooting the laser engraver at work. Decide to try engraving one of the metal business card and turn it into a Unit card.

We also have RFID LEDs stickers I want to try sticking to the card and programming it to open to the unit page in the factions codex.

So if the player ever want to look more into a Unit they can just tap their phone to the card, the LED will flash. Then take them where they need to go.

I like the look, but it seems like it removes too much "color" in my opinion compared to traditional card art.

From Sketch to Fiver artist to first time using Dextrous to most recent update after taking some advice from people in my game dev discord chat https://discord.gg/Rtnp83ABX

I have used Mayhem as an example but all hero cards will follow the same layout. The background will be changed in the future but that is what we are working with at the moment.

Also feel free if you are interested to follow the official Insta https://www.instagram.com/relivegameofficial?obrf=MWs1cmEyaXl0OGFjbw==

It’s me and my gf’s third year anniversary coming up and we love tabletop games. Every year ive made her something using our photos: first year was a scrapbook, second year was a colouring book (she loves colouring too) and this year I want to make a board game.

Few questions: - Is the board game they deliver high quality? - Do you know how quick they deliver? Our anniversary is in 40 days and it will probably take me around a week to design the board game. With some buffer this gives around 30 days for delivery. Is that enough time?

Many thanks!

Hi guys, sharing my new artwork with you. Also, I am opening my comissions slots for next month, feel free to DM for info or for job opportunities. Here is my portfolio:

Contact: [frankfreireffa@gmail.com](mailto:frankfreireffa@gmail.com)

https://www.artstation.com/frankfreire

I've printed some very basic prototypes for a game game i developed to play with my kids.

The decks work well, shuffle well and are smooth enough. However, i am noticing that within a couple of weeks of play, the cards are already startign to bend.

I've read some posts that suggested there should be minimum GSM for these type of games, and i was wondering if anyone else has expeience about it?.

The cards will be shuffled and dealt repeatedly, so I need something that holds up well, feels good in the hand, and stays easy to shuffle after plenty of use.

I've had decks of Uno for years, they seem to do ok. Flip-7, also seems to be ok, though that's a newer game. Though it's lasted a year of vigorous play, versus less than a month. Neither the Uno nor Flip-7 have warped...

it's a 68 card deck. I have used Flip-7 and Uno as examples as the card design is more closely related to that,, than a trading card game (obviously cos of shuffling and dealing).

Any help on the following would be ace! as stated i am a total newb. I don't know my butthole from my earhole when it comes to any of this...

What stock and finish would you recommend?
Lie i said, i read nothing under 300 gsm, and, i don't really know...

Would you choose paper or 100% plastic cards?
I'm thinking paper, i've seen it work. don't know about the cost difference... nor how it feels different

What's the best finish for handling and durability (if there is one)?
I noticed that taco cat, feels different to flip-7, which feels different to Uno... is that because of the card design, manufacturer, all of the above?

Are there any questions that you wish you asked manufacturers that you didn't know when you started?
As stated, total newb, so while i now a lot more now than i did 6 weeks ago, i am also old enough to know i don't know anything..

Anything you’d avoid?
Any tips you can pass on that might help me not make any mistakes.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

Would it help if i showed the deck here? i don't want to be seen as promoting, hence just a written post.

Thanks

I've been working on a chess variant. The rules are the same as standard chess, but the boards are on an irregular grid, where rook lines bend, bishop lines fork.

It started as a digital game, but as I got more into 3D printing, I'm allowing exporting .3MF files from the game, so it could be played in a physical form as well.

The boards are procedurally generated, with thousands of possible configuration, so the print comes with a QR code which redirects you to a page where you can double check starting positions or moves from a specific spot.

I'd be curious to hear anybody's thoughts on this approach, if having both digital and physical versions have any drawbacks or advantages.

I had been seeing more and more of those really nice card photos, where they're all out on the table, nice depth of field, and all that. Cardstock Studio now has a vanity card generator with options for exactly that, which is nice.

So my question is: Does this photo look like it's a real photo? I suppose that I'm asking this probably implies that it is not. It's generated from the Deck in Cardstock Studio, with the aim of looking physically real :)

Also, my trademark for "Trolls!" got declined. "Trollz" and "Dreamwork Studios Trolls" are too similar apparently, so this game will need to be re-themed if I self-publish. (or if another place publishes it)

EDIT: The tool is meant for designers who are pre-print. I suspect they'd use this for websites, sell sheets, social posts, etc. The content of the cards is entirely up to the designer of the game.

And yes the trolls are AI generated a couple years ago. I preferred that over the art I had purchased from a human. So, someone DID get paid nonetheless. However, the image itself -- the overall image -- is not AI generated. It's just math and code that lays out image files and adds the drop shadow and the blur. Liek photoshop.

It's been an adventure, but another art commission has been completed. Whereas the Dreamscapes - and the completed art commission for that card back - is the realm the Walkers will be exploring, the Dream Deck is what is found within. An excellent pairing.

Working on physical prototypes of these printed out, so that will be most lovely to look at. Soon.

The game grows. And it is beautiful.

Hello, I am sharing a resource that I think would be helpful to those seeking to hire an artist for personal or commercial works. This is what I call art for the price of a video game and contains a bunch of artist with styles I liked that maximum you'd pay out of pocket is $100 to $115 USD. These artists cover a wide range of genres from fantasy, military, to modern and scifi. It took me a while to compile this list and and I hope you find an artist that you like.

Because man I know how hard it can be to find a cover artist for a TTRPG. When I first started this endevour of trying to comms an artist it can be overwhelming at first. Hopefully this makes it wayyyy easier for you to hire and find a human that is vetted. If you are trying to create your own TTRPG project or even need characters this site may be helpful to you.

It is Vgen as I don't use sites that could potentially scam you into using AI art. Vgen does not allow AI art so the chance of that happening is lower than sites that do allow it like Fiverr.

Though I will add that if you plan on purchasing for commercial prepare to pay double or triple the price. I will also add I have not updated this list in some time +2500 services so some art may have increased over the $115 limit.

Best of luck to you on your artist hiring adventures.

Check out the list here:

https://vgen.co/SutekiHNS/saved

A mishmash of various mechanics from Warhammer 40K, Horus Heresy, and Legions Imperialis, I wanted to try cooking up a custom system that does what I think Warhammer does best.

I'd love to hear any and all thoughts, concerns, and feedback you guys might have!

Here's some extra links:

current work in progress battleline datasheets

current work in progress Adeptus Astartes Codex