Catch Up

Once again, little actual 'progress' took place this month, so, once again, I can't be bothered to make one of those little graphics; but here's a little rundown of what's been going on:

Caravans of CarRel saw more play testing. The main work for this game this month was attempting to convert it to a print-and-play. I've come to the realization that in the coming months I will have a lot less time to produce the games I make, so, those that can be served by the print-and-play style shall be; this is one such game. Some of the conversion has been very easy and the final result is streamlined and pretty, some has been rather challenging and the current iteration is clunky and ugly; I'm working diligently to fix the latter. It'll get there. 

Cards of CarRel had its first prototype / physical beta test shipped to a play testers! This is very exciting for me, and I am looking forward to hearing from the testers. I will work from their notes on design, mechanics, rules, etc. to make this thing something I am truly proud of. The other big shift this month (the first being the print-and-play on Caravans), is that I am now somewhat committed to having Cards professionally printed. I still want to do the boxes and shipping and rules and whatnot, but I simply cannot produce the quality of cards I am comfortable selling for a game that is literally all about the cards. 

It may seem like not a lot is going on, but I assure you, I'm working! Stick with me!

Cheers. 

Rapid fire: 

• Been working on a wooden version of Cartography of CarRel using a laser engraver; pretty neat, might take a while to get just right

• Been working on converting Caravans of CarRel to a print and play; slow going, but getting there

• Been messing around with some other ideas: mainly, a pretty groovy combat system for Conquest of CarRel, I like it, might keep parts of it and try to make it a little simpler for quicker play

And that's it for the month!

I got a working prototype of Creatures of CarRel done and have started testing and tweaking where necessary. Not going to lie, it is pretty darn fun! I just gotta do the stupid box now...

Otherwise, I've just been dabbling in the start of part 2 of Coloring, Persia is the first chapter, I have 1 page done and all the rest planned and composed.

Light month, newborn and such. 

Love,

Kev

A little more prototyping on Creatures. 

More planning on Part II of Coloring.

An early attempt at converting Coloring Part I to a physical product. There are note pages between the coloring and map pages of the digital product, with a thick chipboard backing, and a 2 to 1 (2 holes in 1 inch) metal clip binding. I'm happy with it so far, I just want to tweak the margins and some of the page compositions before finalizing. It'll be between 50 and 60 pages and I think something I can realistically get done pretty quickly even with a needy baby kicking around (love you so much, baby child).

I read the Wager, by David Grann last month and was inspired to start thinking more about Captains of CarRel (or Commodores?) which would be something like Risk and Battleship put together with engine-building elements and maybe some resource management and whatnot to add some spice. Like most of my ideas, I'm not going to delve too deeply into it until I get some of my existing works to a finished stage, but still, it is always nice to stretch the ol' brain every once in a while.

And that's it. Another light month on actual production, but still lots of thought and care going into this silly little hobby. 

Love,

Kev

This month I got the rest of the materials together that I needed to start churning on Coloring Part II. I have done 3 of the 50 coloring sheets... It might not sound like a lot... And it really isn't in the grand scheme of things, but it is all I have had time for (I only have so much computer time with a 6 month old baby to care for and love and such). All that said, Part II will be simpler for me to put together, and, I think, more enjoyable for you all to use. I'm opting for a total coloring pack: no puzzles, no key words, no studying maps and such. For each chapter: just a blank map of the region being discussed, a blank timeline, and 10 coloring pages. I hope this will make the material more usable as an actual study aid.

Beyond this, I've been working on the Caravans of CarRel conversion to a print and play. A lot of thinking and casual testing is going into this. Once it is more fleshed out, I will do more serious testing. Until then, I am pleased with the progress. 

I've begun redesigning the cards for Cards of CarRel. I have learned a lot about what I actually want from this game, and what I had, though fun and deep and crunchy, was not it. I'm making the cards simpler, with fewer abilities (one or two per card tops) and I am making them physically smaller (business card size instead of playing card size). I am also getting rid of a number of the mechanics and systems I labored over for months and months in favor of a much simpler system that will hopefully be easier to get into but will also be just as fun. I've known for a long time that my original game was in need of an overhaul, but it is very difficult to blow up something you have put hundreds of hours into. This month, I pulled the trigger and went for it. No regrets.

Cards of CarRel roadmap:

• Blow up the Cards of CarRel page on this website to reflect my silliness. 

• Read at least 1 more US history text book to help pick out the most significant figures and events and to organize cards into thematic or chronological decks of 70 (constructed decks for easy, out of the box play), and 10 (addendum decks for the development of personal decks as well as for expanded addendum mode games with a related constructed deck). 

  • Right now it is looking like 10ish constructed decks and maybe double that in addendum decks... But that will change. 

  • I've gone back in and set up Deck 1: The Revolution that is 70 cards dealing with the years leading up to and through the American Revolution. There are 35 biography (figure) cards, 32 journal (event) cards, and 3 atlas (geography) cards. The cost curve is just how I like it, the abilities feel tight, and the journal cards don't feel overpowered; I need to test more, but I'm pleased. This reconstruction of a deck took me 12 hours.

  • Now I just need to do this a dozen or so more times...

• Transfer what I can from the old game to the new (I.E. transfer abilities, stats, costs, etc. from existing cards to the new).

  • This will require the establishment of new rules and mechanics and whatnot; I'm going to let this come mostly from pulling apart decks and seeing what I like and what I don't, I've already trashed a bunch of stuff that will make the game cleaner. Heck, maybe the BASIC rules won't be 30 pages anymore... 

• Finish redesign of the cards.

• Redesign rules (maybe I can get away without a Comprehensive rule set and just have a basic one...).

• Test. Test. Test.

• Print prototypes (I do this on my own, and I will continue to). 

• Publish and relax for half a second before starting on world history... 

  • I've already started reading 3 different textbooks and organizing notes from past history courses in preparation. 

Lastly, I've been thinking about and casually testing tokens for Conquest of CarRel. I think they are simple and easy enough for me to produce on my own but also neat enough that I won't be ashamed to share them with you all.

Overall, a productive and satisfying month over here at CarRel Games; I hope it was for you as well!

Love,

Kev

Every second I had to spend on games this month was devoted to Caravans of CarRel. It is shaping into something I am rather happy with, and eager to get into a fully playable state. I've added abilities and unlocks and markets and NARATIVE elements I am close to proud of (they still need some work before I'm truly proud enough of them to share). I've been testing individual parts, namely, the combat and encounter system. It is pretty slick and easy but with enough depth in preparation and character construction that players ought to feel like they are making a difference in what would otherwise feel random or lucky. Don't get me wrong, there is still a random element to it (we are dealing with cards after all), but how a player builds up their character is very much the deciding factor in if the encounter will end in the player's favor. 

That's it for the month. Everything is slower with a baby around. But I'm happy with that. It makes the time I do have to dink around with some creative ideas feel even more special. And who knows, maybe some of these ideas will turn into something I can share with my precious baby when she gets a little older. 

Love,

Kev

Quickly:

I finished the laser engraving gift for my friends. It turned out great, but it is certainly a one-of-a-kind thing. It ended up being 154 tiles. My little machine can do 5 at a time. Each set of 5 takes about an hour (front and back), not including the finishing process (linseed oil, drilling a hole for a small nail, etc.). So, yeah, this took a long time that I do not have. A smaller version however... totally doable, and I may pursue it in the near future. 

I have begun the newest iteration of the Caravans of CarRel rules. I am pretty close to getting it ready to share with my play testers (I like to have things pretty much "done" before sharing, I don't want to waste their time). I have changed around some of the minor skill-related aspects of the game and am pretty darn happy with it. Moving along as fast as I am able. 

As always, I am getting ideas for Cards of CarRel.  This month's main thought has been on affiliations and how to streamline and improve them. I'm thinking of adding things like sex or gender as a symbol on each biography card (where applicable); I initially was going to avoid this, as I didn't want to open myself up to criticism on that front, but I now realize the lack of that definition has limited some abilities and neat interactions that I could include (E.G. not all women are feminists, but a lot of the feminist figures in the game could benefit all female figures). So, I'm going to do my best to carefully add this to the biography cards; I may make mistakes, but know I am trying my best. In general, I am pleased with where things are at with this game. It is my labor of love right now, I hope to finish it up someday so I can obsess over something else. Until then, it is occupying my thoughts and my dreams, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

That's it for this month. Light. But as always, good. 

Love,

Kev

I've been working on Caravans of CarRel. As always, it is slow going. I want it to be tight and good and crunchy and polished. Difficult to do when you only get a few hours a week to dive into it. But we're getting there. 

Made a practice box for Creatures of CarRel. The game is done. It is simple. The box is imperfect, and that is driving me bananas. Getting there though. The new one is sturdy, and not too difficult to make. Promising. 

I'm laser engraving a copy of Cartography of CarRel in some thin wood. It is looking good, I might make this a thing on Etsy. Probably just one or two at a time, since it takes forever for my little machine to get 90 pieces done. 

I've been powering through a 179 episode history podcast on the history of Rome (Western Empire), and it is daily inspiring me to think about and work on Cards of CarRel. I'm liking where it is going, but it is still the most complicated game I am currently working on, so it'll be a hot minute. 

That's it. Moving as best I can.

Love,

Kev

No progress. No Excuse. 

Love,

Kev

Made a new prototype box for Creatures. It is a lot more durable, but far more time-consuming. I think it is a step in the right direction, but I'm still not happy with it. Making slow progress. 

I also started a miniature version of Coloring that will take a bit of time. It is something I can pick up and knock out 15 minutes at a time so I think I can manage some progress more regularly. I am slowly forcing myself to transition to this sort of work. I don't have the time to focus on something for 4 or 5 hours a day like I used to. I have maybe 30 minutes at the end of the day, and I need to find things to slot into that. Working on it, hope it will become as rewarding (mentally) as the binge work sessions I used to enjoy. Time will tell. 

Love,

Kev