Daniel Solis

I've had these very loose prototypes floating in my workshop for months and never really settled on a proper set of rules for them. I knew that I wanted it to be an "organic" game, free from a grid. I also knew I wanted it to be a game that produces a pretty picture when the game is over. Something that draws a crowd as it is played. But finally I just decided I'd whip together the minimum viable rules I could think of, just to get it down on the table and actually in action. [UPDATE October 2014: These rules are for an older prototype and are not indicative of the final game available on DriveThruCards. These old rules are just saved here on this blog post for posterity.] The Deck For context, there are 45 numbered cards. Each has a branch formation along with dragonflies , butterflies , red flowers and/or pink flowers in various combinations. There is roughly an equal amount of each across the deck, but I randomized their distribution. Each card also ha...

  Given the changes to the River Ancient noted in my last post, it seemed much more feasible for me to release this game as a POD card product instead of expensive custom-shaped tiles. The board is a randomized lane of 4 cards/player each round, with no branches or other direct player-involvement in the setup. Players each get five dice, which they will roll at the start of the round. Each player also gets three Wisdom tokens. Players each start with one random Trait and one random philosophy. Further rules are as follows: To start a round, roll five dice in your color. Your lowest dice have your first Trait. The second-lowest dice have your second trait, and so on. On your turn, place one die... on the corner of any card, thereby founding that many villages on the river; or beside the philosophy deck. Draw that many philosophy cards, and keep one. Any dice placed on a Hill get +1. Any dice placed on a Mountain get +2. These bonuses are cumulative. You ma...

It's been a week and I've finally had a chance to digest some of the UnPub feedback from the River Ancient playtests. The notes below are from 20 feedback forms submitted. Overall takeaways? Match Gameplay to Objectives Every action in the game should link clearly and concretely to an objective in the game. Without this connection, you waste players' time. For example, I had players place tiles and place dice, but the dice were far more important and obvious tactically. Instead of adding more objectives to an already bloated game, I am just randomizing the tiles without player involvement. Find Universal Comments Every playtester is different, and will offer different types of advice, but look for any comments or suggestions they hold in common. These are the heart of any problems or features for your game. For example, my playtesters all loved the dice-placement mechanics and how traits made these placements even more tactically interesting. Cut, Cut, Keep. ...

In a word, UnPub4 was a crucible . The game I brought Saturday morning was quite different than what came out Sunday night. It emerged sleeker, simpler, and more fun. Here are four reasons why UnPub4 was such a success, and some takeaways to make your next UnPub a success, too. Small sample of on-the-fly edits to my components. #1 MacGyver Factor Because I was limited to whatever I had available to me at the event, I couldn't fall into the trap of just adding new mechanics or components to fix problems. Instead, I had to trim, edit, revise, and tweak. If point values were a problem, I used white-out or adhesive stickers to make edits. If components were a problem, I just removed them instead of wasting time between playtests. Takeaway : Bring tape, white labels, white out, glue sticks, and markers in multiple colors. Make your prototype easily editable to respond to playtester feedback. Teaching The River Ancient (Photo: Brad Smoley ) #2 Variety of Play...

Look for my Miyazaki-inspired euro game The River Ancient this weekend at UnPub4 ! Photos below and above are of the prototype I'm taking with me to the event. After some very rigorous playtesting, it's in a state where I think I can get the most useful feedback. It's a little different for me than last year since Belle of the Ball was a) mostly finished, b) a very short game, and c) I was seated near the front door. This time, the game isn't quite as polished, it takes roughly 45 minutes to play, and I'm in the far back of the room. I really hope I get as many playtests in as I did last year, regardless. Now, pictures! I used just about every scrap of cardboard in the house. It's pretty rough and handmade, but hopefully playtesters won't mind. See you at UnPub!

I'm developing a Mononoke/Nausicaa-inspired game for a debut at UnPub4. (You've seen previous posts about this here , here , and here .) For now, I'm calling the game The River Ancient . Here's where it stands at the moment. Overview of Play Players are guardian spirits guiding their adopted culture towards a balanced and virtuous existence on an ever-changing river. At the start of the game, each player rolls four dice, each pip representing a village. On your turn, you can place your die on... A NODE, where the corners of the river-squares meet. This is a long-term bid to claim the virtues or powers offered by that card: Health , Peace , Love , or Work . Placing on a HILL gives you a +1 bonus. Placing on a Mountain gives you a +2 bonus. A RIVER SPIRIT, in the center of a river-square. There are four river spirits who will each bestow a special action upon your culture: Give a Virtue to another player, Steal a Virtue from another player, Change one of ...

So I pulled together a very barebones alpha test of the core scoring mechanic for this Princess Mononoke-inspired board game. Randomly shuffle 40 cards, in four suits, ranked from 1-10. To start each round, deal a 3x3 grid of cards. Each player rolls four dice and keeps the results. On your turn, place a die on a vertex of the grid. At the end of the round, take any cards for which you have the greatest total sum of dice results surrounding that card. Any dice placed on the edge get a +1 modifier. Any dice on the outer corners get a +2 modifier. In case of ties, the card remains in place into the next round. If any sum of a suit goes over 10, score a number of points equal to your lowest suit. Then discard any cards of the suit that went over 10. Continue until you cannot make a full 3x3 grid and the player who has the highest score wins the game. There was a lot of really interesting emergent behavior in the alpha tests. I worried about letting so much ride on a singl...

Here's a quick overview of the game I'm tinkering with for UnPub4. This could technically be my first board game that could use an actual board! The game focuses on one small valley over the course of several generations, as tribal populations wax and wane, trying to keep a sustainable balance with the local ecosystem. The board is comprised of a 3x3 grid representing a misty valley. In each cell is two randomly drawn cards, one on top of the other. The bottom card is face-down and represents a conditional effect, sort of like "terrain" of the valley. The top card is the actual resource up for bids in an auction. To start the round, each player rolls 3 standard dice. This represents the population of your particular tribe this generation. The lowest total population takes the first turn. On your turn, place one die on a vertex of the grid. You cannot place a die on an occupied vertex. Certain faces have certain abilities based on the reputations you...