The original story that sparked my interests that I finished in 2008 (holy cripes, thats years ago!) is now in with the downloadable file called
Full Draft: Alexander Lukin and the Lazarus Compound.
Written for a teenage-ish audience I got twenty thousand words into the second book before breaking off. I have plot ideas for the next 2, so a total of 4 in the series if I ever write them all.
Hope you enjoy!
Pemican Dreams
Friday 13 December 2013
Monday 4 November 2013
It's been a fair while but I have simply compressed all the game related
files into .rar archives for distribution.
Please note that many of these images were sized/resized using Word/Gimp/Acrobat till I was happy with how they came out. If you are printing these files it would be best to test them first to account for my low-tech skills.
http://www.mediafire.com/?xib6atjjth67g
I will be making changes from time to time as life permits. I have added a player mat and changed some costs.
So the message is,
Download, print, play, critique, test, hammer, bash, make changes, argue, make up, revel, commiserate and hopefully have some fun.
Please note that many of these images were sized/resized using Word/Gimp/Acrobat till I was happy with how they came out. If you are printing these files it would be best to test them first to account for my low-tech skills.
http://www.mediafire.com/?xib6atjjth67g
I will be making changes from time to time as life permits. I have added a player mat and changed some costs.
So the message is,
Download, print, play, critique, test, hammer, bash, make changes, argue, make up, revel, commiserate and hopefully have some fun.
Wednesday 2 October 2013
Setting Part 2
The Islamic Nation
A union of common religion has drawn much of the Middle
East and North Africa into a multi-country entity whose expanding capital at
New Babylon is the envy of the new age. The Islamic Nation is still
experiencing the growing pains of unequal development but the immense natural
wealth and populations of the countries it encompasses and its relative freedom
from conflict make it the first global power.
Russia
Bouyed on hopes of stunning military success of its
rapidly mobilised armies, Russia expected to march into the early years of the
century as a vibrant and powerful player in world politics. Instead, hard on
the heels of military reversals and massive population displacement, the
monarchy was destroyed and Russia dissolved into warring states. There are a
dozen powerblocks in Russia at any given time and dozens of warbands and petty
kingdoms. Only one territory has retained any form of permanence, the Warlord
Stainslav’s Sevatopol island fortress.
America
The
Re-United states left the civil war behind and set records in modernising and
railroad development that even the Islamic Nations were hard pressed to match.
By the turn of the century the landscape was reshaped and military might was on
the rise. Pursuing an involvement with the world policy as a defender of
freedoms, America looked to spread her influence across the globe. Where the
existing powers were waining America would be the shining light of the new era.
Triditional roles were challenged and new scions of business and industry rose
to prominence.
The call
to war, to save the allies and rescue a subjugated Europe from the grasping
Prussian Empire, would be the tolling of the bell on the old world and the
emergence of America as the new.
The Radium
device changed everything.
In the
green firestorm hundreds of thousands of men were turned to white ash. Dozens
of Airships and millions of tones of supplies joined them in the darkest day of
the Great War to date.
America
has withdrawn her manpower but pledged her industrial might. Ships guns and
ammunition sails across the ocean to Europe, but perhaps never again the
American soldier.
Setting Part 1
Europe is battered from a war that should have ended years
ago but that flares and smoulders sullenly.
Britain
Girded for total war and with a people hardened to
deprivation and sacrifice Britain is the closest it has ever come to losing its
identity. All industry is nationalised, all freedoms curtailed and the
government in the hands of a brutal industrial committie manned by the Iron
Lords. Success in the Dunkirk landings bought prestige and influence and
strengthened the Iron Lords grip.
As long as Germany refuses to surrender, Britain will
stand defiant.
France
With swathes of land turned into battlefields and massive
casualties in the first weeks of the war, France is barely treading water. From
Verdun via Reims, Amiens to Lille and on to Dunkirk the front lines bleed
armies daily. The French soldier has proven dogged and brave to a fault but
lessons are filtering through and the French army has become second only in
experience to the Germans. With the help of Britains armies and the industrial
might of America, France intends to win her country back.
Germany
An industrial giant before the war and eager to test it’s
military might, Germany didn’t wait for the deadlines to pass. On July the 25th
the military machine rolled into Serbia and Russia. The Balkins collapsed in
days and a series of hammer blows to the barely assembling Russian army
shattered it into routing hordes.
A massive rail and air lift saw the German army shift
fronts in time to stem the beginnings of the French response.
Britains landing on the Dunkirk beaches shocked the
Germans back tens of miles but new trench lines and fortifications contained
the retreat.
Germany has the industrial might and manpower for a
protracted war. It has the military leadership to back it up but, it is the
people who may ultimately determine how long the conflict continues.
Saturday 14 September 2013
In between next post
First game
I was fortunate enough to secure the services of 3 others on
the inaugural test drive of “Airlords” Alpha.
The Bad
Too much time spent not doing anything makes for bored
players, also playing late in the evening. I either need to make the turns more
interactive or faster and smoother.
Clearer formatting on the map to establish boundaries, names
and cargo numbers. Give colour to the oceans. Even though the geography should
be clear, it may help.
Shuffle the deck more.
Get printer ink because when you want to print out a copy of
the turn sequence for everyone, you can’t
The OK or expected
Counter and tokens; people love them. Being able to make
piles of denominations, lines of tokens and abstract shapes keeps people happy.
We are an odd bunch.
Not everyone gets the idea the first time around and it is
good to have one person explaining the rules
The Good
Shafting other players is fine. 2-3 Search and Seizure cards
were played in the first few turns though this did set players back to early.
WAR broke out several times, as did declarations of PEACE.
Both worked nicely.
Moving your Airship one territory and taking actions or two
and not doing so was a good call before the game started.
Combat was easy to understand and relatively quick.
Changes to make
Discard mechanism and card type rebalance to stop handfuls
of redundant cards.
Cargo Unload at the start of the turn, Cargo Load at the
end. It takes too long otherwise.
Fame/Infamy to be introduced.
Create a Player mat with all the costs; turn sequence and
structures for quick reference.
Monday 2 September 2013
Steampunk!
....is extraordinarily exciting.
As such I have begun designing an Airship Trade themed boardgame that is now in it's very Alpha stages. What I want to do is make it available to anyone who would like to try a copy for playtesting and constructive critque.
There are a number of differing games out there that share the theme of exciting Victoriana/mad technologies/airships and personalities that are larger than life. What I am trying to do with my game is present ALL of these in one game.
You can carry cargo to the many countries of war torn Europe and the Middle East for profits, build cargo facilities and employ Commerce Agents.
You can outfit your Airship for war and hunt down rivals, either forcing their surrender in an honorable fashion or burning them from the skies in utmost skullduggery!
New models of Airship can be purchased, crew employed and Captains put in command.
Next post: An Overview of the setting
Things to do
Playtesting
Secret Victory conditions
Playtesting
Some form of Reputation / Infamy accumulation
Playtesting
Some form of Economic manipulation?
As such I have begun designing an Airship Trade themed boardgame that is now in it's very Alpha stages. What I want to do is make it available to anyone who would like to try a copy for playtesting and constructive critque.
There are a number of differing games out there that share the theme of exciting Victoriana/mad technologies/airships and personalities that are larger than life. What I am trying to do with my game is present ALL of these in one game.
You can carry cargo to the many countries of war torn Europe and the Middle East for profits, build cargo facilities and employ Commerce Agents.
You can outfit your Airship for war and hunt down rivals, either forcing their surrender in an honorable fashion or burning them from the skies in utmost skullduggery!
New models of Airship can be purchased, crew employed and Captains put in command.
Next post: An Overview of the setting
Things to do
Playtesting
Secret Victory conditions
Playtesting
Some form of Reputation / Infamy accumulation
Playtesting
Some form of Economic manipulation?
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