An Alamaze Board Game?

[Ry Vor]

I may have mentioned earlier I have an opportunity to design a board game / card game based loosely around Alamaze.  As I get nearer to finishing what I need for 3rd Cycle Alamaze, at least for The Choosing, any complaints or comments on that? 

I can't really describe it in much detail, or the new aspects or game mechanics as we want to be first on those, but I think given the idea it would be a board game completed in 4 or less hours, likely for 2-4 initially, I wonder what Alamaze players might think about that.  Also hopeful that it is easily transportable, try to keep to 12 pages of rules, lots of replay-ability.  Like I said, some new game mechanics including with the map that are not overly complicated, just new.

[Lord Diamond]

I would buy an Alamaze board game. I don't get a chance play often (I live out in the country), but I would give it a shot.

[Jumpingfist]

I would also likely buy a game. Actually thought up most of a game the last time you mentioned it. I would say most similar type games would be Catan meets Talasmin. Catan idea for game board/resources though different with Talasmin idea for character/kingdom cards with special abilities. With spell, rogue, and secret victory cards. The board would be layed out with hexes each player placing 7 hexes to make a hex region and joining with the others so the game board would actually change in size with the number of players likely up to 4 players with an expansion to go to 6 and have more character or could even get to starters to play 8 players. Each hex would be discovered as it is explored with a random chance to have a city, town, village, ruin, or nothing. Each would need to be conquered using diplomacy or military strength or even with the aid of magic or rogue cards. I was thinking 3 6 sided dice because I like the odds table it creates and makes for good bonuses as you add or subtract due to special abilities.

[Ry Vor]

JF,

I'm pretty sure either I posted some of those comments, or I wrote you via email, as that is very close, and point by point, what I have.

Anyway, as such, if I go that way, maybe we will consult.

I was thinking of large hexes, larger than Settlers, but I am keen on a new map idea. 

Map (of mysterious origin), counters, discs, markers, cards, dice.  Oh, and I suppose, Rules.   Rubber meets the road.

Anyway, this is a freelance thing, that may or may not happen.  Alamaze is the priority.

I think it can be pretty cool, and by that I mean not the machinations of an Avalon Hill game, but at least the strategy of Axis and Allies, while having a theme and actions of an Alamaze setting.  With the nice looking components of a game possibly with metal-cast figures (might not happen), and lots of play style options, and yes, the map size changes with the number of players.

[Jumpingfist]

I remember you mentioning Catan during the pre-alpha emails.

[VballMichael]

If you ever need play-testers, I get together with 3-4 of my friends for board-gaming fairly regularly, and we have played all of the games you referenced as references, and most of them have played or tried Alamaze.

[Ry Vor]

Thanks to those who have replied.  It's probably still a long shot and my role is mainly hired gun (designer) - the other folks will do the production if they determine to go forward.

I'd like to try to bounce some ideas here without sacrificing the newness of what are brand new concepts.

I have been curious how many players might still play board games, or could if they found "the right" game.  Would it be more likely with 2, 3, or 4 players?  Would you have a friend or friends that might enjoy that?

While we know how complex Alamaze can be - and that is with the code and computer doing all the calculations - I feel I really need to shoot for something pretty accessible to a less dedicated audience.  So trying to shoot for around a dozen pages of rules before tables or charts, can be setup and played in a target 2-3 hours for a satisfying but "completable" game in an evening.

I have pretty extensive board game playing experience, although not deep.  Mainly, I bought a lot of games, read the rules, and may or may not have ever actually played them.

The publishers are open to my decisions at this point, although conversation originated around a card game.  My concern is that MTG just owns that space.  Even an expensive (I assume) license for LOTR card game with good art and pretty decent design really didn't gain any traction.  The one I liked after MTG that seemed to have promise and concepts I agree with was Legend of the Five Rings, which also won an Origins award (deserving), but I haven't heard much about since maybe 2008.  So while MTG had personality to its colors of magic, 5 Rings actually had characters that were personalities, with abilities, that might be equipped.  This fits fairly easily into Alamaze in some ways.

Most people played Stratego, a mass-market game, but a long lived one.  There was an advance on the idea called Feudal way back maybe in the 1980's.  So hidden deployment, but the game itself sort of chess-like after the dividing screen was removed.

I have written a couple articles on what I consider some of the best designs in my lifetime, and Settlers of Catan is one of those.  While it isn't playable as 2 player, I found it pretty decent as 3 player and better at 4 player, but what makes it, as opposed to Risk or Axis and Allies, is there is no real need to knock out a player, the thing that disgruntles players most in those games, when they feel "picked on".  And of course the simultaneous moves of Alamaze or Diplomacy the board game are interesting.

I also have dragged out the rules and components to Up Front, which was billed as the Avalon Hill "Squad Leader Card Game", but has lots of components and rules. Another old 1980's game was Magic Realm, which had that assembled hexagon map like Settlers. I don't know if anybody played some games in the 1980's that were hits for years like Cosmic Encounter, where each player played a different alien race and there were wacky/silly game elements - like stare contests and who can make the other laugh would win a duel. The original Illuminati card game also tried to introduce humor. I just think to get casual players, or start a cadre, its got to be a little lighter to ease some people in, but I am not certain about that.

So in the early stages, I don't think it will be a straight card game, or board game, but use multiple components, likely including dice (maybe 3 six sided), markers, counters as well as a unique map style and cards that bring in the different character, sighting, and possession types found in Alamaze, while utilizing hidden movement and magic.

[VballMichael]

Actually, we still play Stratego and Feudal and Risk and Wizards and Chess and MTG and ......

I think 3-4 hours is a good time frame (Cataan usually takes us 5+ hours), Wizards and a few others take anywhere from 3-6 hours.

It needs to be 2-4 players, scalable up if needed. It is hard nowadays to get more than that in one room at one time.

I agree that just a card game is too limited and not practicable to break in to. A board game would be better (like a Cataan or Wizards).

As for a calculator, let's think even more broadly. Maybe there is an actual calculator application to download from a web site. We all have computers and cell phones now to put that app on.

[Ry Vor]

Actually, we still play Stratego and Feudal and Risk and Wizards and Chess and MTG and ......

I think 3-4 hours is a good time frame (Cataan usually takes us 5+ hours), Wizards and a few others take anywhere from 3-6 hours.

It needs to be 2-4 players, scalable up if needed. It is hard nowadays to get more than that in one room at one time.

I agree that just a card game is too limited and not practicable to break in to. A board game would be better (like a Cataan or Wizards).

As for a calculator, let's think even more broadly. Maybe there is an actual calculator application to download from a web site. We all have computers and cell phones now to put that app on.

I thought of some sort of electronic odds decider, but then players would have to enter the factors.  So rolling dice, revealing a card, or spinning a spinner would be faster.  A tactical advantage might be a card that modifies the die roll.  When you say "Wizards", what are you referring to?

One positive I would throw in about the whole idea that I wrote about for Suspense and Decision but don't think I published here was board games have really taken off in Europe starting earlier this century.

[VballMichael]

This is Avalon Hill's game of Fantasy Adventure.

This game uses hexagonal modular map sections used in Avalon Hill's Magic Realm and later utilized in Mayfair's Catan, providing a different board layout for each game.
Map tile-sections are placed on a blank mapboard to make up the arrangement of the Enchanted Islands for that game.
Most of the game consists of performing various mini-quests by moving around the 18 islands to pick up marker counters for the specific quest.
Each quest adds to the 10 quest per fortnight (14 days) requirement. Failure to reach this total of quests among all players causes one of the 18 islands to be flipped over and taken out of the game.
In this way the players are competing mainly versus the game system.
Endgame consists of players racing against each other to be first to collect 6 Gem Fragments and take them to the High Druid.