Games for Goblins

[Vulpinoid]

Just in case anyone's feeling inspired enough to join another game
design contest...

I've been inspired by a couple of things lately.

1. A storygames thread about <a href="http://story-games.com/forums/
comments.php?DiscussionID=11519&page=1#Item_40">games you'd like other
people to design</a>.

2. The gaming anthology <a href="http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-
book/norwegian-style/5140294">"Norwegian Style"</a>

3. Old style <a href="http://www.jaqueslondon.com/products/49680/
deluxe_games_compendium_mxl.jpg">games compendiums</a>.

4. Another storygames thread about <a href="http://story-games.com/
forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=11543&page=1#Item_15">artists looking
for game designers</a>.

5. The idea of how games and roleplaying might have developed in a
very different paradigm to our current understanding.

Combining these concepts, I'm thinking of developing a boxed set
through <a href="http://www.thegamecrafter.com/">"The Game Crafter"</
a>.

The box will contain 2 booklets. One purely an art book, the other an
assortment of games inspired by that art. In addition the game box
will provide everything needed to play the games on offer...a few
dice, an assortment of tokens, some pawns or movement markers, a
custom deck of cards and a board marked with some kind of abstraction
(possibly concentric circles divided into sectors) which could be used
as an abstract distance chart for combat, or anything else of that
could be imagined by a game designer.

A variety of game designers would offer a game of no more than 10
pages using some subset of these components, and inspired by the
artwork. Some would be roleplaying games from the perspective of an
exotic culture, others would be games specifically designed for
telling stories from that cultures perspective, some might hopefully
push the envelope to levels I haven't considered. The entire booklet
would contain a dozen or so of these games (maybe more if we get more
people interested).

I'll be running the project as a contest, with a specific set of
components declared once I get a few interested takers. Depending on
how many people offer their game ideas, everyone who contributes a
game will be able to purchase a copy of the set at cost price.
Everyone whose game makes it into the compendium will be able to
purchase as many copies of the set as they wish at cost price. I'll be
sending free copies of the final compendium to the contributor who
provides the most interesting game within the context of the artwork,
and the contributor who make the most innovative game using the
specified components.

I'll be looking to start the contest on the next equinox (22nd March,
2010), declaring all the components and providing the booklet of
inspiration artwork. The contest will run until the following solstice
(22nd June 2010). 3 months should give people enough time to write
something up, develop and refine their ideas, then submit something
that can be laid out by me. The final product is tentatively scheduled
for release on the next equinox (22nd September 2010), coincidentally
timing with Gencon Oz.

If anyone has thoughts at this stage, immediate game ideas,
suggestions for specific components in the compendium, feel free to
comment.

[Nathan]

This sounds like an interesting and entertaining project Michael.
One thing, if you are intending to print everthing through The Game
Crafter be aware that they are not a POD company - the games I have
recieved from them (we have been sent review copies of stuff for the
podcast) have rules simply printed out as seperate sheets of paper and
roughly folded to fit in the box - no staples or the like. The cards
and other components are good quality, but the rule "booklets" are not
real books. You may have to get the gear from The Game Crafter and the
books printed elsewhere and put it all together yourself.

Good luck with it all.

- Nathan

[Steve Darlington]

I assume you're aware of Stonehenge, Michael, which did the same thing with just board games?

[Vulpinoid]

Steve, tell me more about "Stonehenge", and I'm not meaning the
archaic formation on the Salisbury plain.

And Nathan, Thanks for the heads-up about "The Game Crafter", I'll get
my books POD published elsewhere and assemble the game packages
myself.

[Steve Darlington]

Much like your concept, they produced a board, several plastic trilithions, five markers, five sets of counters and five sets of rods. Then they gave the set to five famous game designers - Bruno Faidutti (Citadels, Mystery of the Abbey), James Ernest (Kill Doctor Lucky etc), Mike Selinker (Pirates of the Spanish Main, Betrayal at House on the Hill), Richard Borg (BattleLore) and Richard Garfield (Magic: The Gathering).  It's pretty cool.

BGG page is here: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/20436/stonehenge

My review on RPGNet is here:
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13450.phtml

[Vulpinoid]

Interesting, and yes, I guess it's a bit similar to what I'm going
for. But I was thinking something more abstract from the board game
perspective, and hopefully getting a couple of quick-form roleplaying
games into the mix.

I'm working on a goblinesque tarot deck for the game, and an abstract
board at this stage (in addition to the images for game inspiration).
Besides these, the boxed set will come packaged with four d4s, four
d8s and an assortment of tokens. No d6s, the reasons for this will
become clearer with some of the illustrations and accompanying text.

Thanks for the link.

[Vulpinoid]

I've added a new page to my website for the Games for Goblins project.
http://www.vulpinoid.com/games_for_goblins.html

If you just want to look at the book, here's a link to the pdf.
http://www.vulpinoid.com/images/Games_for_Goblins.pdf

I've generated up a Google Group to serve as a focal point for the
games designed, and an impromptu forum. http://groups.google.com/group/games-for-goblins?hl=en

Hopefully, there will be some interesting ideas spawned from this.