Last week we enjoyed the first full game of Frenemies. Every other play-test session prior to June 20th, 2017 was cut short before the game had finished. Every other session had dragged on for hours as we debated rules, mechanics, logic, and systems for the game’s execution. Some sessions dragged on for hours, to the point I didn’t care any more and just wanted to go home and sleep. But last week was smooth. There were no significant issues, and only a select few points of interest that were efficiently debated by the group. In the end, nothing got in the way of us finishing the game with ease. When the winner - Aaron Bennett (https://steemit.com/@ginjaninja007)- was declared, a solid two hours had passed. We could have continued, though by all accounts that was a satisfying length of time. Not too long. Not too short. Just right.
At this point, everything that remains is purely cosmetic, superficial, and technical. I had to tighten up the variety cards and their respective consequences. Some of them were redundant and unintentional duplicates, needing to be removed entirely from the stack. Some were too weak to be meaningful, and others were a bit overpowered. I’ve put in some time to balance out those factors and level the overall playing field for all involved. That was an easy fix, and has already been done.
I had to revise the layout of the board because the current designs don’t serve the game very well. The layouts of each board as they currently are, tend to create confusion and uncertainty more than anything else. It’s not game-breaking, but why foster confusion when I can just as easily keep it simple? It’s an easy fix, and has already been done.
There was also a bit more “fat” that needed to get cut. A key element of the game is something we call “Strategic Assets”. There were originally nine of them, but I’ve reduced that number to six. There used to be several different classes for players to fall into (Bureaucrats, Capitalists, Proletariat, Black Market), but I cut those from the game entirely. It was a compelling concept, but made the game overly complicated and difficult to manage. Those were easy fixes, and have already been done.
Electing “Governors” for the different regions used to be a cornerstone of the games political and economic systems. We tried so many things, explored so many strategies to make it work, and perhaps one day we will succeed, but Frenemies doesn’t need elections right now. I’m confident we can make it work one day, but the development process has gone on long enough. Too many great ideas get scrapped in the name of perfectionism.
We’re ready.
Ask anyone in the group who has been there testing it with me from the beginning, and they can give you a first hand account of how complicated and intricate Frenemies used to be. They can also tell you how difficult it was to play. And now, after 8 months of work, they can also tell you how nice it was to finally enjoy a solid game from start to finish. To finally play through a game without any debilitating problems, to see how well it can work, and to finally experience Frenemies as it was intended to be. That feeling of satisfaction, which comes from completing something you’ve worked on for so long, is hard to compare or articulate. For me, at this point, over 4,200 hours have been invested. It’s more than a light at the end of the tunnel. This feeling is akin to looking back, with the sun already on your face, and watching the tunnel fade into the background behind you as you charge full steam ahead.
It’s ready.
As of this post, there are three things that remain. The first is to find a manufacturer that can produce bulk quantities of the game and supply the Kickstarter campaign.
The second thing is to recruit a talented artist and graphic designer who can produce the cards, instruction booklet, and other various components where artwork and design are required.
Once we have the producer locked down and the artwork in progress, that is when we finally get to start the third and final stage: Marketing.
That is when the fun begins!
