This poor-resolution photo was taken in October of 2016, in the coastal Chinese city of Qingdao. The prototype pictured here was a significant upgrade because prior to this, the game was entirely based on cards. What I then came to understand is that, lacking a geographical basis for the cards’ respective consequences, none of them made any sense.
The first hurdle was finding the right design for the game boards. In the very first edition pictured above, you will notice the nine different squares, each of which, represents separate geographical regions. Most games are relatively limited in the number of players they can support. And while scaling the potential player count was not part of my original vision, what I ultimately discovered purely by accident, is that by structuring the game in this way, you can effectively scale with relative ease, to theoretically support any number of players. Putting this theory to the test is one of my first priorities, and is scheduled for later this summer.
You will also notice a cold pack. I went through and tested so many different concepts and iterations, that I gave myself carpal tunnel in the process of cutting out all the different boards, pieces, and various components of the game. It got to a point where it was difficult to open a bottle of water, but has since healed. If a little carpal tunnel is all I had to endure to get this far (it wasn’t, but let’s just say it was…), I consider that a price worth paying.
We are on track begin taking orders later this year, and I also plan to send out a few copies to select friends and other individuals. I need people to battle-test the overall game design and let me know what still needs work because this is just the beginning. To take this as far as I think it can go, we need an unimpeachable foundation to build off of.
No matter what happens, if the finished product is as much fun to play as the prototype has been to test, I am feeling really good about the overall state of the game and the progress that has been made thus far.
