There is no such a card!
Essen fair has ended, stress level has fallen- finally a moment to catch a breath. I can play in the newest releases, see what the other authors have prepared, take a gulp of new ideas. I’ll note the interesting solutions that may be inspiring and I’ll allow my mind to be stirred by others. Sometimes – quite unexpectedly – something completely new is born from all this commotion.
Finally, after several plays, the commotion came. Oh yes. And as a result, within two weeks after Essen the brand new prototype has landed on the table. We play. Turns come and go. Step by step Merry is gaining the upper hand and finally I can see nothing’s going to change that in the following two moves before the end of the game. I was beaten. The prototype seems to be cool, yet the cards have little to do with balance.
I draw my last card. It’s named Commandos, yet there is no text nor symbols with rules on it, only the title and cool graphics. I didn’t have a slightest idea for the mechanics, only a cool title, so I just tossed this card into the deck. Very clever. „Trzewiczek style” they call it – the story always comes first, then you’ll have time to worry, dude, about the rules.
And so I draw this stupid Commandos and with a poker face I put it in New York saying „Commandos. I won.”
Merry’s eyes widen.
If I had to buy her some contact lenses just in that moment, they would have to be the bottom of a jar size.
„What?” she asks almost completely speechless.
I lost miserably. The only thing left for me was to tease her a little bit. „Well, I pulled Commandos. Didn’t I tell you that when Outpost draws that card, it wins? And so I won.”
Merry didn’t believe in what she’s just heard. „There is no such card.”
I keep my face straight. „There is. As you can clearly see here. Commandos wins the game.”
„Ignacy, there is no such card!” Merry furiously rushes to the other side of the table, grabs the Commandos and throws it away. The card lands besides the window. „Ignacy, there is no such card.”
All I could do is bursts out laughing.
Two days later, the Commandos has its abilities described. Maybe it does not win the game, but… but still gets to be my favorite card in the whole deck.
I strongly believe that good board game is the one that tells a good story. You play it and suddenly you are sucked into it, you feel chills on the skin. Emotions grow. In a moment you defend castle. You hear roar of warriors. You smell boiling oil. You are into it.
That's how I design my games. I always want to tell a good story. I want players to be into it. As deep as possible.
Leave a Comment