This week I finally managed to play Friday by Friedemann Friese. Game was released years ago, but my copy arrived early December, from Polish MathTrade.

I played and it was shock – Friday has exact the same game mechanism like Robinson – this is deckbuilding! Just like in Robinson you draw a card and you decide if you discard it or fight it and as a consequences you shuffle it into a deck. 

How on earth this is possible! Two game designers working separately came up with the same theme (Robinson) and used exact the same mechanism!

And what is more, how it is possible none of reviewers spotted it?! Why all reviewers who review Robinson say nice things about my idea, but none of them mentions published one year earlier Friday? Is Friedemann thinking that I stole his idea? Why no one sees that? I am the only one who see that both of us came up with the same idea?

This is very awkward situation – but I have good advice here. Play Friday. It is very cool solo game. I recommend it… just like my own design!

I spent Christmas playing games. Of course I played with Merry for most of the time, but I played with my kids too. And after this – nearly two weeks – of pure gaming I have this reflection: For Christ’s sake! Stop designing memory games! Don’t you have any other ideas? Don’t you know that kids like adventures. They want fun. They want princess and dragons. They want enchanted forests and magical potions. Cool stuff. Not another fucking memory game.

My this year’s Essen game is in jeopardy. I may sit at my desk and start work on a kids game. I am really sick of poor kids games. Children deserve something more.

Christmas at Trzewik and Merry!

3 weeks ago I started Kickstarter campaign. This is a book with collection of best articles from this blog + few more written for the book (exclusive content, yay!).

It was planned as a small campaign for most dedicated readers of my blog. I needed 1000 bucks to have this book printed in a small print run. I planned to make happy… me and 50 backers. That was my dream – have a book with my articles about game design.

Soon after it turned out that there is much more readers here than I could ever expect…

In 3 weeks I have nearly 10 000 USD gathered. Campaign is heading to have 400 backers. Because of stretch goals achieved I have honor to have my idols as a guests in the book – great designers like Bruno Cathala, Antoine Bauza, Vlaada Chvatil, Geoff Engelstein, Mike Selinker, Seiji Kanai… All joined me to create amazing book with stories about game design.

Kickstarter has slogan that says 'Funding the dream.’

I want to say it very clearly – I could never ever dream about what just happened. This campaign went far beyond my imagination could ever go. I am publishing a book with best designers on this planet.

Because of your support.

I can not tell you how much I appreciate it. Thank you so so much.

***

When I am done with silent tester, prototype has its foundations ready. I am more or less satisfied with the prototype. It is time to play with new breed of testers – brilliant idea testers. 

You need guys who have many ideas. They will try to change your prototype into game they would like. You give them a prototype and you watch what they suggest. I prefer to work with silent testers, but yes, there is this moment, when you need those guys. They will overflow you with their 'brilliant’ ideas.

’It would be cool if in my turn I could do…’
’Hey, what do you think if you add one more…’
’You know, I am missing in your game one element you could change…’

I hate it. But this is important part.

They give you ideas, but remember – you have your foundations. You have your armor – ideasproof prototype of the game. You know which of tester’s ideas won’t work for you. And once a while there will be idea suggested that really works. You take it. You improve your prototype. You say 'Thank you’ to the tester.

All the other ideas… discard them with no mercy.

Never sit with guys who have their own ideas and who love to share them before you are ready to do that. If you don’t have foundation ready, you will be like a flag – you will change your game with every suggestion of tester. This is bad. You will change, and change and change and not move forward.

Have a base.
Then listen to suggestions.
Discard most of them.
Use few – only those which work with the base.

First silent tester.
Then brilliant idea tester.
Then crazy tester. I will cover crazy testers next week.