Today, the shipping of 51st State: Ultimate Edition has begun. It’s another iteration of the game. Another reason for jokes, another reason for complaining, another reason to mention that I am the master of old chestnuts and that I am selling the same thing over and over again. And I generally agree with this. I generally see a lot of sense in this. What sets me apart from those who make fun of me is the perception. Some of you think that I should be ashamed that I’m selling the same over and over again. For me, on the contrary, this is a reason for pride. Let me explain!

51st State was released in 2010. The game was well received, although fans complained about the lack of interaction. I took the rules, shook them up, changed this and that, and in 2011 the expansion (that was also a stand-alone game ) appeared – The New Era. Great reception, interaction fixed, so in 2012, the next one appeared – Winter. In the following years, the Scavengers add-on was released, and the number of fans did not decrease. The game’s print run was exhausted, so we finally decided to take all these expansions, throw them into one box and make 51st State: Master Set. It came out; people liked it, and they played and praised it. So we made more expansions, Allies, Moloch, the group of fans still stood faithfully by the game. The print run, meanwhile, was long exhausted. So we decided again, let’s throw all the content into one box and reprint again. Now under the name 51st State: Ultimate edition! Another few thousand fans will discover this system and will build their empires. And that’s what we did, 51st State: Ultimate Edition was put on a crowdfunding platform and made a great success. Now, in a few days, more fans will discover this game.

For some of you, I’m still the old chestnut dude. And for others? And for others, I am the author of the game that, 13 years after its release, is still one of the best engine builders on the market, still has a loyal group of fans, and still thousands of people want to add it to their collection. So, false modesty aside, maybe this is an old chestnut, but man, this is a freaking awesome one.

In 2010 I designed 51st State. I was proud as a hell. It was a great game. I got great reviews, I got few nominations for awards, I saw people playing it on many conventions and having great time with it!I believed I designed perfect card game.

Year later I discovered that 51st State is not a perfect game. Year later I designed direct interaction rules for 51st State and that’s how The New Era hit the market. With direct agression 51st State was just awesome. I believed I designed perfect card game.

Year later I discovered that The New Era is not a perfect game. Year later I designed Frozen City and Production dice and thats how Winter hit the market. With Frozen City, Production dice 51st State was just awesome. I believed I finally designed perfect card game…

***

Leaders
Leaders? Players who played 51st State were complaining about them a lot. They are powerfull and player who have them have huge advance. If you are draw a Leader you are in better position that your opponent. Many gamers compained. 'Leaders suck.’, 'Leaders are unbalanced.’, 'I play without Leaders!’

This is bad.

OK, let’s take a moment to look at the problem. Leaders are bad or distrbution of Leaders is bad?

I take all Contact cards and all Leaders put aside. I put them on special board called Frozen City. Every player can send ther a worker whenever he wants to have a new Leader. It is no longer random draw. It is no longer huge advance. Everybody can have Leader if he wants to. It is simple. It is obvious. Why it didn’t work that way since the vry beginnning?

The question? Why I am such a moron? Why I needed three years to discover it?

Production
It is first round. You play Merchants or Mutants and you have – almost – no chance to attach Location. Incorporating new Location cost you two irons, at the beginning you don’t have them. And no chance to have them. You play first round and you know you will not play a Location on the table.

This is bad.

It is last round, you have six or seven Locations with Action icon. Each of them needs a Worker, but you produce only 3 workers. Pitty. You were developing for an hour and now you are stuck. Half of your Locations will not work. It sucks.

This is bad.

In 51st State production is constant – every single round you get 3 Workers and 1 Resource but players needs aren’t constant. At the beginning they need iron to build Locations, then they need redevelopement tokens to change Locations, then they need hell of a Workers to make many Actions… Why not make Production phase different in every round? Why not make Production phase follow players needs? Why not give them additional Iron at the beginning of the game and additional worker at the end?

The question? Why I am such a moron? Why I needed three years to discover it?

***

Every year, when I finish my new design I am 100% sure that this is a perfect game. I see no flaws. I see no points where it could be improved. I see it as a brillant piece of work.

And year after year I learn something new. Every year I discover new stuff. Every year it turns out that I can do better.

Today I am happy to announce – without false modesty – that Winter is a perfect card game.

But to be honest I have a hunch I may want to change this statement next year…

It was March 2011. I finally had rules for The New Era expansion. I had new cards and I was ready to test it. I came back from work, eat supper, say good night to kids and sat at the table with my wife, Merry. I needed to see how those new rules worked. We played.

Merry was playing terribly. Chaos on the table. No good decisions. No strategy. It was terrible and yes, I really mean it. I was tired after work and I was disappointed with Merry’s approach. At some point I just put my cards away and say: 'OK, we stop. You are playing like moron. Thank you very much for such help!’

I was really disappointed that she didn’t want to help me with testing.

Merry however didn’t say sorry. She reacted quite the opposite. She exploded. Yes, woman do that.

'What?! I don’t care?! I fake that I am doing my best?!’ and it was just beggining… 'I am playing here with you though you didn’t even care to explain me rules! I didn’t play 51st State, remember? I don’t know what I am doing and I am desperately try to understand this damn icons! I don’t care?! Are you kidding me?!’

It always ends like that. Man is the one who is guilty. Man is to say 'sorry’. So I did say sorry. I took my cards back. I spent 20 minutes explaining rules. We played again. Merry was playing really good.

That very first night of testing she felt in love with The New Era.

***

Since then Merry played countless games of The New Era. It can be more than 300 or 500 games. I have no idea. She is playing all the time. She was testing it with me. Then, when The New Era was balanced and I was really sick of it, she decided to find new players. And yes, she found them.

Are you going to visit Mr. and Mrs. Trzewiczek’s house? You will play The New Era. Merry will explain you rules and make you play it.

Did you invite Mr. and Mrs. Trzewiczek to your house for a nice evening? Yes, Merry will, 'by accident’ have The New Era with her. She will explain you rules and make you play it.

Are you on convention? Merry is there too? She will hunt you down and teach you and play with you The New Era.

Boardgames club in Gliwice? Sure! Every single Monday she is there. Playing The New Era…

***

'It has the same problem like Race for the Galaxy’ once she said. 'You’ve just developed your state, you have great cards built, you want to finally start scoring big points, but the game suddenly ends. You have 12 cards in RftG, or 33 points here and that’s it. I want it last longer.’

She looked at me. 'Could you…? Please.’

What a man can do? Can he resist that look?

So I designed 'Winter’ expansion.

***

I changed pace of the game. Now it takes always six turns. Game is much more strategic now. You plan your actions for all following turns, you plan how to develop your state and you plan how many points you can make in that time.

It is so much satisfying. Or so much frustrating when you see other player is developing better, having better plan, having their combos working so smoth…

I moved Leader cards and Contact cards out ouf the deck and put them into Frozen City section – now it is no longer luck that decides whenever you have Leader or not. You just take him if you need.

I changed production – now it follows players needs, in every turn it changes a little bit, so players get additional workers, additional cards or resources. It gives them great possibilities to create new combos and develop their state.

I played many times Winter and I am proud of it. I tested it for few months and I believe it is great. But what is more, I saw Merry playing it hundred of times with people. She is die hard fan of 51st State line and every time she played Winter I saw in her eyes that this is it, this is the expansion that fans were waiting for. I am happy seeing that every time she plays Winter.

***

Writers sometimes, on the first page of their novel, write dedication. Something like: 'For my beloved wife and kids’ or 'For Jenny’ or whatever.

Winter is not only dedicated to Merry. Winter is designed for her.

What can I say. You, 51st State fans are lucky bastards. You have die hard fan of the game living with me. She will be forcing me to design new cards for next 20 years. Stay tunned 🙂

Have you seen Shakespeare in Love? As the bubonic plague breaks out, the Crown orders the complete closure of all theatres in London. Suspended performances, unemployed actors, audience in despair. And what about an investor who had put all the money in the show? He is furious to say at the least. Catching the play’s director on one of the streets of London he demands an explanation. Now! He had invested a lot of money and was counting on fat profits. And what? A disaster! Theatres are closed! The guy is hungry for blood.

What are we going to do now?! – he shouts a question in director’s face.

Nothing, sire. – the director calmly responds. – It always works out in the end.

How?

I do not know, sire. It’s a mystery.

***

From the sole beginning I had a problem with interaction in the 51st State. Testers said the game was fun, gave quite a satisfaction from playing, but – what a shame – no interaction. Again and again I heard the same thing repeated to me: cool and interesting, but you know, lacks the interaction…

As I subsequently added draft rules, open production rules and the Thieves Caravan, the complaining voices slowly died away. Testers saw that I was changing the game trying to add at least a bit of cooperation between players.

What’s more, I’ve wrote articles explaining why there is no space for burning, raping and pillaging in the 51st State. In my posts on BGG I’ve argued that if the players were allowed to kill each other it would kill the game, everything would fall apart and turn into an old scrap.

People read, agreed with me, admitted that maybe I was right…

But you know, little interaction …

***

Peter caught me in Essen. He is the guy responsible for Portal games’ distribution, you know. I make games and he does business. I’m trying to invent the best game I can and he’s doing everything to sell 50,000 copies. Or a hundred thousand.

So he caught me and said as if to a child – Trzewik, 51st State is a hit! Publishers fight for the rights to English edition. And they ask whether they will be expansions. Will you make an expansion?

I will.

Great, great. A very good game, everyone likes it, You did a really good job.

Glad to hear that.

Only you know what? – he pauses choosing the words carefully – I do not want to impose, but is there a chance that in this expansion…

…was more interaction? – I finish for him.

Exactly. So you’ve heard there is a bit too little interaction?

Yea, so I’ve heard.

Damn interaction.

It had kept me awake at night for more than half a year then. – There will be an expansion. There will be interaction. Don’t worry.

***

We came back from Essen. It was the end of October. I had absolutely no idea what to do with the interaction. Not even a hint. No conception was born in November either. And still nothing at the end of December.

I caught my friend and friendly spirit from France on Skype.

Hi Yann, what’s up on French forums? Are people playing in 51st State? Any opinions, suggestions for an expansion?

Yes, they play and discuss a lot. They do like the game, but all complain about the lack of interaction.

Yann, gimme a break, ok?

***

Having no idea for the expansion’s interaction rules in October did not worry me in the slightest. In November I still maintained calm. I believed – like Geofrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love – that everything will be fine.
Yet, in December, two months after Essen, I still had no idea for ​​the interaction. I think that Peter, my distributor, slowly began to worry in that time.

I rushed into January in unwavering good mood, although, with the end of the month coming closer even I began to worry.

Maybe believing that it always somehow works out is a bit illusory? Maybe it is a load of crap with Geofrey Rush? Gosh, I love this movie, but maybe I shouldn’t base Portal’s publishing plan on it?

Do you have this interaction ready? Designed many cards, huh? – Peter inquired.

None. – I replied. February was coming soon. – I still have no idea. But I’ll manage.

How?

I do not know, Peter. It’s a mystery.

***

I play football on every Monday . We play in the hall late at night until we fall. I come back home just before midnight and I sit in the darkness having good two hours of gasping for breath and letting my adrenaline to chill. Hot tea, dark house and silence. I can analyze all my plays then, getting angry with myself for all the opportunities wasted and replaying in my mind all that came out nice.

Thoughts wander in my barely alive body… One moment, I even don’t know when, I have my rules of interaction. They’re just there. Suddenly. I don’t have a slightest idea where they came from or how they got inside my head. I walk cautiously through the dark room trying not to trip on one of the toys scattered on the floor. I get to my desk. Paper, pen, three sentences, two drawings. Done. I carry out the tests in the morning. It works. Just so.

How?

I do not know, sire. It’s a mystery.