19 Ratings

Somehow, Revolution now has 19 ratings. I think two more from Texas have weighed in, as well as a guy from Maryland. Thanks, guys! Just 11 more to go to hit the magic 30. Of course, I don't really need to worry about this much, as I'll likely get more ratings when the game is actually released. Which reminds me, I haven't had an update in a while...

Also, I am hard at work on more prototypes. I have three new games almost ready for the final rounds of playtesting and submission, but I'll probably hold off until I see how Revolution plays out (sorry about the pun...no I'm not).

Agricola Has Arrived!

After waiting for many weeks for my first-ever preordered board game, Agricola (the most hyped game of the decade) finally came. I played my first game last night (a solo game, of course). I scored a 41! It was lots of fun! I can't wait to play with other people. I just hope my wife and friends will take to it. There are a lot of "moving parts" and "helps" printed everywhere. Add in all those little bits and it's fairly overwhelming. But, when you boil it down, Agricola isn't really overly complicated. There are 14 turns. On a turn you put your little family discs on an action and do the action (usually this involves taking some stuff or sending some stuff). Then your family members come back. And repeat. Simple! Every once in a while you have to feed them or you get wicked -3 points cards and you lose the game, but other than that...

Overall, this seems to be a very solid game. The staggering number of cards (360+ several extras) guarantees a fresh experience each time. This might be one time when the hype is justified. Time will tell.

Really Crazy BGG Forum Thread

This has nothing to do with Revolution, but it's incredibly entertaining! This thread starts out reasonably enough with someone asking for input on Rehtmeyer Inc. in view of having them manufacture a game. Some people weigh in against the company, calling it a scam, etc. Then Ms. Rehtmeyer herself starts posting--accusing the original poster (a former employee) of stealing from her company! Absolutely hilarious! I've never read a forum thread with more plot twists!

Waiting and Hoping

In case you haven't noticed, there's not much going on here lately. I'm waiting for Steve Jackson Games (my publisher) to finish development and start printing. I sent a lengthy email to the team Sunday night. Here is an excerpt:

The cards originally provided more Gold, so you might want to consider raising the amount of Gold available on the bid chart (maybe increase the Aristocrat to 2 Gold, etc.). This might also be a symptom of changing the rule about keeping currency upon tie bids and lost bids. Both the new players and the experienced players thought the new rule (losing chips from ties and lost bids) was harsh. Another player said he thought the rule forced him to play more deliberately; he preferred being able to take more chances with less risk under the old rule.

None of my past playtesters are very enthusiastic about this rule change. Personally, I feel it makes more sense to think of the bid in terms of an offer of payment to be dispersed only if services are rendered. If a crooked priest really took two or three people's money and then did nothing for them, he would be in serious trouble. If someone outbids you on eBay, you don't still have to pay for an item you will not receive. Concerning game play, the old rule makes it more likely that you will exceed the minimum five chip limit and then be able to keep extra Gold won. Under the new rule, winning 1 or even 3 Gold almost always becomes irrelevant and frustrating. Under the old rule, when you place a bid, you are guaranteed to either get a fair deal or your money back. Under the new rule, when you place a bid, you are guaranteed to never see that money again no matter what. This seems to infuse more luck into the equation, because the stakes are so much higher; there's no room for error. It feels much more chaotic and random, as opposed to something you can play out and control or manage to some degree.

As far as I can remember, your team likes the new rule because they see it as more cutthroat (maybe something your games are known for). I would argue that it's still pretty cutthroat with the old rule, but I believe it gives the player more control over his destiny and, ultimately, a more robust experience.

I'm told that this message has been forwarded to the whole development team. I'm hoping it will help them end up with a good, solid game that's fun to play--one that is at least as good or better than the original. We'll see what happens.

Convention Report

I drove to Columbus Wednesday morning to get my brother from the airport. We then headed over to Origins. It was d e a d. It turns out that Wednesday is a big nothing day for the convention--just people setting up for the real stuff the next day. Even so, we did manage to weasel our way into the "off-limits" exhibit hall. All I had to do was mention that I was a game designer for Steve Jackson and --poof!-- we get escorted right in! Fortunately, the guys greeted me like they knew me (otherwise, our rather large kilt-wearing escort might have quit believing our ridiculous-sounding story--designer, indeed!). However, we did not get a look at Revolution, in progress, so we went home.

Fast forward to this morning. We got up bright and early (10:30), loaded up the van with the whole family and headed back to Columbus. The girls were thrilled! As soon as we walked in, we met up with the company reps and started playing through a game of Revolution with the modifications (Note: the graphics are not done yet). The changes are as follows:

1. No more cards - this turns out to be a good thing, allowing the game to be a bit shorter. It seems that the project leader could win every time just from cards and the Printer. I have my doubts, but...

2. The card space now gives you 2 Force (just like the Professor--changed to Rogue--gives you 2 Blackmail). Also, these spaces can only be gotten with Gold. This is the mechanism for helping the less fortunate player, and it seems to work pretty well.

3. If players tie or lose a bid, they lose their chips. This one hurts a little, but keeps everyone to around 5 chips at the start of each round. It seems to set up an interesting flow of having good chips, then bad chips, then good, then bad...

4. Color-coding the "No Force" and "No Blackmail" spaces. This helps people remember the restrictions.

All in all, I think things are going in the right direction. It was weird having someone else explain my own game to me! The comment of the day was from Will (company guy): "When we first played this game we all said, 'Does Mayfair know about this game? What about Rio Grande?' We thought they had probably already called you." Seriously? Crazy stuff!

Revolution Hits the Cons

...in an unofficial capacity. I got this note from my publisher this morning:

"We took the game to a Dallas con this last weekend and ran a few sessions; it went over well."

This week the crew will be at Origins in Columbus doing more demos and playtests. My brother and I will also be in attendance. I'm pretty jazzed about seeing the new graphics, etc. I'll do another update next week.

Playtesting Comment

My soon-to-be publisher just sent along a comment recently mailed to him concerning my game from a playtester:

"Randy got into town last night. He brought along a playtest game called "Revolution!" I thought I'd send you a quick note to say that Revolution is Fun! We had a blast playing it. You've got quite a solid hit in that game - which I'm sure you already knew, but I feel excited enough to say it anyway!"

I don't know who you are, but thanks!