Big Three Questions...

There are three big questions I'm told I need to ask myself about any game. These are:

1. What is your game about?

My last post talked a lot about what my game is about. Its about the Roman Inquisition and specifically the year running from August 1632 to July 1633. Its about the 12 months leading up to the trial of Galileo. Its about two oppossing irreconcilable philosophies: 'Heliocentrism' and 'Geocentrism'.

Its also about political infighting and the fact that the overt conflict (in this case the two philosophies) may not neccessarily reflect on the deeper conflicts going on.

2. What do the characters do?

I've got a pretty good idea about this. They use political, theological and cultural power to influence the debate. They take sides and switch sides as it as and when its of maximum advantage to them. They form temporary alliences, and drop them when they become inconvienient. They look for weaknesses in their opponents that can be exploited, and they don't let their personal beliefs neccessarily influence their ability to achieve their personal goals.

Looking at what they do from a slightly higher level, they attend functions (balls, diners, lectures) and involve themselves in social fencing to in order to achieve their aims. The aims vary but may include fame, power or they may actually be working achieve something purer like promoting a genuinely held belief.

3. What do the players do?

This is the tough one. I already know that they will create their characters based on a set of randomly generated beliefs and objectives. I know that they will be responsible for framing scenes, and that scene resolution will be based on some form of secret ballet. This is the core of the game, and its unfortunately the bit I'm currently unclear on. Its late though, so I'm going to sleep on it. Perhaps by tomorrow evening something will have perculated to the top of my head.

What goes around...

After a day of research I have some very clear ideas about where this game is going now.

The name of the game will be: "What goes around..."

I'll be using the theme: intrigue and the ingredients: Fleur-de-lis, Dividers and Star.

I'm definitely hoping to attain the 'Royal Academy of Flatland Award' special distinction for use of board game mechanics. I'm also hoping I may be able to keep the rules below 4 pages and be entitled to the Brevity Award.

The game is about the Roman Inquisition and specifically the year running from August 1632 to July 1633 (which starts with the publication of Galileo's work 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems' and ends with Galileo's trial for Heresy). The key theme of the game is opposition of two mutually irreconcilable philosophies: 'Heliocentrism' which placed the sun at the centre of the Universe and 'Geocentrism', which placed the Earth at the centre.

The game key political influences within the game are the Catholic Church (lead by Pope Clement VIII) and the House of Medici (lead by Ferdinando II). The House of Medici were patrons of Galileo, who tutored multiple generations of Medici children, and was an important figurehead for his patron's quest for power. By this time the Medici family arms are the version Galileo redesigned for them in 1610, in which the crown in the middle shows a fleur-de-lis; uppermost of the six individual spheres arranged below likewise show the petals of the lily. In the game the church will of course be represented by the cross.

The game will run against a timeline, controlled through the use of a game board, depicting a star revolving around a fixed earth (the geocentric view). Specific game rules for each season, along with events which occur will be written on the board.

The players play mathematicians, astronomers and astrologer, clergymen and the academics, with a vested interest in the outcome of the trial. Each player will be given a secret 'agenda' card which states a) their belief with regards the nature of the universe, and b) their victory condition. They will then answer a set of additional questions to help them flesh out a character

The game will be GMless and Diceless. I am hoping to emulate the diceless resolution seen in games like Diplomacy where the outcome comes down to majority decision with tied results falling in favour of the defenders. Specific events from history will give particular advantages to one side of the debate or the other during particular seasons. Although the specific scenes which will occur are to a large extent dictated by the board rules, the players take turns to frame them and have a lot of leeway in how they describe them.

With the very real threat of being accused of Heresy players with victory conditions calling for the victory of Heliocentrism will have to be very careful how they play their hands. Historically Galileo's patronage was eventually abandoned by Ferdinando II, when it was clear that continued association with him would bring the family into direct and open opposition with the church.

I'm hoping the game will be something you can pick up, learn the rules to very quickly, and play in an afternoon. I'd also like it to serve as an easy stepping stone from board games to roleplaying.

And since its shaping up so well I've also found a place to get it published: The Game Crafter. It looks like it will cost about $12-15 to make - which means I'm unlikely to be able to sell them at a profit, but if I'm doing this I want a personal copy so I'll get at least one made.

I know what my game is about

Okay, I now know what my game is about - heliocentrism (the theory that the Sun (or Star) and not the Earth is at the centre of the Univers). Nicolaus Copernicus' book De revolutionibus was the great divider in the Catholic Church, and curiously the telescope and the divider are the very tools you would use to prove heliocentrism - as such I'm actually using divider as double ingredients.

I'm dropping Fleur-de-lis as an ingredient. I just cannot work it into the concept, and I don't think I would want to, but Intrigue (and Seabirds) will be very much part of the game.

Unfortunately this sets my game somewhere between March 1616 (when the church banned the book) and the 1835 (when the church accepted that perhaps the Earth wasnt the centre of the Universe) - probably sometime in the 1630s - so I've already lost out on the 'The Sorensen-Nixon Class of 2001 Memorial Award'. I'm also giving up on the 'The Lombardi Trophy' - no athletics here.

Tag

This Blog will detail my trials, tribulations and triumphs from Iron Game Chef 2009 (or just Game Chef to most). Its an annual game design contest. Basically, a bunch of games enthusiasts try to design role playing games within a single week, using a list of pre-provided ingredients. This year marks the first with Jonathan Walton as the reigns as organiser and the contest is already looking very different with Badge rewards for achievements and no contest forums.

I've decided I'm going to enter this year.

Game Chef 2009 will starts tomorrow (Monday, Aug 31), and will mark my first venture into the world of game design. Watch this space for details of how it goes..