When I started designing Forge War, it came from a desire to design my ideal Euro game. I thought about everything I loved about playing Euro games, and distilled that into my ideal experience.

But I don’t just play Euro games. I have deep love for tactical combat that goes all the way back to me playing D&D 2nd Edition as a kid. When I started thinking about what I should work on after Forge War, I was designing a tactical combat game before I even knew what was happening.

I was designing my combat game, though, again thinking about what I love about games and distilling that into an ideal experience…

I don’t know. I’m very happy with it, even though it’s still a long way off. Right from the beginning, the mechanics just clicked with me and then it became a matter of creating the huge amount of content I want to package up with the game.

Right now it’s a journey. We’re on our way to a Kickstarter release in 6 months or so. As you can see, I’ve got art and design starting to roll in, an official BGG page, and just, well, a lot of optimism. This project is very important to me, and I’m hoping to provide a rich experience that will be important for a lot of other people, too.

Plus, there will probably be minis. Did I mention that? Oh boy, entering the world of minis is terrifying to me. I certainly don’t want to be a “Minis Project,” by which I mean a project whose main purpose is to sell as many minis as possible. But at the same time, I think minis will really enhance the play experience, and if I can do what I want without limiting the game play, then I don’t see why I shouldn’t take the plunge.

So anyway, what do you think? Do you want to help me build the world of Gloomhaven? If you’re interested in play testing the game in its frill-less state, hit up this survey and I’ll be in touch!

Other News

• Unfortunately the US shipment for Forge War has seen some significant delays, but I’m super happy that the game is making its way into the hands of international backers (with EU and Canada fulfillment not far behind). I’m really looking forward to hearing the feedback from reviewers and gamers about their experience with the game.

• My deck-building game (working title: “Legend”), is still out in limbo, though it is getting stronger through the help of valiant play testers. I’ve made some progress getting answers about the acquisition of a particular IP for it, but it’s probably still a ways off from seeing the light of day. If you’re interested in play testing it, shoot me an email and I’ll hook you up with a print-and-play.

• I’m also really excited to be a part of iSlaytheDragon’s new Knight’s Forum, where they pick a topic every month and ask board game writers to talk about it. You can see me rambling on the first month’s topic, a board game collection’s potential, here. Somewhere while talking about 20-year-old DVD subscription services I think I make a point or two.

• Also, did you know that I’m in love with the video game Darkest Dungeon? Well, I am. Luckily it’s a non-possessive sort of love, so if you love deep turn-based combat and punishing difficulty in an RPG, I’m totally cool with you falling in love with it, too.

• Oh, and before I go, would you mind hitting up that Gloomhaven BGG page I mentioned earlier? If the box art (done by the amazing Alexandr Elichev) brings you any joy, consider giving it a thumb (and maybe commenting if the mood strikes). It’ll bring more awareness to the game, which is never a bad thing.

Until next time!