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Reducing standard deviation in games involving single die rolls

Tue, 02/26/2019 - 22:14 — lewpuls

My recently-published design Hastings 1066, which well-known game reviewer Marco Arnaudo calls a “lunchtime wargame”, and which I call a successor to old-time microgames, reflects the amount of chance that occurs in a real battle: a lot. As with any historical battle game, simulating the chaos and chances of war is more or less the opposite of what gamers want as they explore generalship.

Convention Attendance

Thu, 03/15/2018 - 13:10 — lewpuls

As I have retired and gotten older, and now moved to Florida which is farther from the major game conventions than my old home, I’ve had to pick and choose which conventions I go to. I stopped going to Origins quite a few years ago because it had diminished, and I’m not convinced yet that it has recovered sufficiently to be worth my time and money. It appears I will not be going to the UK Game Expo again (it is more than 4,200 miles). (Keep in mind, being retired means you have more time than money.) Last year I didn’t go to GenCon because I wanted to avoid the 50th anniversary insanity but mainly because the schedule just didn’t work out.

Hastings 1066: How to make a board game that costs you a lot less (Microgames)

Tue, 02/27/2018 - 14:01 — lewpuls

A Board Game that only Uses Cards, OR,
What Matters is Function, not Appearance OR
How to make a board game that costs you a lot less

My game Hastings 1066, about the famous battle where William of Normandy conquered England, is a board game in disguise. It functions as a board game, yet uses cards, with the result that it costs buyers a lot less than if a physical board were included. Yet I’m told by a publisher that wargamers don’t generally care for card games. I think I understand why, but the objections do not apply to Hastings 1066.

Hastings 1066 on Kickstarter

Sun, 02/18/2018 - 08:38 — lewpuls

My game "Hastings 1066" launches and defines the "Break the Line" series of simple, 30 minute games. It's on Kickstarter now.

I actually started this game in 2006 and completed it in 2009. Sometimes it takes a long time to get something published.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1456271622/hastings-1066-game

There's a designer's notes video on my YouTube Channel.

Should Games Cope with Resignations and other forms of Quitting?

Sat, 02/03/2018 - 18:40 — lewpuls

This is a very good question sent to me by someone I didn’t know. He’d designed a “Civ Lite” game for 5 or 6, where he’d written rules for resignations. But he was told that was “outdated” by an experienced designer.

Simplifying a Game Design

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 13:13 — lewpuls

Simplifying a Game Design
Lewis Pulsipher

Almost always, when I talk with groups of people about game design, I quote Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery: "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Recent Screencasts on my "Game Design" Channel

Wed, 11/29/2017 - 13:53 — lewpuls

I rarely get around to posting individual links to my "Game Design" YouTube channel here, so I decided to list the most recent screencasts instead.

Designing Stock Market Games

Fri, 10/27/2017 - 08:44 — lewpuls

Buying and selling stocks is fundamentally predicated on a forecast of how well the company is going to prosper in the future. In olden days this was based on the price to earnings ratio, where you wanted to pay not more than 15 times the annual dividend you would expect to get. Nowadays some companies do not pay dividends, so it can be based on your expectation of how much the stock price is going to rise or fall,

Recent screencasts (August 17)

Sun, 09/10/2017 - 12:29 — lewpuls

I don't post individual links to my "Game Design" YouTube channel here, so I list the most recent screencasts instead.

Little choices can make a big difference in design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg0-Q2BcYmc
I try to illustrate how seemingly small choices can make a big difference to a game design.

Nuts & Bolts: The Co-op "Fail Mechanic"
https://youtu.be/_dsnJ2N8ZNI
I explain why I call co-ops with one winner a "fail-mechanic." With some players it just won't work.

Strategies to Respond to the "Eight Awful Truths" of game marketing
https://youtu.be/vwmOlF9KfSY

Recent screencasts (mid-June 17

Sat, 06/10/2017 - 11:34 — lewpuls

I rarely get around to posting individual links to my "Game Design" YouTube channel here, so I decided to list the most recent screencasts instead.

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by Dr. Radut