Hello...
I'm a dedicated follower of your forum for a year or so, and this is my very first post.
I kept wondering if it was a good idea at all to submit a very first game here, but well...
I know I will learn from all of you.
So here is what my game is about...
We're in the heart of the dark ages. Plague, war, famine and superstition are rhythming the daily life of the population. Christianity spread its wings centuries ago, slowly pushing ancient beliefs towards clandestinity or the great inquisition pyres.
But from the very depths of the woods, they're coming for the final battle. Led by a weakened creature known as « The Father of All Wolves » hiding in the darkest corners of the cities from the sight of men, waiting to regain its power and pulling the strings of its pagan followers.
Some people say that great cities have already been taken and that the Wolves are marching towards the capital, flanked by heretics of all kinds.
Insania Lupina combines medieval history and tales based on historical and legendary european tales. Players can fight battles to protect or assault cities, use spells or prayers, buy items or hire forces to help them. They can choose to embody righteous and faithful servants of God and the King of France ( Knight, Veteran, Soldier, Priest, Peasant... ) or the unfaithful allies of the Father of All Wolves.
Insania Lupina is a highly thematic game including several game mechanics in one. Players will have to conquer cities or win skirmish battles, the Wolf player will do his best to move secretly and keep the Father of All Wolves hidden somewhere on the board until it has fully recovered, while the Faithful will track and force it to reveal itself. Peasant characters can be used as fighters or producers of food, the Priest will pray and ask for blessing and clemency...
Games components are :
- several decks of cards
- character tokens
- board game
- custom dice.
I have a full written set of rules ( only in french for the moment ), and I'm currently designing the prototypes components to have the new version of the game playtested by gamers around me.
I started working on this project a year ago, not knowing much about boardgames.. I have since discovered and played many games and Insania Lupina has evolved a lot through solo and 1 vs. 1 playtests.
I know I have a long way to go before I can make a decent print'n'play game out of it... but I'm quite committed !
I'll keep you informed about the progress of this project.
First thing : translate the set of rules into english so I can share it with you in detail.
The attached picture is a sample character card.
Thanks to both of you for your warm welcome !
To be honest, I'd like to have an artist working with me on this project ( even if I have some little graphic abilities ), but as it's not a game I ever planned to get published, I cannot offer any money and that's why I'm the captain and the crew of my little ship.
The sample card above is something I designed myself, using Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign & Corel Painter. The picture is based on a photo found on the internet ( I used the picture as a reference ) and I obviously would ask the person who took the picture the right to use and modify his image if my game ever got a chance to be available somewhere on the internet or elsewhere.
You're right... my game combines a kind of Risk(y) feeling with this hidden character mechanic.
When I wrote the first lines of the game, I almost knew nothing about board games, except Arkham Horror ( like many newbies ). A friend of mine saw the sketches, and everything and told me "that's close to Fury of Dracula".
I bought and played the game and kept some of my ideas while giving up other ones.
In my game, the Werewolf leader starts the game with some injuries. It's better for him to remain hidden as long as he's not fully recovered, but he's not obliged to do so.
You're also mentioning a Pandemic extension that I don't know. I only played the core game and liked it a lot.
In Insania Lupina, the Plague can also burst somewhere on a board and spread, but it's not the core of the game...
I will try to post some rules, Play turns, etc...