I've just finished an "incomplete" version of the Box Cover for the "TradeWorlds" EXPANSION called "Smuggler's Run". The design had been in a bit of a funk ... or as other would put it a "Mental Block". In any event, I've found a system that could work but it needs a prototype and playtesting.
I plan to start (or continue) work on the Box Cover and ensure that the EXPANSION idea gets to the early prototype stage once everything I need to get done before that becomes a reality...
My Price Point (in these challenging times) is $29 USD (which is ~$40 CAD) and will include a set of nice Polyhedral dice required by the Expansion. In the future the game will NOT come with dice (you must supply your own...) but the price point will remain the same as these will be one-off produced copies and therefore I must share with TGC the profits (70/30).
I'm really thinking about this one since 75% (74.1% to be accurate) of the Survey Responses have given the "PYL" Expansion a "BIG Thumbs Up!" And it got me thinking about how I could maybe release the game in a COMPACT version.
And so YEAH, it's got me thinking about doing all the HARD WORK for a 100 Backer campaign which would be the peak of what could be possible. Last time I tried a campaign, I only got a 2% response.
But this may be different and it could appeal to a broad set of supporters... We shall see. I will continue to work on this Project ATM. And see where it leads me to. First I need a prototype and I am working on this. And then it needs some PLAYTESTING. As far as components are concerned, without the dice, there is very little extras to this expansion. Adding the dice could be cool... But it divides the supporter pool, which is something that concerns me.
I will re-work the numbers and see what I can come up with. I'm really excited with this mini-expansion because it adds a LOT of VALUE to the TradeWorlds BRAND!
I'll let you all know how things progress and move forwards. Best!
Comments
More progress as the week moves on...
So now the Box Cover is 100% completed (done with all the art, graphic designing, and touch-ups here-and-there...), the "new" Mission cards have all been created also (including the 4 Scenario cards too!) ... But since I managed to complete the Player Pad "Yesterday" this looks good and ready to be formatted properly.
All that remains in the "Smuggler's Cache" which will need some minor editing as I had already begun to work on it... But did not manage to completed it as the design was still a bit in "flux".
Let me explain a bit the "mechanics" just to give everyone a bit of a PREVIEW.
So as before "Smuggler's Run" is a "Push-Your-Luck" (PYL) scenario which adds this mechanic to the game. Players must score 500+ Credits to win the scenario. To explain HOW(?) players are expected to do so, they must first get the correct "Mission" (Smuggler's Run) and launch a Tradeship to the current colony to pick up supplies all the while making a detour to the forbidden Starbase ran mostly by the local Pirates.
Each Turn (you have from 1 to 5 turns) you can "Trade" specific resources to "UNLOCK" a die from that category of resource. Let me give a brief explanation so that you can all understand how this PYL works:
Player #1: Is an Acolyte and Trades one "Weaponry" card (the highest of illegal merchandise from his haul) and UNLOCKS the strongest dice: the D12. That's what occurs on his FIRST (1st) turn.
Now he can ROLL the D12 on that turn (1st) or wait to see if he can survive and unlock ANOTHER dice which will give him another chance to up his reward (given the higher RISK).
So on the second (2nd) turn he Trades in two "Isotopes" cards and UNLOCKS the D8 dice. That means that combine he can AT MOST roll 12 + 8 = 20 credits.
Of course he still have THREE (3) MORE turns to PYL to see if he can survive and unlock more dice.
This means that the MAXIMUM a player can unlock in 5 turns is 40 Credits. But wait it's NOT OVER. He just doesn't COLLECT the 20 credits... Of course NOT, that would be much too EASY. Instead he ROLLS BOTH the D12 + D8 simultaneously and that is the amount of credit earned for all his troubles.
Of course it's important to realize that when dealing with Space Pirates, you don't always get the PRICE ($$$) you want... The negotiations take some time and nobody (most of the time) will pay you the full-asking price...
And voila, our PYL mechanic that leans heavily on the Trading Role combined with specific resources can lead to earning more credits on your journey to becoming the most infamous trader of all time!
***
It's a bit of a clever mechanic ... Nothing too complicated and is connected with the "Trade" mechanic which allows you to earn some extra credits on the side.
The most a player can earn with a REAL LUCKY ROLL is 40 credits in 5 turns. So 8 credits per turn. Plus all your additional trading which functions as normal plus earns the selling boost of the Trade Mission (which everyone thinks you are 100% legit... Hehehe... We won't tell them you're not!)
Hope you all like this mini-presentation. And as usual if you have comments, questions, feedback, concerns, or any additional ideas, feel free to respond to this comment and I'll do my best to address them.
Cheers...
A bit of a HEROES reward...
Every single "Smuggler's Run" Mission includes +1D20 as a BONUS for taking the risk of trying to perform this mission. But it requires a MINIMUM of one (1) dice to be unlocked. Ergo more PYL.
If you only manage to unlock the D10 on your 2nd turn (of the mission) then it stands that you can EARN: 1D10 + 1D20 = at most 30 Credits for 2 turns or 15 Credits ... Not too bad as a REWARD!!!
I forgot to mention this above... Got to make sure I remember all the ELEMENTS to this PYL Expansion.
So I said the MOST is 40 Credits, when it should be the most is 60 Credits in 5 Turns = 12 Credits per turn! Plus whatever trading you are doing as a BONUS...
Again, please write to me if you have any concerns... This is the best that I have managed to get this "expansion" working. It's pretty cool in that there is significant "Push-Your-Luck" and there is a very strong Risk-Reward components to this "expansion"...
Sincerely.
I just wrapped up the Creative Writing...
As I had a bit of a STORY that I wanted to tell. Doing some Googling and getting more information on tribal matters, I was able to piece together something pretty interesting that "works for me"!
There are a total of twelve (12) "blurbs" about the "Desert Harvest" and I think they are pretty decent TBH. That closes another chapter in the making of this expansion idea.
One step closer to a finished prototype. But... First thing first, I need to complete the "Smuggler's Cache" board and then lay them out. We'll have to wait and see how I can do this or not...
TBD ... And I should have a better "pulse" on this in the Afternoon... I know what I need to design, it's just a matter of spacing and what format works best. I thought I was going to TRY to save some money and MAYBE do it a bit differently. But it looks like there is a minimum of 2 Slugs per sheet meaning that the price is already for "2" of them... So even IF I compact it into only one... I will still be paying the price for two (2)...
So no point, going to stick with PLAN A!
Completed the Game Pads TODAY! Yay...!
I've managed to design, format and make the cut file for the "Expansion" Game Pads for "Smuggler's Run". I had to ask over at "The Game Crafter" (TGC) what the process of optimizing cut files looks like... It's been so long that I have used the optimization tool that I forgot HOW(?) to use it. It's a bit tricky but once you understand... It literally takes a few minutes to get everything done (Nicks 0.01" and Laser Ordering - cheapest cut).
My order is in the TGC Queue. I expressed it and should be going out soon... I didn't want to have to WAIT until the May 10, 2024. Prototypes are always part of the process and the better it LOOKS, the closer it is to completion.
Of course, this means I have yet to create a RULEBOOK. Will wait until I get the prototype to DEVELOP this "Expansion" further.
Regards.
I'll take this moment to wish those who celebrate...
A Happy Easter! May your Families be blessed with peace and joy. This is especially true for the various countries which are at war ATM (Ukraine, Russia, Israel and Palestine). We sincerely hope that they all can come to some kind of lasting reprieve from the war torn battlefields (as such they are).
As a Christian this is both a time of sorrow/loss and a chance for redemption. I personally find this time of the year pleasant to be with Family as we celebrate Christ's rise to the Heavens.
As far as Family is concerned... I hope you enjoy the time your spent with them and appreciate them for the importance they play in your daily lives.
Cheers.
On a more lighter note
I managed to upload the BOF to TGC today and got some quotes. I had to exclude some "countries" because the Shipping was way too HIGH and I cannot explicitly ship to those countries as I am offering a "one-price" shipping fee from all of the other "countries" including the USA.
I had to remove 22 "countries" due to the fact that the HIGH price of shipping to them makes it IMPOSSIBLE to ship there.
I mean $35+ USD to one country and I definitely needed to exclude THAT country...
Also made a small mistake in including Russia... I've since remove that country too, it was an error on my part (I knew that TGC will not ship to Russia nor Ukraine). There are 48 countries that have "affordable" shipping now that I've gone through the process a couple of time.
I've realize that the one-shipping rate is probably the route that I will take and only allow for specific countries to buy the game ... Because otherwise some of the shipping costs are way too expensive even at a FLAT RATE.
Sincerely.
The order for the prototype has been made
The package is on its way to me... I'm just waiting for the confirmation that it is in the system and moving on it's merry way.
I can't wait to see what this product will look like and PLAYTEST it to see if things make sense. Of course this is going to be long periods of testing because it's with to be used in conjunction with the "Planetary Expansion"! So this means longer game times and figuring out if this PYL Expansion works correctly.
I'm in between activities and should be getting my DICE for this expansion TOMORROW! Definitely EXCITED and we'll have to wait and see if they shipped me the CORRECT "dice" because the shipment said "BLUE" and I bought "GOLD" ones!
IDK... We'll have to WAIT and see.
Cheers all.