So, all my files for Heroes & Treasure are at the manufacturer, though I had to change the format on a couple things.
They *totally* told me that I could send the punchout sheets over as SVG files (vector graphics). I sent them a file a month ahead to check on it. Then of course they're like, no, we need this as a PDF. Except Photoshop is terrible with SVGs and I was pretty sure that they needed the paths saved out as a separate layer as PATHS, which doesn't work in Photoshop because, as you may have heard, Photoshop is terrible with SVGs. Inkscape for some reason wasn't saving (or can't save) multiple separate layers into a PDF. Illustrator is great and could do this, but I don't have Illustrator.. Fortunately my artist could do this just fine for me, but.. yuck that was annoying.
Anyway..
The point of this rambling blog entry was supposed to be about what I'm doing next, other than having a better idea of what the factory needs from me.
So I have a "base set" coming out soon, with a reasonable user base (350) already purchased, and hopefully I can get some traction to sell the rest of the print run, let's call it 600 people, though even if I sell those, I likely won't have contact information for most people.
But hopefully that's enough of a base for future KS campaigns to succeed. My next three projects, in order, will probably be:
(1) Lightweight expansion that gives a new "sidequest" campaign, with new monsters and a few new mechanics, but no new terrain tiles and no new dice. $14 price point? Or $19 with some sort of "premium" add-on? Ideally something that could ship in an envelope (so no dice, no tokens, no tiles.. a few sheets of punchouts and a campaign book I guess)
(2) Heavyweight expansion that follows the base game, levels 11-20. New character classes (or sub-classes I think), new terrain tiles, no new dice. Continue to add new mechanics and improve characters.
(3) Card game, "Heroes & Treasure: Arena" (working title). M:tG-style game, but playable I think around age 6. Basic reading, basic math skills (number comparison, small-number addition/subtraction). Like H&T is a stripped-down dungeon crawler, this would be a stripped-down 1-on-1 combat card game. Not collectable, not deck-building.
The success of (3) pretty much relies upon having a good customer base laid down, of course.
Comments
Oh, just some notes about the
Oh, just some notes about the card game:
The reasons to do it third are (1) that it needs a much longer play-testing cycle than the regular maps do -- those just need basic balancing, and (2) I'll have a full set of art assets for the cards, from the other titles. And I think we can agree that art is the most expensive/annoying part of a card game! Hopefully I can get away with little to no new art other than the box, and only need design work.
Hmm... Not sure about that
I understand ideas #1 and #2... But not #3. You're losing focus with a card game that is "stripped down" (as you say). Focus on the H&T Brand and the primary purpose of that game which is bringing RPGs to a younger crowd.
Believe me designing "stripped down" card games is much more difficult than you can imagine. I've been on about 10 versions of "Monster Keep" and it's still not 100% complete.
Your focus was RPGs... And that's why I would suggest focusing on that aspect because it's what your brand is all about. Maybe instead of levels 11-20, you could have CASTLE TILES in a new setting (like freeing the castle from all the monsters and save the princess!)
Then in the future you could add a CASTLE + CAVERN campaign where some ladders lead into a cavern to explore and find a quest item (for example).
Any how just some ideas... Cheers!
questccg wrote:IThen in the
That's what the first game is :p
As for focus, I'd call it expanding the brand, and giving me something else to design. Otherwise I'd just make a card game that isn't using the brand, and that seems harder to jump start.
But a card game that uses the same set of player characters and the same monsters would be familiar to the audience right from the start.
Also, a simple card game is much easier to design (at least for me) than a complex one, so I'm not worried about that.. I have most of the base design already down on paper.
Anyway, like I said, first I need to increase the size of the user base.
Different order, I guess?!
That's what the first game is :p
You don't understand what I mean...
1. Create ANOTHER "core" game which tiles are in a CASTLE.
2. Create ANOTHER "expansion" game which blends the use of both CASTLE + CAVERN.
They would be two (2) separate game entities. 1. Would be your #2, new monsters, new tiles, new adventure book. 2. Would be your #1, new adventure book combining both CASTLE + CAVERN with the use of LADDERS and QUESTS (side quests).
So I would say, create another "Heavyweight" product and then release a "Lightweight" product using both "Heavyweight" products (given the use of LADDERS and QUESTS to retrieve items from below the castle...)
Again just IDEAS... You might have a different order in mind... Cheers!
I just mean, my first game
I just mean, my first game already has a castle-like tile set and a cavern-like tile set. I can build your "2" right now (and that sounds sort of like what I'm calling "1"). None of that requires new tiles.
I think my new tile set for the heavyweight expansion will be forest, but not sure if I need/want something different on the flipside.
Ah okay... I did not know that the tiles were "dual-sided"
The colors looked very similar ... and so I thought all the tiles were the same motif. My mistake...
For the NEXT tiles, I would suggest Forest and on the back Mountains. And you can configure some kind of "outer journey" from one location to another given Forests, Mountains and player's travel to a Keep, Castle, Dungeon, etc. From that point (At a location), you could "explore" the inside and see what you find inside.
Sorry I had not noticed that your existing tiles were dual-sided...
Cheers!
questccg wrote:The colors
For the NEXT tiles, I would suggest Forest and on the back Mountains.
Mountains, hmm, good idea!
Maybe some half-forest half-mountains along with mountain passes on that side, so I can have transition zones.