Hi All,
I'm working on a game that uses sailing/boating as the primary means of transportation. A main mechanic I'm trying to implement is that the direction of the wind plays a big role in where you can get, and how quickly you can get there depending on what kind of ship/boat you use as you travel between many different islands.
The board is on a hex grid, so the wind has 6 possibilities of direction. Throughout the game, players have the opportunity to build different types of sea vessels which have differing abilities to hold cargo, hold crew, and navigate the sea.
Example, a Sailboat would be faster traveling with the wind or at angles, could never travel directly into the wind, and has moderate abilities to hold cargo. Meanwhile, a Barge would not be at all impacted by the wind, but can also move any direction equally well (albeit, slower) and hold lots of cargo.
Each round, the wind direction would be determined by a modified die with indicators such as +1 or +2 (the wind shifts 1 or 2 directions clockwise), -1 or -2 (the wind shifts 1 or 2 directions counter-clockwise), 0 (no change in direction) or the possibility of Dead Wind. Initial direction at the start of the game and after Dead Wind is determined by a d6 with each number corresponding to a direction on the hex grid.
Has anyone seen this wind mechanic or something similar in another game? It's been on my mind for a few weeks now, and I just can't shake the idea!
Any thoughts and input are appreciated. Thanks!
-RyanRay
You hit on many of the things I'm currently thinking through!
Each crew member would have the ability to hold one item during the trips from the home island. Oars would increase distance per turn (and allow some movement into the wind), axes would allow crews to chop down trees on an island, machetes would allow them to navigate/harvest islands covered in overgrowth and slaughter animals for food, and axes would allow them to dig for metals.
Wind direction is indicated by a token placed on the corresponding side of the hex board. It's large enough to easily see how the wind would effect each boat on each turn.
I've thought a lot about adding storms and event cards (tearing sails is a new one!), and still not sure how to incorporate it effectively. I've thought of a "Rough Seas" event where basically everyone's boat gets tossed a random direction, along with the possibility of losing crew and/or cargo.
My other big hurdle is figuring out how to encourage player interaction. I'm hesitant to make it too combat-heavy, and would rather instead focus on trading and Skill Exchange.
Skill Exchange Example: Rick has a boat that can carry lots of people, while Sara has a boat that can move a little into the wind. If these two boats meet up, Rick can get a card for +1 Movement Into Wind (which he 'learned' from Sara) and Sara will get a card for +1 Crew (which she 'learned' from Rick). The next time they build a new boat, they will be able to use that +1 card towards the abilities of that new boat.
Players have options to build different kinds of ships, which each require different supplies and have different abilities. Ships with higher costs to build and more crew required to operate have greater abilities. Choices are pretty open, but depend on what players harvest from other islands. Boats can be deconstructed to salvage parts for better boats.
I should mention at this point that the goal of the game is to eventually build a big enough ship to take a crew and supplies out of the island chain and explore other lands. First one to be the next Magellan is victorious!