Dead Steam - Post Apocalyptic train building card game

"Train Scrappy" sounds terrible. Here are a few examples of "Characters" with a better name (than Scrappy AND Engineer):

Axel "Ironhand" Greaves... So "Ironhand" instead of Scrappy or Engineer.

Mara "Coalburner" Kane

Victor "Steamjack" Holloway

Clara "Railsplitter" Voss

Gideon "Ironclad" Sable

Finn "Dieselheart" Riker

I personally like the LAST ONE: "Dieselheart"... And you can come up with a Backstory that works with Finn Riker... Could be cool IMHO!

I have the game but I have NEVER played it. I know from watching some videos that the goal is to make trains across the USA on various tracks. I don't see that it requires DIFFERENT types of trains... You build the train but in-so-far that it's ONLY the TRAIN (not the type of cars).

I think at least?! Like I said I have not played it and I don't remember much about the video... Only that you try to create trains with their cars along various tracks in the USA.

Care to comment???

If your game was two-sided like the person running the Train and Cargo is one Player (like the idea of Mad Max or Dungeon Master) and the other players are Raiders looking to steal from the train as much loot and cargo as possible.

Could make for an interesting game.

I have not read your rulebook. Like I've stated many times, I HATE rulebooks. Honestly what I would prefer is someone who can TEACH me the game or that I can WATCH a Video from Rodney Smith, Richard Ham, Tom Vasal, or Lance Myxter and get how easy or difficult the game is ... That's one way for understanding the game (and is less prone to error).

Anyhow this is just an idea. I know your game is probably advanced, but when I read @larienna's IDEA about a "Mad Max Train Game", I immediately got the idea of dividing sides and having the Engineer and the Raiders separate parties all trying to capitalize on the cargo being shipped by the trains...

I doubt this adds much value to your game.

Again just an idea.

Note #1: Nevermind it's too much like "Colt Express":

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/158899/colt-express

That game already has bandits invading a train and trying to steal as much as possible from the passengers (and probably cargo too...) Nevermind... Your concept is much more ORIGINAL! Enough said...

You could PAY "Undead Viking" to make you a Video... I don't think this is in violation of the terms of presenting a Video. I don't believe that it states that YOU MUST make your own Video! As such asking for Lance or another KS Previewer to make a short Preview video with a quick explanation of the rules of the game (and Lance did this for "Tradewars" at that time).

It may require you to shed some money if you want the Video Made. But whomever you contact you may ask for what you want and explain that the Video is to be unlisted on YouTube and made available to the Cardboard Edison Panel of Judges.

But like I said, it's really a waste of time especially since they don't even take into consideration their own Judges and override the process of admitting and rejecting whomever THEY choose.

I think it's a bit BIASED. But YMMV. Cheers!

1. Ashes of the Boiler Kings

The remains of humanity's steam empire are hoarded by the Boiler Kings, warlords controlling critical train yards. The Ironhearts must infiltrate and dismantle these tyrannies to reclaim the technology.

2. Engines of Salvation

A mythical "Diesel Engine" is said to generate limitless engine power. The Ironhearts must track down fragments of its legend, assembling clues across hostile territories while fending off rival scavengers.

3. The Rusted Vein

A massive, underground railway network lies buried beneath the wasteland. The Ironhearts must unearth and repair it while contending with subterranean horrors and crumbling infrastructure.

4. The Phantom Locomotive

A ghostly train powered by unknown forces haunts the wasteland. The Ironhearts investigate its origins, uncovering a sinister AI core and its connection to humanity's downfall.

5. Wheels of the Apocalypse

An ancient rail cannon—the "Dead Steam Engine"—is found in a derelict state. The Ironhearts must decide whether to restore it as a tool for defense or destroy it to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

6. Ironclad Redemption

A long-forgotten, self-aware train AI becomes the Ironhearts' unlikely ally. Its knowledge holds the key to rebuilding civilization, but its dangerous past threatens to derail their efforts.

7. The Steamplague

A deadly, steam-borne pathogen infects the wasteland, corrupting machines and people alike. The Ironhearts must develop a cure while racing to rebuild steam networks needed for survival.

That's some examples... You can work on making your own. Maybe adapt one of these to something more suited to YOUR game. I personally really like the "Engines of Salvation" STORY-ARC... Maybe could be an ALTERNATE Winning GOAL. Or something that gets UNLOCKED at some point in the game. This mixed with the AI of "The Phantom Locomotive" could be of interest too...

Again just IDEAS... You can work with some of these and ADAPT them to YOUR liking in making something more specific...

Cheers!

No I agree that Rulebooks are necessary. I just hate reading them and trying to understand all the steps. And I dislike this for my OWN rulebooks and so usually that's the last thing to be done.

It's not that there are NO RULES, yes there are rules and they are documented in TXT documents. No formatting and just rules without formal Requirements, Components, Setup, etc. Just what is necessary to document the game which is usually like 2 pages in a TXT document.

The problem is that the RULEBOOKS need to be FORMATTED and designed with Images and so forth... It's like 20% of the effort is making a REAL Rulebook not just rules in a TXT document.

For my own understanding the TXT documents serve their purpose and can easily be understood by MYSELF only. I don't use good grammar or make sure my sentence structures are "perfect", etc. etc.

They are NOTES for me to remember what variant I am playing and the rules that NEED to be documented for myself.

That's good enough for you, people reading the rules and playing ... BUT NOT a finished Rulebook that is meant to be included in with your GAME. That's the KEY difference between a Rulebook that is FINAL and a Rulebook which is good enough to play with.

The Rulebooks I speak about are the FINAL ones. Like just about any other GAME out-there in the market. They all have FANCY Rulebooks with background, layouts and images to help present the game in its best light.

Like I said, I have rules... Just not a FINAL Rulebook!

Like I said, I got a bunch of positive remarks from all kinds of Judges who only got to see my Pitch Video... And several of them were saying that "I had something special" and that "They hope they get the chance to play the game", etc. etc. Only to be told by the organizers of the Award that "There were too many submissions and they decided to cut mine from the playtest phase".

So it cost me $250 USD to make the video and nothing came from it. Plus add the $20 USD submission fee to be eligible to submit my game (Crystal Heroes) and again nothing with all that hard work put into the game.

My sincerest hope for YOU is that they allow you game to go through.

I don't want to be overly critical ... But watching the video gave me a bit of a "downer". Not because there was anything "bad"... It's just not what I was expecting.

Let me just share some ideas that I had AFTER watching the video.

I had pictured something like INSTEAD of just choosing Gold/Silver/Bronze Trains... You choose MISSION CARDS based on the LEVEL: Gold = 5, Silver = 4 and Bronze = 3. And then your train would have a micro DECK where you would ADD the VARIOUS DESTINATIONS and the corresponding MISSION CARDS.

And then you BEGIN your journey and DRAW ONE (1) Card from that micro deck and see what it says. It could be like "Stock up with CORN." to transport food. And you'd need to see if one of the train cars can HOLD CORN. That would be ONE (1) CARD out of "x" in the micro deck. And then they next MISSION Card could be "Transport a Diplomat to his destination." and you would need a passenger car to transport the Diplomat.

Along with the GOOD MISSIONS/EVENTS would be BAD ONES like "Train Heist" or some kind of dueling with the Coal Locomotive with all kinds of beefed up options to smash through Blockades to combating another train...

IDK. Sorry to be crummy... It seems REAL COOL your game. Watching the video (and I had not read all the rules yet...) I was just picturing something LESS EURO and more Ameritrash.

It's not your game. I'm just explaining what I had impressions when reading and looking at some of the cars and stuff... Not fully reading all the rules.

***

I still hope that the Edison Award gives you the opportunity to get judges to PLAYTEST your game. The video is only Phase #1 out of three (3) I believe.

Best of luck with your game!

It's not like I am bitter... Just not happy the way my entry was treated: a bunch of the judges said the game is interesting and they want to play it... And then the ORGANIZERS decide NOT to pass my game to the PLAYTEST Round. I think the organizers were at odds with their judges and went contrary to their own judging panel. That's all. I got great feedback (all be it limited) and then I am told my entry will not make the next round. Doesn't make any sense!

To this I will say, I think your next comment hits the nail on the head:

Yes that is it. Again you are correct. I was looking for something that allowed for the "ACTUAL JOURNEY" to be involved. And Yes, Freeway Fighter is an RPG in book format. The way it was described is you build a train and then the next step was to become the Engineer aboard the Locomotive... And then you would have to fend off any attacks and make the journey.

A little bit like the movie "Furiosa: Mad Max"... Where they build that GIANT Truck to transport gas...

If you've ever been on a TRAIN (IRL) you'll know it's a slow but steady ride to your destination and there are multiple stops before you reach it. While assembling the train is a bit of a PUZZLE, the journey would make the game more memorable. But as you said:

It's kinda like having a railway set when you were a kid and your Father never allows you to man the controls... A Journey Phase would make the game longer and more "meatier" and it COULD be the primary reason to get together AND PLAY.

We always talk about games like this one is "casual" and you play in preparation to the PRIMARY game for the night as a warm-up. By ADDING the whole JOURNEY phase, you not only extend the duration of the game (TIME-WISE), you also grow the INVOLVEMENT of the players (they are MORE INVESTED in their Train-building). This is good because it COULD resonate the feeling people get if they had made "this" decision or made "that" change pending the results of the journey.

But it is what it is... I still think your game is good and very NOVEL!

And that RPG Book Freeway Fighter is the whole JOURNEY.

I won't mention this again ... Unless you want to continue the discussion. Like you said: "I was looking for a different game." And my response to this is "No ... I was expecting something EXTRA when it came to utilizing the trains!" We could discuss it ... Just as a topic of DISCUSSION but it doesn't mean you have to CHANGE your game. We could just see how difficult and the real ramification to the game and it's impact.

Let me know. Sincerely.

The game's concept is AMAZING! The idea of all the different cars and locomotives is AMAZING! Maybe you have three (3) Tracks to build IN CASE your PRIMARY (Main) Train gets damaged or destroyed, etc. Then you could use one of the other SECONDARY (Extra) Trains to fix and continue the journey.

So the game looks AMAZING ... Just when you dig deeper, some people will be disappointed that TRAVELING is missing (the Journey Part).

Here is MY IDEA for you (do with it as YOU wish):

Basically you have a MICRO DECK you build as you TRAVEL. You have "destinations" which mean you Traveled a distance (however you want to express it) and you need a specific distance to ACCOMPLISH "Missions" or resolve "Events" (which can be bad like a bombing or heist). Like "Route Markers".

So you start with a Micro Deck of ten (10) Cards.

No "Route Marker" is TOTALLY NEGATIVE. Meaning that even if you get a "Heist" as a "Route Marker", it means you could MAYBE capture "the Outlaw" and earn Gold for his capture... And then you can DISCARD this card PERMANENTLY from the MICRO DECK.

And each "Route Marker" lasts for a SPECIFIC amount of Travel Time. So say for example the "Heist" lasts for "3 Rounds" which basically means that you have "3 Rounds" to capture "the Outlaw" or lose a certain amount of Gold. "3 Rounds" = "3 Cards" drawn from the Micro Deck. If you draw a destination (or "Train Stop") some events end and sometimes you get rewarded for transporting goods and food, etc. etc.

So in this case, there would be NO BOARD. It would all be VIRTUAL and using a Micro Deck. The piles you buy from are "Face-Down" and so you never know what card you will be adding to your Micro Deck.

Also the Victory Condition has to be CLEVER. And it has to be sufficiently FLEXIBLE such that you can IMPROVE your SCORE by replaying the game. Meaning if you SCORE "X" playing on your first time, next time you play you can score "X" + "Y" above the high-score. I think something LOSS is agnostic. What I mean is that the SCORE is how to END a game. You never lose and players play COOPERATIVELY.

Players are always trying to BEAT their HIGH-SCORE given how successful any given train ride is in the end.

Something like that. Again just ideas. Embryonic ones AT BEST!

So there is no such thing as LOSING the game. SCORING above the highest SCORE is a RECORD and means players have bested their previous HIGH SCORE. It's COOPERATIVE meaning players work together...

And it's a Deck-Builder much like you have already planned.

Cheers...

If the events could be like MINI-PUZZLES (like resolving the "Heist" by capturing an Outlaw) that makes the game that much more interesting.

Again EMBRYONIC ideas... I'm not sure HOW(?) just yet.

But I think you get what I mean in terms of playing as a TEAM and RESOLVING Bad Events or mishappenings until you reach a "Train Stop" (Destination). So you can try to BEAT the PUZZLE or HOPE to reach a "Train Stop" ASAP to bypass and end the problematic event.

I think the games needs a "Tactical" Layer which sits above the "Route Markers" and allows for Puzzle-like interactivity and/or just trying to ride down that last card to make it to the NEXT "Train Stop"!!!

This is like a PYL (Push-Your-Luck) mechanic in that he whole train is in freaken danger of exploding and the players are just HOPING for the TRAIN to STOP at a "Train Stop" to be re-fitted and fixed so that the players can continue the journey.

And these could be VERY TIGHT conditions... Burning the Candle at BOTH ENDS and just hoping to survive the next turn before the whole train falls apart.

Get the feeling that I am going for??? Cheers @TBone.