I've been lurking and occasionally posting on BGG for a while (as my longtime gamertag KarmikazeKidd), but it was recently pointed out to me that I should probably come learn what I can here as well. I'm eager to mine the forums here for everything they're worth, which I've heard is quite a lot.
I'm an amateur designer with a fairly wide range of inspiration. My favorite games include Game of Thrones, Tsuro, X-Wing, Betrayal at the House on the Hill, and Lanterns. My free time has been fairly limited lately, but is thankfully beginning to open up and allow me to get more design work done. I was originally going to shoot for Kickstarter, but I think I've come to terms that looking for a publisher is the wiser move at this stage in my life. Ten years younger or older and I'd probably go Kickstarter all the way, but that's the way the dice roll.
All of my games (so far) take place within a universe of my own creation. It takes place well after humanity has risen through galactic expansion and fallen again through a long unwinnable war with another ascendant race. The world exists within a pocket universe containing a single solar system, created to hide one of the remnants of humanity from their enemies. Society within this pocket has already collapsed and risen again, and cultures have been redefined and intertwined with the indigenous species. This is more or less the point where the games' storylines pick up.
A rough overview of what I'm working on right now:
Honorbound - An arena style game of tactical combat utilizing a 30-card prebuilt deck to augment the characters' innate abilities. The cards available to the deck are determined by the skills of the characters, and no dice are involved. Played on a hex grid. (Mid-late stages of playtesting, balance only).
Wingframe - Racing game in the vein of F-Zero, Podracing, and Extreme G. The game is set up for a progression style league series, and heavy customization of the Wingframes and their pilots. Played on a grid-free map. (Early playtesting, still assessing mechanics)
Kingmaker - Dice based Tower Ascent/King of the Hill scenario where players run, climb, build, fight, and generally create mayhem in their attempts to reach the summit and hold it. Picture dice like Destiny or Dicemasters, used to generate points for the various actions, via unique characters. (Development only, no outside playtesting yet)
Progeny (Working Title) - Deck-editing/survival game whereby players control the evolution of an AI race on a hostile world. Players compete to have the most advanced Subsystem at game's end, while simultaneously working cooperatively to evolve the race as a whole and adapt to survive the increasingly hostile planet. (Early development)
There are others, but I've not had enough time to put into them to really make them even worth mentioning. But essentially, each title is geared toward embracing either the universe as a whole or digging deeper into one of the cultures within it.
But that's enough about me. I just hope I can come to contribute to this site at some point, rather than continuously mooch off of the experience of the rest of you. Thanks for letting me join in the fun.
Thanks everybody, I appreciate you being so welcoming. It's always intimidating coming into an environment where the collective experience levels are so far beyond one's own. I'll do my best to contribute where I can.
To let-off: That's interesting you should say that. Wingframe is definitely the one I feel is most unique and unlike anything on the market. However, by nature of its design and people's schedules, it has proven very difficult to playtest. I'm anxious to change that at some point.
Honorbound has by far had the best response, though. I've had a couple dozen people playtest it so far to overwhelmingly positive reviews. It's been really rewarding so far.
Thanks again.