Category: Gaming
New Game and New Gate
Author BradPosted on Categories Current Projects, Gaming A couple of weeks ago, I started working on a new game. It’s called Forgotten Temple. Forgotten Temple is sort of a reimagining of Treasure Tomb, but it’s also more than that. It’s closer to my original concept for Treasure Tomb; sort of what Treasure Tomb was supposed to be but I couldn’t bring it all together at the time.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m mostly happy with how Treasure Tomb turned out and I was able to re-use some of the original ideas for Wolf in the Fold, but it was nice to be able to put everything back together.
Forgotten Temple follows a similar theme to Treasure Tomb, except now when a player enters the temple/tomb he or she encounters a mummified priest. Also, players no longer collect gold to win the game. The basic object of the game is to steal a treasure token from the mummy-priest and exit the temple still holding the treasure.
The basic concept of the cards from Treasure Tomb is also completely redesigned. Cards only serve 3 purposes now:
- Move a player’s pawn
- Move the mummy-priest
- Unlock an entrance to the temple
I’ve kept the concept of building passages inside the temple, but the tiles are all hex tiles now instead of square tiles. The tiles are also thicker; they are actual tiles instead of cards. Both of these changes should help the game board hold together better, and the hex tiles were what I originally wanted, as evidenced by the hex tiles in Wolf in the Fold.
I’m hoping to begin playtesting in a couple of weeks and barring any major changes I will be begin working on the final artwork within the next month or two.
In other news, my fence has been falling apart for a couple of years. I finally took the time this morning to replace the smaller section on one side of my house with a gate. I’ve never built a fence before, so the 4-foot wide gate was my test. I like how it turned out, so now I guess I need to man-up and rebuild the 15-foot section on the other side of the house.
I built the gate to swing inward with no exterior features, so unless you know it’s a gate it just looks like a normal section of fence.
Now I just need to buy some paint or stain to finish it off.
Nova Regula On Sale Now!
Author BradPosted on Categories Gaming Last year, I wrote about a new game I was working on, Nova Regula. After several rounds of playtesting, a couple of modifications to the original rules, and way too much time sitting on the back burner, I have finally listed the game for sale at The Game Crafter. While you’re there, be sure to check out the Nova Regula Expansion Set, also available now!
Nova Regula is a classic card game with one twist – the rules are always changing. Players take turns playing cards into the pot. If you can’t play a regular card, play an event card instead. Some event cards change the rules, but beware – the change may not be in your favor!
Includes a custom deck of 54 classic playing cards, 20 Event cards, and 30 Rules cards.
Available Now at The Game Crafter!
New Game in the Works
Author BradPosted on Categories Digital art, Gaming 
Over the last couple of weeks, I have dedicated some of my free time to working on a new card game, Nova Regula. Based on several classic card games, Nova Regula is designed to be easy to learn for even the most casual gamer.
Nova Regula utilizes a custom deck of 54 playing cards, 20 Event cards, and 30 Rules cards. Nova Regula follows the usual method of playing cards to the middle of the table, with one twist – the rules are always changing.
I have completed the game prototype and expect to begin playtesting soon. I plan to put the game up for sale in the next month or so, but in the meantime you can check out the product page at The Game Crafter.
Wolf Illustrations
Author BradPosted on Categories Gaming, Illustration I’ve been working on some illustrations for a game idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while. They’re pretty simple, but that’s kind of the look I’m going for.
I’m not sure if they’re final yet or if I want to play around with them more. I still need to decide which one I like best, but I thought I’d share them out for your viewing pleasure.
Free Treasure Tomb and Wolf In The Fold Computer Wallpaper
Author BradPosted on Categories Digital art, Gaming, Illustration, Miscellaneous Last week, I decided to repurpose the game art from Treasure Tomb and Wolf In The Fold and turn the art into computer wallpaper.
The wallpaper is now available from my Online Store in three sizes each: 1600×1200 pixels, 1920×1080 pixels, and 2560×1440 pixels. While there are many other screen sizes I could have created, these three sizes can be effectively scaled for use on either a 16:9 or 4:3 computer monitor. Users with 4:3 monitors will want to download the 1600×1200 file, while 16:9 users should choose from either of the other two sizes.
Visit my online store and download your free wallpaper now:
Coming Soon . . . Two Treasure Tomb Expansions
Author BradPosted on Categories Gaming, Print 
Four months ago, I released Treasure Tomb, a game of strategic tile-laying, dice-rolling, and card collecting. The game includes components for up to 4 players, allowing a small group to enjoy the wonders of the tomb.
Beginning October 1, 2015, you will be able to expand your games of Treasure Tomb to include up to 8 players! Add the new 5-6 Player Expansion to the basic game to play with 6 players, or expand even further with the new 7-8 Player Expansion!
The Treasure Tomb 5-6 Player Expansion includes the following components to expand your game:
- 1 book of supplemental rules
- 2 game board extension pieces
- 48 tile cards
- 54 treasure cards
- 2 player pawns (meeples) in 2 colors (orange & purple)
Along with components for up to 6 players, this expansion also adds a new “Hieroglyphs” treasure card. The Hieroglyphs card allows a player to use a Hidden Passageway without attempting to roll a “1” on the die.
The Treasure Tomb 7-8 Player Expansion includes the following components to expand your game:
- 1 book of supplemental rules
- 3 game board extension pieces
- 24 tile cards
- 54 treasure cards
- 2 player pawns (meeples) in 2 colors (black & white)
- 1 mummy pawn (white)
Along with components for up to 8 players, this expansion adds a second mummy, a second Burial Chamber treasure card, and rules for two players to score a dual victory in the new Throne Room.
Order the Treasure Tomb 5-6 Player Expansion and 7-8 Player Expansion on The Game Crafter now, and watch for their official release on October 1!
“Treasure Tomb” – Evolution of a Game
Author BradPosted on Categories Gaming, Print
Over the past couple of months, I have been working on a board game, Treasure Tomb. Several design and rule changes later, Treasure Tomb is ready for final publishing and went on sale today at The Game Crafter.
Treasure Tomb is a game of strategic tile-laying, dice-rolling, and card collecting. Players lay tiles to construct pathways through the mummy’s tomb, drawing treasure cards each time they pass a treasure token. When a player lands on a sarcophagus token, the mummy enters the tomb, blocking treasure card icons. Treasure cards are either event cards or gold, and the first person to collect 50 gold wins the game.
Treasure Tomb actually started off many years ago as a much, much different game named Ziggurat. My first prototype was an 8.5″ x 8.5″ game board created in Microsoft Paint with Legos for game pieces. I was at the height of my Mesoamerican obsession phase, so the original idea was a Mesoamerican trivia game with the difficulty level of questions increasing as the players travel deeper into the pyramid. Each player had four stackable pieces, which moved in separate “lanes” from the other players. The goal of the game was to be the first player to get all four of your pieces stacked on top of each other on the finish space in the center of the pyramid.
Enter European board games and The Settlers of Catan.
In the early 2000s, I was introduced to The Settlers of Catan, which opened up a whole new world of board gaming. My borderline obsession with Catan soon led me to discover other European-style games like Ticket to Ride, Zooloretto, and Carcassonne. When I discovered The Game Crafter a few months ago while trying to make custom Catan tiles, the idea of Ziggurat resurfaced.
While I plan to go back and revisit at least some of the original game mechanics from Ziggurat some day, I decided to give the game a complete makeover. I wanted to create a tile-laying game similar to Catan, but with a build-as-you-go mechanic like Carcassonne. By the time I was finished, the end product had evolved into a cross between the original idea and the new idea, with some of the newer mechanics discarded. Those discarded mechanics soon evolved into an unrelated micro-game, my recently-released Wolf in the Fold.
Check out Treasure Tomb at The Game Crafter and get your copy today!
New “Wolf in the Fold” Microgame
Author BradPosted on Categories Gaming, Print 
In March, I began working on a couple of concepts for games which I have had floating around in my head, and I am pleased to announce the first finished game went on sale today! Created from unused concepts from my upcoming Treasure Tomb board game, Wolf in the Fold is more of a microgame than a full game. The rules are simple and the playing time is short. Most test games have clocked in at around 15 minutes, although games could be longer if other players take a long time to consider their tile placements.
The game was originally inspired by the tile-laying game Carcassonne, in that I wanted to create a tile-laying game where the players build something. While working through my ideas, I ending up with Wolf in the Fold, a game of tile placement and player cooperation. Players build fences and hire shepherds to protect sheep from the wolves. Points are gained when sheep are fully-enclosed within fence tiles. Also included are rules for competitive play, where players compete to see who can enclose more sheep inside fences.
Although designated as for ages 8 and up, the rules are simple enough for younger players to understand. Care should be taken around younger children who may choke on the game tiles.