Far Away takes place on distant planets. All the landscapes, creatures, and other local features must showcase their alien heritage. Players should thumb through the tiles believing the world they are about to explore is nothing like Earth. Of course, the world must also be internally consistent. Every bit of flora and fauna must make contextual sense with each other. Jake and I have been doing some world building to ensure the aesthetics of Far Away give an alien vibe without alienating players.
Playtesting - Feedback
Sharing a board game you are designing with other people is an intense experience. You are showing something personal, a piece of art, with the world. The inherent challenge is the need for critique. As we previously discussed, a game needs real players moving pieces and developing strategies for the designer to see how their ideas are interpreted. You need their feedback. However, playtesters have a different relationship with the game. They provide valuable insight, but filtered through their prior knowledge and biases. Refining your game based on these comments is as much of an art as the initial design.
Playtesting - Steps
We are cracking away at both Far Away and Mordgeist: two exciting new Cherry Picked titles. Much of our attention is focused on playtesting these games. We are writing a short series of playtesting articles for this blog, discussing our ideology and methodology for designing and refining new games. First, we are highlighting the steps we take from idea to release.