Continual Conceptions
This is where I list the other projects I'm working on. Some are farther along than others. Some haven't been touched in over a year. But I will keep track of them here.
…Of Sword And Steam
"…Of Sword And Steam" is a Victorian Science Fiction miniatures war game, set in a world where a meteor shower has introduced a new mineral resource that brings forth industrial possibilities yet unseen by man, and with it, conflict to control it. Played with 15mm scale models, the game thrusts players into the battles of the Great Powers, as they send forth armies of men and machines to collide in war.
Boasting simple and innovative mechanisms, immersing yourself into "…Of Sword And Steam's" colorful world of regal uniforms and steam-powered combat is easy to do. Rules for movement have been designed for fast, cinematic play and allow players to quickly maneuver their formations of soldiers, while still demanding plenty of tactical consideration. "…Of Sword And Steam" was also designed to evoke the consequences of battlefield "friction," causing units to degrade in effectiveness and responsiveness as they come under fire. While other games often reflect this in a binary fashion, "…Of Sword And Steam" uses a graduated system providing not only a more granular result, but also exciting narratives as units try to hold their line as long as possible and leaders yell for their men to stay strong.
Boasting simple and innovative mechanisms, immersing yourself into "…Of Sword And Steam's" colorful world of regal uniforms and steam-powered combat is easy to do. Rules for movement have been designed for fast, cinematic play and allow players to quickly maneuver their formations of soldiers, while still demanding plenty of tactical consideration. "…Of Sword And Steam" was also designed to evoke the consequences of battlefield "friction," causing units to degrade in effectiveness and responsiveness as they come under fire. While other games often reflect this in a binary fashion, "…Of Sword And Steam" uses a graduated system providing not only a more granular result, but also exciting narratives as units try to hold their line as long as possible and leaders yell for their men to stay strong.
"In days of dust
and searing heat Our souls parboil'd in rusting pots, We toil'd in bellies of steaming beasts To load and launch, at least, our thoughts – We dream'd of nights not beat by fire Or shots and screams and dying words; Through all, we sought (with ev'ry race) some sweet escape from death We carried in our – escritoire – – our letters home – – our carapace – (In crannies of our waking dream we secreted away, you see) This certainty that ev'ry scream could be – would be – should never be - The dying breath of men we knew |
Our brothers on the beam
whose songs of youth and hope and lust were spent – as ever such songs must – parboil'd in pots of iron rust With friends both good and true Whose heart beat (black and blue) Shall ne'er gain sleep but start awake, escaping from a dream Of days of dust and glory! Of searing heat and hope! Of love and blood and rusting pots of shit and shame and tightened knots of dying words and parting shots of broken men and Bergamot. We served on bended knee Her Majesty, The misery: In days of sword and steam." - Capt. Edward Wallace Hightower |
Blast Zone
"Blast Zone" is a science fiction deck-building game, modeled after classic real-time strategy PC games. Choosing one of several factions, players battle over territory and resources, expanding fortified bases, training elite units, and building powerful vehicles in order to conquer the planet Terra.
Players choose between one of three factions, featuring unique structures and units, and begin the game sending their workers out to harvest minerals and build structure cards to add to their deck. In following turns, players can use these cards to deploy units onto the table or upgrade cards to become more powerful. Units move from their base, across three randomly determined region cards, battling other units, until they can attack their opponent's base and it is destroyed.
Players choose between one of three factions, featuring unique structures and units, and begin the game sending their workers out to harvest minerals and build structure cards to add to their deck. In following turns, players can use these cards to deploy units onto the table or upgrade cards to become more powerful. Units move from their base, across three randomly determined region cards, battling other units, until they can attack their opponent's base and it is destroyed.