Thursday, July 26, 2007

Mormon Trading Cards

Over at Nine Moons, I saw this posting.   These are done so well, that for a time, I wasn't sure he wasn't serious...  I hope it makes you smile as much as it did for me!

Friday, July 13, 2007

More Playtesting and More Playtesters!

I've been getting quite a few playtester signups of late, and that's very exciting.  I've also been getting a lot of feedback from testers, and doing some myself.  The results I'm getting back are that this new system is pretty solid.  There've already been a few good suggestions made.  We won't make any official changes or announcements until more testing is done, though.

Last night, I was playing the game with a friend, and we played with some actual constructed decks.  I had been worried that the game would play great with random cards, but that with some pre-constructed decks, the balance would shake out.  For example, I was worried that if someone made a deck of high-point verses, and verses that pull blessings, it would be unstoppable.  Well, I made a deck like that, and I got stomped!  I just couldn't get the high-point cards out effectively enough.  It seems that, at this stage, a balanced deck is the way to go.

Anyway, let me know how things go for your games!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

BETA Version 5.1 is DONE!!

OK, folks!  I've tweaked up the rules, I've tweaked up the cards, and now it's finally online as pdf's!  I'm feeling much more confident that this is the future of Chapter & Verse.  It finally feels smooth, like it's settling in where it's supposed to.  It feels balanced, and as more cards are added, more fun will ensue.

Here's some of the changes since the previous versions:

  • The turn is much more simple and streamlined.  Start, Draw, Freeplay, Play, End.  How much simpler can it get?
  • No more counting blessing points as you sacrifice verses.  The word "blessings" is now used in another totally different way.
  • Now verses have effects that happen AS you play them into verses, rather than INSTEAD of playing them into verses.
  • The game is much more interactive, as you can combine your own stacks of cards ("Chapters") with your opponent's to form books.
  • With Quoting, Cross Reference, and the new Keyword ability, the game play responds with the scriptures more and more.

I'm really excited about the changes.  With some more playtesting, we'll be able to move ahead with the production of the game!

Monday, July 2, 2007

The Only Constant is Change

After a lot of questioning, revisiting, and ultimately revision (both in cards and in rules), I finally got a chance top playtest the full version of beta v5.0 last night, with my good friend John Nofsinger.  We only had the chance to play one game, but it went really well.  The new system flows more smoothly, is more streamlined, is more interactive, and ultimately, more fun.

And then I went and lost my keys.

That doesn't seem like a big deal, except that it's all on my flash drive on my key ring.  :-(  But as soon as I get that back, and tweak a few cards (you always find some things weird about some cards after you play them), then I'll get the new rules set posted for playtesting.  And then, the possibility of publication...