MeStarter #4 update 2: Theme

 MeStarter #4 update 2: Theme

Many game designers are asked “what do you start designing with: theme or mechanism?”*

For me, it’s 49/51 with theme taking the lead. Which begs the question; “which theme am I passionate enough about to spend the next 6-12 months making a game about?”

 

My usual answer is: there are three themes that I want to design games about: Star Wars, Batman and Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. I’ve come close to having games based on all three published… but not yet.

 

And then I am reminded of the sage words of my pal Hardy LeBel who said “make your own damn Star Wars.” **

 

There are currently three themes that intrigue me when considering designing a game with immersive table presence. They are: 

 

 

 1) An Indiana Jones-esque set in a trap-filled temple

 

 

2) A James Bond-esque spy thriller set in a multi-level casino

 

 

 3) An 80’s action game based in a “not” Die Hard’s Nakatomi Plaza Tower

 

I find all three themes exciting and I can already envision game play based on them. However, the real question is, which theme is most exciting to YOU since (hopefully) you will be backing this. (More on how you will be doing this in a future update)

 

Let me know which theme is the most exciting to you in the comments below!!

 

* My answer is usually “Why not both?”

** I did this when I created Rayguns and Rocketships.

Mestarter #4 update 3: Experimentation

Mestarter #4 update 3: Experimentation

I've mentioned that I often find inspiration in remix. Taking two (or more) ideas and smooshing them together to make something (hopefully) new.

Recently, my game group played an old favorite, Colt Express. IMHO, it's the poster child of a game with great table presence. In my mind, I started to wonder what Colt Express would be like if it were orientated vertically instead of horizontally. I decided to try it out.

Taking my copy of Colt Express, I mashed it up with another game, Ouija Manor, a little-known Prospero Hall game from 2024 with a dramatic board, just to see if it worked.

The good news is, "Colt Manor" as I dubbed it, worked really well - with only a few tweaks needed to accommodate the different play orientation. 

The bad news is, I don't want to just make "Colt Express meets Ouija Manor." I want to create something more original than that.

And I don't even know if there is interest in a game like this. Is there?

I will have to give this concept some more thought before I move forward with it.