Saturday Morning Surprise TTS Module
over 5 years ago
– Sat, Sep 08, 2018 at 09:13:15 PM
Hey folks!
Since this campaign launched, I've had a lot of backers and would-be backers ask me about the possibility of getting a TTS module out there. I hadn't initially given this much thought as I definitely didn't have time set aside to build one myself. But, a backer with a lot of experience making these modules offered his expertise and created a wonderful mod for everyone.
You can find that module here.
There are a few caveats to this module. Firstly, as a general reminder, the game itself is not yet totally done, so there are a few doubled images on the cards, the icons and historical text remain provisional. Also, many of you have offered good comments on the rulebook, but Travis (our editor) and I won't be getting to those comments until the Kickstarter is over.
For the TTS module, we prioritized on making the game easy to use in that format, so some colors were adjusted, the pieces are brighter, and the map itself is larger than it would be otherwise to make it easy to see the board position from a high level of zoom. In addition, the mod maker (AgentElrond) built in a bunch of automated scripts into the game, including things like setup, honeymoon resets, and having the blocks automatically set on their sides if placed on border. You will need to run the setup script (the big buttons on the left) before the other automated elements of the game start working.
In addition to the regular setup, we also included the a "short game" variant, which uses 4 stacks of cards with just two dominance checks. This variant is still very much in development, but if you missed the more sudden-death aspect of the original game, you'll probably like it.
If you're interested in seeing the module in action, we'll be live streaming a game of TTS tonight 8 CDT. I'll post an update later today with a link for those that want to see the game in action.
Reddit AMA is live at 11 CDT
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Sep 06, 2018 at 10:54:02 PM
Hey folks,
Just a reminder that Drew and I's AMA (Ask Me Anything) is live on Reddit now.
You can find it here.
Essay on the politics and art of Pax Pamir
over 5 years ago
– Wed, Sep 05, 2018 at 03:50:34 PM
Hi folks,
I want to share a new essay Cole wrote about Pax Pamir for Katie's Game Corner. It has quickly become one of my favorite pieces he's written about the design. I think a lot of backers would be enjoy reading about the game's art design and development history.
If you want to go above and beyond, please share this essay or Cole's Designer Diaries with folks that might be interested in the campaign. There's plenty to stew over in this blog post, so if you want to share your thoughts and ask us questions, the Reddit AMA goes up tomorrow 11:00AM CDT on r/boardgames.
Thanks everyone,
Drew
The Remaining Stretch Goals
over 5 years ago
– Tue, Sep 04, 2018 at 08:37:46 PM
Hi everyone,
Over the past weekend, I traveled to PAX West to help demo Root and the next Vast game. I also got the chance to play a few games of Pamir after-hours with backers.
Here's a photo from one game. This is obviously a playtest set. My wife and I hand-painted the map the night before PAX, and she approximated the size of the actual resin blocks by gluing two blank dice together and spray painting them. But, even with all that, look how flat it lays! I had a great time playing the game with experienced Pax players and those new to the system.
But, even if I managed a few Pax games during PAX West, I was mostly absent from the campaign. It was a nice surprise to log in on Sunday and to see everything humming along. Thanks to Drew and Lily for keeping everything going smoothly.
Today we've unlocked the improved cloth material. As my brother mentioned in the last update, this change allows us to move from a cloth map like those you'd see in games like Dragoon to something close to Fall of Magic (sorry, we won't be sewing in wooden rods though). So, we're looking at a pretty heavy canvas that will roll easily and lay flat. I'll also reiterate that the map won't be wider than the box so that it doesn't need folded. You just roll it up and put it in the box. A big reason why cloth boards don't lay flat is because they have to be folded, but that won't be an issue here.
Okay, let's get to the new stretch goals:
We don't have any more stretch goals after this. If the campaign reaches $200,000, we will pretty much be able to make this game exactly how we want to make it. Sorry, no surprise miniatures stretch goals.
Most of the next improvements are small upgrades to the components, such as making special wooden pieces for each player to track their victory points or a nice resin marker to indicate the current climate. I don't know exactly what either will look like, but there are lots of good options. For the climate marker, it wouldn't be impossible to do a little 3d sculpture of the Bala Hissar or perhaps a bust of Dost Mohammad or something like that. But, I've got to be vague about specifics, because, as with other production elements, we'll be experimenting with a wide range options.
The 180,000 goal is exciting. We'll be able to replace the loyalty cards with a nice dial and potentially a dial that can record both player loyalty and influence count. This dial might be separate or might be built into player board.
Finally, at 200,000 we can include a single-fold mounted board for the game's market. Some players like having the visual separation between the market and player courts. Since we decided to pursue a mounted market board for the market cards, for a little extra money on our end we can print an adapted version of the map on the other side of the market board in the style of the limited-release mounted map that was produced for the first edition. When we reviewed the response to our survey about the map, we had thought about building this as a add-on. But, when we broke down the numbers, Drew realized that we can afford to build this into our production costs if the project reaches this milestone.
Alright, that's it for now. We've got a few more little surprises in store for later this week and I hope we hear from some of you at the Reddit AMA on r/boardgames this Thursday at 11 CDT.
Component Update and Reddit AMA this Thursday
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Sep 03, 2018 at 09:10:23 PM
Hi everyone!
Thanks again for backing the project and pledging your support early in the campaign. We are a small team, so every pledge, tweet, or BGG post about Pax Pamir helps get the word out about this game.
I know there are limited details about the components right now, but know that we are actively designing and quoting our best options. We have a lot of material + component design still ahead of us, but please understand this will take time. With many games, a lot of the design for components happens at the very end, usually because the design remains in a stake of flux. This means that a lot of the material work happens with digital approximation.
That's not the case here. We are close to finishing the design of the game, and the majority of our production schedule is going to be devoted to getting the materials and component design exactly right. This is why we didn't bother commissioning really fancy 3d renders of the product. For instance, it may be that when we print test maps, a darker ink on a light brown simply works better for the design. Likewise, though the layout of the map is largely set, we are likely going to hire an artist to produce a traditional Persian border with a floral motif instead of using the "cleaner" vector illustration that I put together. Basically, we're trying to keep our options open to ensure that we can deliver the best possible version of this game. Trust us, the final thing will be stunning.
With that in mind, let me say a little more about the goals we've unlocked.
-
Engraved and Painted Ruler tokens are wooden shapes that correspond to each region in play and help remind players who is actively ruling. As we develop and model these tokens, we will be sharing component prototype updates along the way.
- Upgraded Player boards allows us a wider range of options when it comes to the design of the player boards and allows us to print them on a thicker punchboard, and, potentially, to have a custom shape to help hold game pieces in place.
- The upgraded cloth map is primarily an upgrade in terms of material weight. We will be doing tests on various materials and inks, and this allows us to look into working with significantly higher material. We had been envisioning using a lighter cloth like Dragoon's map while we now will be looking into using a heavier material like Fall of Magic's scroll.
Once we cross the 125k mark, we'll unveil our final funding goals for the rest of the campaign. We're really excited about what we have planned next.
Lastly, we are doing an AMA on Reddit! Please find us on over at r/boardgames this Thursday, September 6th @ 11am CDT and join in the conversation.
Thanks again for all the support!
Drew
