[Design Review] The Resistance

This is another video post, for a very specific reason. Enjoy!

[Design Review] Infinite City

What is Infinite City?

Times are good, the economy is expanding, the workers are pouring in, and the largest city in the world is growing exponentially! Only one corporation can control it all. Will it be yours? Infinite City is basically a game about controlling territory. The interesting twist is that you’re actually building the territory that you’ll control, rather than just claiming it from a pre-made map.

[Stacking the Deck: Summoner Wars] Mage Storm

This is the third in a new series of Stacking the Deck articles, focusing on the game Summoner Wars. If you’re not familiar with this fun tactical card game you can read my Design Review here. In each of these articles I’ll present one deck, talk about my process in creating the deck, and some strategies for how to use it effectively. For my first article I built a deck with the Tundra Orcs faction, and for my second article I used the Jungle Elves. This time I’ll be working with the Deep Dwarves. For some details on how deck building works in Summoner Wars refer to my first article.

New Games! (A Video Post)

Hey! I was super excited to get some new games the other day, so I decided to do a video in which I open up the new stuff and talk a little about what I got. I've broken it up into five different videos to make it more convenient for you, if you don't have the time or inclination to watch it all in one go. Enjoy!

[Stacking the Deck: Summoner Wars] Rain of Arrows

This is the second in a new series of Stacking the Deck articles, this time focusing on the game Summoner Wars. If you’re not familiar with this fun tactical card game you can read my Design Review here. In each of these articles I’ll present one deck, talk about my process in creating the deck, and some strategies for how to use it effectively. For my first article I built a deck with the Tundra Orcs faction. For my second article I’ll be using the Jungle Elves. For some details on how deck building works in Summoner Wars refer to my first article.

When Players Stray from the Path

Tabletop, or pen-and-paper, roleplaying games provide something most games do not – an unparalleled level of freedom for players to take control of their characters and go where they want. This is one of the medium’s strengths, allowing players to influence the direction of the game’s story on the fly, without being restricted to a linear path or multiple choice decisions. Some video games try to create a semblance of this, but they can only ever go so far with the idea before they run into the limitations of a preprogrammed world.

As a GM, I try to give players as much freedom as possible in my campaigns. But the truth is that, at least for most games, some degree of preparation is required to run a good game. So what do you do when your players decide to take their freedom and run amok wherever they choose – going anywhere, except where you intended for them to go?

The first suggestion I would give is this: Just go with it. Seriously, your players probably know better what they want out of the game right now than you do. Also, the ideas of four or five other people combined are probably going to be better than what you had planned at least three quarters of the time. Be ready to improvise, and just let the story go where it may. Aside from that advice, if you really need some specific techniques to help you improvise or cope with having your plans derailed, read on as I consider briefly four such techniques.

Let's See How Far We've Come: 6 Months in Review

As of today, Catalyst Games has been live for 6 months. I’ve really enjoyed writing for this blog and interacting with everyone through the comments, so I thought I would take a moment to reflect on what’s been accomplished so far and where I’d like to go in the future.

[Stacking the Deck: Summoner Wars] Fortress of Ice

This is the first in a new series of Stacking the Deck articles, this time focusing on the game Summoner Wars. If you’re not familiar with this fun tactical card game you can read my Design Review here. In each of these articles I’ll present one deck, talk about my process in creating the deck, and some strategies for how to use it effectively. For my first article I’ll be building a deck with the Tundra Orcs faction. But first, let’s talk a little bit about how deck building works in Summoner Wars.

[Design Review] Summoner Wars

What is Summoner Wars?

This is a tactical board game where cards form a major component. Basically, each player gets an army, represented by a deck of cards. Most of those cards are soldiers of one kind or another. You play your soldiers on a board that is a very simple 8x6 grid. You and your opponent take turns moving your soldiers around the board and attacking each others’ soldiers. Each player has a special unit that begins play on the battlefield, called a summoner. If you can defeat your opponent’s summoner, you win the game.