Heya friendos! I came back from a short, but intense vacation and I’m now recovering from both that and a short stint with the flu. This week will be a short one, where I talk a little about a board game I’ve been working on for a couple of years now. Enjoy!
How Am I Doing?
Last week‘s assumption of having a good time on my short vacation was 100% correct. We stayed at a mansion (possibly haunted) with a sauna, swimming pool, fireplace, and a huge garden that doubled as a deer enclosure. Yes, a deer enclosure. As in, we had pet deer for the week. That’s pretty crazy. I didn’t even know that was legal.
It took me a while to smooth into the experience since we were with a big group of people. It was quite busy, but very enjoyable nonetheless. We hung out, chilled, swam, played board games and I got converted to the religion of crossword puzzles. That last part made me think I was getting really old, but then there was naked karaoke involved as well, so I guess that cancels each other out.
I also speedran the stomach flu, so the coming week will be spent taking it easy as I recover.
What Am I Doing?
During our stay, I forced some friends to playtest one of the prototypes I’ve sporadically been working on for the past few years. Thanks to this newsletter, I can see that the last time I worked on it was way back in January! Back then I apparently promised you a first version soon… Well… There’s no first version yet, but if you want you can try this prototype version here.
It’s a light roleplaying game where you try to create as much drama as possible within a fictitious Regency-era royal court. Gossip about your neighbors, start illicit romances, strike a secret deal with your rival and climb the social ladder on the backs of your friends.
There’s a lot of wrinkles to iron out, but the bones are there. The players had a really good time and I gathered a bunch of good feedback and ideas. The point where I knew it was going well, was when I left the room to grab a drink and hit a toilet break and heard the players laugh both when I left and before I came back.
If you do play it, let me know how your experience was by shooting me an email over at contact@newtonarrative.com or by joining us on Discord.
Why Am I Doing? (this)
Distinction & Disgrace is one of those projects that I really love and have high hopes for, but somehow can’t be my main focus. There’s a bottleneck every time I have to playtest it, both because I don’t always have access to volunteers but also because I lack the social energy to watch people play board games two times a week.
Thankfully, I do enjoy working on it on and off, and it’s a blast seeing people enjoy playing the game too. One day, I will bring its full potential to fruition, but that’s not today.