I was idly creating heroes the other day when I noticed that the exoskeleton upgrade is mostly pointless.
This is because I added this upgrade to the rules before I added "simple upgrades" much later in development. So if you want +1 M, you're better off getting it with a simple upgrade than with an exoskeleton which can be switched ...
2021-03-04 12:38:45 +0000 UTC View PostI've said several times that the Horizon Wars: Infinite Dark beta will be up for patrons by the end of the month and this is definitely going to happen.
But this is the phase in development where the dice go down, the minis go away, the fun stops and it's a long, slow slog of formatting, error checking and lay-out planning.
...
2021-03-02 15:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostFor sight of the layout and mission, see the livestream videos from Friday. They split into two as we lost the feed about three-quarters of the way through, but you'll get the gist.
Playing Mission 3 from Operation Gemini, Fight Out, the heroes had to make their way across a 3'x3' table, with multiple levels of elevated terr...
2021-03-01 09:24:43 +0000 UTC View PostLet's take a look at how different companies - inside and outside the tabletop wargames industry - handle intellectual properties and why. Marvel, DC and Harry Potter and the big ones. But what about handling smaller, bespoke IPs? How can it be done and why?
Thanks to patron BamBam who pointed out that the version of the Horizon Wars: Zero Dark tokens that I gave you guys was a bit low-res. I think I forgot to make it a hi-res export, because this version looks a lot better.
Speaking of Zero Dark, I'll be back to Zero Dark this Friday for the livestream, playin...
2021-02-23 10:57:20 +0000 UTC View PostAt the start of a Versus mission, split the control deck in half and shuffle one joker into one half and the other joker into the other half.
Designate the players "red" and "black" and flip the first card on the Control Deck. Whichever colour it is grants thar player priority for deployment.
<...
2021-02-22 16:04:18 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm putting together a set of Infinite Dark tokens and thought I'd ask your opinions on what else I could add.
I've got (from top left) hull damage 1-4, shields down 1-3*, advantage & disadvantage in four sets, power 0-3 and available/activated. I was thinking of adding a set of triangular vector/speed markers and maybe skirmishe...
2021-02-22 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostCommissioning art for a tabletop game is one of those things that can be outside a designer's comfort zone and I've had a load of questions about it. To try to explain how to articulate your needs, find an artist, estimate a budget and compose a brief, I spent slightly over an hour in monologue about this subject.
I was going to do a...
2021-02-19 12:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostIn response to the many, many requests that I include an option to perform a manoeuvre like this one, I've written some test rules for you. I have named it, here, after the patron who was most insistent on this point so he can take the blame. I make no promises that it will still be called this in the final rules...
CL1 vessels on...
2021-02-18 16:20:52 +0000 UTC View Post
The tale of Patreon and international currencies has been a bit of a... thing? I guess?
Those of you who support multiple Patreon campaigns might know more about this from better hooked-in creators than me. But as far as I can tell, it goes like this:
Patreon initially allowed creators and patrons only to take/send paymen...
2021-02-17 12:32:10 +0000 UTC View Post
You know, I might stop posting anything but the podcast on a Friday, because I try to be super-disciplined about relaxing and not doing work at the weekend. And you guys gave me so much awesome feedback on my latest posts that I just couldn't stop processing all of your suggestions and contributions, which made my weekend just a wee bit le...
2021-02-15 14:18:40 +0000 UTC View Post
As previously mentioned, I have employed a graphic designer to get me better illustrations of mechanics in Infinite Dark. Euan has done a cracking job and given me some options to consider.
So, what we've got here are really three ...
2021-02-13 12:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostWelp...
So, when I started self-publishing, I was keen to retain some level of consistency, thematically, between the original Horizon Wars book and what came next. And one key part of this was my use of fonts. After much searching around and help from an old friend who is a self-acknowledged font geek, I decided that DIN Conde...
2021-02-13 09:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostTry not to fall asleep! I've been through the pain. I've done the research. I've come to conclusions. And all this excitement about VAT and customs duty etc... well, I don't think it's as scary as some people are making it out to be. And in this episode, I'll explain why.
DISCLAIMER: Not a lawyer. Not an...
2021-02-12 12:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostI'm starting to get the layout of the book sorted out and, as I look at the ancillaries table, I can see that I have room on the pages for a few more ancillaries. Now, I never intended that the ones in the book would be the be-all and end-all for ancillaries - just a starter to whet players' appetites, with more coming in future rules upda...
2021-02-11 15:24:19 +0000 UTC View Post
My excitement is certainly disproportionate to the actual news. But I have notebooks. Watch the video, or see below for the Cliff Notes version:
My top ten highest-supporting patrons (i.e. those who have supported me the most over the duration of their support) will get one of these free.
The next top ten will be offered ...
2021-02-09 14:54:26 +0000 UTC View PostHi, guys! Sorry for missing out three ancillaries from the table in the final pre-Beta edition. For those waiting for the actual Beta edition:
Marines
Cost 1
Specialists in ship-to-ship combat, marines are veterans of bloody combat in the most lethal environment known to humanity.
A v...
2021-02-08 10:22:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Let me just say that, of the thumbnails YouTube offered me, this was the least mortifying. Make of that what you will.
Anyway, I noticed that Modiphius Entertainment was running a 60% off sale on their Achtung Cthulhu minis and I snapped up a bunch to use next year in the third operation manual. So I decided to do a li...
2021-02-07 19:31:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Updated. These seem to be printing more-or-less OK, depending on your printer paper alignment, and now the Wounded(1) counter is correct.
I'll do a labelled version eventually to make it 100% clear what each counter is supposed to be, but th...
2021-02-06 09:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostInspired by Jake Thornton's own Patreon campaign, I was moved to take a look at the concept of turns:
What are turns?
How do different designers and games approach them?
What alternative solutions are being used?
Why do we have turns a...
2021-02-05 12:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostElite level patrons now have access to the Discord!
I won't pretend that we have absolutely mastered the possibilities presented by Discord, but it seems to be more-or-less working. So if you just want to share some pictures of your minis, share feedback from a play-test, ask other fans to test a custom mission or give you feedback o...
2021-02-05 09:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Longer-term patrons, or those who've really looked back at the posts over the last eighteen months, may remember that at one point I made a cardboard cutout of the rifle design the Zero Dark Miniatures will be carrying when they're done (we're making slow progress).
Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I expanded it a while back wit...
Here we go: the final pre-beta edition is a better-looking creation than the last one, with some graphical flourishes to give you a hint of where I'm heading with the rulebook layout.
I've started talking to a graphic designer about getting some nice illustrations of the rules made, but I also need to talk to my other artist about interior...
2021-02-03 11:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostI've not forgotten this project and have been trying to find a solution that really works to be able to offer a product to the market for those that want it. And I feel like I'm closing on the solution.
The attached is latest version of the counter set which, in my opinion, should offer all the counters that two players of Zero D...
2021-02-02 12:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostI'm aware that I had said that the final pre-beta would have been released for you guys by now, but I'm agonizing over some details, so it may be a little longer. To tide you over, have another mission!
Following a major defeat, your enemy has been forced to abandon a number of important assets in wrecks and abandoned stations at the b...
2021-02-01 15:58:29 +0000 UTC View PostWe've had an influx of new patrons over the last couple of weeks and one of them reminded me that I've not been terrific at updating folks on where we are with various publications, so here's a little reminder:
Horizon Wars: Infinite Dark
The spaceship combat game was originally intended to be out by the end of March...
2021-02-01 09:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostThis week I mention:
A little preview of the updated draft, which nearly merits the name "beta" (we're a few weeks away), which should hopefully be in your hands on Friday or Satuday at the latest.
Your fleet has been ambushed in transit by an overwhelming force, with no option but to flee through the nearest jump-gate. However, the next s...
2021-01-28 09:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
I've sent my brief for the cover art to the excellent David Sondered. David and his studio is a busy enterprise, these days, with lots of high-end commercial work and it's a pleasure to work with him.
I've known David for the best part of a decade, meeting him first on the old Ordo Illuminatus forum - a Warhammer fan-art page - where...
2021-01-27 17:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostSpace mines. Do they just sound cool, or are they an idea you think sounds good? If you've played the current draft of ID, can you imagine occasions when they'd be handy? Is it worth adding them as an option to the game?
2021-01-26 09:11:20 +0000 UTC View Post