Quite a lot of things have changed since the last post - I've been rather lazy with keeping this blog up-to-date. I'll try and catch up with the few evolutions that the rules have been through later on.
In the meantime, I have realized that I may be going around in a bad way with my prototype. In my head, the goal was to have as many people playing it as I can, so that I can get feedback and correct what is wrong.
The main issue with this way of thinking is the notion of "accessibility". I want people to be able to play the game and tell me how they feel about it. And this means often people who have never played it before, or even who are not too keen on games in general.
The obvious result is that I was trying to get my game easily understandable and easily explainable. The downside to this is that I am probably discarding options before I have even tested them, on the simple ground that "it would be too complex".
Another approach, that I will try and go with, goes in another direction. Get a pair of dedicated playtesters, who will know your game as much as you do. Try and build something as deep as you want it to be; in other words, build the complexity, strategical choices, and all the richness you want without caring for people for are new to the game and might not get it. This way, the game will be as meaningful as you want it to be.
Then, once you have the depth you are looking for, work and make it more accessible. This may lead to compromises on some complex features, but at least you will work on the finished game, and know the tradeoffs you will have to make.
So, that's where I will be heading now. Time to find willing playtesters :)
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