Prior to having Gaslands out in the public domain, my rules writing was obsessed with keywords. This was rooted in… Read more Keywords
Tag: Game Design
Rules Are Code, But Players Are Not Computers
Probably the biggest mistake I made in the text of Gaslands was treating the players like computers. Re-editing the rulebook… Read more Rules Are Code, But Players Are Not Computers
Progressive Sophistication
I was lucky enough to have both Gav Thorpe (clang!) and Andy Chambers (clang!) look over an early version of… Read more Progressive Sophistication
Editing Wargames Rules
We recently announced the release of Gaslands: Refuelled, which is a revised and expanded hardback edition of Gaslands. As the… Read more Editing Wargames Rules
Crossover Appeal
As I’ve said, I had a blast at UK Games Expo 2018. Interestingly, for someone that has really only been… Read more Crossover Appeal
Retrospecting
While my glorious victory at UKGE is fresh in my mind, I hope you’ll excuse a moment slightly self-congratulatory retrospecting.… Read more Retrospecting
Playtesting Tabletop Games
Gaslands went through 18 months of playtesting before I handed it over to Osprey. Partly, this was because the publishing… Read more Playtesting Tabletop Games
Collision Physics
Gaslands is a tabletop wargame in which heavily-armed vehicles career dangerous into either other, and high-speed collisions are virtually guaranteed.
Designing Around The Problem 2
Designing Gaslands is a voyage of discovery for me as a games designer. This blog is a way for me… Read more Designing Around The Problem 2
Gaslands: The Dice Game
In November 2015, I was thinking about the about the skid dice. I knew I wanted to manufacture and sell… Read more Gaslands: The Dice Game
Why Have Factions?
When I came to write Gaslands, I had just finished Hobgoblin. Hobgoblin is a flexible, setting-less miniature wargaming rules system… Read more Why Have Factions?
How Fluffy?
There are games that exist in an existing fictional property, such as Star Wars or Tolkien. There are games that… Read more How Fluffy?
Progression Systems
After a couple of false starts, the campaign and progression system for Gaslands is finally released in an “alpha” version,… Read more Progression Systems
Designing Around The Problem
I don’t know anything about designing games. I’m making it up. That being said I know a bit about product… Read more Designing Around The Problem
Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe
I got a question from a friend today: How long were you working on your rulesets before getting playtesters involved?… Read more Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe
Alpha Campaign System
Short post to announce the release, in the most recent beta rules, of the first alpha version of the Gaslands… Read more Alpha Campaign System
Night Of The Living Dead
A Halloween Scenario for Gaslands In order to play this scenario, you’ll need the Gaslands playtest rules, which are yours… Read more Night Of The Living Dead
Development vs Playtesting
I got some really interesting feedback from a playtester recently.
Game State
“State” is a concept from computer science: In computer science, the state of a computer program is a technical term… Read more Game State
Design Principles
To keep me focussed, and to help resolve difficult design decisions down the line, I here present the Gasland design… Read more Design Principles