The first get-together of the year for our Friends of Ion members club was very nice and productive. We showcased not one, but TWO new upcoming games, and the participants got a chance to playtest them both. We had discussions about theme, mechanics and the name of both games, and we took the feedback to heart. Which games you might ask? Well, they are both by external designers. one is to be called "Third Crusade", designed by Kieran Symington which he describes as "Battle, betrayal and belief in a struggle for the Holy Land" and the other "Kartini- From Darkness to Light", designed by Sherria Ayuandini ( Zenobia Award finalist) which she describes with "Educated women are the pillars of a free nation".
In Third Crusade, a war game aiming for 3.7 in complexity where you represent the generals of one of up to 4 armies during the Third Crusade. The current focus in our development work and playtesting is to make the gameplay shorter and less component heavy, while keeping the war game feel and the strategical planning elements which are very successful and a bit unique.
In Kartini, a worker placement game aiming for 2.7 in complexity. In this game you represent a school that educates women in Indonesia around 1890-1920. In the playtest and development of Kartini the focus is at the moment to streamline the sequence of play and to make how students become professionals more balanced and coherent.
More info about both these will follow as we carry on along the long road to a finished game box in your hands!
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