The Gaston Game

[Joff]

Well, we've been away for a little while, so let me inform you of things that have happened for me!

Back in September 2009, I entered the Themed Rummy Contest on BGG. The contest was to design an original rummy style game. To qualify it had to be a rummy game. That means it had to have: A Draw (cards are taken from an un-dealt pile OR picked up when thrown away by an opponent); Melds/Sets (3 or more cards grouped in some way - usually by suits/values); Layoffs (during their turns, the players may put cards on the table that go with their opponent’s melds/sets); A Discard (cards are thrown away from your hand. This happens at the end of a player’s turn).

As well as being a rummy game, an entry had to satisfy other certain criteria. I had to be a new and original themed rummy card game for two players and it must contain some additional original game mechanism to make it a unique game; you could not simply tack on a theme to an existing game.

Anyway, my main entry into this contest was Inspector Moss Investigates, a classic style 'whodunnit' rummy game. This featured some unique and complicated rules. Indeed, many of the games that were entered into the contest ‘upped the ante’ in regards of complexity. This is what began my thoughts on a second entry to the contest. It began with a conversation with a work colleague. I posed the question, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a rummy style game aimed solely at children?’ Well, it was actually the theme that came first. I simply said that one could use ladybirds as a nice theme for children. We then discussed the requirements of such a game. To fulfil the criteria the game should strip down the rules into rummy’s most basic form – lay a meld of 3 cards. I did not want to go down the route of having children add up scores for multiple melds or for them to have to add up points in their hands and so any form of scoring via the cards was out. So how would you ‘score’ this game then? It needed to be simple and quite intuitive for children to follow. The idea was then born that a player could have a flower with 5 leaves and on each leaf was a greenfly (aphid). This would gel well with the ladybird theme and provide a way to track a player’s ‘score’. I decided that each time a meld of 3 was laid the player could remove 1 aphid. Basically, the players start with a score of 5 and work their way down to zero. First player to zero wins. Nice and easy for little ones.

So, my second entry into the contest was The Gaston Game. It was nice and simple. I also did not think it stood much of a chance, but it was a bit of fun and I enjoyed designing it!

After the closing date for the competition, a fellow game designer, Rebekah Bissell, contacted me and asked if I would mind if she made public some artwork she had produced for the game. I took a look and immediately said yes! Not only that, but I asked her if she would mind if I used it as the main artwork for the game instead of my royalty free clipart imaged deck.

What I noticed with Rebekah’s deck was the inclusion of a couple of cards – namely ‘Aphid’ and ‘No Aphids Allowed!’ cards. Rebekah explained how she had been using the cards. This was an interesting mechanic and took a different approach to the way that Aphids were added to a player’s Flower in my version. The change was implemented into the rules and the game changed once more. Rebekah suggested some other Actions that might be used in the game and then it really began. We corresponded by Geek mail and discussed the options. As we decided upon various Actions, Rebekah would draw a character to embrace the Action and a card would be produced. This eventually was developed into an expansion which included 5 additional Actions, extra ladybugs and extra flowers.

Shortly after this the results of the themed rummy contest came in. I was quite surprised to find out that the Gaston Game (in its original form) had been placed third! Not only that, but one comment by the judges was that the game could, because of the target age group, be published as it was!

A couple of hours after the winners were announced, a small publisher, Indie Boards and Cards, approached me with a view to publishing. I responded to say that I was interested but one of my requirements was that the game used Rebekah’s artwork. Travis responded by saying his intention was to publish with her artwork if she agreed, and so I invited her on board with the project. We talked through some new ideas for the game and a few streamlining changes to the rules, which we then jointly developed. As we were now jointly developing the game together it was only right to partner with her as co-developer of the game.

One of the good things about being confined by certain rules (in this case the game had to be a rummy game) is that the core mechanics of the game are already there. You have to work around those core mechanics, very much like designing a Carcassonne expansion. Some will find this confinement a bad thing, others a challenge. We found it an interesting challenge. Although the main core of the game was released for the contest (and the mechanic that made the game unique), we wanted to find a way to add other interesting mechanics to the game. Rebekah had added a mechanic, which I had only hinted to in the contest rules, that allowed a ladybug playing piece to move on the flower. We also had a lot of action ideas to sift through; some added simple actions to the game, others added much more complex actions to the game, unsuitable for the children’s version. Gradually we came up with the actions that would make the base game release. Maybe you’ll get to see some of the more interesting mechanics that we came up with over the coming months?

If you visit the game's page at BGG (link above), you will be able to follow the threads about the development of this game. At present, the title is The Gaston Game, although the game will be renamed for the release as there is a copyright issue with regards to using The Gaston Game. I am not able to give out the game's new name at present (contractual obligations) but an announcement will be posted on the game's page (link above). The game is aimed at children, although adults will find it a good game to play with them too. There will be other cards included in the game which can be viewed at the game's expansion page: The Gaston Game: Blackfly, Bees and Superbugs!.

The games publication will be announced first and offered first to subscribers of the publishers newsletter. The first edition will probably be limited to 100 copies (in much the same way that Haggis was released. If you are interested in this game, perhaps for your children or grandchildren (or yourself!), please subscribe to the publishers newsletter by visiting the publishers website and following the e-mail instructions: http://www.indieboardsandcards.com/newsletter.php.
 
I appreciate your support.

[Gantry]

well done Joff!

[CKorfmann]

Congrats brother.  I'll have to get one!

[Novelty]

Wow. You have been busy. Congrats on getting a game published!

[Scott]

Congrats to you and pass along to your co-author a kudos for the excellent artwork. I subscribed to the newsletter. Having any kids seems a very long time away for me, but it might be cool to get a 1st edition and be able to point to it and say, "I know the guy that made this."

[Joff]

Thanks guys. It has been a great learning curve for me and my co-author, Rebekah. If you have downloaded the rules for the contest submitted edition you will have a general idea of how it plays. However, those rules are now a far cry from the game as it stands now.

and pass along to your co-author a kudos for the excellent artwork.

...and she is still busy drawing away! We have been working on several 'expansion' cards, even this weekend. Although these won't make the base game, some of them provide my favourite interactions with the game. We have generated a long list of cool mechanics and actions for this rummy style game! I really am hoping that the opportunity will present itself to release some of these interesting game options after the base game has been released, perhaps as a promotional 'Action Pack', downloadable cards or even a full expansion! We'll wait and see. I suppose it depends on how well received the game is.

I subscribed to the newsletter. Having any kids seems a very long time away for me, but it might be cool to get a 1st edition and be able to point to it and say, "I know the guy that made this."

Thanks Scott. Everyone's support is appreciated. Although the target audience is families (esp. younger children), I think that older players will find it quite a fun 'filler' game in its base form. Its nice and light, provides some player interaction and you can get in a game before bed! Like I said, some of the more interesting Actions (not part of the base game) would certainly up the complexity to cater for an older audience.

I have had word that the game will be released in time for Essen, where it will be available, but like I said before, subscribers to the newsletter will probably be able to purchase the first edition before its general Essen debut.

 

[Joff]

Just a quick update to let you know how this is coming along.

What have we been up to in the interceding weeks since the publication announcement?

First the disappointing news: Unfortunately due to a production delay, the game will not make an Essen release. We are now looking at early next year. However, the good news is that we can continue playtesting and tweaking the game in the meantime.

It had been decided that the expansion (Blackfly, Bees and Superbugs) would be incorporated into the base game. Once again, due to playtesting, there have been some changes to those Action cards. A couple of the Action cards from the expansion have been replaced with different Action cards and there has been a slight artwork change. For example, it is likely that there will be no Bee card in the base game; however, the Action of the Bee remains in the base game but a different character now represents the Action. The artwork to the cards has also been improved with the addition of names for the ladybugs, assisting colour blind people to play the game.

After the Themed Rummy Contest, Rebekah and I had quite a long list of potential Actions to try out. The game was playtested with many different permutations of these Actions included. Some combinations worked better than others, and some Actions that were very strategic in certain situations have not made the base game. Some Actions were tweaked as we discovered problems associated with the original Action and some were dropped completely. The base game (at present, anyway) has 7 Action cards included. We believe that we have got the best mix of Action cards for the base game nailed down, although we continue to playtest the game with other Action card combinations.

The rules have been streamlined and proofread several times to correct any errors and we believe that we have answered all possible questions within the rules document without over complicating them.

Rebekah and I have personally playtested the base game with all sorts of age ranges and 'blind' playtesting is also currently taking place. I work at a primary school, where the game has been playtested with great success to groups of children of differing age ranges. Some of the more interesting games, however, have been played with groups of adults! For the very young, the rules have an Introductory Game which allows the game to be played without the addition of the Action cards.

One of the most interesting developments we have had with the game has been the working on a new set of Action cards which replace some of the Actions of the base game and tailor the game to an older audience. One could call it an early new ‘expansion’ and although it is only at a very, very early playtesting stage, it works quite well and adds to the theme of the game. Maybe we will see this ‘expansion’ come to fruition at some point.

Anyway, there is a lot of work going on 'behind the scenes' so keep subscribed to the game’s page on BGG for the latest updates. Rebekah and I will use the production delay to continue to playtest and develop the game and make it the best we can.

[loganmann1]

Just wonderered how things are going with your game Joff.  Its fun to read up on what you've done with it, here and on BGG.  Congrats for getting so far already.

[Joff]

Well, all the work developing the game is still continuing... it is quite a long process. The delay in publication has been a good thing for us as we have been able to concentrate on finishing the expansion. Unfortunately, I am unable to be very specific on the details of the game (contractual obligations), but things are progressing well, although we have some news that we want to share, but cannot! It's all quite exciting really!

The publisher has been quite busy in the lead up to Essen and things went really well at Essen for them. Now that Essen is past, we are expecting to hear any day about the next stage for The Gaston Game. Not quite sure as yet if the publisher will be interested in releasing the expansion or not, but I am hopeful. The expansion tailors the game for more advanced players and is great as a filler. By the way, the expansion is not the expansion that you can see on BGG. That expansion is actually now part of the base game. The new expansion is completely different and introduces new concepts into our green-gardening game!

We have a special expansion (italics on purpose) running alongside the new expansion, and both are now in external playtesting and might require 'tweaking' as gameplay reports come in. We do not as yet have a fixed release date (sometimes things can go horribly wrong, but we are hoping that does not happen). There is not much more to report without overstepping the mark (contractually). I hope you all understand the need to keep things secretive. More news as soon as I am permitted to share. Thanks for your continued support.

[loganmann1]

Well thats exciting.  I for one find the process you are going through very interesting.  Thanks for sharing.

[CKorfmann]

Any news on the Gaston Game?

[Joff]

Any news on the Gaston Game?

Well, the game was expected at Essen this year, but its release has been pushed back once again - this time by Flash Point: Fire Rescue (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2012515236/flash-point-fire-rescue). I'm not too worried by Flash Point jumping the queue, as I have had the pleasure of playing this and it is a really, really good co-op game. If you enjoy Pandemic then you will certainly enjoy this release - I think it's better. It also makes sense, as this will be Indie Board and Cards big Essen title and they obviously need something that will sell well - The Gaston Game is a smallish card game aimed at families with younger children and so will not garner as much interest as a full board game aimed at families. Flash Point has also cost much, much more to produce, hence the delay in other projects.

That said, of course it still is a little disappointing when your game is delayed. I want the game to get some exposure and be able to talk openly about the design process, etc. At the moment, I have to make sure I am not overstepping the boundaries of the contract, which can be difficult at times! I am still hopeful that the game will actually be released (and not disappear from the release schedule altogether), but I think the plan is to release the game with a couple of other small games, much like Triumvirate, Haggis and The Resistance were released for Essen last year. I am glad I am signed to Indie Board and Cards, despite the setbacks, as looking at the quality of the previous releases, if my game is eventually released then at least it should get a first class production.

What have I been up to though? With work on The Gaston Game fully finished (if game design is ever fully finished), I have turned my attention to other design projects. Rebekah Bissell and I have formed a good partnership with our joint work on The Gaston Game, and we have already designed several projects together (that are yet unannounced). However, of the games that have been 'announced', one project that is worth mentioning is a solo game entered in the BGG Solitaire PnP Design Contest. Inspector Moss 2: House Arrest is a pseudo-deduction game (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/100089/inspector-moss-2-house-arrest). For those that haven't seen it, go take a look and try it out and perhaps give us some feedback. There is also a Vassal module available if you do not wish to print the components.

We have also thrown around several ideas for revamping the original Inspector Moss Investigates, which to be completely honest, was not all that good of a game experience. We will probably get to this one in due course as we have come up with quite a clever mechanic for a deduction game.

And we have another children's game which is currently out on blind playtesting. It is a set collection and push your luck style card game, with a unique twist on how collected sets are handled. We are planning on submitting this to several publishers in the hopes of getting this one picked up. It works for adults too, but the theme is geared towards children.

Together, Rebekah and I have a plenty of game ideas to slowly filter through. Every once in a while a game idea will surface that causes creativity to go on overdrive, and so, very much like the release of The Gaston Game, some projects jump to the front of the creative queue as ideas flow - we have a few unannounced projects that are almost finished, but are just awaiting the return of our attention!

I hope this has given you some idea of where we are at with The Gaston Game and gave you a bit of insight into other projects.

[CKorfmann]

I enjoyed looking at those games.  The Fire Rescue game looks pretty cool.  I also enjoyed looking at the Gaston Game on BGG.  It looks like things are going pretty well for you in the game department.