I’ve created a new Dust Devils Players Kit (PDF). It includes a page with two character records, and a second page with the Poker Hand chart, which also lists the amount of Harm each hand inflicts. Finally, the kit also includes a handy chart to see how you spend and earn Chips in Dust Devils Revenged.
Read this actual play account of Dust Devils at GenCon 2008. I ran a game with Chris and Susie Rogers. It was a quick game, but emotionally packed with a Dust Devils as Romeo and Juliet story. Chris and Susie were a joy to play the game with.
I designed 44 to be a simple game that you can play in one evening. One of the most important things to make that fun one-shot play happen is the Reserve.
Here’s how it works. Every time it’s your turn, you roll a bunch of dice to see what happens to your character. Every time, it’s a suspenseful scene. Nearly every time, your character’s worst fears emerge. This ratchets up the tension. It also does something mechanically that can hurt your character immediately, but help out in the long run
When your character’s Anxieties come into play, they remove the highest results you rolled. So, if you rolled a couple 6s, those go off to the side. You get “penalized.”
But’s it’s not all bad. You get to keep some of those high dice results in your Reserve.
With dice in your Reserve, you can do the following:
These options make the game exceptionally fun. I’ve noticed some play testers ask “What can I do with these again?” These options will be right on the character record to make play easy as can be. And, I’ll add page numbers so people can look up details quickly.
I just realized that visitors here were unable to register to comment on blog posts. I’ve fixed that.
If you recently tried to comment on a post, my apologies for the confusion and obstacles.
I do approve each new person’s first post, but after that you can post immediately. So, if you see a short wait before your first reply shows up, that’s why.
I’m crafting a quick and dirty Dust Devils demo for GenCon based on the climax of recent Western remake, 3:10 to Yuma. The Devils came together nicely. The scenario is for 2 or 3 people.
Player 1 is my take on the Christian Bale character. He’s a hungry farmer who has to get Player 2 (the outlaw) on board the train before anyone stops him. His Devil is Cowardice at a mighty 3. And, his Hand Score is already at 0. Sounds like The End.
Player 2 is the Russell Crowe character. He’s a vainglorious outlaw whose own gang is shooting at him. His Devil is Vanity.
The optional Player 3 is the cruel outlaw usurper, out to take things for himself. He’s also headed for The End with his 0-rated Heart Score. And, his Devil is Traitor.
Action kicks off with Player 1 and 2 in a second-story hotel room. The gang’s outside offering a thousand dollars to whoever stops them from reaching the train. Now what?
Should be good, gritty Dust Devils fun.
For the last three years, I make it a point to find some new shirt to help promote my games and have a little fun. Last year, I got an Indianapolis Colts jersey with the number 44. It was great fun. Obviously, there’s an Indianapolis Colts and GenCon Indianapolis tie-in. And, my game is titled 44. Turns out that jersey also belongs to Dallas Clark, a former football star of my alma mater, the University of Iowa. So, I turned the example character in my 44 game text to Mr. Clark.
Ok, the tie-ins there were fun, if a little baroque. This year it’s much more straight-forward. Although, I did keep the sports tie-in. Turns out there’s a minor league baseball team called the Tri-City Dust Devils. I’ve got one of their T-shirts waiting for a GenCon debut to help promote some convesation about my game. I hope to have it strike up some conversations.
Here’s a link to a the T-Shirt I ordered. Look for me wearing it at the con!
Last year at GenCon 2007, I released the ashcan version of 44: A Game of Automatic Fear. Now, the game design is complete, and the game itself nears publication. I’m rewriting the text to incorporate all changes and extremely helpful feedback since last August.
My goal is to create a highly accessible game for people who enjoy role-playing, but have busy lives like mine. The game is designed for exciting, suspenseful one-shot play. If you’re at all like me, it’s tough getting everyone together weekly or even monthly for longer games.
44 is not a “lite” game in that it has extremely simple mechanics. It has a many play options, but these are not overwhelming by any stretch. Characters are simple on paper, but interesting to watch and portray. Play is suspenseful. The rules make play more suspenseful and entertaining.
One of the things I learned with the ashcan is that people wanted a simple list of options so they can remember things quickly during play. So, the rule book will be designed to help players look up rules quickly. And, character records will have a very useful “cheat sheet” for what they can do during turns.
This poses a book and graphic design challenge that I’m really looking forward to. 44 needs to be accessible to you because it’s extremely fun to play. I aim to make it your go-to “pickup” game for low-preparation, immediate fun.
Look for an October release.
In just a couple weeks, I’ll be at GenCon where you can get copies of Dust Devils at the Play Collective, booth 2039. I’ll be right next door with the Ashcan Front booth introducing people to some really interesting new indie games. Unfortuanately, I have no copies of Nine Worlds currently. There may be a very small number of copies available at the IPR/Forge Booth right across the aisle, however.
I’m eager to talk to people at the con. Better yet, I’m eager to play! I’ll happily run any of my games after hours and a the Games on Demand area with anyone who wants to join in. That includes playing my newest game, 44. This new suspense and horror game is designed for one-shots, so it’s perfect for the con. 44 is not yet published, but the game design is complete!
Hope to see you there.
