Supplemental notes on the Function(s) of Board Game Art

It has been a while since I wrote on the "form follows function" topic (or any topic for that matter due to work obligations), so I thought I would revisit this. A few years back I addressed form/function in this article which received some passionate responses. I reread the old article again for the first time in a long time, and I have to say, it covered more than I remembered. So, I'm linking back to the original article and treating this new article more as a supplement to that old one rather than a rewrite. In itself, this entry is a bit incomplete without reading the older one but still works fine as a first read or on its own.


The Form follows Function Fallacy

I'll start with the term "form follows function" as it seems to have a sort of grand and specific meaning for many. I have heard "form follows function" and "functional art" often referred to in the blogs and forums. Phases like, "the art isn't functional" or "because, as you know, form follows function" or something to that effect often can be found. Well, what does that really mean, anyway? No doubt what the writers mean – in the context of game art – is function = usability. Period. Anything that falls short of the writer's expectation of usability is then "unfunctional art." In the end, I find this a fallacy which is masked with a kind of intellectual air to validate the point. The inclusion of this term, I believe, is more to suggest a knowledge, scholarly insight or some sort of undeniable truth as shorthand. This rather than dive into (or consider) a full discussion or appreciation of the design problems at hand that art is working toward.

With regard to the "form follows function" statement, the problem (and the general failing of that term) is that "function" remains open to interpretation and is a matter of word play more than anything else. In the end, it can mean anything one wants it to. It then has the potential to pollute any criticism or deep understanding of the process through misidentification of the problem(s) at hand.

The first question to ask in any design process or final evaluation of a product is "what are the functions of this object as a product to be sold?" Or one can ask, "what are the design problems needed to solve to?" It is the same question. From there, it can follow what the design solutions are or can be directed toward. Unfortunately, the problems at hand are not necessarily clear. When they are clear, they are not always easily weighted (that is, to what extent is function A more important than function B or what is a successful mix in this particular situation). This can be challenging as one can really never know for sure exactly how important each design problem will be within the context of the changing marketplace.

To put it in history, "form follows function" was championed throughout the 20th century by architects and industrial designers as a rationale to describe certain design principles which followed an object's utility. The original point was that the utility of the object would guide its ultimate physical manifestation through design. For instance, the thinking for the design of a juicer might go: a juicer is about getting juice out of fruit (that is its utility), therefore all design considerations should stem from how best to do that. If a design aspect does not work towards juicing, then it is not relevant - it is simply decoration and should be avoided. (This, as opposed to the function of the product as a whole – juicing PLUS consumer attitudes, aesthetic tastes and conditioning, badge value, etc).

Coined in 1896 by Louis Sullivan (Frank Lloyd Wright's mentor), the term came into being in a time when economic forces and haste were at serious odds with the expensive and time consuming production of fanciful elements. Soon after, another modernist phrase "ornament is crime" began to find itself linked to the "form/function" phrase as moral principles to design by. With the association of the two phrases, the problem then began that the phrase "form follows function" was as much a mantra for an aesthetic inclination (reduction, machine age modernism look) as it was a rational design solving process in its fullest form. Unfortunately, by eliminating from the equation ornamentation and or stylization (which could be used as attraction and for other benefits), a whole facet of design tools and opportunities are lost.

A counter to this severe reductive process is the appreciation of the benefits, indeed functions, that ornamentation and aesthetic considerations (that go beyond an object's utility) can possibly deliver. In architecture for example, ornament can aid in wayfinding, attract customers, cue warmth, be invitational and create unique global identities for properties and cities (particularly in a sea of design simplicity). Here are just a few of many business applications for the ornament in this context. Ornamentation becomes functional. It is then more than the primary utility of the building (or a juicer).

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao with its characteristic Gehry look. A modern Baroque and certainly different expression of ornamentation (or perhaps "style" is a better term). Nonetheless, the function of visual identity was profound in establishing a memorable mark for Guggenheim and Bilbao – attracting tourists from around the world to this old port.

The automotive designers realized this in the 30's. As testing in aerodynamics was leading car design to a single tear drop look, they came to the conclusion that "utilitarian function" would drive the industry out of business if they didn't address aesthetic tastes (decoration). And so it is that designs took on looks driven not solely by the utility of the object (like the juicer example above) but also were inspired by the aesthetic cues from popular culture (the look of rockets, for instance). This at the expense of utility (physical drag, efficiency, etc). So here, ornamentation drove design as part of a business decision. It defined the look, feel and character of brands that helped to create brand loyalists out of customers and carve out unique identities for companies. Form was the function, along with many other utilitarian considerations – like the utility of physics. These days, if one is to look far deeper, the definition of function could include environmental responsibility. This then goes back to the physical utility of less drag and less energy used to move the car and thus less pollution (back to a teardrop shape).

Here, we see the Aptera which seeks to address the functional needs of physics (less drag), and consequently greater efficiency (less pollution), while establishing a unique brand look and aesthetic appeal (brand definition and attraction). The degree of consumer appeal (the function of attraction) and acceptance is questionable though as it could be too different – weird – for the masses. Though perhaps the Apple aesthetic has trained audiences to appreciate this pure, stylish and spartan look (which I personally love).

So it is then that "form follows function" becomes subject to definition. Physical utility of the object's purpose? Consumer attraction (tastes) and sales? A greater or higher moral obligation? Sometimes these problems all complement each other and other times the problems are opposed. To the extent that all the problems weigh in becomes more a subjective call than mechanical or scientific one. The right mix is generally not perfectly clear. All these then wrapped up in the constraints – financial and technological – within the manufacturing process.

In short, form DOES follow function as long as one truly and fully understands ALL the problems that need solving toward and one grasps the weight or gravity of each topic against the whole. Otherwise the statement is quite useless as a talking point. For this reason, I much prefer the term "problem solving" as it forces one to acknowledge the process and ask "what are all the problems at hand", rather than just refer to an empty phrase linked often to a shallow definition of function. ...Of course, "problem solving" it is not nearly as catchy ...or authoritative sounding.


Defining Game Art Functions

Here now, we come to game art design. Before speaking of successful design (or begin evaluating it) one must identify the function of game art.

It is very simple. Game art functions to enhance the endeavor of the game. That is all game art is for, nothing more, nothing less.

We must then ask, "what is the endeavor of game?" From here, there can be found at least three primary game goals. Firstly, for the consumer, it must entertain. That is, in fact, the only reason to buy a board game product. Entertainment can take many forms which I will describe later, but from the consumer point of view, that is all our games are for. Secondly, for the publisher, it is to make money and further an enterprise. A product can be the best of its kind, but if it does not make money or cause a publisher's brand to rise in perceived value, stature, or selling power it has failed in its endeavor toward the seller. Finally, the game champions the game cause. This is a greater good level which seeks to elevate the category as a whole through the product's own excellence.

In terms of the first point (the consumer pov), game entertainment takes a number of forms (not limited by this list):
- the enjoyment and company of others sharing in a common experience face to face
- the mental brinkmanship
- playability/mastery - the enjoyment of feeling in control or more skillful than others (with what ease one can navigate the game and feel "masterful")
- the particular puzzley mental stimulation board games provide
- the physical (touching materials, fiddling with pieces, viewing depth of field)
- the excitement of competition
- potential to learn something new
- collectibility and admiration of one's collection

In terms of the second point (the seller's pov), a game should:
- provide good profit
- expand a publisher's portfolio in a positive direction
- reflect on the publisher's brand in a positive way
- potentially reach new customers who might seek out other games in the portfolio

In terms of the third point (the category's pov), a game should:
- provide the board game category with a more positive image and a reason to participate
- conversely, dispel negative perceptions of gaming/gamers (child's play, hobby for losers/geeks)
- encourage and facilitate those who do participate to "catch the game bug" and become a gamer themselves



Here is how art can address the needs of the game:

Information Design
- Information design provides newcomers confidence that they can learn the game and the teacher confidence that it will be a successful teaching experience.

- Assists with pattern recognition which can make a game easier to play

- Ramp players up quickly to feel "masterful" in their game.

- For gamers, familiar conventions can be reinforced to facilitate the learning of new or unusual gameplay


Attractiveness
- Attractiveness draws people into the game
- Can help make a title an easier "sell" to bring out of the closet and onto the table
- Gives us entertainment during downtime
- Provides atmosphere
- Can drive sales
- Can generate news/talking power/buzz
- Potentially reach out to new consumers (non gamers) previously unaware, but attracted to box.
- Positively impacts the hobby as a whole (can make it seem more legitimate – seem less a hobby for children or "weirdo/geek/outsiders")
- Positively impacts a publisher's portfolio
- Help to open distribution channels for publishers (especially with their first games).
- Heightens collectibility and admiration of one's own collection – makes collecting fun.


Thematic Detailing
- Thematic detailing brings one into the spirit of the theme
- Makes the game all seem a bit more believable, to the extent that is possible.
- Can facilitate in the learning of a game (familiar theme concepts can support game mechanics)


Information design, attractiveness, thematic detailing

I have heard game art design equated to information design (like illustrative charts and graphs). This is certainly very true. Game boards and components can be information heavy – sometimes very information heavy. (Indeed Titan had a massively dense board, with each 1" hex space being one of eleven terrain types, and having 3 different entry points that had 4 different types of entry methods. All this multiplied a good 80 or so hexes). I have also heard folks make connections to Edward Tufte (a graphic designer / teacher who advocates strong information design). Indeed, you can find a recommendation of his books on this blog, one of my first entries from a number of years back. He is really a great read and full of enthusiasm! There is much to learn from him and use in certain specific game art situations as well.

The board for Titan is a very information dense one. With around 80 hexes with 11 or so terrain types, 3 entry points and 4 types of entries, each hex had many potential reads. Unlike traditional maps, the terrain does not follow natural patterns (like clusters of hills, valleys, mountains, tree areas) but rather geometrically spaced patterns which are hard to decipher.

What one must remember though is his investigations relate to something somewhat different here. Yes, both games and the work he covers are information driven subjects. The difference is that games are entertainment first and foremost. Information design being the primary, but not by any means, exclusive driver of the entertainment values. This is the heart of the matter as many discount or simply cannot realize all the functions that art simultaneously serves. Some parts of game art are pure information, some parts are a combination of information and aesthetic and theming detail, and some parts serve no game playing information but are purely for enjoyment.

I have also heard it said that all this is fine, as long as the function of usability always comes first before other functions. Again, I say this misses the point. It assumes a simplistic process that is black and white, on and off. "Is function decor (or any other function) sacrificing the function of usability? If yes, then bad design." Well no, not necessarily, I say. Because it is all a sliding scale. It is all a matter of degree. In reality, the design process is a long continuum of very discrete interrelated decisions. For instance, it may be the case that a small loss or insignificant loss in information generates a big gain in theme entertainment. Or perhaps the loss could be made up for through another less direct design move. Here, things are not so black and white. Again, it comes down to understanding the weight or gravity or each element with respect to the overall project's endeavor.

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A (less than ideal) case example

I added "less than ideal" as, admittedly, the work I will describe was for me not perfect. In the end it fell short of what I had hoped it would deliver. However, I do believe that the investigation was correct – it's final implementation didn't quite make it to my satisfaction though. The investigation illustrates, for me, some of the push and pulls of a few functions at work.

A project I did a while back, El Capitan, presented itself with a number of design challenges. One challenge centered on the names of the different sections of the board. The board is divided into a 3 x 3 grid where each of the 9 grid spaces is a different city. It is in these cities that the game actions take place. In the original game, Tycoon - which El Capitan was modeled after - the theme was about global travel. Here, the city names (the 9 grid spaces) had clear geographical significance. The cities had names like New York, Mexico City, Tokyo, etc. From these names, it is easy to visualize exactly where each city would sit within the 3 x 3 grid relative to each other as everyone has the basic world map burned in their brain. One need not ever have seen the game to guess which space was which.

The remake, El Capitan, was rethemed to Medieval European cities using their indigenous names. The problem here is that the geographic relationship between the cities is not really known by most, particularly when assigned to a rigid 3 x 3 grid. Add to that, the city names are at times unfamiliar variations and add to that some of the names sounded alike and then we have a bit of a problem. The theme, while much more rich and romantic (to me anyway), was not as easy to play. (Note, this is not to disparage the idea behind the retheme but merely introduce the graphic design challenges inherent within the concept.)

If the names themselves were a blockage, no matter how clear they appeared on the board, they would cause confusion. So it was that I knocked back much of the utility of the names - through decoration - and introduced an iconographic reference system on the cards that referred to the board grid rather than the names. Just as the theme and the cities that were chosen had served as romantic decoration, so too the type was treated as a decorative element through the selection of a heavily ornate font. This added quite a bit to the look (compared to a simpler serif font). The function of the type readability then transferred, in part, to the aesthetic appeal function and the thematic application functions. The newly developed icons - found on the cards - would then hold much of the weight of the information design. These icons were a graphic of a 3 x 3 grid with the appropriate city positions highlighted. The rationale here is that if names are causing a blockage, which they were, it was better to redirect attention to a simpler, more intuitive system – the grid icon or, as I called it, "the pip system" (as the icon highlights looked like dice pips). No language is needed to understand what area each card effected.


This would have been great, but I did not push the strength of the icon enough (it was too small on the cards and the non highlighted pips were too subtile). This made it a little harder to see than it should have been. Add to this the production printed much too dark (which highlights a frustrating problem of artist control within this industry). This dark printing negated the contrast of the pips and intensified the situation. (Some thought it was too hard to play upside down as well; the brain needed to reorient the pips. I found it easy to wrap my head around when the board was oriented upside down to my position. However, we could have added a smaller reverse oriented icon for "upside down players" if need be. In hindsight, I probably should have explored this).

The point here is that the apparent information design function of the type (its readability) was not as obvious as many thought. Some commented that the type should have been more readable. This to increase what seems to be the information design function. The problem was that in so doing, a player would spend too much time directly using the type for reference or information gathering (rather than the pips) and fall into the trap of rechecking each time to make sure a city was Tunis rather than Tanger, Valencia rather than Venezia or Athina rather than Alexandria... and then double checking that for the position on the board because they would get the location mixed up in the grid. To me this sort of checking and making sure during the game was disruptive. In short, the names were not effective carriers of information.

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I continue to write on the "function topic" as it is not what I believe many think it is. The term itself is a good one in theory, but in practice is is more a shorthand to subject to opinions on definition and consequent misidentification of problems. It is a fascinating subject though which highlights the design and problem solving process.

– Mike

QWG's Cavum

Cover image

QWG will be publishing Cavum by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Riesling just in time for Essen. It will be printed in English, German, French and of course Dutch. The game takes players in the American West in search of gems. Players mine through the mountains in search of veins, working their tunnels to trace to neighboring cities (pictured on the board in orange). As I understand it, this will be a heavier game than El Capitan and play around 90 minutes.

The look of the game has an antiqued paper finish with period typography and engraved images. Like El Capitan, the punchboards are dressed up for a very nice presentation. These will be pictured in a future post.

Board

A few of the "order" cards

Happy gaming!

– Mike

Blackbeard Anticipation II

---Update---
I received some feedback which I've incorporated into these charts. They are pretty hires, so you can drag them onto your desktop and use. These print on 11x17 paper. You might need to reduce the size slightly to fit without printing. Again, if you see something incorrect, please let me know.

As previously mentioned, I was looking to add an anti-pirate back to the player aid. Not having played the game yet, I’m unsure if all the details are correct; but I hope it’s pretty close. The information was cobbled together from what I could find from the updated rule sets. I modified the look slightly for both of these to give a little more depth and thematic interest.

If anyone familiar with the game sees details in error, I'd appreciate you dropping me a note and I'll look into correcting.




Happy Gaming.

– Mike

Blackbeard Anticipation

--- Note, thanks to a few who contacted me with some fact errors in the following player aid. Much appreciated! The image below is the now updated one. ---

Ok, I too have been struck by the Blackbeard bug. I've not yet played it, and never played the original, but a detailed pirate game seems so awesome. I bought the game a week or two ago and have read the rules many times, set the board up for a few rounds of solitaire play and been doing the obligatory daily checks to BGG for rules updates. Still, after playing it myself a bit, I found quite a bit of look ups necessary. I know that's the kind of game this is, but it might prove too distasteful to some I game with. It seems like the game could flow better with concepts better consolidated. To help things move a bit, I've created an 11x17 player aid. This combines the Pirate Actions list with basic procedural guidelines done graphically.

The front of a player aid guide with Pirate Actions. The back will have Anti-Pirate actions and whatever else I can get that is meaningful.

It includes some symbols for key concepts so that it can be scanned if looking for a particular one. For instance, if you are looking for things relating to booty or loyalty there are icons associated with them. For actions that are continuous (or need to follow another action), I've kept on the same scrap of paper which appears to fold over for the next step.

I will probably get this uploaded to Geek if others find it helpful, though if there are mistakes, it would be good to know. Send me an email. I cobbled together concepts from the rules, so I could have gotten things wrong. I know there are also some procedures missing, like Dueling. I didn't want the player aid to necessarily have everything, but cover all the main concepts I would need if just starting.

Next on the agenda is the Anti-Pirate actions, which will go on the back side of the sheet.

After setting the game up, I found the need for more dimensionality. The lack of objects with depth tend to make this game seem less exciting than it really should be. Also, I found many pieces getting lost on the board – like merchant ships. It's not terrible, but I did find that adding cubes and pieces helped the experience. Here, you can see cubes for merchant ships yellow for new ships, white for 0 cargo holds, red for 1, blue for 2, green for 3 and black for 4). Once found, yellow cubes are replaced with one that is randomly drawn from bag. For the KCs, I used large wood cubes that I had on hand. These then correspond to player colors, which I feel is needed. I felt like without player colors, I tended to lose track of my ship a bit. So, I've added player color flags to AOEIII ships. Red flags are used for D&B status which seems nice. Below some images for of quick modifications.

Some modifications to make more appealing to me (and hopefully others in my group).

Congratulations to the Berg/GMT team for this! Very much looking forward to playing. I also am really looking forward to the remake of one of my favorites from yesteryear, Conquistador – another Berg title.

Happy Gaming

Mike

Valley Games’: Municipium (Cover and Cards)

After having completed the board, I've taken another look at the cover. The evolution of the board did not go in the direction that I had originally taken for the cover. So I found a little disconnect between the two. Not that they have to match, but I did think I could do better here. So, I've restyled the cover with a mosaic and picked up the various characters from the board. I'm quite fond of this. It has the richness I often like to do in these pieces. It also – in a way for me – goes back to the original concept which was more abstract in nature. One thing I have always tried to stray from is a literal interpretation of the implied game story. Such covers tend to look trite to my eyes. Here, with the characters simply lined up, there is no stiff reinactment of a scene or literal story being told. It is more abstract in nature allowing the viewer to imagine.

Card backs: Common card (gray) and family cards with family names

Card fronts from various families

Also, here we can see some of the cards for this production. Again, I think a nice rich touch that ties things together with the mosaic.

– Mike

Supernova Alien Screens and more

Here we can see player screens with the aliens and icons which correspond to board pieces. They gray type and such will actually be silver, so the contrast is not as you see here. Throughout the program we are planning to use silver which should really be lovely and through a future feel to it against the white.

Some more research cards with silver icons.

Colonization cards with silver

The Colonization cards should really look nice with the silver line work against the green – very special and high tech. It will have a very nice feel as one holds them in ones hands and tilts from side to side.

– Mike

From the Vault: Arte Moderna

I had the opportunity to play Arte Moderna for the first time a few weeks back. I'd been trying to keep the copy I had unpunched and unused, but the money had mostly fallen out of the punchboard and my friends and I were “in the mood”. I hadn't looked at this for a long time and it brought back a lot of memories – this was my first art to be previewed in a published game. There were quite a few little things the publisher and I put in the game, from a portrait of his wife, to her favorite flower to… Derk, just because.

So, with memories spinning around, I dusted off the old backup hard drive and took a look at the files. One thing I had totally forgotten was the other artists I had created as part of the selection process for the publisher. Some I'd wish were picked, but oh, well. No biggie. I really liked one of them, so I thought I'd share that and a few others that were created for the first presentation.

The first one is based off of one of my long favorite artists, Cy Twombly. While I did not want to mimic other artists (Iike Mayfair’s edition did), I didn't mind this series of paintings. To most gamers, Cy’s work would not be recognizable and would probably seem new and totally alien. One thing you will see is the English rather than native text as this was a first presentation. Also, the format was changed a bit. If I had it to do over again, I would have coded it on both sides for left and right handers, but now I know better. Note here, for the icons, I had proposed an O for open, 1 for once around and 2 for double. This seemed more logical to me than trying to interpret an icon as in previous publications. In the end, the publisher was looking for a stronger connection to the native language, so this was put aside.

Here, we have a few more artist styles that had been presented in the initial concepts. In the end, I'm fine with what was done. There are things I would have done differently. But oh well, live and learn.

Back with my buddies, we played our game of Arte Moderna and had a very good time at it. Although my incredibly poor performance in this session confirmed that I should stay far clear from opening my own art gallery. :D

– Mike

Mechanical Digital, Wooden Mirrors and Other oddities

Harry Winston’s Rare Timepiece (edition of 50) with mechanical LED display

Fascinating to look at, these unexpected twists of materials and technology boggle the mind. You can read more about them here.

The not so rare PinClock, but fun to look at


Rozen Peg Mirror

I have one of these fiber optic magnifiers on my desk. It never fails to astonish – even product designers who have pretty much seen everything. The effect of the image which is projected to the surface is captivating. In the top image, you can see it compared to a common magnifier.

– Mike

Valley Games' Municipium Board

Here, we have the board for Reiner Knizia’s, Municipium. This game is a sort of an area majority game, where players place and move their family members on the various key buildings in this roman city. The roads connect the various 6 institutions along a main route and then a special route connects two buildings to the temple. Each city has a special power which is recorded on the scrolls. These powers generally move pieces around on the board. Above the scrolls is an area which holds various key rewards in the game that help lead to victory.

---Update---
Some other clarifications. The board is color coded according to the pieces placed in areas. So colored banners underneath the ovals relate to this as do the spaces in the reward monuments. Some good suggestions on adding icons, so there are now icons on the information scrolls.

One interesting thing with icons. While certainly informative and aiding in scanning, icons also serve to make games more compelling to look at and get into. Reading words are not as inviting as icons. So icons’ presence brings viewers in and offers another dimension to the information – game piece explanation. With these, one can visually match pieces to places and functions rather than go through another layer of piece names and identification as is the case with words. It is that voice that says, “Oh, this piece does that and causes this to happen.” The disadvantage to icons is that they often need to first be learned or referenced through copy or some other descriptive means. In this case, the more complicated concepts are best explained with both the icon and type to prevent annoying lookups.

– Mike

Valley Games' Supernova

Here, we can see the program for Valley Games’ upcoming space game, Supernova, by Oliver Harrison and Mike Roy. In this game, players use a type of income each turn to place tiles to expand their control in space and fortify held territories. Players get VPs in a number of ways – mostly related to the area in space they hold.

Card backs

For the look, I chose a very techie feel with simple high contrast iconic graphics. White is a nice scientific color which is used purposefully here. Battle cards have a diagramatic graphic feel to them which certainly separates from other space games currently being released. In this way, the strong graphic look has a nice contemporary styling. The more powerful the battle card, the larger the flagship pictured. Research cards retain this techie feel with lovely crisp icons. Card backs contrast the fronts with images, but again are high style with black and white against a colored bar.

Board with pieces. Moons and planet pieces are missing but this gives the general impression.

The board is very simple but effective. Dots are placed at the corners of all the hexes connected with subtle gray lines for definition. It's sort of a constellation look. By varying the star sizes the appearance seems more random then it is. This dot graphic then serves not only to provide atmosphere but also highlights the board’s structure. The board reminds me a little of Ingenious with its simple background, black and a bright colored symbol on the hex shaped pieces. The board fills up with pieces really quickly, so it is not of much use to focus on much detail here which could take away from the scanning. Besides this, the simple, straightforward graphic look is in line with other components and has a modern look to it.

Battle Cards, each with a unique ship diagram. Ship names to the right are simply for flavor.

Battle Cards – special weapons. There are only 3 special weapons cards with very straightforward effects. Simple enough to quickly understand and supplimented with an icon in the lower left. Some might initially complain of the text running up the side, but, as said with only 3 simple choices, it's easier to look at the icon once you know what the choices are. The vertical type then graphically supports the vertically formatted projectiles.

Players may attack an opponent’s space using battle cards (pictured above). Basically, for battles, cards are played either in suit or in different suits, adding the total (along with modifiers) to determine who gets that space. The gray cards are sort of wild (with some restrictions) and then there are 3 special cards.

Research cards. Simple technical looking icons serve to set the mood on these cards.

A few of the aliens. These will be pure flavor added to the player screens, most likely.

The player’s screens will have different aliens on them. These few are the humoids. Painted very realistically, they are crisp and clean and complement the high contrast cards and other iconic graphics.

– Mike

Valley Games' Municipium

Here, we have a cover for the new midweight Knizia game, Municipium, from Valley Games. While I enjoy the abstract nature of the previous cover version, I am very, very fond of this one as well. The previous design had roots seen in many contemporary arenas including some covers of New Yorker and a number of high style products I have seen. Here we have a softer, gentler touch with bright, friendly colors. Still retaining an abstract quality, this cover lends itself to the highly abstracted game of provincial Roman family politics.

Most of my covers in past have been quite serious to go with the heavier nature of the games, so it is nice to have something lighter here for this somewhat lighter game. In this way, I see a connection to the Big City cover, which also is abstract and fun.

– Mike

Valley Games’ Municipium Cover

:D

Nexus’ Battles of Napoleon

Here, you can see more following a previous post on Nexus’ first installment of their Battles of Napoleon series, The Eagle and the Lion. I was looking for a cover that felt a bit high end, so I opted for a period cloth treatment with collages of the two countries. For the typeface, I was pleased to use Firmin Didot as the main face. This font style – along with the Bodoni families had been created toward the end of the 18th century and were considered very progressive for the times. They can be distinguished by their high contrast between thick and thins which were made possible during that period by more refined metals (which allowed for greater details in forging the type) and better quality paper, which could hold the details. A secondary typeface, Sackers Gothic, while not at all period, complements the type with its very geometric forms and elegant elongated forms – offering a high end appeal. Because this will be a series of games, the title lockup with the flourishes, Napoleon head (taken from a medal he had created) and Napoleonic N will remain in other titles, but will change configuration. Each title will then have a family look but with some variety.

Incidentally, the bee motif (which you see on the cloth and above the N) has an interesting history. The golden bees which are really cicadas (not bees at all) were found in 1653 in the tomb of Childeric I, who, in 457, had founded the Merovingian dynasty. This symbol is regarded as the oldest emblem of the sovereigns of France. As such, it is a symbol of immortality and resurrection, which Napoleon had thought very appropriate.

Collaging techniques I do adore both as a point of differentiation in this market and as a device to imply lots of choices and things going on. The overwhelming cover execution in games is to reenact or picture a scene from the times. Collaging contrasts this typical execution while enhancing a level of authenticity. Generally, pictorial scenes on covers don't seem period. They certainly portray a period, but often are not painted in a style that seems of the time.

Note here the sheer size of this box, dwarfing even Roads & Boats from this view and, incidentally, from the side as well.

Above you can get a sense of the size and scale of this game – it's huge. PR and R&B are dwarfed by this box. Not pictured is a side view of the deep box which also is higher than both PR and R&B.




You can see here more of the cards from this game which include infantry, calvary and artillery units. Leaders have three levels as well – Commander in Chiefs, Commanders and Replacement Commanders. Also pictured here are event cards which display battle stats when played.

– Mike

Stunning

Beautiful and meditative sci art. Definately worth a few minutes to watch the different shifts. You can see more of his work on on his blog.

In Praise of Mathieu Leysenne – artist

Really, really nice work here by artist, Mathieu Leysenne who has worked on Animalia, Jamaica, and Metropolys. Very nice illustration style very suitable for lighter games in particular. My new favorite artist. Without a doubt the best I’ve seen like this doing boardgames. Seems like a perfect match for Days of Wonder games which run on the lighter, family game side.

Ystari’s upcoming Metropolys. I’m looking forward to seeing what this will be like based on this cover.

Animalia which was released last year. I’ve yet to play. Not sure if this is my kind of game, but I would buy it nonetheless based on the art.

Jamaica

– Mike

Deleted entry

From earlier this year as it was causing some unfortunate misunderstandings as I have been told. Meant to delete that post some time ago as it later occurred to me that things could be misunderstood. :P. Some understandable interpritations of what I said were completely false to my intentions, unfortunately.

Preview of Valley Games’ Titan: III

In this post, we can see updated parts and pieces of the Titan project. Most everything has been said already in other posts on this site and are extentions of that work, so I’ll leave it at that. I’m very pleased with this program and look forward to getting my copy!

Board with corner information. Muster and movement info. A close up also pictured here of the movement key with simplified wording. The icons have been removed from the corner muster charts as they get rediculously small and distracting at that size.

A few selections of the battleboards. Having the different colored boards adds a nice richness to the program and, of course is an extention of the board graphics. This extention helps aid in recall as the color system is better/quicker burned into the brain through more exposure.

One side of a reference sheet with close up of muster chart. A few details were added to the chart including amount needed for next creature up and range/flight icons. Varying line weights help the eye better track different terrain routes as color differentiation can be a bit difficult on lines. One could certainly read the terrain copy, but it’s best not to have to read everything every time through. For the rangestrike diagram, I added the units that had that capability and stats related to that. Easy enough to figure out without, but seemed nice to have on hand.

An example of a unit. Much was said of these last round. The only thing I'll say here is that there are always production limitations that crop up in these games. One such reflected here is the rule that type cannot be placed within a certain distance from the edge of the tokens. Seen here is the limits to where it can be placed.

A few leader token examples: ancient/medieval instruments, demon/devel/dragons and celestial bodies. Earier experimentation showed full color (full bleed color) blended in too much to the colored board. Shields simply color blind assitance. White borders and top area helped to project it up from the dark board.

– Mike

The Function(s) of Game Art

Often times I find that the forums provide a group think toward terms and ideals that fall short of the reality of the games and game creation. One such is the use of the word “functional” as it applies to game art. Whenever I hear it I tend to wince as it I know it is not what the writer really means to say and certainly does not capture what is going on. When individuals say “function” or "functional” what they really mean to say is “user friendly” or something to do with information design. Comments such as “It (the board or art) looks nice, but is not functional” illustrate the specificity and single purpose many assign to the function of art. While information design is a function of design and art, it is not the only function of art. It is then that such comments fall short in describing – or comprehending – what is really happening here. Statements such as these suggest the total functional failures of a particular games’s art without the full consideration of what the art is really doing.

Game art functions on many levels – information design which is clarity and comprehension, aesthetic needs which provides attraction and ambience, thematic needs which enhances the story and finally a branded “look” which provides a unique, iconic look for a branded property (not “samey” looking). It is easy for many to say that none is more important than information design or that information design should never sacrifice for other needs. In reality, the addition of thematic details and aesthetic needs will always lead to a reduction in information design as the more the eye needs to take in, the more difficult it will be to take in a game situation. It is a balance that is sought after. One can certainly find a very “functional” game in terms of user friendliness. But if it does not look good, something big is missing. Cheapass games fall into this category. While many of them might work from a clarity point of view, who really is seduced in to playing them? The art in such games remains relatively non functional despite any user friendliness.

Sure, Cheapass' Kill Dr Lucky may be "functional" in terms of user friendliness, but what does it matter when it looks terrible. The art has done nothing to lure me in and give me confidence that this game is going to work beyond some homemade concoction. Someone will have to work hard to convince me to play the game. ...And they did. This as opposed to the look of the game doing the selling and creating the desire from within me to really want to play. Just because it reads does not make it good art.

A more recent implementation of Kill Dr Lucky. The read has taken a hit here from the previous version. However, unlike the original, I would be initially interested in playing it, were someone else interested. Compared to the original this actually looks fun wheras the old one did not. I've not seen this production in person though, or played the original in years, so I do not know if the board is very readable. It could have readability problems which would be an issue. The only point I make here is that art now functions to generate appeal and consequent interest as well as confidence that this will be more than a prototype.

A game called Siena. Here, we have a pretty board with nearly no functionality in terms of usability. My hunch with this was that the authors had very pretty art (an old medieval fresco) that they were afraid to “blemish” with graphic detailing. Consequently, the game has legendary difficulty in playability.

Aesthetic application functions to attract and hold attention, it creates anticipation and longing, it can drive sales and can promote future plays. I recall when first coming back to gaming a few years ago and seeing the board for Days of Wonder’s game Mystery of the Abbey. Now, this is a game that I should not like. It has deduction, is somewhat chaotic with card movement, it’s sort of silly and has a basic light play – all things I don’t like. So, I debated for a long time but finally broke down and bought it. I stuck it out for 5 games wishing things would be better as the look promises so much. In the end, I gave up on the game. Here, the game art functioned to attract me to the game and hold my attention and desire to believe in the game – even after just so so plays. I really wanted this game to work! I was on the game’s side – routing for it until the very end. It also functioned well to get others to play it with me as they too liked the look.

I have often heard it said of game board art, “The game art needs to be functional, not a painting to hang on the wall.” This seems a very nonsensical statement to me. Art for walls serves to enhance the ambience of a room. By the same token, the art on the game board provides an ambience to the gameplay that very pure data will never drive. I maintain that you are more likely to spend time looking at your favorite games than the art on your walls. Thus, the game aesthetics are just as important as wall decoration aesthetics for setting a mood and ambiance. How often have we stared at the wall art for 60 minutes or two hours at a time? Now how about the game art?

The artwork seduced me. I bought it and played a few times hoping it would get better. The artwork fuctioned both to seduce me and to give me confidence in its performance. Here, the sucess and function of the artwork had nothing to do with ease of play, but of aesthetics.

Cards and board from Through the Ages. They work pretty well from an information design function (though the board has a little problem with the notations). However, from an aesthetic point of view the game really suffers. The amaturish, homemade quality of the art has a prototype feel to it. It lacks the richness and drama that the game actually yields. Were it not for the high praise and ratings that the game has recieved, I might have passed on it. Boy, am I sure glad I didn't though as, for me, this is a great game.

Another point to be made is that strong aesthetics reduces fatigue during downtime. If there’s something pretty to look at, you’re less likely to get as bored when waiting on slow players. If one is less bored, the experience will come across better in the end. Game theme application works toward this end as well by enhancing the environment.

Good aesthetics also increases gamer pride. I have heard many people say they are very embarraced to show non gamers some of these games based on their looks. They look geeky. The art is amaturish for the most part and does not communicate something of sophistication – as these products actually are. The art is generally out of sync with these high grade games using low grade execution art. Certainly there are exceptions like Michael Menzel’s art, but the main point here is that a good look increases pride in the hobby.

A good sense of aesthetics works much like theme in game development. For many Euros, theme is but texture and ambience as well. Many euros really do not need the theme and could be played as green cubes, brown cubes, big square, little square, etc. Theme does aid in recall and in teaching, but more so it makes us feel good during play. So it is that we get medieval and reniassance game after another. These themes tend to be rich with texture, romance and a shared language that we can all relate to. Certainly anything can be as interesting as theme – my guess is that these two subjects are easier to slot in thematic elements to the actions. The point here is that we do desire something to make us feel good beyond the tickling of the brain that we get from gaming. In a way, theme is the pretty picture.

Thematic application functions to enhance thematic detailing in a game environment of weak thematic connection (as is the case with most euros). We all know that Euros are built on certain reductive principles that tend to smooth out the real life details and complexities that provide for richly themed experiences. So it is that game art helps to fill in the gaps here. Taluva is one such game for me. It is simply a pure abstract. However, the game board and bits explain a theme to me so beautifully that I want to believe there is some thematic truth to the game. Again, the art drives me to want to believe in the game. How many times have we seen a game theme rich with history and potentially great visual stimuli that has not been captured in the art? Instead, the art remains pale and bland – marginally themed at best. How disappointing this is! Like pleasing aesthetics, theme is ambience. It allows us to escape into a world of imagination.

Taluva – a pure abstract infused with theme by virtue of art and bits. I can feel and even believe that there is some primitive island life in the works here.

Another abstract game here – Santiago. Unlike Taluva, I don't get a sense of time or place (other than a farm). The art really does not much support theme. It looks very dry, abstract and boring. This also falls under a failure in aesthetic application as it does not look nice or compelling. Consequently, I'm less likely to pick this game up and more likely to get bored of it as soon as gameplay shows wear. Sure it reads, but so would a hand drawn black and white pencil sketch. I wouldn't be interested in playing that either. Just because something reads does not make it good art.

Finally, the branded application functions to give a unique look to the game. This function also serves to attract – if the game looks different then all the rest, then it promises to be different. We all hate games that play “samey.” So too, a samey look does not reinforce that something special is going to happen here in the gameplay. When at cons, spotting a game from a distance that looks unique certainly has the potential to attract individuals over to the table to observe. This branded application also serves to aid in recall both in describing a game and when thinking of the next game to play.

A forgettible board here for Kreta as it looks like any other island map. There is nothing here that looks unique. Consequently, I'm more likely to pass on it based on a first look.

Everything reads pretty good in Augsburg 1510. But there's nothing special going on here. When I played it with my group it came up a number of times... "what do you think of the art?" someone asked. Another said... "well it reads fine..." All the while there was a reflective silence and a shrug of shoulders. It's just that there was nothing of interest here. It's sort of a "been there, done that look".

In the end, art’s function is much more than simply information design. Weighing in the success of all these functions collectively can yield a better view of art’s contribution to a production.

– Mike

Interview on Fortress: Ameritrash

Recently, Michael Buccheri of Fortress: Ameritrash interviewed me for a piece on said blog. I thought he had some really wonderful questions. Thanks again, Michael for both the interview and well thought out questions!

– Mike

Valley Games’ Titan II

--- NOTE that early last week (hours after the original BGG post) new chits were submitted to Valley based on the first few comments and have been undergoing testing. Further comments on Geek and/or petitions since around Tues. have no effect as the design has already been underway and is being tested. Unfortunately, the very frequent senseless, uninformed, tactless and hostile nature of Geek posters have driven me off Geek. I generally won't open myself up to the assured irrational abuse by posting on that site for the most part.

Here you can see progress made on the main board from my last post. Many variations have been looked into since then. The final decision was to keep in close to the original board. From the last post you can see that the stone spaces have less detail and more saturated colors so that the spaces are more distinct from each other and easier to read. Additionally, details – such as in the dark hexigon areas – have been reduced significantly so to be easier on the eyes. The contrast of the border around the arrow blocks have been reduced to give the arrows a stronger read.

Corner detail with more distinct colors and fewer textures. This allows for better scanning and fewer details which is easier on the eyes than the previous post.

Updated full board

A board study (not final direcction). Many studies were done to improve the information on the board. In this case, we have colored arrows coded to the two different moving “tracks” . This was further supported with a gap to seperate them. In the end, this version was not used as it was too far a departure from the well known board.

Many variations on the legion tokens were made as well. White borders and a white area on each was needed to better isolate them visually on the board. Fields of color were also needed to better describe each player’s color. It is always the case that fields of color are much stronger than lines of color – just as type on a colored background reads color better than simply colored type on white. So it is then that knocking the icons out of the colors work best to get a color read. For the color blind, we have shield icons in the upper area. The main icons were selected on the basis of contrast to help separate each individual one. So then, we have some icons with very little mass – like the bug on the top second from left – and others with a great deal of mass – like the mushroom under it to the left. The icons were drawn more crisp and refined than the original game which gives them a more serious tone. Finally, each player has a themed selection of icons for fun.

Some legion tokens. Borders and upper area are white to help the pieces to pop off the board. Color fields aid in identifying the color type. A shield device on top is for color blind players. Finally, each player has a theme: green – bugs and plants, blue – old musical instruments, black – Grecco/Roman, red – dragons and demons.

Size comparison between new token and original token. One thing to also bear in mind is that this new drafting board (and the battlemaps) will be bigger than the original board which allows for bigger tokens.

For the unit tokens, artist Kurt Miller developed a series of realistic looking monsters. These and the cover of the game were finished just as I came aboard the project. I worked on many variations for these. Circle chits can be challenging as I lose the corners of the chits (compared to square chits). This tends to drive the type inward toward the center as longer titles fall outside the circle when typeset close to the edges. As the type moves inward, challenges arise in terms of getting an impactful and large image and type that can read over or around an image. Here, we have a red bar which protects the type and gives a clean simple look. The numbers were gathered into one area to help scanability. Here, the eye only has to focus on these pinpoint areas and move onto another token rather than back and forth across the token (with the numbers on each side – right and left) as was the case in the original game. Additionally, subordinating one number with respect to scale helps to separate the two.

Monster art created by artist Kurt Miller (who also created the cover art to Titan). One thing I will probably be changing is the color of the bar – shifting it to a cool color to better contrast from the monsters.

Kurt Miller’s Ogre. Here you can see a comparitive scale of new token and original token.

For the battleboards, we chose to add some information – the strike chart, native creatures and the turn four mustering space. It would have been great to put the hazard chart on here, but it is quite wordy and there just is not room for such a thing. The hazard charts will then be covered on a reference sheet instead. The background texture relates to the main board and adds a bit of richness.

On the battleboard, we have added native monsters to key terrian and a strike chart. Also a gem icon on the timeline marks mustering on turn 4.

– Mike

Valley Games’ Titan

---- Note development has continued with the art seen below since this original post. This including some simplification of detailing, color shifting to separate colors further and work on arrow detailing. This will be the next post. These improvements address some issues I’ve had since posting below. ----

Board corner detail

--- Note, I've modified the images since the original post with colors for hills and woods switched to reflect closer alignment to original board ---

Here, we have Titan’s Masterboard for Valley Games’ new production. This is not totally finished as it needs some information on the corners of the board, but it is pretty close at this time.

During development, one point of concern was to get the board a bit more readable in terms of being able to differentiate the unique terrain spaces. As you can see below, on the original board, many of the these spaces have very similar hues and color values. When looking at that board, it is hard to tell many of the spaces apart at a glace. Compare the Woods, Brush, Plains and even Desert against each other on the original. The colors remain very close. The same for Hills and Marshes. More concentrated effort is needed by further identifying the icons. The tricky part in working with a color system in Titan is that there are 11 different colors needed. Unfortunately, our memories tend to be able to only take in 7 or so variables maximum at a time so much needs to be done to achieve a higher level of identification. The colors chosen here for the new board have a greater dynamic range both in terms of hue and in terms of value. When comparing the boards you can see that the new board appears almost like a patchwork quilt, with color patterns beginning to emerge. The colors work quite well in defining patterns. Admittedly, the two darker greens are less effective than the other parts of the board, but that is where the icons come in. The original board, however, remains quite flat in terms of patterns rising to the surface. One trick that I use to determine the effectiveness of the colors is to pick a color and then stare at that one space. Now, if I can see other spaces which have the same color without moving my eyes (or moving my eyes slightly a few spaces), then things are working pretty well. In the old board, it is nearly impossible to “see” matching spaces in this manner, except with blue and green to a certain extent as these colors dip into the cool side of the spectrum.

Old board and new board comparison

Some icons were retained while others simplified to reduce the amount of information on the board. Also, to that end, more hierarchy has been given to each space with color being predominant, then icon, then name. Previously, name and icon shared fairly similar order of importance. I have placed the name opposite the number so that there is a pattern to seeing the location of the number in each space – as this is important in determining placement on the battleboards. Texture was added to the board which does increase the complexity – further necessitating the need for smaller terrain names.

Tight detail of bone frame and gem spaces

With respect to the movement arrows, I lifted them up on a separate plain. Also, I gave them a high degree of contrast with the white against black. Again, if you stare at a part of the new board without moving your eyes, you can begin to see arrows a few spaces away. With the older board this is not really so. This is because the icons are embedded in the intricate line work of the borders. Here, the eye has difficulty extracting such details unless looking directly at them. Some experimentation was done in the placement of the arrow icon boxes. At first, they extended further into each space. This helped readability a bit as the motion towards and into each space was more distinct. The downside would have been that the playing pieces would be smaller so as not to cover up the icons. In the end, we opted for what you see here, which is fine. In terms of the symbols used for these arrows, I pretty much stuck to the original. The only modification here is the square, which tended to look too much like the circle. Unfortunately, game play for this part of the game is not intuitive, with all the “may” and “must” enters at beginning or during movement. Icons cannot really depict such nuanced unintuative rules. It remains better then just to keep the icons very simple and distinctive from each other and tie to what most gamers are already familiar with.

My desire with this board was for it to appear otherworldly – as if a game played in another time. The use of gems, stones and bone materials help to give it that feel and provide for a rich look and feel. The tonal variations within each gem allows them to glow, giving the board a sparkle and shimmer. Also, as I’ve said before, I do have an affection for boards which reference games of old where natural materials – such as wood, stone or metal – were used in their construction.

In future posts I will share the tokens on the boards as well as the battleboards. Kurt Miller created some nice looking 3D monsters as well, which will go on the unit tokens.

– Mike

Custom 52 Designer Card Contest

I ran across some very tasty designs for the standard deck. It seems this site is bringing together designers to showcase their submissions. After the finalists are chosen, they go to print the deck and then the next contest begins for a new deck. Very, very lovely designs.

Custom 52 deck #1

– Mike

Valley Games’ Container

Here we have a few components from Container which is Valley Game’s latest production and marks their first original game design. For the cover, we let the containers themselves be the heroes pointing the way to their destination aboard the ships. The image features a strong diagonal composition which leads the eye from the many colorful containers to the ship at sea. The sky and containers were created optimistic and bright for the cover.

Money (front and back)

The money was an interesting feature that I enjoyed doing. More often then not, money is the component that disappoints me in games (other than the cover). Certainly there is the paper/card/token issue for which paper remains highly annoying. But also, in the case of paper and card money, I find that I do not care for the look. Typically when showing a bill, the entire piece is shown. The problem becomes making the bill look real. If real, then where is it from? Do you use real currency or create a fake country? Mostly, games tend to follow the monopoly example showing the game’s name and some components. Here, we have avoided the fake country issue by only showing a portion of the bills. In this way, enough real looking information can be displayed without specifying much more. On these bills we decided to celebrate container transportation with engraved images of that theme.

Loan Card (front and back)

End Value Card (front and back)

Also pictured here are loan cards and end value cards. The end value cards are kept secret and determine the value of each kind of container for a player at the finish. The card backs were fun to do. We have here the language of containers with a diamond sign and the typical bold condensed type that you find on containers.

The container theme was further pushed with the rules cover where we used the diamond signs to house a sort of language table of contents.

– Mike

Valley Games’ Supernova Cover

Here we have the cover for one of Valley’s upcoming titles, Supernova. I had thought it would be nice to take advantage of the “letterbox” format with a blast of light sweeping across the cover. The effect is dynamic and a bit captivating. Space themes allow the possibility of wild, dazzling color schemes. In this case the pinks, cyans and purples are quite unique and should allow the game to pop off the shelves that much better. Supernova’s premise is of the blast taking over neighboring systems. So here we have planets engulfed in the mighty blast. I’ve added some computery bips and bops for a slicker, modern feel. Hex shapes relate to the game components and the computery type can be game rules typeset in this manner.

– Mike

Nexus’ Battles of Napoleon: The Eagle and the Lion

I was quite excited earlier this year when Nexus games had contacted me regarding the possibility of developing art for their upcoming game, the Eagle and the Lion. This is to be the first massive installment of their “Battles of Napoleon” series.

It turns out that my gaming roots are of wargames where in the ’80s, I used to shop the aisles for interesting Avalon Hill titles. I only ended up playing a few wargames on a limited scale, though. Of them, one of my favorites was the old AH “War and Peace.” I loved the scope of the war and romance of the era. For me this really hit a chord.

So it was that I was extremely keen to take on this grand Napoleonic game from a company with such a reputation for quality products. For those that don't know, Nexus were the folks that brought us War of the Ring and the follow-up, Battles of the Third Age. Now they are digging their teeth very deeply into the Napoleonic battle genre. I had used the word massive earlier, and I'm not kidding. The box is huge - larger than Battlelore. There will be tons of bits as the game is filled with hundreds of miniatures.

I cannot comment on gameplay but can say that it is its own game system which is meant to be deep enough for wargamers, but accessible to the Euros. It uses a new system which is based based both on orders and cards to regulate the actions of the players.

Below you can see some cards for the French side. There are two categories of cards - Leaders and Units. As such, each have a distinct look. The leaders feature a close up portrait, while the units have a soldier in a battle scene. Within these two categories we have a number of types and classes of cards. The leaders have 3 categories, pictured in varied ranges of size. The more powerful leaders appear close up, with the lesser ones further away. Additionally, a ribbon type further reinforces the leader type.

Commander in Chief

Commander



Commander

The units are broken down by infantry, calvary and artillery. Pictured here are infantry units. While the background image will remain fairly similar between these 3 groups, there will be a subtle change to help cue each of these categories. We have spent some time developing the images for historical correctness. In addition, on the card backs, there will be a little info on the actual unit that the picture comes from. Each image will be unique to add to the richness of the program.

A unit card. Each one has the unit type (upper left), unit flag (upper right), moral (below flag), some die roll modifiers (bottom ribbon) and initial unit makeup (4 icons, middle left).

There will be 4 double sided boards that can be assembled to create a variety of scenarios. Configurations will be available to combine 2-4 boards depending on the scale. Pictured here are two boards. The relevant terrain are the hill ridges, hedges and forests. The look here is one of an old engraved map which is meant to lend a feel of authenticity to the program and separate from other miniature wargame products. Other special terrain tiles will be placed on the boards depending on the scenario. To give a sense of scale, each tile is a little larger than the tiles in Roads and Boats.

Two of the eight map pieces.

Map detail

– Mike

QWG's El Capitan: Preview V

For this next installment of El Capitan preview, I have some spreads from the rules, an expansion board (included in the game) and some token boards.


One of the interesting parts to this game are the 3 “expansion cities.” One can choose to play with 1-3 of these boards, each of which has its own special set of rules. Pictured here is “Porto.” Notice Porto has 3 ports and only one fortress, making it easier to dock here – but harder to get a fortress. Also, note the rewards are higher than other cities. The downside has to do with the shutting down of warehouses – indicated by the dark square spaces. When a player places their warehouse on one of these spaces, the first warehouse in the chain of squares is eliminated from the game. Normal cities simply place such warehouse in the center of the board awaiting repairs. Another special rule unique to all of the expansion cities relates to majority scoring. ALL players who have placed at least one warehouse in the city will now get second majority during scoring (which is 1/2 of 1st majority). The first majority player, will however get the first majority payout – as in normal rules.



Pictured here is the cover and one spread from the rules. In this case, I chose to set up each spread with a background of ocean which adds a nice thematic texture to each page.


Here you can see one of the 4 token sheets enclosed. I like giving more context to my token sheets when possible. To me, they are like sheets of stamps. Postal services around the world now take the extra step with their sheets to add information and interest to them for collectors to admire. I find, with little effort, the overall presentation is much enhanced by the addition of such detailing. Even though discarded in the end, the punchboards serve an important first impression when one opens a game. A well designed and themed punchboard can add excitement and an emotional reward for those who buy the game or collectors who choose not to punch their boards.

For those looking to purchase this game at Essen, I've been told by the publisher that this game as well as all the other 3 MasterPrint titles Leonardo da Vinci, Yspahan and Demetra (Richard Breese's new title, Key Harvest) – can be preordered through QWG Games. Below you can see images of each of these titles.


– Mike

Ystari’s Premium Limited Edition of Caylus II

Here, we have a few more images of this project. We decided to keep the back cover clean and simple with maximum room for an impactful image. Given that the purchasers of the game will have played the game or could already own it, an explaination of the game and storyline seemed of little value. Since this is a very special game there is a need to rise above conventions. Reducing the back to a simple image adds value as it looks “class” and carries itself with authority through understatement.




Here is a good look at all the tiles (at lower resolution). I chose to illustrate each tile as if part of an illuminated manuscript rather than illustrate the buildings. Some individuals miss the literal interpritation of building actual buildings, but I find the look to be exciting and fresh. I absolutely love playing Caylus and think it a great game, but not for a second do I really feel like the game is reinacting some moment in history. This gives license to explore alternatives that are predicated less on recreating a literal narrative and more on sprinkling in the program the romance and the world of that era. There is a good reason why publishers go back to medieval and renaissance Europe – it has atmosphere, it has ambience. The overall ambience and romance is the story to be told rather than the made up storylines that find themselves on the back of boxes. By infusing the program with something a little unexpected we have a look that is iconic, memorable and contributes to this ambience of romance.



For the back of the punchboards, I had wanted something a little special, particularly for the collectors. So, I chose to enclose a darkened image of the cover that forms a large image across the entire punchboards. This rewards collectors who wish to leave the set unpunched with something that others – who do punch their set – won't have. For the vast majority who do punch their tiles, the backs still look very nice on their own. I also like it when components have some unique aspect to each unique one. The building names are on the back for those who wish to know. Given the building names are really just a dash of flavor that plays little part of the game, it seems no loss to have the names on the back rather than the front.


For the rules, we have a front and back cover much like I did Hannibal, with a simple seamless illustration front and back. This gives a special folder or book like effect to the rules. Below you can see the opening spread to the rules. I found inspiration from some illuminated manuscripts on the format here. So, the columns are very rigid and solid. Additionally, note the detailing of the sentence structure which is like verses from an old manuscript. Each sentence is set on a new line with a colored first letter. This actually makes the rules quite easy to read and scan as you can’t get lost in wordy paragraphs. The font is Trade Gothic Bold Condensed, which is easy to read. Mainly though it has a structure and rhythm much like the old Germanic Gothic typefaces as is set for the first letter of each sentence. Like the Germanic Gothic (or fraktur type), Trade Gothic has a very strong vertical emphasis to each letterform.

3 flavors

The column structure is solid like an illuminated manuscript might be. Here the sentences are set like a chapter of verses – each sentence on its own line beginning with a highlighted letter.

– Mike

El Capitán Board and Card preview

Below you will see some more work I have done for QWG’s El Capitán – a game which I eagerly await to play. The game, incidentally, is being printed simultaneously by ZMan Games, Pro Ludo and Ystari. Aside from the box (QWG will get the Master Print Series treatment) and rules, the game will be the same for all productions.


The board was great fun to create. Given the theme and romance of sailing the 16th century Mediterranean seas, I had thought the game could be a very rich one. Here, I have treated this program with a good amount of wood detailing inspired by the detailing and predominance in the world of wooden ships. Incidentally, I really like using natural materials in board games as they harken back to centuries old productions of wood and other basic materials. It adds the warmth and physical attraction that boardgames are all about. The basic viewpoint of the board is loosely inspired by a captain's table. Here, we have destinations framed in wood and sitting on a blue cloth. The cloth serves to contrast the wood and help these areas pop out. Additionally, with the blue cloth’s rolling and waving features, it suggests navigating the seas. In the beginning, of the creative process, there had been the notion to set an image of waves behind cities. But this seemed very expected and what would be a typical execution for a boardgame. Also typical would have been to create some sort of old world map broken up into 9 pieces. In the end, we went with this look which I think rich, warm and inviting while maintaining an iconic presence. Such an iconic presence is another function of graphic design beyond information design, thematic design and aesthetic considerations.

For the cities themselves, we have included the wooden framed track which has been stained in areas to highlight a game function, a pattern indiginous to that place and a romantic image of the spot overlayed with a map. Additionally, embedded on the top are port and fortress icons. A seal finishes the map off which indicates each city’s location on the map. Each city is located on the board relative to the others in real life and snaps into this simple 3x3 grid. By the way, the cities’ names are their native spellings.

The real heart of the game, though, is the numbers. As this is an area majority style game, the numbers represent payment to first majority player (halved for second majority – rounded down). I chose to only include the first majority numbers as it is an easy enough instruction and calculation for second majority. Indeed, showing the second set of numbers became more confusing. Not only did it clutter the board with more information to decipher, it suggested that there was not such an easy pattern for second majority. The implication for showing all the numbers is that there is no pattern and thus need to reference each number. I know from working with both sets of numbers in the beginning on the board it took quite a long time for me to notice, “Oh, yeah, these numbers are just halved!” You can see side by side below how the reduction really helped the clutter. Multiply this by 9 cities and it was a huge difference. In the end, the basic game boils down to 3 types of cities based on the numbers – an expensive, high reward city, middle of the road city and cheep, less profitable city. Wolfgang and Rösner worked on the distribution of the cities quite a bit for a new balance.

The final city on the left and earlier version on the right. Clearly, showing both numbers is distracting. As the second set of numbers are simply half the first, it is easy enough to explain and calculate without showing them.

One of the interesting points of game play is the notion of the shutting down of warehouses – which players purchase and place on the numbered track. Basically, the pieces are put in the track to the next available space to the right. When a warehouse is built on a darker colored space this triggers a warehouse to be “shut down.” Essentially, then the warehouse that is located in the furthest position to the left (the first warehouse found on the track) is thrown in the middle of the board and is no longer counted for majority. A player can then come back to the city (they dock in one of the two ports on the top left) and take their shut down building from the middle of the board and replace it on the track in the first avail spot to the right of the last warehouse. This action is for free. Now the catch here is that when determining majority ties are resolved with the first person on the track. So, having one’s warehouse shut down isn’t so great! The half dark spaces are for 2 player games only.

By the way, the cost to build a warehouse is the number in the port in which one docks in. Only one player is allowed in a dock at a time. There are always 2 docks (the exception being the expansion cities) – one dock allows for cheaper building the other pricier.

On the right side of the board, we have the payout table, a place for the decks of cards and a spot to travel to when getting a loan (in between the two decks of cards). For the payout table, I found some images of shipping manifests that were roughly of the period and picked up the numbers on them. (I find it fascinating to think that some individual – hundreds of years ago – scribbled down some type that would later be used for a game to describe his condition.) The decks of loan cards are the two values of loans that you can take out here.

The Payout Table from the board. The type was taken from a ship’s manifest created around this period of time. The left hand column being the number of cities one has buildings in and the right hand being the payout in money. Note the crease in the middle separates the expansion cities if you are playing with more than the base 0f 9.

A “Multi Travel” card. The seals represent distance (in cities) one can travel. The coin is the cost to buy the card. The city is another destination one can take. The “pip grid” indicates the city’s position on the board.

Next we have what the author/publisher calls a “Multi Travel” card. The only way you can purchase buildings on a city is by traveling there and the only way you can travel there is to purchase one of two types of cards – Multi Travel or Specific Travel. In this case, the Multi Travel card entitles a player to move either directly to the city pictured or to any city within a distance no greater than the number of seals on the top. In this case, a player could choose to go directly to Marseille or could go up to 3 orthogonally adjacent cities away from their current location. Toward the middle of the card, I created this little pip icon which frees players from having to think about the names. The position on the icon is the position on the board. Just below the seals is the cost of the card. Cities with more seals are worth (cost) more as they are more useful.

In another entry, I will be previewing the expansion cities that come with the game. Players will be able to add any of these cities to the base 9 on the board for some interesting combinations. This will expand the game to 10-12 total cities depending on players’ tastes.

– Mike

Valley Games’ Big City Cover

For a fun, relatively quick game that is on the lighter side we have a cover with a fun, lighthearted touch. The color pallet is punchy and colorful. The forms are exaggerated and playful with a strong vertical emphasis. As the game is about a city springing up to life, the vertical forms and unnatural arching give this cover such life.


The layout is part of a flexible format that we developed based on the “letterbox” like format of the Hannibal project we did. In this case, when a vertical image is called for we have a system to capture that.

The type is sophisticated and simply executed with strong vertical emphasis. This echoes the image and game concept of building a city up. The deep blue background contrasts the bright and light colors of the city and allows the eye to focus in on the image.

The city neighborhoods have been developed which look very lovely. I’ll be posting these at another time.

– Mike

Get the Glass

http://www.gettheglass.com/

This just a recent find. I've not the patience or time to get through it but it is quite lovely. Mostly just a tasty distraction I think.





Enjoy,

Mike

QWG’s Demetra (Key Harvest)

Here, we see the latest edition to QWG’s MasterPrint Series. Demetra as many of you now know is Richard Breese’s new upcoming Key Harvest title about medieval farming. Like Leonardo and Yspahan, this is simply a box redesign – all the inside components remain as done by Richard’s sister, Juliet.

Cover image. Note how the complexity of the image is contrasted with very simple cloth detailing.

Close-in image shows the level of detail that I put into the painting. Very lovely and authentic feeling.

The cover with two spines.

I believe this cover to be my favorite of the series so far. Here, I have created a detailed and complex scene in a medieval style depicting a vast landscape patchwork of fields. In the game, you will find a board with a patchwork grid of fields so this seemed an appropriate direction. The look is a bit dreamy and quaintly drawn. The technique and feel of the cover relates somewhat to Caylus which also employed a busy, artful touch. As such, the look is upscale and rich.

QWG MasterPrint Series cover lineup.

A yellow orange leather book contrasts nicely with the green cover as well as the other books. The overall effect is very rich. This yellow orange brings out colors in the painting.

The second spine. Again, this highlights the uniformity and diversity of the system. Its ability to complement through a rigid template, but elastic enough to give a wide range of differentiation.

A great deal thought and care is given to each cover to deliver an overall effect of visual diversity and excitement within the system. Each cover – in their own way – contrasts others around them to give a unique and visible texture to the collection as a whole. For instance, you can see with Demetra a complex painting with a very simple, understated cover detailing. Contrast this with Leonardo, which has a simple, bold painting and complex detailing in the leather work. On some covers, we use very bright colors (like Yspahan which is a lighter, brighter game) and others muted colors like Leonardo. For El Capitán we chose a more commercial approach as the publication will have a broader reach. Imagine how rich a living room bookshelf might look with the entire series displayed on it!

In addition the the look and appeal of the series, the MP Series is a limited edition proposition in that the print runs are very small. This adds to the rarity of the collection which adds value.

Congratulations to the QWG team for their continued support and promotion of the MasterPrint Series! I believe this series represents a new positive shift in the development and rethinking of style, sophistication and adult appeal in this category of boardgames.

– Mike

El Capitan: Preview III

QWG has given me permission to say a bit more about El Capitán and feature some new art here. The designers of El Capitán are Wolfgang Kramer and Horst-Rainer Rösner. I’m hesitant to say that this is a remake of a game they created in ‘98 called Tycoon as so much has been improved and special features/expansions added to the game. I’ve not played Tycoon, myself, but based on the changes, it sounds much better to me.

Firstly, as you might remember, Tycoon had genuine problems with the art. When QWG approached me with this title, I looked up Tycoon – as I was unfamiliar with it – and was shocked by the production. It looked nothing like a German game but more like a bad mass market production. As such, this really must have taken away from game play and, consequently, sales. (I’d post an image here, but it is so bad, I wouldn’t want non-English speaking/reading visitors to mistake the art for mine.)

The designers and publishers have spent a great deal of time refining the game and looking for new opportunities to refresh this title. Most of the changes I’ll mention at another time. One change I will mention here is the cities, themselves. The distribution of types of cities (more valuable, mid range, and least valuable) is different than Tycoon. Also of note is the addition of 3 expansion cities (Portuguese cities) which will be located on the left side of the board. Anywhere from 1 to all 3 of the cities may be added in a game, if one desires. The interesting thing about them is they all have unique powers/features which should add to the replay value significantly. For instance, one of these cities includes a pirate feature which seems an interesting twist.

One of nine city “boards” that lie on the captain’s table within a folded cloth. There will also be 3 “expansion” cities included in the game which can be placed off the board.

Most of the art is near final and I really like the way it is looking. The board, which I will show in another post, is an image of something like a captain’s table. On it are framed city boards that are set within the rippling of a blue cloth. The combination of wood ornamentation and blue cloth looks very rich. Pictured above you can see one such city. Along the top left are the two ports and top right the two fortresses. On the track players build their warehouses in the city. Darkened spaces relate to renovation areas that trigger renovation. The half darkened space is special renovation triggers for fewer players. A payout value is located in each space for the first majority. (Second majority is half that amount.) Dropping the second majority number was very helpful in reducing the visual clutter and focusing attention to the number patterns that make up the board. Given that second majority is always half, it is an easy matter to figure out. Each city portrays a different scene and a different pattern which is appropriate for that place. The cities span the Mediterranean from Spain, France, Africa, Greece and Egypt to name a few.

Image of one of two types of loan cards.

– Mike