My HQ desire created a new game

[lorddax]

Which kind of explains why I've been absent for quite a few months after my daily postings lol

The story is I found these forums and got rebit by the HQ bug and dusted off my boxes. And then I started exploring the forums, where I found tons of threads with jumping points for ideas on how to enhance the HQ experience. So I started working on the HeroQuest Points system. Once I started working on that I stumbled onto Thrawn's threads and we started spitballing some stuff back and forth on advancement systems. About the same time some friends started bugging me to start a DnD group as the DM, while at the same time as picking up the Lord of the Rings Living Card Game. And I was quickly running out of room on my table to lay things out. And now I had so much stuff to keep track of. Worse I had to find a place to store everything in our apartment.

Then the whole thing swirled together and ideas for working on each game in my limited free time start blending together mixed with my need to try to get a complete game experience into as small a package as possible for quick setup and storage. Before I knew it I had begun to create a new TCG where players built character decks from cards of skills, items, actions etc; and tested their mettle against a dungeon/encounter; running with or without a DM/Zargon.

The game is shaping up to be both its own separate game as well as a system that can be slotted into any existing rule set for handling character advancement, growth tracking, dungeon creation or exploring, pretty much a tool set that can be used where ever a use is found.

Once more Delve(working title) is hammered out within our design group I'll provide it free to you guys to test out both as its own game and as a gaming tool so we can get some nice focus group results in before next years convention season publisher shopping. If it ever goes full on publish, I'll let you guys know how to get free stuff as I never would have started this project without you guys.

[shy-design]

sounds awesome!

a similar story:
My friends and I started a weekly game night about 2 years ago. So once a week we get together to play games... Well it all started with Heroquest, naturally. . and after awhile (once the quest book was completed) my friends had been bitten by the "board game bug". So we started playing all sorts of games... Last Night on Earth, A touch of Evil., Carcasone, Dominion, Battle Star Galactica, Munchkin, Talisman... just to name a few! anyways... after playing all these games and more, my group and i started brainstorming a game of our own. A unique game that would try to meld what we liked from other games and keep what we didn't like at bay. Well needless to say, this game is still in the works, and one day I will share it with this forum. But I just wanted to share that because, like yourself, I too wouldn't be having my beloved game night as well as this awesome idea of creating a game myself if not for Heroquest and equally if not for Ye Olde Inn. Hurahhh!

well I will be keeping up with this thread and your progress.. and can't wait to beta/demo test your game with my game night group.
keep up the good work!

oh ps. I dig the name "delve"

[lorddax]

I might post up an early prototype for the first version we ever did of the dungeon deck for people to check out to get some feedback on what people liked about that gameplay and what they would change to add to our own list of stuff we changed since then.

[Daedalus]

Seeing how Delve can be slotted into another system such as HQ, I'd encourage you to post the beta of your game. I have no idea how many people will print up the set, but there is likely to be enough interest for a lot of us to download and examine your creation. That means an interesting thread and benefits to many game groups. Comments on likes and dislikes, both playtested and otherwise, could also help out you on the design end (as you suggest).

Of course, there is the chance that somebody will blatently rip off your baby, and I don't think you or anybody here wants that. I do think others here will adopt some of your components and ideas for their own HQ games, as you no doubt also realize. I don't see a problem there, as we already do that all the time with no harm. Hmm...benefits vs. risk...tough call. I wonder if anyone has put up a beta before reaching a publisher before. Their experience might help out with an informed decision. Waitaminute--what am I saying? Just post it!

[lorddax]

Its currently undergoing an update to some much easier to follow mechanics, we pulled out a ton of MATHZ!, and now have to rework some older mechanics completely to mesh with the faster pace.

For those who are interested heres some of the games that went into the blender for Delve:
Lord of the Rings Living Card Game
HeroQuest
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 & 4e (with just a dash of 5e from the playtest kit)
World of Warcraft TCG - Dungeon Decks & Class starters
Warhammer Fantasy Battles
Runebound
Descent (Descent 2e I get to buy as Market research!)
Assorted Non blindbuy card games
1 TBSP of Ascension