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| designing a tabletop wargame: Tabletop Wargames Rick Priestley, John Lambshead, 2016 *Many tabletop wargamers attempt to write their own rules or modify existing commercial sets, this unique book gives clear, practical advice on how to do either. *Expert authors: Rick Priestley, chief creator of Warhammer, the most commercially successful wargame of all time, is a legend in wargaming circles and John Lambshead is also an experienc |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Reality's Edge Joseph McGuire, 2019-08-22 Hyper-reality. The area between the thriving mass of humanity known as the Sprawl and the digital refuge of Cyberspace. This is your playground. As a Showrunner, you can see and manipulate the flow of digital data through the real world – for you, reality is limitless. Welcome to Reality's Edge, a skirmish wargame set in a dystopian cyberpunk future, where players take on the roles of Showrunners – mercenary hackers who lead small teams of trusted operatives and disposable freelancers. Funded by shadow backers, the Showrunners accept jobs from faceless clients for profit, glory, and better chrome... always better chrome. Battles take place in the concrete jungle known as the Sprawl, but Showrunners must remain wary of the threat posed by Cyberspace. Hacking is pivotal to the game, with data nodes, robots, machines, and even enemy chrome presenting potential targets for a cunning Console Cowboy. In an ongoing campaign, each skirmish offers you the opportunity to earn experience and equipment, from advanced weaponry and synthetics to cyber-implants, biological enhancements, clones, and much more. This is a world obsessed with whether something can be done, not whether it should. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Tabletop Wargames: A Designers’ and Writers’ Handbook Rick Priestley, John Lambshead, 2016-11-30 Unlike chess or backgammon, tabletop wargames have no single, accepted set of rules. Most wargamers at some point have had a go at writing their own rules and virtually all have modified commercially available sets to better suit their idea of the ideal game or to adapt favourite rules to a different historical period or setting. But many who try soon find that writing a coherent set of rules is harder than they thought, while tweaking one part of an existing set can often have unforeseen consequences for the game as a whole. Now, at last, help is at hand. Veteran gamer and rules writer John Lambshead has teamed up with the legendary Rick Priestley, creator of Games Workshop’s phenomenally successful Warhammer system, to create this essential guide for any would-be wargame designer or tinkerer. Rick and John give excellent advice on deciding what you want from a wargame and balancing ‘realism’ (be it in a historical or a fantasy/sci-fi context) with playability. They discuss the relative merits of various mechanisms (cards, dice, tables) then discuss how to select and combine these to handle the various essential game elements of turn sequences, combat resolution, morale etc to create a rewarding and playable game that suits your tastes and requirements |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Wargame Design Richard H. Berg, 1977 Describes the principles of conflict simulation design and offers the serious enthusiast guidance in designing original games |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Gamma Wolves Ash Barker, 2020-12-15 A fast-playing game of mecha skirmish combat in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Earth. In the blasted, radiation-scorched, wastelands of the Earth's surface, towering mecha do battle, defending the interests of one of the few remaining arcology governments, providing security for wilderness outposts, or seeking out loot and supplies as a mercenary company. With detailed rules for designing and customizing your mecha, from size and propulsion type to payload and pilot skills, and a campaign system that allows pilots to gain experience and skills as they patrol the shattered Earth, Gamma Wolves is a fast-playing game of post-apocalyptic mecha warfare. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Terrain Essentials Dave Taylor, 2020-03 How-to-Guide of making wargame terrain |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Oathmark: Bane of Kings Joseph A. McCullough, 2021-06-24 Time is the bane of all kings. Always does it march forward, bringing change and challenges, wars and disasters, invaders and internal rebellion. This supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, focuses on the passage of time and its effect on a players kingdom. While wars and battle still determine their ultimate fate, many other events can affect the armies of a kingdom. Plagues and blights can reduce access to soldiers from specific territories. Attempted coups can cost a king some of his best generals. On the other hand, unexpected alliances might give a kingdom access to unusual troops, or the birth of a new heir might bring wondrous presents. Along with the rules for the passing of years, this book also presents the option to train your units to fight in special formations, such as phalanxes, shield walls, and skirmish lines. These will allow players to use their existing armies to try out new strategies and tactics to swing their battle in their favour. This book also includes several new military expeditions, including numerous scenarios, to once again challenge a player's generalship. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: One-Hour Wargames Neil Thomas, 2014 One of the biggest problems facing wargamers is finding the time to actually play. Most commercially available sets of rules require several hours to set up and play to a conclusion; some can easily swallow up a whole day or weekend. Apart from time, the other consideration is space, which further constrains the opportunities for a game. Veteran gamer and rule-writer Neil Thomas has addressed both these problems. Now it is practical to play a game in around an hour on a normal dining table or living room floor. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Zones of Control Pat Harrigan, Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, 2016-04-15 Examinations of wargaming for entertainment, education, and military planning, in terms of design, critical analysis, and historical contexts. Games with military themes date back to antiquity, and yet they are curiously neglected in much of the academic and trade literature on games and game history. This volume fills that gap, providing a diverse set of perspectives on wargaming's past, present, and future. In Zones of Control, contributors consider wargames played for entertainment, education, and military planning, in terms of design, critical analysis, and historical contexts. They consider both digital and especially tabletop games, most of which cover specific historical conflicts or are grounded in recognizable real-world geopolitics. Game designers and players will find the historical and critical contexts often missing from design and hobby literature; military analysts will find connections to game design and the humanities; and academics will find documentation and critique of a sophisticated body of cultural work in which the complexity of military conflict is represented in ludic systems and procedures. Each section begins with a long anchoring chapter by an established authority, which is followed by a variety of shorter pieces both analytic and anecdotal. Topics include the history of playing at war; operations research and systems design; wargaming and military history; wargaming's ethics and politics; gaming irregular and non-kinetic warfare; and wargames as artistic practice. Contributors Jeremy Antley, Richard Barbrook, Elizabeth M. Bartels, Ed Beach, Larry Bond, Larry Brom, Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, Rex Brynen, Matthew B. Caffrey, Jr., Luke Caldwell, Catherine Cavagnaro, Robert M. Citino, Laurent Closier, Stephen V. Cole, Brian Conley, Greg Costikyan, Patrick Crogan, John Curry, James F. Dunnigan, Robert J. Elder, Lisa Faden, Mary Flanagan, John A. Foley, Alexander R. Galloway, Sharon Ghamari-Tabrizi, Don R. Gilman, A. Scott Glancy, Troy Goodfellow, Jack Greene, Mark Herman, Kacper Kwiatkowski, Tim Lenoir, David Levinthal, Alexander H. Levis, Henry Lowood, Elizabeth Losh, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Rob MacDougall, Mark Mahaffey, Bill McDonald, Brien J. Miller, Joseph Miranda, Soraya Murray, Tetsuya Nakamura, Michael Peck, Peter P. Perla, Jon Peterson, John Prados, Ted S. Raicer, Volko Ruhnke, Philip Sabin, Thomas C. Schelling, Marcus Schulzke, Miguel Sicart, Rachel Simmons, Ian Sturrock, Jenny Thompson, John Tiller, J. R. Tracy, Brian Train, Russell Vane, Charles Vasey, Andrew Wackerfuss, James Wallis, James Wallman, Yuna Huh Wong |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Broken Legions Mark Latham, 2016-08-25 The Roman Empire rules the civilised world with an iron fist, seemingly all-powerful and limitless. And yet, the power of Rome is secured not by its mighty legions, but by small bands of warriors and agents fighting a secret war. Tasked by the Emperor to explore ancient temples, forgotten labyrinths and beast-haunted caverns, they seek out artefacts hidden by the gods themselves, hunt creatures of myth and face enemies that would use dark magic against the empire. Broken Legions is a set of fantasy skirmish rules for a war unknown to history, fought in the shadows of the Roman Empire. Various factions recruit small warbands to fight in tight, scenario-driven battles that could secure the mystical power to defend – or crush – Rome. A points system allows factions to easily build a warband, and mercenaries and free agents may also be hired to bolster a force. Heroes and leaders may possess a range of skills, traits and magical abilities, but a henchman's blade can be just as sharp, and a campaign can see even the lowliest henchman become a hero of renown. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Tabletop Wargames: A Designers’ and Writers’ Handbook Rick Priestley, John Lambshead, 2016-11-30 Unlike chess or backgammon, tabletop wargames have no single, accepted set of rules. Most wargamers at some point have had a go at writing their own rules and virtually all have modified commercially available sets to better suit their idea of the ideal game or to adapt favourite rules to a different historical period or setting. But many who try soon find that writing a coherent set of rules is harder than they thought, while tweaking one part of an existing set can often have unforeseen consequences for the game as a whole. Now, at last, help is at hand. Veteran gamer and rules writer John Lambshead has teamed up with the legendary Rick Priestley, creator of Games Workshop’s phenomenally successful Warhammer system, to create this essential guide for any would-be wargame designer or tinkerer. Rick and John give excellent advice on deciding what you want from a wargame and balancing ‘realism’ (be it in a historical or a fantasy/sci-fi context) with playability. They discuss the relative merits of various mechanisms (cards, dice, tables) then discuss how to select and combine these to handle the various essential game elements of turn sequences, combat resolution, morale etc to create a rewarding and playable game that suits your tastes and requirements |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Successful Professional Wargames: A Practitioner's Handbook John Curry, Graham Longley Brown, 2019-10-23 You will benefit from this book if you are a practitioner of the art of serious wargaming. Done well, the simple act of putting players in an immersive environment, asking them to make decisions and then face the consequences of those in a dynamically evolving narrative generates astounding insights and internalises learning objectives. Yet, as Clausewitz said of war, everything in wargaming is simple, but doing the simplest thing is difficult. This book explains the seemingly simple. It is a detailed guide to designing and delivering successful wargames, whether you apply the technique to Defence, other government departments, business, the emergency services, academia or humanitarian operations. This is important because good wargames save money but, first and foremost, they save lives. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: The Silver Bayonet Joseph A. McCullough, 2021-11-11 As the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures – vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better... The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing through a series of interlinked adventures with their soldiers gaining experience and suffering grievous wounds, and their units triumphing... or falling in the face of the shadows. It is a game of action and adventure, where musket and sabre meet tooth and claw. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Black Powder Rick Priestly, Jervis Johnson, 2010-01-19 Black Powder is Warlord Games' first publication. It is a beautiful book in its own right with hundreds of color photographs taken by the Perry brothers of the most exquisitely painted model soldiers from their world-renowned collection. The rule book's intention is inspire a collector to play gentlemanly games with their own collections of soldiers with friends where the emphasis is on the spirit of the age of musket, not the letter of the rule. With decisive battles from the key wars of the period, such as El Teb, from the Sudan War, Ntombi River from the Zulu Wars, Alma from the Crimean War and Freemans Farm from the American War of Independence, as well as two fictional scenarios from the American Civil War and Napoleon's Wars, there really is something to keep everyone happy. It is a hearty publication and not for nitpickers or miseries. There are some good gags in it, but it also plays well and enables players to conduct a very big battle in a civilized period of time, leaving them more time to chat about the highs and lows and what ifs. Rick Priestley is best known as the famous Warhammer and Warhammer 40000 author, the world's best selling table top miniatures game and Product Director for Games Workshop. He lives in Nottingham. Jervis Johnson is also an internationally renowned games writer and luminary in the gaming world. Jervis also lives in Nottingham but has a very posh voice. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: One-hour Skirmish Wargames John Lambshead, 2018-09-30 Many wargamers enjoy the challenge of skirmish games where, instead of the strategy of vast armies portrayed by traditional wargames, the focus is on the tactics of a small unit. However, skirmish rules are often so complex that it can take hours of rolling dice, consulting tables and recording data to recreate what would in reality be a fast and furious firefight lasting just minutes. Now these new rules make it possible to recapture the speed and intensity of these actions where every man, and every second, counts. The basic rules are supported by sections which give special rules and scenarios to capture the flavor of a range of different periods, from Napoleonic to Modern Warfare and beyond with Sci-Fi. From the 95th Rifles scouting for Wellington, Western gunfights and WWI trench raids, through WW2 parachute assaults or Special Forces strikes in Afghanistan, or even Space Marines storming a space station, Squad Firefights elegantly simple system allows you to focus on proper tactical decisions rather than rolling buckets of dice or calculating masses of modifiers. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Chosen Men Mark Latham, 2016-12-15 Chosen Men is a set of fast-action skirmish rules detailing the bloody skirmishes between light troops in the Napoleonic Wars. The primary focus of the game is on soldiers and NCOs in light 'flank' companies, as they scout ahead of larger forces and take part in man-to-man actions against enemy skirmishers. Although the game allows for the formation of accurately sized companies of light infantry and cavalry if you wish, these formations are broken down into small groups of up to a dozen men. For the most part, officers are not swashbuckling super-heroes, but staunch commanders who rally and direct their men to achieve the battlefield objectives. Although the game uses an alternating action turn sequence, officers can use their influence on multiple units at the same time in an effort to steal the initiative. With all rolls resolved using standard 6-sided dice, this game combines a classic wargaming feel with modern wargame mechanics. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Solo-wargaming Donald F. Featherstone, 1973 |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Wargaming on a Budget Iain Dickie, 2010-07-19 Wargaming can be a very expensive hobby, but it needn't be. Iain Dickie, one of the best-known names in the hobby shares dozens of hints and tips on how to cut the cost of your gaming and get 'more bang for your buck'. He offers sound practical advice on buying and building your armies (should you opt for metal, plastic, or even card, and in which scale?), gaming tables, terrain, buildings and even storage solutions. As well as purely financial constraints, Iain Dickie also recognizes the fact that available space is another major restriction for many gamers and tackles this issue too. Now you've got no excuse not to get wargaming! |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Setting Up a Wargames Campaign Tony Bath, 1973 |
| designing a tabletop wargame: The Fundamentals of Tabletop Miniatures Game Design Glenn Ford, Mike Hutchinson, 2024-11-19 This book presents a much-needed framework for the critical examination of miniatures games and their design. It provides the reader with both a conceptual model for understanding how these games work as well as a toolbox of mechanical approaches to achieving a range of design outcomes and assessing the fit of any given approach within a specific design. Though dating back to the 1820s, tabletop miniatures games have been little explored critically and lack a conceptual vocabulary for their discussion. Active practitioners in the miniature games design community, Glenn Ford and Mike Hutchinson explore what defines these games, proposing the term ‘non-discrete miniatures games’ to encapsulate the essence of these open and immersive hobby gaming experiences. Discarding the term ‘wargame’, they argue against limiting conceptions of these games to direct armed conflict, and champion their diverse narrative potential. The book provides a fresh conceptual framework for miniatures games, abstracting the concepts of positioning and moving markers non-discretely across scale-modelled environments into inclusive and generalised terminology, untethering them from their roots as military simulations and providing the foundations for a fresh consideration of miniatures games design. Written for game designers, and with a foreword by Gav Thorpe, The Fundamentals of Tabletop Miniatures Game Design is a handbook for those that wish to design better miniatures games. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Stargrave Joseph A. McCullough, 2021-04-29 In a galaxy torn apart by the Last War, vast pirate fleets roam from system to system, robbing, extorting, and enslaving. Amidst this chaos, thousands of independent operators – smugglers, relic hunters, freedom fighters, and mercenaries – roam the dead stars in small ships, scratching out a living any way they can. In Stargrave, players take on the role of one of these independent operators, choosing from a range of backgrounds each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and associated powers. Next, players must hire a crew for their ship, recruiting a lieutenant with a unique skill-set and a handful of soldiers, mechanics, hackers, and other specialists. Some captains may even recruit strange alien lifeforms with abilities no humanoid could ever possess. Once the players' crews are assembled, they are ready to dive into a campaign. Over a series of games, their crews will have the chance to carry out a variety of missions – recovering lost technology, stealing data, freeing slaves, and fighting back against the pirate fleets. In time, as the crews gain experience, they will become more powerful and hire more talented specialists. The more they grow, however, the more likely it is that a pirate fleet will take note of their activities and come after them! |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Head First Web Design Ethan Watrall, Jeff Siarto, 2009 Looks at ways to create an attractive and user-friendly Web site, covering such topics as customer requirements, storyboards, HTML, and CSS. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Frostgrave Joseph A. McCullough, 2015-07-20 In this fantasy skirmish wargame, wizards do battle amidst the frozen ruins of the ancient city of Felstad in the hopes of discovering the treasures of a fallen empire. Each player takes on the role of a wizard from one of ten schools of magic, and builds his band of followers. The wizard's apprentice will usually accompany his master and more than a dozen other henchmen types are available for hire, from lowly thugs to heavily armoured knights and stealthy assassins. Wizards can expand their magical knowledge by unlocking ancient secrets and can learn up to 80 different spells. As they gain power and wealth, wizards can also develop their headquarters on the outskirts of the city, turning one of a dozen different basic locations into bastions of their art, equipping them with alchemical laboratories, mystical forges, astronomical telescopes and other magical resources. While individual games of Frostgrave are quick and can easily be played in an hour or two, it is by connecting these games into an ongoing campaign, that players will find the most enjoyment. The scenarios given in the book are merely the beginning of the limitless, thrilling adventures that can be found amidst the ruins of the lost city. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Black Ops Guy Bowers, 2015-10-20 Black Ops is a skirmish wargame of tactical espionage combat that recreates the tension and excitement of modern action-thrillers such as the Bond and Bourne films. The fast-play rules keep all the players in the thick of the action, while the mission generator provides a wide range of options for scenarios – from stealthy extraction or surveillance missions to more overt raids and assaults. Stealth, combat, and technical expertise all have a role to play, and players may recruit a number of different operative types – spies, mercenaries, criminals, hackers, special forces, and many more – to recruit the best possible team for the job. Players may also choose to join a faction – powerful organizations, intelligence agencies, criminal syndicates, militaries, or rebel groups, each with a stake in international affairs. By doing so, their team may receive certain benefits, but may also find itself limited at a crucial time. With the variety offered by the characters, factions, and scenarios, no two games of Black Ops should ever be the same! |
| designing a tabletop wargame: An Architectural Approach to Level Design Christopher W. Totten, 2018-09-03 Explore Level Design through the Lens of Architectural and Spatial Experience Theory Written by a game developer and professor trained in architecture, An Architectural Approach to Level Design is one of the first books to integrate architectural and spatial design theory with the field of level design. It explores the principles of level design through the context and history of architecture, providing information useful to both academics and game development professionals. Understand Spatial Design Principles for Game Levels in 2D, 3D, and Multiplayer Applications The book presents architectural techniques and theories for level designers to use in their own work. The author connects architecture and level design in different ways that address the practical elements of how designers construct space and the experiential elements of how and why humans interact with this space. Throughout the text, readers learn skills for spatial layout, evoking emotion through gamespaces, and creating better levels through architectural theory. Create Meaningful User Experiences in Your Games Bringing together topics in game design and architecture, this book helps designers create better spaces for their games. Software independent, the book discusses tools and techniques that designers can use in crafting their interactive worlds. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Simulating War Philip Sabin, 2012-01-19 Over the past fifty years, many thousands of conflict simulations have been published that bring the dynamics of past and possible future wars to life. In this book, Philip Sabin explores the theory and practice of conflict simulation as a topic in its own right, based on his thirty years of experience in designing wargames and using them in teaching. Simulating War sets conflict simulation in its proper context alongside more familiar techniques such as game theory and operational analysis. It explains in detail the analytical and modelling techniques involved, and it teaches you how to design your own simulations of conflicts of your choice. The book provides eight simple illustrative simulations of specific historical conflicts, complete with rules, maps and counters. Simulating War is essential reading for all recreational or professional simulation gamers, and for anyone who is interested in modelling war, from teachers and students to military officers. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Frostgrave: Perilous Dark Joseph A. McCullough, 2019-10-31 There are many tales of the Frozen City, and not all of them tell of battles between rival wizards. Often, the greatest adventures are those that pit a wizard and his trusty warband against the myriad perils found amidst the ruins of Felstad. This new supplement for Frostgrave presents rules for playing solo and cooperative games in which the focus shifts from the feuds of wizards to exploring the city, unlocking its mysteries... and surviving what is discovered. With guidelines for scaling game difficulty, dungeon crawls, monster generation, and more, as well as ten scenarios demonstrating these options, this volume offers players everything they need to venture alone – or with allies – into Frostgrave. Why should wizards fight amongst themselves? There is plenty of treasure for all and the Frozen City is enemy enough! |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Game Design Workshop Tracy Fullerton, 2014-03-05 Create the Digital Games You Love to Play Discover an exercise-driven, non-technical approach to game design without the need for programming or artistic expertise using Game Design Workshop, Third Edition. Author Tracy Fullerton demystifies the creative process with a clear and accessible analysis of the formal and dramatic systems of game design. Examples of popular games, illustrations of design techniques, and refined exercises strengthen your understanding of how game systems function and give you the skills and tools necessary to create a compelling and engaging game. The book puts you to work prototyping, playtesting, and revising your own games with time-tested methods and tools. It provides you with the foundation to advance your career in any facet of the game industry, including design, producing, programming, and visual design. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Game Design Jim Thompson, Barnaby Berbank-Green, Nic Cusworth, 2007-03-09 Practical, complete coverage of game design basics from design process to production This full-color, structured coursebook offers complete coverage of game design basics, focusing on design rather than computer programming. Packed with exercises, assignments, and step-by-step instructions, it starts with an overview of design theory, then progresses to design processes, and concludes with coverage of design production. Jim Thompson, Barnaby Berbank-Green, and Nic Cusworth (London, UK) are computer game designers and lecturers in animation and computer game design. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Sci-fi Skirmish Scenarios John Lambshead, 2022-12-02 Welcome to The Sprawl... Sci-fi skirmishes are an increasingly popular genre of war game but they are more dependent than most on good scenarios to keep them varied and exciting. John Lambshead has taken the work out of scenario building. He presents a selection of thirty-six missions of varying complexity, each with clear objectives and victory conditions, a map showing set-up zones and some with special rules. Although they are set in his imagined dystopian city of Civitas Cavernum (aka The Sprawl), with its factions of Scavs, Proctors, Cultists and Corporates, the scenarios are designed to be adaptable to almost any setting and set of rules (including those published in the author’s One-hour Skirmish Wargames). In addition, there are no less than three mini-campaigns that link the scenarios together in various combinations. But that is not all. John Lambshead gives advice on designing your own scenarios and campaigns and there is even a set of tables allowing you to quickly create them through random dice rolls, ensuring almost infinite variety to your games. Finally, there is a useful reference section listing websites of rules publishers and manufacturers of suitable miniatures and model terrain. Welcome to The Sprawl (but keep your gun close and your mask on). |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Dux Bellorum Daniel Mersey, 2012-08-20 The Dark Age of Britain, from the middle of the 4th century to the end of the 8th, was a time of violence and warfare, when charismatic warlords such as the fabled King Arthur could gather together armies and carve out their own kingdoms. With this new set of wargames rules, players can take on the role of these warlords and command their own armies on the tabletop. Written by the author of the popular Glutter of Ravens rules set, Dux Bellorum is an element-based system, where each base of figures represents 50 fighting men. Each player has a specific number of points with which to construct his force and can choose a Late Roman, Romano-British, Welsh, Saxon, Pictish, Irish, or Sea Raider army, amongst others. The game is then played out following a set of simple, fast-paced rules. A completely self-contained gaming system, Dux Bellorum is perfect for gamers who are looking for a way into fighting Dark Age battles without investing a lot of time or money in larger rulesets. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Game Design Lewis Pulsipher, 2012-08-08 Many aspiring game designers have crippling misconceptions about the process involved in creating a game from scratch, believing a big idea is all that is needed to get started. But game design requires action as well as thought, and proper training and practice to do so skillfully. In this indispensible guide, a published commercial game designer and longtime teacher offers practical instruction in the art of video and tabletop game design. The topics explored include the varying types of games, vital preliminaries of making a game, the nuts and bolts of devising a game, creating a prototype, testing, designing levels, technical aspects, and assessing nature of the audience. With practice challenges, a list of resources for further exploration, and a glossary of industry terms, this manual is essential for the nascent game designer and offers food for thought for even the most experienced professional. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Clockwork Game Design Keith Burgun, 2024-12-24 By finding and building around a strong core mechanism, we can access new levels of elegance and discover fresh new ideas in our game designs. Clockwork Game Design is a functional and directly applicable theory for game design, particularly focusing on strategic and tactical games, but also more broadly applicable to many kinds of games. It details the Clockwork Game Design pattern, which focuses on building around a fundamental core functionality. You can then use this understanding to build a system of tools that helps a designer refine their rulesets. A game can achieve clarity of purpose by starting with a strong core, then removing elements that conflict with that core while also adding elements that support it. The Second Edition is filled with examples and exercises detailing how to put the clockwork game design pattern into use, this book is a helpful tool in the toolbox of game designers. Key Features: A hands-on, practical book that outlines a very specific approach to designing games Develop the mechanics that make your game great, and limit or remove factors that disrupt the core concept Practice designing games through the featured exercises and illustrations |
| designing a tabletop wargame: A Billion Suns Mike Hutchinson, 2021-02-23 A tabletop miniatures game of intense starship combat between fleets of powerful cruisers, sleek destroyers, and agile fighters. A Billion Suns is a wargame of interstellar combat that puts you in command of fleets of powerful starships, from squadrons of agile, but fragile, fighters, to hulking and powerful capital ships. Choose your vessels from pre-existing classes then customize them to create your own sub-classes, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and armament, from accurate torpedoes to devastating macro-cannon. Using simple dice pool mechanics, you must carefully manage your resources and seize the opportunities that come your way in order to lead your fleet to victory and assert your dominance over the stars. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Fundamentals of Shooter Game Design Ernest Adams, 2014-12-17 You understand the basic concepts of game design: gameplay, user interfaces, core mechanics, character design, and storytelling. Now you want to know how to apply them to the shooter games genre. This focused guides gives you exactly what you need. It walks you through the process of designing for the shooter game genre and shows you how to use the right techniques to create fun and challenging experiences for your players. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Wargaming Neil Thomas, 2005-01-01 Although the rise in computerized wargaming has transformed some aspects of the hobby, the traditional table-based wargame continues to go from strength to strength. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Historical Simulation and Wargames Riccardo Masini, 2024-09-18 This book is a comprehensive study on analog historical simulation games, exploring both their theoretical concepts and practical solutions. It considers the various ways used by simulation games to depict the different dynamics of historical events and analyzes how commercial analog miniature and board wargames can become valuable tools for historical research and provide a more modern and captivating interpretation of past events. The nature of “simulation” is discussed, exposing its differences with other forms of ludic activity, both analog and digital, as well as intellectual speculation. Many of the most common game mechanics are analyzed in depth and in their practical use, to answer whether “reconstructive” simulations dedicated to historical episodes can provide valuable, reliable and useful insights for researchers. It critically examines the challenges presented to game designers that look to produce an accurate (even if not necessarily complex) simulation of historical events. The book will be of great interest to those curious about the potential applications of such a powerful research and experimental tool for historical, sociologic and anthropologic research, as well as wargaming and board gaming enthusiasts looking to gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of historical simulations. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Tabletop Greg Costikyan, Drew Davidson, 2024-12-26 In this volume, people of diverse backgrounds -- tabletop game designers, digital game designers, and game studies academics -- talk about tabletop games, game culture, and the intersection of games with learning, theater, and other forms.Even as the digital revolution has progressed apace, tabletop games -- board and card, roleplaying and miniatures -- have grown and attracted many new fans. Indeed, in tabletop gaming there is far more diversity and design innovation than in digital games, and tabletop games have become of increasing interest to videogame designers, game design instructors, and people who study games of all forms. In this volume, people of diverse backgrounds -- tabletop game designers, digital game designers, and game studies academics -- talk about tabletop games, game culture, and the intersection of games with learning, theater, and other forms. Some have chosen to write about their design process, others about games they admire, others about the culture of tabletop games and their fans. The results are various and individual, but all cast some light on what is a multivarious and fascinating set of game styles. |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Replayed Henry Lowood, 2023-06-06 The purpose of this book is to consolidate the author's far-flung publications into a single work to give students and scholars the opportunity to read and teach his scholarly output as a single corpus of thought. This book offers the author's most significant pieces on game history, game historiography, software preservation, software collections, virtual worlds/machinima, play-capture, and documentation-- |
| designing a tabletop wargame: Reverse Design Patrick Holleman, 2018-09-05 The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the fifth installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Final Fantasy VII. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into eight sections examining some of the most important topics to the game: How latter-day critics have misunderstood the artistic goals of Final Fantasy VII How RPG history began to diverge significantly after 1981, allowing for the creation of specialized RPGs like Rogue, Pokemon, and especially Final Fantasy VII How Final Fantasy VII does not abandon complexity in its systems, but simply moves that complexity to the endgame to aid the narrative elements of the game Key Features Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG design Summary of historical context of Final Fantasy VII going all the way back to Dungeons & Dragons Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Final Fantasy VII’s systems work, how they are organized to prioritize exploration, and how they interlock in a positive feedback loop that peaks at the end of the game |
Canva: Visual Suite for Everyone
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Design Maker - Create Stunning Graphic Designs Online | Fotor
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Design - Wikipedia
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Learn Design & Design Basics - Figma
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Design 101: The 8 graphic design basics you need to know
Jan 30, 2019 · Learn the 8 basic principles of graphic design that will help you create something incredible—whether you’re designing a logo, a website, or a custom illustration.
How To Learn The Basics Of Design: Ultimate Guide For 2025
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Courses - Canva Design School
Courses - Canva Design School
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Canva: Visual Suite for Everyone
Customize an office template, or design something more personal, like an invitation. Make your designs stand out with world-class photos, graphics, videos, audio, fonts, charts, and more. …
Design Maker - Create Stunning Graphic Designs Online | Fotor
Fotor helps you create powerful graphic designs online without hassle. You can design everything from business cards and logos to greeting cards and invitations, and more with ease. Discover …
Design - Wikipedia
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word design refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used …
How to Learn Graphic Design: 7 Steps to Build Your Skills
Mar 13, 2025 · Graphic design is a broad creative discipline that encompasses many types of visual design and communication, from designing brand logos to touching up photographs. …
Learn Design & Design Basics - Figma
Learn the basics of design with, and for, content. UX design is like a good book, it takes a user on a journey and it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Learn how to create compelling design …
Design 101: The 8 graphic design basics you need to know
Jan 30, 2019 · Learn the 8 basic principles of graphic design that will help you create something incredible—whether you’re designing a logo, a website, or a custom illustration.
How To Learn The Basics Of Design: Ultimate Guide For 2025
Nov 6, 2024 · In this article, “How to Learn the Basics of Design,” we will walk you through the fundamental principles, tools, and techniques to lay the foundation for your growth as a design …
Courses - Canva Design School
Courses - Canva Design School
21 Best Graphic Design Software in 2025 (Free and Paid) - Pixpa
Feb 5, 2024 · Here's a list of the best free and paid graphic design software for creatives ideal for making awesome digital art. Whether you are an amateur graphic designer or an experienced …
What Is Graphic Design? A 2024 Guide for Beginners | Looka
Nov 22, 2023 · Graphic design is the art of visual communication. We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of the principles and elements that go into great design, along with the various types of graphic …
