Let’s Meet at The Tavern of Conquests
I am excited about a side project I’ve been cooking up with a couple of college buddies since July. We aimed to finish it by Valentine’s Day but geez, who knew making a game was such a tough gig?
Anyhow, we’ve managed to complete our beta test version and also kicked-off our IndieGoGo campaign, which is wrapping up soon. Those who chip in will get early access to our beta game version.
This project is all about our journey in creating a game. So, what’s ‘The Tavern of Conquests’? Well, it’s a short two-player board game with a pinch of role-play and a heap of fantasy!
For those big-time fans of fantasy-based games like Dungeons and Dragons or Gloomhaven, you’ll find our game intriguing, but completely different. If you’re new to this type of game, don’t sweat it. Quick learning and user-friendly gameplay is our goal, and a round only lasts about 45 minutes.
About the Gameplay
Enter a fantasy universe teeming with dragons, elves, dwarfs, witches, inspiring muses, and valiant heroes. As a player, you will either be the Muse (game master, narrating the story and controlling in-game non-playable characters) or the Hero embarking on an adventure. The adventure may involve saving a princess or freeing a captive with two main storylines at present.
To spice things up, we’ve added a unique mechanic, ‘Bribe the Muse’ where you can sway the game’s outcome. Believe me; it’s going to add oodles of fun to your Valentine’s Day or any regular gaming night!
Ultimately, we aim to offer a physical game with beautiful illustration-laden guidebooks. But for now, we’re working with a digital beta version.
There are two main storylines – The Princess in the Flame and the Prison of Desire. Add to that, 30 additional side quests that vary each gameplay. This, we believe, increases the fun factor and makes our game highly replayable.
Behind the Scenes
Among us, we’ve got an award-winning fantasy romance author, L.J. Longo. The rest of us are totally immersed in the mundane yet necessary tasks involved in setting up a game.
This project, although exciting, sometimes feels like an unconventional diversion from my PhD studies. I was hoping to apply my blogging experience of nearly a decade to promote our game, but it’s proving to be a hefty challenge.
Anyway, despite some minor technical challenges with the game layout and suitability of digital platforms, we have a playable game, and we’re eager for some player reviews!
Since launching the IndieGoGo campaign, we have gotten some insights (the hard way!) on running a successful crowdfunding campaign. Thankfully, every situation is a learning experience.
If fantasy RPG is your thing, consider contributing $10 to our campaign, and you’ll receive our beta version by February 14th. There are also more contribution options if you choose to support our project.
Feel free to drop by our IndieGoGo page or follow us on social media for more updates on how it’s going. If you’ve built a game before or have any suggestions, do share!
We genuinely believe in the potential of our game and can’t wait to see where this “side hustle” takes us. Let’s get rolling, and who knows, we might be seeing you at ‘The Tavern of Conquests’!
Best,
Mel