Four Years of Nonsense!

Greetings friends!

Can you believe it? Four years ago to this date I posted my very first ever post on this site. At the time it was all about my attempts at building a weird-west themed board for Malifaux using an undead Guild as the theme.

The town was to be called New Fairbank, after the town of Fairbank which years later would be renamed the famous Tombstone.

Now look at it? A blog with no mention of Malifaux in what must be going on a year+ (I haven't checked). Instead you as a reader are bombarded by updates and stories about a game of my own.

Which brings us back to the concept of the 4 year anniversary.

Last year I had only the pre-alpha build of what was originally called First Law: Override - Gang War. A game where two groups of humans in mirrored armour, weapons and equipment fought each other for access to data nodes and auto-turrets.

Now where are we? We stand just a matter of months before a full 2 day appearance at a gaming day which with hope will house triple figures of gamers, all of whom may be viable people to sell on enthusiasm.

It's a game which has countless short stories, and even some not-so-short. Locations, events, characters, all detailed in what will hopefully be a core book which in itself is only a matter of weeks away from being published in a -very- limited print run.

It has 2 full Factions comprising a combined 3 races and 6 Forces.

It has a book which is looking amazing and currently going through almost-final proof reading.

It has evolved in a way that this time last year I never thought possible.

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It is my theory that the second half of the year will belong to Moonstone but the first half is almost certainly within the realm of First Law: Override.

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It's almost funny. A year that has been so productive for me in terms of game design, and yet I feel almost as if I have nothing to show for it.

I didn't attend any organised play events, I didn't fully paint even a single model, but I did learn a hell of a lot and play a hell of a lot.

Using a modified Infinity Vassal Module, Tom and I have been able to play more games of Override than we have any other game together, and this being a relationship of 2 guys who bonded in secondary school over war games. For what was essentially 6 months we pretty much played at least once a week - something I have never, ever done before.

I also learned possibly the most important thing about game designing. That I knew pretty much nothing.

I know how it sounds, and to someone who probably went to game-design school, they probably are not surprised by hearing me say that. But not a single idea of mine was a complete one. Everything was either half-thought or incomplete.

If you play First Law: Override now, and if you enjoy it, know that this is the collective works of about 4 people.
- You see, while the very first idea which raised itself under the WiP title 'Project Incubus' was mine, every idea I had was bounced around. To begin with my main people were my wife @teh_tri and friend And. These two were instrumental in getting the initial ideas down and each and every idea was akin to a piece of clay that was bounced between us, each person moulding and twisting until it ended up the shape it was.
- Then in February last year the ball was passed to Tom and between us, with regular input from @teh_tri and And more ideas fell into place and were decided on or thrown out altogether.

As such I have come to understand why I don't like saying "I am a game designer". Because I would still argue that I am not... We are, each and every one of us who has had a hand in shaping this ball of clay into the game is it, and the game it will be.

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So yeah... Four years of nonsense...

Being on the fifth!

Until next time. Stay safe and be excellent to each other!

- Your friendly neighbourhood Doctor Loxley