I suppose I could go on about all the things that have kept me from writing on my blog, but it’s really only been 2 things: 1. I’m lazy. 2. I have very little readers, so I figure that if I don’t write, not really anyone is missing out. Of course, #2 is likely directly a result of #1. Hmm. Time to eradicate #1.

So what’s new with me? Well, Supernova has been printed and is available to the lucky few who preordered. The retail copies are making their way towards retail, being towed by snails, somewhere on the eastern side of the US. There’s been a shwack of feedback on the rules from the people who’ve played it, posted to the BGG page.

Basically, here’s the gist of it: I suck at writing rules. Now, those people who have posted are far too nice to come out and say it like that, but that’s essentially the truth of the matter. It seems I do suck at writing rules. Sigh. But that’s okay, cause it means I can learn from this and try to improve on them… Which is my plan. That, and the next game I come up with, I’m definitely getting someone else to write the damn things.

What else is new? My lovely wife and I are traveling the globe this blustery winter and are heading to Belize for a much-needed 3 week vacation. Can’t wait for that. Considering our current temperature up here in Calgary is round about -30 Celsius, it can’t come too soon. We so often ask ourselves why we live here. Anyone? I seem to recall it having something to do with maintaining steady jobs and income and whatnot. When it’s -30, it just doesn’t feel worth it.

I think I’ve learned a crucial board-gaming wisdom about myself. I think I’m not as much of a Euro-gamer as I thought I was. A few years ago after discovering the hobby that is boardgaming, I figured that I had to buy any and all Eurogames coming out. So I did. After having played a bunch of them, I’m less than enamored with a lot of them. I think I prefer a little bit of dice in my Euro. Some combat is nice too. Dare I say it? I like theme too. I don’t know what this means on a fundamental level, but I can say that I’m going to avoid dry, mechanical, mathy games from now on, if I can. You may notice that my collections’ trash quotient has risen recently, with the purchase of Last Night on Earth, Doom, Mutant Chronicles, Risk:2210 and Dust. We’ll see how they go over.

Now that you all (all 3 of you) are up to date on my life, I can feel like I’ve done my blog justice. For this year, at least.

This post addresses the redesign of Titan, the redesign of the art of the game that has been posted on Mike’s blog and the backlash of the BGG community.

You can see Mike’s post HERE and read the response to his designs HERE.

This is obviously a touchy point for those who love this game and want to see it done as close to the original as possible. I understand that. However, I think some things are being forgotten in this kerfuffle (love that word :)) over round VS square and 3D CG art VS retro clean art. The things that are being forgotten and should be recognized are these:

• Valley Games are not a nameless, faceless corporation trying to screw you over. They are remaking these games because they LOVE them. I know these guys and they LOVE games. They hate the fact that great games like Hannibal, Titan, Big City, Die Macher etc, could not be played by the masses due to the fact that they were simply unavailable and incredibly expensive for people wanting them. They are trying to address this issue.

• Valley Games has listened to players’ requests from the beginning. Die Macher’s art didn’t go over well, so when moving on to their next projects, they took these critiques and went with more professional artists: Mike Doyle and Kurt Miller. Both of these guys are artists for their profession. They know all about color, contrast, light, print techniques, design… you name it, they’ve done it. In addition, Mike plays games a LOT so isn’t a stranger to board games either. I can’t speak for Kurt. What I’m saying is that VG and the artists as well are LISTENING to you, the players.

• Valley Games, due to their size, are not flush with cash. I don’t know their finances. I am not involved in their business except for the fact that I know them personally and they are publishing my game. However, I DO know that it takes a massive amount of capital to undertake something like what they are doing. They are simultaneously trying to publish and get ready for publishing, several games at a time. This means paying for artists, working with the printers, working with the distributors, reading posts on the forums, making sure their website is up to date, going over submitted prototypes, tweaking games for production, sending off parts/games, having full-time jobs, and a LIFE. They are doing a great job at all of these things, in my opinion. They, like yourselves, are unhappy when games don’t work out like they should. In fact, they are FAR MORE unhappy than you’ll ever be about it, as it costs them a huge amount of money to bring the game to you; and if it’s not nearly perfect, it affects their business and their livelihood. So you’d better believe this stuff is important for them to get right.

• As far as the current debate… You all have made your point. You like square chits. You prefer the older art. Some of these things may be changed before the final game comes out, some might not. Live with it. You’ll be okay. The game will still be fun. Recognize what VG is trying to do for the gamer and be understanding of some of the challenges they face. Buy the game anyway, in spite of the round chits (or even if they end up being square) and be happy that you’ve supported a company that is doing it’s damnedest to bring the most desirable games to the gamers. Not because they want to be rich.. but because they LOVE board games and the board game community.

I know I’ve ranted, but I am SO tired of these casually insulting comments … ‘if there’s round chits, I’m not buying it’ … ‘does anyone at VG even PLAY (emphasis mine) these games?’. These are ignorant comments and uncalled for. State your case clearly and plainly as to why you think square chits/old art is better and they will listen. Quasi-blackmailing comments like those mentioned will be ignored.

I’m unstickying this as I’ve fixed the display issues with IE6. It should work fine now. (crosses fingers)

I suppose I should start by introducing myself, to those who don’t know me personally… My name is Oliver Harrison. I’m a web designer by trade, but really wish I was just  playing and designing board games all day long. Now that likely wouldn’t pay the bills, but it’d sure be cool.

I’ve been working for nearly 2 years now on a game called Supernova. It’s due to be published early in 2008 by Valley Games so if you like tile placement games with some combat, check it out. It’s available for preorder on their site. You can also find a bit more about it here: Supernova.

I don’t claim to be an expert on design or gaming… so don’t take my rambling as anything much like an authority. However, I love to stir up good discussions, so feel free to comment, argue, or simply drop me a line via the contact form. I’d love to hear from you.

Oliver