More abot WoF and ED

I am discussing the finer points of Eminent Domain over geekmail with one of the people who volunteered to print it out and play it... he says:
"After about a half-dozen plays, I still want to keep playing."

Do you have any idea how reassuring that sounds? That's exactly why I, and I think many people who partake in creative endeavors, like designing games.

I'd really like to find someone who could (like, knows how, and wants to) code up some kind of online version of Eminent Domain to facilitate playtesting - or just playing the game at all really. If you're into that kind of thing, I'm certain I can hook you up with a copy of the game when it comes out (early-mid 2011), and/or copies of Tasty Minstrel Games' other releases (Terra Prime and Homesteaders are in stores now; Train of Thought, JAB: Realtime Boxing, and Belfort are coming out later this year). Any takers?

As for Winds of Fate, I spent a little time last night mocking up a betting board like the one I discussed last post. That sketch isn't the mock-up, I made a prototype board with the actual Encounter Tile prototype art, and the Game End tiles (Dead, Stranded, and Safe) to put in the center. Also, I noticed that Bet "F" in that sketch shouldn't exist, it doesn't make any sense at all (Bet "D" dominates it).

I adjusted the reward tiles as well, thinking it might be interesting to specify on the "draw 3 cards" reward that you have to draw 3 of the same color - then took it one step further and made 2 different ones: "Draw 3 HELP cards" and "Draw 3 HINDER"" cards." I also reduced the VP values because I think the bet chips will be worth 1 VP apiece instead of 2vp (not sure why I wanted them to be 2 to begin with).

I'm now ready to try the game with the new betting system. There will still be a bet on the Game Timer, which will work the same way as it did before - the further off you bet, the more lucrative the payoff. I might change it to a bet that the game will last AT LEAST that many turns, such that if you undershoot, you don't lose, you just don't win as much as you could have. There's been a sentiment that you generally want to bet as far away as possible (so you get a bigger payout), maybe this rule would encourage bets closer to the beginning of the Round track.

In fact, if those bets pay out when the round counter reaches them, that could give players a Bet chip influx with which to place bets. I'm not sure if I like that or not.