Recently, I decided to heavily revise our flagship game, HAPPY DAGGERS. Playtesting feedback was mixed, but the real issue was it wasn’t capturing the spirit of the swashbuckling combat present in a lot of period pieces. The main issues were:
1. Certain gameplay elements didn’t lend themselves to the casual game experience I was aiming for.
2. Sword throwing wasn’t grokkable; most people didn’t seem to get the joke. Sword combat needed to be a little less like Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet and a little more like Daffy Duck in that Robin Hood cartoon. (We are still not making a serious game.)
3. Stages didn’t give a 3-dimensional feel and were uninteractive.
Thus, the game has become more compact and with more detailed combat, but should be even more like a ridiculous swordfight capping off an otherwise serious Shakespeare play.
I am still aiming to get the game on The Game Crafter by early November at at GaymerX in December, and I hope it still captures the spirit I originally intended for it. The prototype is coming to Celesticon on Labor Day Weekend, so stop by if you want to play!