麻豆视频

As a writer, and as board gamer, it is intriguing to get into a game during its developmental stage, and to have the change to carry on an email dialogue with the designer.

Which brings me to Zeppelin Strike, a highly anticipated, at least by yours truly, finger flicking game.

To start with Canada has a rather noble heritage in terms of flicking games as most game historians seem to credit this country as the birthplace of crokinole, which along with carom are easily the best of the genre. I would play crokinole over any other board game always, and having drooled for a carom board.

When I found some early game files at my favourite game site (www.boardgamegeek.com) I raided a backgammon set, made some zeppelins, printed some cards, and gave it a whirl. I will admit here I think wooden crokinole pieces might be a better piece option, but only because wood discs seem more natural to flick.

Zeppelin Strike actually started out as something of a lark for Wright, a 25 resident of London, ON where he is a Ph.D student in Philosophy.

鈥淢y first design was for a contest here on BGG (Board Game Geek),鈥� he said. 鈥淭he game is Space Gremlin鈥檚, I did a graphical overhaul/reconstruction not too long ago. I got into it because I thought it would be a fun challenge, design a game for a contest! I got hooked on contests, and eventually hooked on game design.鈥�

In the case of the game inspiration came from what might be thought of as an unusual source, pictures.

鈥淚t came from looking at the art that became the zeppelin鈥檚. I just saw it and thought 鈥淚 need to make a game with this鈥� and further thought 鈥淚t needs to be a dexterity game鈥� which led to 鈥淚 know! You flick to move鈥� (not revolutionary, I know),鈥� offered Wright.

鈥淚 was driven to make it different, and so the hook I went for was a tactical combat game where all of the core mechanics were dexterity-based but also thematic. So cannon firing requires 鈥渁ccuracy鈥� and boarding has a feeling of a battle over the gap between two ships with crew members leaping across to take out enemy crew, sometimes going overboard themselves and ramming is largely chaos.鈥�

That is truly where Zeppelin Strike excels.

Most games of this kind rely on straight forward flick to move, hit an opponent piece to destroy.

Wright has offered a different approach.

You still flick to move, but once within 鈥榮hooting鈥� distance you have to flick on a separate board, where accuracy down the track is critical to success.

The simple mechanic really adds to the overall skill set this game requires.

鈥淭he core mechanics of Zeppelin Strike (flick to move, the turn radius, and the three mini-games for attacking) basically fell out of my brain in the form you see them today,鈥� said Wright. 鈥淭he game as a whole, however, has been undergoing small revisions behind the scenes since I first released the print 鈥檔 play a year ago.

鈥淚 now have four factions, each quite distinct (with minimal overlap in zeppelin options and no overlap in tactics options). I鈥檝e also been working on team battle rules and special tactics cards designed to encourage team work and scenarios.鈥�

I must backtrack a bit here and note I was surprised crokinole was not an inspiration, given Wright is Canadian, and had an interest in a dexterity/flicking game.

鈥淐rokinole was not an inspiration, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was about this time last year (March 2103) that I got 鈥渢hat Dexterity thing鈥� that every game designer eventually gets. For a good year, for every game idea I had I asked myself 鈥渃an I make this a dexterity game?鈥� Zeppelin Strike just happened to be the one of the ones for which the answer was 鈥測es, yes you can.鈥�

鈥淚 really don鈥檛 know what got me started on the dexterity obsession, but I hear every designer goes through that phase eventually. Dexterity games have a unique character and so have their own special design challenges that other games don鈥檛 face.鈥�

So what does Wright, as a designer like about his own game?

鈥淚 like the simplicity of it all,鈥� he offered. 鈥淢y absolute favourite part, however, are the mini-games. I think I did a good job finding dexterity mechanics that 鈥渞epresent鈥� the different modes of attack such that there鈥檚 an option for everyone.

聽Really good at 鈥渟huffle board鈥� and standard dexterity games? Go for a cannon heavy strategy.

Not terribly good at dexterity games, that鈥檚 ok - go for Ramming, it鈥檚 the most chaotic and you have a good chance of edging out a win. Want a high risk, challenging path to victory? Boarding is the strategy for you.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 also always thinking about how to refine Zeppelin Strike: Dogfighters (another dexterity game in the series) and how to integrate them. It鈥檚 my dream to have them both playable at once; so you can play a game with big zeppelin鈥檚 beating on each other and at the same time have the little bi-planes zipping around fighting each other.

The bi-planes, of course, are mostly useless for attacking zeppelins, sort of battling in their own world while dodging these big hulking ships that are having their own scale of battle.鈥�

This game, if published, will be a gem. Keep your eyes open for it.