Dan Bullock
@danbullock
Analog game maker (1979, In the Shadows, Bowie, Penitent & more) Game Design Deep Dive pod. Fmr Scarring Party bandleader. he/him 🏳️🌈
Lock Horns Games will be opening preorders to USA, Canada, and Europe for the last 100 copies of Penitent and a reprint of The Gods Will Have Blood. There is a discount code via our mailing list for those ordering both. Games will ship early September. Preorders open July 31!
SD Hist North was a smashing success! As an experiment, I ran two jumbo demonstrations of Penitent with two teams of reformers divided by a screen. It delivered an entirely different experience and the feedback from players was overwhelming. Such a proud moment!
Back from Circle DC, and it’s a busy day here at the house assembling orders. Penitent preorders should all be out the door this week. Love getting them all shipped to folks a few weeks early😎
When linocuts I made didn’t match the vibe of the Penitent cover, I made a custom ink stamp so I could print on each deck tile. I’m really happy with how they turned out.
Quick Announcement: PENITENT will be available for preorder on FEBRUARY 20. We will notify our mailing list of the exact time. This print run will be limited to 200 copies (signed & numbered). Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com
The first installment of the PENITENT design diary has been posted to BGG. I address incarceration as a design topic and a more sensitive approach. Subscribe for updates on the project. It will be crowdfunding in January with a limited run capped at 200 copies. boardgamegeek.com/thread/35942...
Chicago ‘68 has finally arrived, and the complete package is stunning. Congratulations to @yoyoni.bsky.social and @ronengoldstein.bsky.social! Nothing quite like the feeling of your first published game🎉
Sample persona card and Iggy. The manager cards are still hideous, but Tony DeFries is just a gross person, lol.
Anybody interested in trying an Andor prototype. Extra points if you're a publisher with a Star Wars license😅
Getting excited for SD HistCon Second Front on Saturday? Lots of great demos, including the latest from @djackthompson.bsky.social , @volko.bsky.social, @markherman54.bsky.social. Paolo Mori will also showing off Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars. Plenty worth checking out!
To make it work, the game needed 1) a less cluttered game state and 2) a core loop that was easier grok. For cards, it meant making most events less specific. A card about a labor event in Colombia, would now be playable in any nation, but the flavor text would highlight the historic event.
Now, I could substitute writing out Authoritarian and Democratic on the event cards and action menu with the icon, so players could discern at a glance both the game state and utility of a given card.
To model governance, each nation had space for a leader card with unique abilities. It was excessive and too much info for testers. In subsequent plays, I axed these leaders and created events for a handful of figures. Governance became a token on the board which aligned w/ iconography elsewhere.
Since no streaming service is interested in the best animated series in a decade, does that mean I can design a game for the IP?
This weekend, I tried SNAFU's Operation Bollebank a few times. My first play ended with a devastating roll very early, but since, I've been able to progress a bit further with each play. Very intriguing solitaire design. The art is phenomenal.
Is it to soon to tease my next Lock Horns project? If you ever wanted to explore where 18/19th century prison architecture, Quaker penal reform, and Vlaada’s GALAXY TRUCKER converge, then have I got a game for you.
The last copy of The Gods Will Have Blood goes out today. Not too many bruises, and I learned a TON. I’m excited to have a vehicle to sign new designers and weird projects!
A bit soon to post non-game-related material here but indulge me. This is a difficult life decision best left to social media polling. Fender Jazzmaster '61 reissue (left) or Music Man 2016 St Vincent (right).