Running the Starcraft game is going to be interesting. I’ve set some expectations for myself that are pretty frackin’ ambitious. Not only do I want to run an enjoyable and exciting game, I want to make a commercial-quality packaging and design portfolio out of it. Crazy me!
Game Design
So disregarding the graphic design aspect of this, what do I still have to do? I have a general outline of the game. I’ve built the mechanics behind all the pregen characters (Sarge, Marine, Medic, Pilot, Ghost and Engineer). I have rudimentary maps written up for the encounters (enough to run with my wet-erase mat). I do not have the skill challenges written up, nor do I have the threats and vehicles statted out for the encounters.
I could, at this moment, run the game by the seat of my pants. I could set the time, invite folks over, and get the first playtest under my belt and recorded. Ya know, might be time for that, actually.
But! I want it to be freakin’ perfect! I hate the unfortunate combination of ADD and perfectionism that keeps me from finishing anything. Ever.
Sound Design
I’m also putting together a playlist for the game. Again, want to be great! I’m pulling together the BSG, Starcraft, 28 Days Later, and X-Men First Class soundtracks in a playlist. Then my plan is to trim out what doesn’t fit, until I have a 6-hour playlist. With all four seasons of BSG OST, I’ve got plenty of audio, but in order for it not to feel overwhelmed by BSG, I’ll probably be repeating some tracks of the other lists. And then! Arrange in order by feel – I don’t want the creepy low music to play during wild energetic scenes, and I don’t want the epic scores with fanfares during tense, low energy moments.
So that’ll be playing on the iPod dock. Then, I want to get Syrinscape scenes going on the netbook for each section of the game as well. Crowd noises for the initial social encounter, gunshots and zerg screams in the bunker battle, ship noises and explosions for the massive vehicle battle.
Print Design
I work for a print and packaging company. One of the neatest things we have is a CAD table. It’s a CNC device with a scoring wheel, a cutting blade, a pen, and three dimensions of mobility. We’re able to use it to generate prototype boxes and diecut shapes, rapidly and consistently.
This amazing tool, along with my natural but professionally untested design skills, will be used to make something incredibly immersive and pretty. Every player at GameStorm will get to keep their Character Deck, in custom deck box. Each deck comes with Skill Cards, Power Cards, Item Cards, Background Cards, Hero Point and Destiny Point Cards, Health Cards, and a Portrait Card.
The Portrait Card actually unfolds and pops up, ostensibly for placing in front of the player on the table. This is not my idea – I stole it from a Scooby Doo CCG (I still had to tear it apart to reverse-engineer it). The Health Cards have hit points on one and condition track on the other, with a sliding window to indicate current state. I’ll also have a folded up classic character sheet, for those who don’t want to work with the deck style. And a small starter guide booklet with things like, ya know, how d20 works.
I also want to split the game during the mass combat/ship battle. The pen function of the CAD table can write on clear mylar, which means I can generate a radar-style map for the PCs in the capital ship, and use the poster map for the other PCs commanding their own highly mobile and more visually enabled units.
The thing is, I want to get all this done for the playtest. I want to see how people react to using the sliders and the deck, and the radar grid.
Upshot?
James, you crazy crazy gamer. Is this impossible? No. In fact, it’s the kind of thing I should be expected to pull off in a school or production environment. It’s the kind of thing I’d love to send pictures/recordings/examples of to folks like WotC and/or FFG. And it’s the kind of thing I need to pull off in order to have the confidence to go back to school.