An Epic Crash of Fleets

Grant Rodiek | February 27, 2013
I can't help myself. I'm on a massive space binge lately. I changed Dawn Sector from faux-Napoleonic to sci-fi to broaden its appeal and give myself more flexibility on the design (plus I like sci-fi), but it wasn't my intent to return to this theme again.
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Dawn Sector: Origin Story

Grant Rodiek | February 18, 2013
I write about my games often, so much, that I often think "oh that would make a good blog post" before I even finish updating my prototype. It's a useful way for me to put my thoughts down. However, I write as if you've been following along from the beginning and, like Lost, the reality is it's not fun to try to jump in at the middle.
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Testing for Usability

Grant Rodiek | February 15, 2013
The image above is the cover of a popular web design book by Steve Krug called Don't Make Me Think. It is one of the best books I've ever read and is incredibly applicable to almost any form of product design and development.
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Miniature Madness

Grant Rodiek | February 12, 2013
As I noted a week or so ago, I've begun seriously considering self-publishing Dawn Sector under my Hyperbole Games label. I have a ways to go before I reach a decision and a great deal of research to conclude, but I'm optimistic I can both make this happen and create something outstanding.
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Dawn Sector: Battle Board

Grant Rodiek | February 10, 2013
In my previous post from just a few hours ago, I wrote about how playing with my non-gamer friends gave me valuable insight on making my game more accessible for others. Not by changing the design, but by modifying the layout and presentation.
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Dawn Sector: Player Boards

Grant Rodiek | February 10, 2013
I think I'm going to use Dawn Sector as the new name instead of Empire. If that rubs you the wrong way, please tell me! The focus of 3 of my 4 tests this week were accessibility. I deliberately sought out 4 people who don't really play board games and in some cases, just don't like them.
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Namestorming

Grant Rodiek | February 07, 2013
Empire has had many names in its life. I have called it General Staff, Field Marshals, Empire of York, Empire Reborn, just Empire...I need a new name. I want to create one that's hopefully final and I can use to build awareness and recognition.
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Empire 2.0

Grant Rodiek | February 05, 2013
Last week I received my first publisher rejection for Empire. The game wasn't a thematic fit and I should have known better. But, if you've done anything in the board game design space you know that rejection is common and frequent.
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How to Use Feedback

Grant Rodiek | January 30, 2013
Jay is fresh from Unpub 3 where he took a few of his new prototypes to test with a flood of designers and gamers alike. He's also been participating in the PPP program. Therefore, Jay's input on gathering and using testing feedback is useful and should be read! Guest Column by: Jay Treat You’re more likely to be struck by lightning twice than you are to design a flawless game without any playtesting.
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Learning from 7 Wonders

Grant Rodiek | January 28, 2013
7 Wonders is an outstanding game. The game plays with up to 7 players in as short of a playing time as 30 minutes! It scales fantastically down to 3 and even has a 2 player variant. The Board Game Geek community seems to agree.
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