Hi,

I'm busy laying out Heads of State. I've completed layout of the text of three of the games. It's taking me a day or so per game, so I hope to complete the pdf version of the book by next week.

I wanted to show the evolution of the layout, from some sketches in a notebook to a sample spread.As you can see from the left side of the first sketch, I like to put examples next to rules text rather than placing examples below the rules.  I messed around with some concepts that divided each page into two columns. But since the book will be 6 x 9 inches, I didn't think there would be enough space.

So I shifted to using spreads of two facing pages as the main unit for sharing rules and examples, with rules on the left and corresponding examples on the right. At the bottom of each page are biographical anecdotes about real dictators.

I'm keeping each pair of rule/ example on one spread so users never have to flip pages to read through a rule. This leads to some spreads having white space, which I'm filling with images where appropriate. (that's a statue of bashar al-assad in the sample).

Each of the games has a primary identifying color. As I lay dying, the sample shown below, is purple. (I'll add page numbers when the text of the collection is complete). If any backers have a form of color blindness that would prevent you from reading text printed in color, send me a message so I can prepare a version of the book that uses black for all essential text.

I'm excited to see the collection take shape. Thanks for your patience as I finish production.

Happy 2012 and thanks again for backing heads of state. I want to share what I'm doing on the project and what still remains to be completed.

Last month I playtested sic semper tyrannus twice. I'm now satisfied with how it works. I think I'm done with playtesting these games. 

I've been busy editing the texts of the nine games. I'm still working on coup d'etat and sic semper tyrannus. I also need to make a few revisions to the introduction and  acknowledgements.

With the end of editing in sight, I've also started trying out some layout elements and cover designs. I like modern/ modernist graphic design and I think it works well with the subject matter.

I still need to decide which photographs to include and where to place them, finalize the interior layout, create a table of contents and play aids/ appendices. This will probably take me until the end of the month, so my target is to complete the pdf versions of the collection and the nine individual games by the end of April. I'd print the physical copies in May.

One of the fun, and challenging, aspects of finalizing heads of state has been thinking of the design and presentation of ten products: the collection and nine separate booklets. (Cover images for the individual booklets will also be included in the collection as section intros.)

I've been trying out some cover concepts. I'm attaching four below. I'm leaning towards a grid cover  with multiple 'heads' for the main collection. The dictators and colors may change. The cover concept for new edition trends towards the satirical while the concept cover for as i lay dying has a more serious tone. I'm attaching two variants of the as i lay dying concept. 

I'll post more cover concepts, interior images, and layout samples as I progress.

mark

Hi,

The kickstarter for Heads of State is nearing the end. I'm grateful for your support. Last chance to share with anyone you think may be interested. 

dictator news of the week

The end of 2011 is also approaching, bringing with it retrospectives on what NPR labelled a 'bad year for dictators.'

This week Kim Jong-il's body was moved to its resting place, with son and successor Kim Jong-un walking through the snow, next to the hearse. 

The United States is deciding how to respond to a request by Yemeni ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was injured during protests, to enter the country for medical treatment. 

Guatemala has decided to drop charges against former dictator Oscar Mejia since the 80 year old is too ill to be tried for the mass killings of indigenous people and dissidents he oversaw during the 1980s.

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen will be starring in Republic of Wadiya, a comedy about a dictator, whom from the trailer seems to be closely based on some of Gadaffi's eccentricities. 

A 10th game about tyrants

I'm happy to announce that Heads of State will include a tenth short games. Game designer Jonathan Walton approached me with the cool idea of including a one page game as a dedication to the series. He has written a game called Interregnum, which is about the struggle for power following the collapse of empire and/or end of colonialism - and the conflicts that can arise between would be rulers' values and their rise to power.

 Heads of State reached its funding goal yesterday, with a week left until the kickstarter closes, so I will be publishing the games. Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to the Kickstarter! I'll keep you up to date on my progress as I move into production. 

The top dictator news of the week was no doubt the death of Korean ruler Kim Jong-il . Kim, dictator of North Korea since his father's death in 1994, is succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un. Ironically, up until 1972 North Korean political doctrine defined hereditary succession as "a reactionary custom of exploitative societies adopted by feudal lords as a means to perpetuate dictatorial rule."

Vaclav Havel, Czech dissident, playright and president, who also died over the weekend, played a very different historical role than Kim Jong-il, helping topple despotic regimes in Eastern Europe.

Heads of State is getting close to funding. Thanks to everyone who has contributed and hopefully we’ll get a few more donors in coming days to push it over the top.

Dictator news of the week 

North Korea has warned South Korea not to light a 100 foot tall Christmas tree shaped tower near the border, referring to the tree as a form of psychological warfare. 

In response to a question whether “The high winds of Spring Arabic he blew up to Djibouti?,” President Ismail Omar Guelleh told local press that he would not run for president again when his current term expired in 2016.

The Congress of the United States passed a defense authorization bill containing provisions allowing the government to indefinitely detain persons suspected of terrorism or support of terrorist organizations. President Barack Obama signed it into law on the 220th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. 

Heads of state on The Revs show, Monday, December 19 at 6 pm pacific time.

 Thanks to Rev Dak, who is a local gamer and advocate for anti-authoritarian politics, for inviting me to be on The Revs show on killradio.org this coming Monday, Dec 19. The show runs from 6-8 pm pacific time. I’ll be in studio talking about Heads of State, trying out a couple of the games, and also discussing local and national politics. Visit    www.killradio.org for the station link & stream and and www.revolt-losangeles.com for  webcam and IRC/chat.

 Picturing heads of state

One of the images that will be included in the game is this pic of a rally for the dictator Augusto Pinochet by the Chilean photojournalist Marcelo Montecino. The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano wrote about a photo taken of a well known mobster, shot to death in a barbershop in New York City, that: “Death was there:  not in the dead man, nor in the killer.  Death was in the face of the barber looking on.” In a similar manner I like this photo of the rally because I can see power, not in the small figures of the dignitaries at the top of the stairs, but in the sunglasses of the guard in the foreground.