About
Thrones: The Best of Cyvasse, Chess, and Stratego
$7,324
106
What is Thrones?
Thrones is a two-player 9x9 board game where each players set their tiles and pieces secretly, screened from their opponent's view, until the screen is removed, the middle fifth row is set, and the battle's combat begins. The object of the game is kill their opponent's King; alternatively, a player may win by occupying his opponent's Fortress with his own King.
Laughing over strategy and tactics
We all stand on the shoulders of giants; that is to say, everyone is, in some way, influenced by someone or something else. This game has influences from multiple games, some obscure, and some well-known; two years of development have allowed me to hone multiple gameplay elements into something truly inspiring. The appeal of Thrones, however, is something else entirely. There is a very real social element to this seemingly simple strategy game.
When I designed it, I made sure to leave as much up to the players as possible. Tile placement is almost completely unregulated, except for an absolutely necessary balancing rule, as is piece placement. Winning can be done in multiple ways, in spite of one's combat losses.
What occurs from this hands-off design is a quality all its own, something uniquely human; the emergence of strangely exciting, and memorable moments, such as:
- Seeing your opponent's side for the first time, in of its inglorious evil, with a shining Fortress just begging to be ruined.
- The sinking realization that it's inevitable that some of your pieces will die; such is war, such is life.
- The quiet desperation of attempting to pull out off a win despite heavy losses by running your King to your enemy's now sparsely defended Fortress and PULLING IT OFF with one move to spare.
And that's just the first couple plays, in standard gameplay. This is a game that is truly easy to learn but nearly impossible to master. People tend to learn little consistencies in their opponents, which then turns the innocent starting setup into a game of poker face expressions and sinister chuckles, and the combat into a game of weighing sacrifices for the good of the realm.
Imagine what your games could become, what you could make your own? Games don't have to be confined to just my boards, although I make them to be highly functional, physically durable, as well as aesthetically pleasing.
Functional design and appealing aesthetic
Each board is a little under 11 inches square, with 1 inch tiles and a standing height of 2.75 inches.
The playing fields are both removable; the top going one way, and the bottom (partially removed in the above picture), the opposite way. The intended design is to remove the top field to access the inner compartment and divide out the pieces and tiles. Once that's done, the top field is replaced, and the bottom removed, to serve as the screen between the players. The bottom field also contains "lock" which uses the Fortress tiles, and negates the bottom randomly sliding out.
The bottom field will have the rules screen printed (an ancient method of transferring the design directly to surfaces) onto them; each page printed on one side of the board. For those of you who opt to choose a decal design, it will be screen printed onto the top field, on top of the finished wood, and then sealed and protected using lacquer coating. It will look quite smashing, but also more detailed and colorful (per each person's design).
What are the rules?
Svenska! Espanol! Deutsch! Italiano! Hungarian!
Why Kickstarter?
- The quality of the game is not where I want it to be; everything from the piece color consistency to the embellishments of the board need work, and in order to get it flawless, or as close as humanly possible, I need tools. A degasser, a proper miter saw, etc. will do wonders towards piece consistency and board beauty and quality in general. Using what I have has gotten me far, but I'm not going to sell anyone anything under my name unless it goes above and beyond.
- This game is worth sharing. It's worth it, sharing with you. It took some spurring from my closest family and friends to get to this point; I have used much of my own money to make this game, teaching myself woodworking and 3-D design, all so I could bring a few into existence. Sadly, I am not able to continue without assistance.
- I'll be honest (and hopefully not too preachy), gang; I don't want to stop here. I'm a proud father of this game, because it's something that emphasizes what makes any game, and honestly, if I may be so bold, any life, fun and exciting; freedom. Freedom to play a game, to live out and invest yourself in a real way, is what creates a fun, fond, memorable experience, and that's something I think much of our entertainment today is lacking. So help me bring back beautiful, unique, funny moments, stories you look back on and smile at, through this game's medium, and this kickstarter today, and maybe, if fate smiles on us both, we may see something ten times as great tomorrow.
Stretch Goals!
Risks and challenges
Honestly, although this is my first project, the overall process will be handled exclusively by me, and I've nailed every aspect of production down. Everything, from obtaining the wood and supplies, to immediate construction process and quality control, to supporting production in longer terms, is written down in my personal notebook, whether it be figures, notes, child-like doodles, or spur-of-the-moment epiphanies, I have poured my heart and soul for the last two years into this notebook so I can make this game something I, and hopefully you, will love playing and discussing for the rest of our lives.
The biggest challenge I have faced is the beautiful strain of Thrones weighing heavily on my mind for two years. That said, no plan ever survives first contact; I'm absolutely ready to tackle any issues that arise.
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Funding period
- (30 days)