GOI Board Game

[HamsterIV]

What started out as a random idea of making a Guns of Icarus Board game using similar game play mechanics as the Firefly board game has take on a life of its own. I plan on using the Guns of Icarus world map as the game board.
Note this map was made by Muse and I am borrowing it for a game board base.

I want to use screen shots of the various ships, guns, items as special cards and tokens in the game.
Most importantly the names of members of our community as crew in the game.

Below are links to the various downloadable elements of the board game. It is still a work in progress and will be revised with proof reading and play testing.

Link to latest revision of the Game rules:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19MnGm8L4ZkZ8swj3a1EtOpJPGpok9pZm4yc32Sfitn4/edit?usp=sharing

Encounter Cards:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ppleiB5LEkz1JmsDsPWxEk9paOJYtdCEftAzRqStRzk/pubhtml

Market Cards:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-EygYkdfI7RnQi-NH9QfDb2m5eMK3b25dgo_h4S1LuY/pubhtml

Future Link to Printable tokens for the game:

Future Link to Item spread sheet:

Future Link to finalized PDF file to print and play:

How you can help:
Proof read the rule book and let me know what seems too complex, or doesn't make sense.
Offer you name and likeness as a NPC crew member in the game.
Play test the game and give me feedback over what went well and what seems broken.
Help with Art work at when and if we get around to polishing the game.

The Goal:
Ultimately this is a derived work that greatly infringes on the intellectual property of Muse. At any point they are well with in their rights to tell me to knock it off or they will file a cease and desist order. My goal is not to make something fun that can deliver a bit of the Guns of Icarus magic while sitting around a table with your friends. To that end I will make public all my development notes and the final version will be a PDF file that people can print out and use to play the game for free.

Special Note:
For community members who wish to be in the game as NPC crew members. I want to keep control over the balancing of this game so I can not guarantee you will be as awesome in game as you think you should be. If you still want to be part of this send me your Name, your Favorite Class or Two Classes, your favorite part of the game, and an quote that best reflects who you are. Please don't submit for your friends as I don't want to use their name and likeness without their permission.

Special Note for Muse:
It would be nice if you tell me early that you don't want me developing a board game based on the world you created. 

[HamsterIV]

To clear up some confusion:

Send me your Name, your Favorite Class or Two Classes, your favorite part of the game, and an quote that best reflects who you are.

This refers to your favorite part of Guns of Icarus. That way I can make special rules around you character. For example if you like teaching newbies your character could add and extra +1 to engineering checks if there are more than one swabie on the crew. Or if you like mines you character could have a +1 gunnery skill when using mines. This is all subject to game balance and I can't promise you will have special powers.

One more thing:
Please include which faction you wish to be associated with. That will determine which city your NPC likeness can be found in.

[Indreams]

I like boardgames, but I haven't played firefly board game. Please keep that in mind as you answer my question.

Reading the rule book, I don't see much player to player interaction. It looks like the game revolves around jobs and getting rewards. Is the game going to be a 1-player game? Did I miss a section on player to player interaction?

I think I'd like to be an npc. I'll send you a pm.

Great work Hamster!

[HamsterIV]

There is very little player interaction in the Firefly board game, and it is possible to play by yourself (forever alone). The game is essentially a race to get to the end condition first. There is very little you can do to trip up other players. I like this aspect of the game since it causes less animosity between players. If anything bad happens it is because the player made a bad choice or the game world was feeling particularly evil on that player's turn.

Player interaction is as follows. Buy the unique/cool stuff before the other players do. Offer to trade with a player if they are in the same sector. In firefly you can move an NPC reaver ship and Alliance cruiser to block your opponents however I have removed that from this game as there too many rules and moving parts as it is. In the advanced firefly rules there is a bounty hunting system, however for this game I want to start small and add new mechanics if they make sense.

By start small I mean that labyrinth of a rule book I made.

[Alexor Huxley]

Awesome ^^ I must definitely peruse these rules more thoroughly once I'm not in the midst of helping produce a show.

[HamsterIV]

Working on encounter Cards:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ppleiB5LEkz1JmsDsPWxEk9paOJYtdCEftAzRqStRzk/pubhtml

Faction Encounter Cards are drawn as the player flies through Faction Space.
Wild Encounter Cards are draw as the player flies through Wild Space.
Dirty work Encounter Cards are drawn as the player Works a Smuggeling or Assault mission.

Most Fly cards will be "Clear Skies, Keep Flying" only 1 in 3 will have a special encounter.

The way an encounter card works:
The player has three options
Take the Skill Check in Option 1 and resolve the check based on what is written
Take the Skill Check in Option 2 and resolve the check based on what is written
Happen to have the Ace in the hole Keyword on an item or crew member and pass the card automaticaly.

Fly cards result in Keep Flying or Full Stop. Full Stop ends the player's fly action where as Keep Flying allows the player to draw more flight cards if they have the engine range to do so.

Dirty Work cards result in Proceed, Botched, or Initiate War.
Proceed means the player can move on to the next phase of the job be it Completion, Another Dirty Work Card, or a Terminal action.
Botched means the work action has failed but the crew got away unnoticed. The job can be attempted again next turn.
Initiate War means the player was caught red handed, due to your actions both factions loose respect for you and the job is lost.

Note to CA/MODs can you append

Encounter Cards:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ppleiB5LEkz1JmsDsPWxEk9paOJYtdCEftAzRqStRzk/pubhtml

beneath the other link on the main page?

[Bronzium]

I'l admit I've never been one who's keen on boardgames (Monopoly, Scrabble, card games, and Clue are about as far as I've gotten on such a thing). However, I would be more than willing to throw in my likeness if you want. Would you wish for me to PM you about this, or simply post the info here?

[HamsterIV]

@ Bronzium Either one would be fine.

[HamsterIV]

Sample NPC Submission:

Name: Hamster IV
Favorite Class: Pilot & engineer
Favorite part of the game: Yelling a people
Quote: "If the front guns aren't shooting in the next 5 seconds you will all be flogged."
Faction: Angelean Raiders

[Bronzium]

Name: Bronzium
Favorite Class: Engineer & Gunner
Favorite part of the game: Being a Main Engineer
Quote: "If it's broken, I fix it."
Faction: Mercantile Guild

[HamsterIV]

Here are some ideas for special powers:

Teacher: +1 Engineering skill for every two swabbies/steerers/powder monkeys on the ship.
Organizer: +1 Engineering skill for every three crew on the ship (including self)
Long shot: +1 Gunnery skill for any gunnery check taken at medium or long range
Baker: Adds the Flame keyword to the ship even if the ship doesn't have any fire based weapons.
Cool under fire: +1 Pilot skill for every 3 damage the ship has taken
Efficient flier: +1 ship range
Marksman: Adds Shatter keyword even if there are no shatter weapons (because I can totally hit that from here)
Keen Eyes: Can not be Ambushed. Resolve ambush encounters with normal encounter rules.
Artful Dodger: +1 Piloting skill durring any encounter where the other option is a gunnery check.
Aggressive piloting: Add +1 pilot skill to a Gunnery check at close range when not using a gun.
Master of Disguise: Only fails a wanted roll on Cruiser Intercept if the roll is 1.
Tactical Bump: Can never be flanked. Resolve Flanking encounters with normal encounter rules.
Tactical Genius: Resolve a Gunnery action at +1 range or -1 range.

[awkm]

Very cool.  We won't give you a C&D, don't worry.

I'm actually looking to draw from games like Small World, Vinci, and Risk for Co-op metagame (world territory conquering and defending).  It'll be an interesting implementation.  I wonder how much of your designs will coincide with mine.

If you have any questions about lore or whatever, you know where to find me.

[HamsterIV]

Thanks Awkm.

The game I envision is of a smaller scale where you are trying to get rich and keep your crew alive in a hostile world. More mercenary captain than fleet commander. I don't even want to delve into the combat mechanics to deeply since not matter what I do, it will be poor in comparison to actual GOIO game play. What I want the game to explore is putting together a solid ship and crew. Then going out and doing something that would be impossible to do with the early game crew. Hence drawing from the community for Crew member names and abilities.

[Extirminator]

BTW, A really awesome game that I'd like to point out, and a really good testing ground for this might be Tabletop Simulator http://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/. It's a really good simulation game for tabletop games, you can make custom games for it through the workshop, from custom tables, 3d-modeled props and customized cards.
Might be worth a look

[shaelyn]

heyyyyyyy can I be an NPC?  ^^;

Name:  shaelyn
(preferred lower-case s, but I understand if you end up capitalizing it)
Class:  gunner
Favorite part of the game:  for the purposes of the board game, let's say perfect hades hits, whether long-range lesmok or a barrage of greased rounds at just the right distance.  <3 <3 <3
Quote:  "You guys don't mind singing on this ship, do you?"
Faction:  Arashi League