Thursday, November 2

NaGa DeMon 2017: Part 1 - Introducing FlickFleet

I've decided on the walk to the station this morning to take part in NaGa DeMon (National Game Design Month) again this November. Like the good old days I'll be running a competition so you can all collect Pointless Internet Points (PIPs) for all the help you provide me during the month. The person who helps the most will get a copy of the game as it stands at the end of November shipped anywhere in the world for free! In addition, the top three (at least) will get their names mentioned in the rulebook in the examples and everyone who gets involved will get a shoutout in the credits.

This time round I'm working on a dexterity game (I've alluded to it a few times on twitter as the 'Super Secret Dexterity Game' - clearly it's less secret now!). It's essentially the illegitimate lovechild of Star Wars Armada and Pitch Car - a game in which you flick a fleet of capital ships around a table and then flick dice at each other to fire weapons.


You can read the latest rules (and comment to your heart's content) here.

So as before, there are PIPs available. You get your first free PIP for commenting below and offering to help design FlickFleet (working title). There's a second PIP available for subscribing to my quarterly email newsletter. After that you'll have to provide some meaningful help to the project to get more points: signal boosting on twitter, Google+ or somewhere else, reading and commenting on the rules, proof-reading and corrections, printing and playing the game (requires access to a laser cutter I'm afraid!) or anything else I find helpful. To further encourage you, you'll get ranked according to your level of support:

PIPsRank
0-1Red shirt
2-5Ensign (Expendable) 3rd Class
6-10Very Petty Officer
11-15Officer Cadet
16-20Lieutenant
21-30XO
31-50Captain
51+Grand High Uber Vizier Destruction

All points are awarded at my discretion and I'm capricious, so have a go and see what happens!

19 comments:

GamesBook said...

Yay! I'm a RedShirt (my life's ambition).

Will grab the rules to read-and-review.

Eric Francis said...

Random Crew Member reporting for duty!

Jackson Pope said...

Hiya Derek,

For turning up: 1 PIP. For turning up first, and showing extra-keeness, a second PIP! Congratulations, you've been promoted to Ensign (Expendable) 3rd Class. Please report to the Small Arms Locker, we need someone to run the new nitroglycerine grenades over to the marines. To improve their aerodynamics they're perfectly spherical and Teflon-coated. We've provided a matching Teflon-coated tray to transport them on - be careful though, it doesn't have a lip round the edge. Now, get them to the marines! On the double!

Cheers,

Jack

Jackson Pope said...

Hiya Eric,

Welcome aboard Red Shirt Francis. Please report to the Methane Toilets for Janitorial Duty. They'll provide rubber gloves, but they might not be the right size. I'm sure you'll be fine. 1 PIP for turning up!

Cheers,

Jack

GamesBook said...

Wow! It feels like an episode of "Paranoia: Clones in Space" (but without the clones, of course!)

Hmmm. This could also be the makings of a fine new game ... the aim being to see how many characters you can kill off by competing for the most dangerous missions available; while everyone else is trying to keep you alive. One might label it as a kind of non-coperative co-op.

Jackson Pope said...

Well, well, well Ensign Book. Within seconds of promotion you're being insouciant towards your Commanding Officer. That was a cushy assignment I offered you, but if you're determined to be cheeky I'm sure I can find something else. Please report to the Nuclear Weapon tubes, we need someone to polish out any nicks or scratches during missile test firing. Please remember to duck if you hear the missile in your tube launching.

Cheers,

Jack

GamesBook said...

Ulp. I did not realise I was serving on an Imperial Death Ship. I think I'll take refuge for a while in one of these Garbage Compactors - I am sure they are perfectly safe ...

Jackson Pope said...

Surely the job titles were a giveaway?

Where's that damn Ensign Book gone? Red Shirt Francis, get rid of that Methane Toilet sludge in the Garbage Compactor and see if you can find him.

Cheers,

Jack

P.S. A PIP for Derek for getting in character!

zircher said...

Coolness, will have to grab the rules for my lunch time reading. Oh, and I am totally not a robot.

zircher said...

Oh, and you may not need a laser cutter if some clever soul figures out how to get the pieces on to Table Top Simulator (the program even has flicking built into it.) Is that shamelessly worth a PIP?

Jackson Pope said...

Excellent, welcome aboard Not A Cyborg Zircher. As a valuable Red Shirt member of the team you have been assigned to Engineering. Please start off by polishing the rods in the fusion reactor. There's a health and safety manual around here somewhere, but I've misplaced it, I'm sure you'll be fine it's all pretty self-explanatory.

Cheers,

Jack

P.S. 1 PIP for Red Shirt Zircher.

Jackson Pope said...

Not A Cyborg Zircher! Report to the Bridge! Thanks to your proofing of the rules and suggestions you've been awarded 2 PIPs and a promotion to Ensign (Expendable) 3rd Class. To celebrate your promotion please report to the Officers' Mess where you have been given the privilege of preparing the highly poisonous Star Fungus for the officers. Beware of the spores, you need to remove them all as they are the poisonous bit (and poisoning your superiors is a capital offence), but they are easily dislodged and form a poisonous miasma around the preparer. You have been warned.

Cheers,

Jack

P.S. I've only just spotted your Tabletop Simulator comment above. Have another PIP, I'm feeling magnanimous.

zircher said...

Thinking about the TTS thing, laser cutters use SVG files, yes? I wonder if there is a painless way to get that geometry into a 3d modeller. The idea being that you can have a virtual game of FlickFleet if you wanted to go that route. [Assuming that you would be okay with that, I don't know what plans you have for the game.]

GamesBook said...

I've lost some weight in the Garbage Compactor and polished some of the rules. Reporting for next assignment ...

Jackson Pope said...

Not A Cyborg Zircher: Good idea. I'll investigate. Have a PIP.

Ensign Book. What is that smell? Smells like the Garbage Compactor is leaking. Anyway. I think you're NCO material. You've done a great job polishing the missile tubes and the rules (have 3 PIPs!). I hearby promote you to Very Petty Officer. For your first assignment, seeing as you're so good at polishing, report to the Officers' Washroom. You can polish our brass urinals. They're slightly unusual in their convexity, but that way round they make 'things' look bigger.

Cheers,

Jack

P.S. Thanks for your rules feedback - I'll incorporate later!

zircher said...

I've done the 3d modelling thing for table top simulator before. I can have a go at it if you don't want to mess with it. Not expecting you to go out and buy it on Steam just to humor me. :-)

Jackson Pope said...

Not A Cyborg Zircher! No-one wants to hear about your modelling career - put your pipes, wires and cogs away, man. Your scenario suggestions (2 PIPs) and 3D modelling offer (1 PIP) have earnt you a promotion too. Very Petty Officer. It's a great responsibility. Don't screw it up.

Here's a SVG of the ships for a single player: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6Dp4eQ_C5cdZGtGM3U5T0thejQ

Cheers,

Jack

Unknown said...

Good Luck,

How about:
'The Dice Amongst Us'
'The Shooting Dice'

FlickFleet does sound about right though.

Jackson Pope said...

Hiya Mike,

Thanks for getting involved! Have 2 PIPs (and an instant promotion!) for the name suggestions. I think of the three I still prefer FlickFleet, but keep them coming!

Cheers,

Jack