“Mick's Magical Mazes” is a board
game where the board is made up of hexagonal tiles with a 'door' on
each side to guarantee that there is always a path between two tiles.
The players work independently or in groups to clear each section of
the maze, fighting it's denizens and collecting loot. When no more
can be accomplished on the current 'map', simply exit the maze and
lay out a new one! “Mick's Magical Mazes” are inhabited by
zombies and minotaurs as well as guitar-stealing hipsters,
near-sighted big-game hunters, and that annoying teenage girl who
thinks you're her best friend. Throughout “Mick's Magical Mazes”
you can find loot such as the Spoon of Super Strength, the Codpiece
of Charming Wit, and the Glasses of Hidden Doors. Use these items to
go further into the maze – and live to tell the tale.
The target consumer age group for
“Mick's Magical Mazes” would have to be Mature, or 18+. Drugs,
alcohol, nudity, violence, and coarse language will all make their
appearances. To further define the target audience, university-aged
people who could fall into the categories of 'nerd' or 'geek'.
“Mick's Magical Mazes” would be
produced here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and sold online using Paypal
with the possibility of a few local retail locations such as Strange
Adventures carrying the game. Marketing would be a bit slow at first
as it would rely more on word-of-mouth, the sharing of links that so
often happens when someone finds something they find amusing (whether
for good or bad reasons) online. But there would also be a series of
short animations (possibly including live actors green-screened in)
based on the game idea. Up to seventy-five seven minute episodes.
The funding to start Studio Pultimily,
the creator of the game and the studio which would produce the
promotional series, would be sought first through government grants
(a quick search revealed the company is potentially eligible for up
to $900 000 worth of such grants) and if they don't cover the
necessary start-up costs and the cost of leasing a space to work in,
other investors would need to be brought in.
Studio Pultimily could also produce
another version of the game, to be played on devices such as the
iPhone. This venture would involve fewer risks and has the potential
of being more lucrative. It needn't take up physical space in the
studio and can be distributed digitally, instead of needing to ship.
and once the game is finished, there is very little cost to
reproducing it, unlike with the board game which needs hundreds of
pieces to be printed and sorted. Also, additional content can be
added quickly and easily.
A next-generation console version of
the game could be produced as well, or even a
Massively-Multiplayer-Online version. These versions would require
immensely more detailed graphics, sounds, and storyline, increasing
the production time and cost to be too risky a venture to start at
this time.
If a reader is familiar with board
games, they may have picked up a similarity to Steve Jackson's
Munchkin games. Or maybe there hasn't been enough detail laid out
yet. In either case, the concept for this game first sparked in my
head after playing Munchkin Cthulhu and Settlers of Catan (possibly
in the same night). That was five or six years ago now, and it's
evolved somewhat, though it's evolution seems to be somewhat
circular.
I've forgotten most of the ideas I've
had for the creature or encounter cards, but here is a list of the
rather generic ideas I jotted down the other day:
Orcs Goblins Fairies Elves Brownies Pixies Gnomes
Sprites Dwarves Kobalds Gnolls Ogres Giants Minotaurs
Satyrs Nymphs Dryads Centaurs Firbolg Trolls Zombies
Ghosts Wraiths Banshees Ghouls Skeletons Vampires Werewolves
Imps Demons Angels Leprechauns Dragons Wyverns Drakes
Lich Witch Wizard Mage Magician Warlock Cultist
Priest Cleric Monk Thieves Thugs Rogues Knights
Bandits Pirates Ninjas Cowboys Druids Minions Gryphons
Unicorns Will-o-wisps Gremlins Hippogryphs Mermaids Warriors Barbarians
Sorcerers Bard Minstrel Sphinx Manticore Chimera Golems
Elementals Naga Pegasus Seer Prophet Fortune-Teller Poltergeist
Archer Ranger Hunter Swordsman Brawler Pike-man Musketeers
Assassins Robots Aliens Bounty
Hunter Scout Smuggler
Farmer Peasant Noble Sailor Soldier Shaman Witch-doctor
Slave Succubus Mummy Halfling Human Scholar Princess
Prince King Queen Jester Trapper Trader Merchant
Fence Cyborg Marine Bear Wolf Rat Spider
Cat Fox Rabit Dog Deer Moose Snake
Crow Vulture Hawk Pigeon Elephant Crocodile Turtle
Ape Rhino Hippo Raven Spy Messenger Explorer
Gladiator Poet Prisoner Cow Bull Chicken Pig
Horse Goat Sheep
As for the 'setting' of the tiles, I
had the idea of starting with a generic stone wall and cobblestones,
and then a list of ideas for 'expansions'.
Hedge Maze Gardens Dark
Forest Swamp Badlands
Desert
Islands Glaciers Crypts Ghost Town Haunted Castle
Dungeons Sewers Bathroom Caves Volcano
Office Building Cruise Ship Ancient
Ruins Library Zoo
Mall Spaceship/station Laboratory Warehouse
A device similar to an Abacus would be
used for keeping track of a player's attributes, meaning there would
be no need for pencil and paper. Some loot cards can be 'equipped'
to adjust the 'available' beads, while others 'used' to change the
'current' number of beads.
A physical attack = 1d6 * current
Strength
A magical attack = 1d6 * current Magic
Charm opponent = 1d6 * current Wit
A retreat = 1d6 * current Speed
Sneak Past = 1d6 * current Volume
An attack succeeds if greater than the
corresponding 'defend' attribute on the target creature.
If attack succeeds (1d6)
stun < 3 > kill
If attack fails (1d6)
Stunned (miss turn) > 3 < loose
1 available Health
A player can perform up to six actions
per turn, the number determined by a die roll for each successive
action. A failed roll ends the turn.
1st action: roll > 1
2nd action: roll > 2
3rd action: roll > 3
4th action: roll > 4
5th action: roll > 5
6th action: roll = 6
And this is an example of what a board
might look like. The tiles would need some work, but you this is the
general idea.
