Here is a developer's preview of HexWar's Infection: Humanity's Last Gasp App, which is the digital conversion of my solitaire boardgame. w00t!
http://youtu.be/SlwAPzsp-yA
Friday, 13 February 2015
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
A gamer translated Infection into French so their 83 year old father could play it
So as many of you know I designed a solitaire boardgame called Infection: Humanity's Last Gasp published by Victory Point Games.
So it came to my attention that one of the people who owned my game who lives in France shared the following story:
I know the game since it was published. It plays fast, it's puzzly, it's thematic, it's challenging. So many qualities... I like that game a lot.
What I didn't notice before last month was that there is a story in it.... and it's funny.
Personal back-up story
Last Christmas, my father - who will be 83 in a week and has never played a boardgame in his life - asked me to find a solo boardgame he could play.
First idea that came to my mind while talking with him was Infection. However, he doesn't understand English: I had to translate the rules and the cards in French.
I assumed, it would not be an easy task.
Before initiating translation, I asked for advice in the 1st Player Guild Forum on BoardGameGeek. I received a lot of very interesting suggestions (I'm still working on two of them) but as I "sold" Infection to my father in the first place, he was really interested in playing that particular game.
It took me more time than I expected.
It is especially challenging to translate cards. Very often, it takes several words in French whereas English use one or two to express the same idea.
Anyway, I did finish the translation just in time to send the game to my father for his birthday (it was the initial goal).
My revelation regarding infection story
When I play, I focus on the effects (place a molecule here or there, subtract 1 or add 2 to your die roll...) and not on the ambiance text.
The translation forced me to read every single word on the cards.
That's was a mistake to ignore the ambiance text. It's really worth it.
There is a true life in this Laboratory!
Adam, who is the youngest team's member, is really a nice "kid". He fells asleep regularly which pisses of Amanda whereas Sylvia is more forgiving. He disguises Marvin - the Lab Rat - when he's got some free time and watches TV a lot! The relationship are tensed between the Lab guys and the story develops in few-well-chosen words.
On the other hand, there is also a life outside the Lab. The death section tells that story like a never-ending-scrolling information at the bottom of the TV screen while watching the TV-news.
Just don't know how I could have missed the excellent job they did with the story in this game.
It cannot be called a "story-telling" game, though, but there is a story. I will play it with new eyes now.
So it came to my attention that one of the people who owned my game who lives in France shared the following story:
I know the game since it was published. It plays fast, it's puzzly, it's thematic, it's challenging. So many qualities... I like that game a lot.
What I didn't notice before last month was that there is a story in it.... and it's funny.
Personal back-up story
Last Christmas, my father - who will be 83 in a week and has never played a boardgame in his life - asked me to find a solo boardgame he could play.
First idea that came to my mind while talking with him was Infection. However, he doesn't understand English: I had to translate the rules and the cards in French.
I assumed, it would not be an easy task.
Before initiating translation, I asked for advice in the 1st Player Guild Forum on BoardGameGeek. I received a lot of very interesting suggestions (I'm still working on two of them) but as I "sold" Infection to my father in the first place, he was really interested in playing that particular game.
It took me more time than I expected.
It is especially challenging to translate cards. Very often, it takes several words in French whereas English use one or two to express the same idea.
Anyway, I did finish the translation just in time to send the game to my father for his birthday (it was the initial goal).
My revelation regarding infection story
When I play, I focus on the effects (place a molecule here or there, subtract 1 or add 2 to your die roll...) and not on the ambiance text.
The translation forced me to read every single word on the cards.
That's was a mistake to ignore the ambiance text. It's really worth it.
There is a true life in this Laboratory!
Adam, who is the youngest team's member, is really a nice "kid". He fells asleep regularly which pisses of Amanda whereas Sylvia is more forgiving. He disguises Marvin - the Lab Rat - when he's got some free time and watches TV a lot! The relationship are tensed between the Lab guys and the story develops in few-well-chosen words.
On the other hand, there is also a life outside the Lab. The death section tells that story like a never-ending-scrolling information at the bottom of the TV screen while watching the TV-news.
Just don't know how I could have missed the excellent job they did with the story in this game.
It cannot be called a "story-telling" game, though, but there is a story. I will play it with new eyes now.
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