Game Designs


I've been designing games since 2014 and as of 2023, I have almost 100 designs at various stages of completion, from just rough ideas, to fully realized versions on The Game Crafter.  And, as of March 2021, I have signed a contract for Rolling Seas to be my first, officially published game!

Below is a list of everything I'm working on, with links to pages with more details for games that have pages.  However, I come up with and start working on ideas faster than I can keep this list updated, so feel free to contact me to find out what else I have in the works!

Where appropriate I've included a few keywords about the general status of these games, particularly the ones I'm actively working on:
  • COMPLETE - Generally the game is complete and I'm not actively working on it.  
  • REWORKING - The game was in a solid, playable state, but I'm reworking something about it. This may be graphics or updated files, or taking the idea of the game and making major revisions. 
  • PLAYTESTING - The game is currently being playtested or at least has the components ready and is waiting for playtesting opportunities.
  • PRE-PLAYTESTING - Usually this means the rules are written, but I'm working on making components so the game can be playtested.
  • RULES WRITING - I'm in the process of writing out rules before I start making components.
  • IDEA PHASE - I've simply jotted down an idea for these games.  Rules still have to be fleshed out.
  • ON HOLD - I've stopped development on this but would like to return to it if I ever have time.
  • INACTIVE - No plans to work with this idea any further, sometimes because it's evolved into something else.
The Latest Ideas:
These are the latest ideas that have my attention.  I may be actively working on them, or have just jotted down ideas.
  • Rolling Seas - COMPLETE/MORE - While the game is complete and has been signed, I've been working with the publisher's development team to further enhance the game.  Some really cool enhancements have been added and I've been working on more expansion content, too!
  • Antioch - PLAYTESTING - Antioch is a tile-laying and area-influence game inspired by classic games like Tigris & Euphrates, Taluva, Mexica, and more.  Set in the ancient Roman city of Antioch, you play as a construction guild working to build and rebuild the city after increasingly destructive earthquakes.  You'll gain Prestige from Rome as you construct buildings and clear Rubble from the destructive quakes.  A unique scoring mechanism creates a strategic shift throughout the course of the game, resulting in an interesting game arc.
  • Duct Tape Roll & Lodge Members Expansion - PLAYTESTING - This idea is inspired by the Red Green Show!  It'll be a press-your-luck, resource management, crafting game that uses elements from both Roll Through the Ages and Dice of Crowns to have players rolling dice to collect duct tape and various parts (junk, tools, appliances, and old cars) to create various Handyman Corner style projects that are held together with lots of duct tape!  But watch out for explosions!  And you may need to send bumbling Harold out on an errand that he may, or may not, accomplish!  The Lodge Members Expansion adds seven main characters from the Red Green Show that can give you some unique abilities.  You'll recognize Ranger Gord, Mike Hammar, Ed Frid, and more!
  • Polyhedral Games - VARIOUS STAGES - See the Polyhedral Series page for more details on these games.  This is a series of games that I'm working on that revolves around a set of polyhedral dice as the only, or primary components.  These are in various stages of completion.
  • Beard Snacks - REWORKING/COMPLETE - Beard Snacks works great as-is, but I've been toying around with some ideas to really push the engine-building aspect of the game and streamline some parts.  This means redoing all the cards though, and that's been a daunting task that I haven't wanted to take the time for.  It's on my list though!
  • MiniSkull Dungeons R&W - RULES WRITING - A roll & write game using a you-cut-I-choose mechanic similar to SwordCrafters.  Players split a group of dice into pairs and then draft a pair of those dice to explore a dungeon, discover treasures, and fight monsters.
  • Polyhedral Planeteers - RULES WRITING - A 4x game about exploring planets throughout the galaxy, using a set of polyhedral dice to drive actions each turn.  Each player is a unique faction with special abilities and technologies to research that will help them as they eXplore the galaxy, eXpand their control, eXploit for resources, and eXterminate their opponents.
  • Polyhedral Plunder - RULES WRITING - A simultaneous-play Roll & Write game with a set of polyhedral dice.  You are archeologists excavating an ancient temple, exploring various rooms to find priceless artifacts.  Each round you must decide if you will take your findings to the local academic institution for further study to eventually earn you grants to fund further excavations or plunder the temple to sell the goods on the black market for immediate gains, but at risk of being discovered and losing reputation.
  • The Paperback Helpdesk - PRE_PLAYTESTING - A party game where players take turns calling the emergency support helpdesk for their novel and ask a question of the utmost importance.  You may be surprised at the answers the Agents give!  This started out as part of the one-card design contest at The Game Crafter, but is being expanded into a bigger game with more card options.
  • Parkour - IDEA PHASE - A very early stage idea for a game based on the sport of parkour.  This will involve hand-building, similar to Grifters, but as a base mechanic with other elements of engine and route building.
  • Rorschach Blots - IDEA PHASE - A party game that combines elements of games like Pictionary and Dixit with ink blots that people have to see images in.
  • The Prisoner - IDEA PHASE - A social deduction game based on the '60s television show of the same name where players have shifting roles and loyalties from round to round.
  • Web of Influence - IDEA PHASE - An area control hidden objective game where players are controlling multiple factions on a map in order to reach various hidden objectives.  Players won't know who controls what factions and what each players goals are.
  • Workers Left Behind - IDEA PHASE - A worker-placement game where you start out with a lot of workers, but each round fewer and fewer workers advance to the next level.  So your pool of workers decreases each round and previously used workers block previously used spaces.
To Be Published:
  • Rolling Seas - COMPLETE/MORE - A roll & write adventure game about sailing your ship; encountering sea monsters, storms, pirates, and more; exploring islands; telling your tale; and earning reputation to become Bard Extraordinaire!  On The Game Crafter  THIS HAS BEEN SIGNED FOR PUBLICATION - March 2021  While the game is complete and has been signed, I've been working with the publisher's development team to further enhance the game.  Some really cool enhancements have been added and I've been working on more expansion content, too!
Pitching:
These are projects that I feel are complete, or at least at a point where I have created sell sheets and have been actively pitching the ideas.
  • 8 Seconds - COMPLETE - A press-your-luck dice and card game for 1-6 players about the action and excitement of bull riding in a rodeo. Roll your dice and match your moves to the moves of the Bulls. But beware of the Rodeo Clowns! There are only two on staff, so if you roll a third Rodeo Clown you’ll get bucked off and will have to join the Rodeo Clowns for a day! When you’re not busy riding a Bull (or trying to), you’ll have the opportunity to place bets on your opponents’ rides.  Also features several mini-expansions, including a speed variant that plays 2-4 players in 15 minutes or less!  On The Game Crafter
  • Beard Snacks - COMPLETE/REWORKING - A light to middle-weight tableau and engine-building game about growing the most bodacious beard!  Have snacks and meals, store food in your beard, then use that food to grow a longer beard!  Action cards have multiple uses that can help you or hinder your opponents. - 1-5p, 30-60 minutes.  Beard Snacks works great as-is, but I've been toying around with some ideas to really push the engine-building aspect of the game and streamline some parts.  This means redoing all the cards though, and that's been a daunting task that I haven't wanted to take the time for.  It's on my list though!
  • Go Make a Hike - COMPLETE - This is a tile drafting and placement game for 2-4 players about building the perfect hiking path.  Players score points for building paths that match specific goals, have certain features, and reach various destinations. On The Game Crafter
  • Les Petits Pirates - COMPLETE - In Les Petits Pirates you are a pirate captain, working to gather resources and gold while trying to prevent rival pirate captains from doing the same. Through action selection and dice manipulation, you will plunder, attack, and sail the seas in your quest to retire with enough treasure to support your golden years!  Features a combination of simultaneous, turn-based, and action-priority play each round.  The second edition is complete with new updates! On The Game Crafter
  • MiniSkull Quests - COMPLETE - A fast-playing, press-your-luck adventure game with some light take-that player interaction.  Send a party of Heroes on a quest to the MiniSkull Mountains to collect Treasure, Artifacts, Weapons, and gain Skills, but be careful of Monsters, Disasters, and other obstacles.  Also, beware of your opponents!  They’ll try to disrupt your plans every chance they get!
  • Pharmacology - COMPLETE - A dice-driven strategy game featuring dice drafting, worker allocation, engine building, and strategic chaining of actions.  Pharmacology is for two to five players (plus solo mode), playing in about 20 minutes per player.  Lead a pharmaceutical company to victory by developing the most lucrative drug treatments and vaccines.  You’ll need to send your medical workforce to outbreak locations to secure samples, research drugs, and develop vaccines to fight the world’s diseases.  This game started out as the winner of Minion Games' The Manhattan Project Dice Game contest.  Even though it won, it wasn't a fit for what James Mathe was looking for, so he suggested I retheme it and pitch it.  So Pharmacology is what the game became, with a few refinements and additions to make it even better! On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Perils - COMPLETE - See the Polyhedral Series below.  A simple press-your-luck dice game that only uses a set of polyhedral dice (plus something to keep score).  Taking turns, each hero will attempt to defeat the strongest monster they can. As monsters are defeated you'll earn Prestige. Head back to the village to brag about your exploits at any time to secure your Prestige, but if you are defeated you'll return dejected and forlorn and earn much less Prestige.  A solo campaign mode lets you travel through the land of Petitia, battling monsters, gaining equipment, and eventually defeating the evil Demgop at MiniSkull Castle. On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Potions - COMPLETE - See the Polyhedral Series below.  This is a roll-and-write game where players use the dice to draft ingredients, craft potions and poisons, and use them as distillations and fulminates.  Polyhedral Potions plays in 20-30 minutes and is for 1-5 players. On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Predicaments: Dungeon Demise - COMPLETE - See the Polyhedral Series below.  An 18 card dungeon crawler that uses a set of polyhedral dice as your weapons against various dungeon denizens.  This is the first in a series within a series of 18 card games that use similar mechanics and a set of polyhedral dice (and maybe a few other components). On The Game Crafter
  • Race to the Moons - COMPLETE - A worker placement game where 2-5 players (solo variant included) are working to research the technology needed to complete an interstellar mission and be the first to found a human colony on a moon system around a gas planet in another solar system. Players must research technologies that affect different parts of the mission: Journey, Arrival & Landing, and Colonization, as well as Training their crew. Players must also work on building rockets, building facilities (research labs, factories, launch stations, and more), managing money, and improving public opinion. Players race to have their rockets arrive at the destination and set up a successful colony to earn enough points to beat the competition.  On The Game Crafter
  • Trick Builders - COMPLETE - A combination trick-taking / deck-building / drafting game where 2-4 players (5-6 with additional cards) compete to win tricks and score points.  Between hands, players will acquire cards for the next hand.  These cards will give them a benefit for the round they are acquired but then go into the common deck for future rounds.  JT Smith of The Game Crafter called Trick Builders "one of the top three games [he] played all weekend" at Protospiel Milwaukee, 2018!  On The Game Crafter
18 Card Games:
I have a series of 18 card games
  • ChromaWerks - COMPLETE - An 18 card game where two players take turns completing one of four actions to try to get all four center blocks in a grid of nine cards to be working machinery in different colors: Red Gears, Yellow Drive Belts, and Blue Pipes.  There are also sections of 'broken' machinery with images of damaged components on a black background.  Damaged or broken machinery can't be used to complete blocks.  On The Game Crafter
  • Snowball Fight - COMPLETE - A micro deckbuilding and deduction game for two players that only contains 18 cards (plus 3 alternates). In the game, players go head-to-head with their arsenal of snowballs in an attempt to be the ruler of the Blizzard Realm!  On The Game Crafter
  • 4th Grade Confidential - COMPLETE - An asymmetrical 18 card  (plus 3 alternatives) game for 3-5 players based on my friend Neal Simon's comic book project called 4th Grade Confidential, starring his kids and their friends (including my kids). In the game, one player is a 4th-grade private eye, working to solve the great mysteries of elementary school, like who stole his sister's stuffed pink bunny.  The other players take on the roles of students, one of which is the culprit of the current mystery.  On The Game Crafter
  • The Overland Route - COMPLETE - A semi-cooperative train game for two players with only 18 cards.  Two players cooperatively work to build the transcontinental railroad from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Sacramento, California. Once the route is complete players will score points based on how many of the track segments they built, plus bonus points if the track goes through a mid-point station that they own.  On The Game Crafter
  • Pirates Enjoy Math (Don't Say Arrrrrrithmetic) - COMPLETE - an 18-card game for 2-4 players in which players use math and the Order of Operations to try to become the pirate with the most Loot.
  • MiniSkull Crew - COMPLETE - Formerly Heroes & Rogues: Out for Gold - See the MiniSkull Series below.
  • To the End of the Line - INACTIVE - A three-dimensional strategy game in which each player attempts to create the longest possible contiguous line in their color.  18 cards have cuts that allow them to be interlinked vertically.
  • 18 Card Worker Placement - IDEA PHASE - A worker-placement game that would use just 18 cards or 18 cards and a few components.  Cards would be multi-use and could be upgraded to give better actions.
MiniSkull Series
This is a series of smaller games, set in a common fantasy universe.  Each features unique mechanics and has relatively few components and small size.
  • MiniSkull Quests - COMPLETE - A fast-playing, press-your-luck adventure game with some light take-that player interaction.  Send a party of Heroes on a quest to the MiniSkull Mountains to collect Treasure, Artifacts, Weapons, and gain Skills, but be careful of Monsters, Disasters, and other obstacles.  Also, beware of your opponents!  They’ll try to disrupt your plans every chance they get!
  • MiniSkull Crew - COMPLETE - Originally this was called Heroes & Rogues: Out for Gold but since then I've decided that it would fit perfectly in the MiniSkull world.  This is an 18 card game for 2-4 players about gathering the perfect crew to go on a quest for gold.  The 18 cards contain a combination of six races (Orcs, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Humans, and Elves) in six classes (Thief, Scout, Merchant, Mage, Warrior, Healer) with six elemental affinities (Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Light, Dark).  You must assemble a crew of all the same race or all the same elemental affinity while using the actions of the crew members you select to manipulate the potential crew members available to everyone.  This was very well received at the Protospiel events it was playtested at.
  • MiniSkull Castle - PLAYTESTING/REWORKING - 1-4 heroes are at MiniSkull Castle, searching for loot in the castle rooms. All the while they are being chased by a monster guarding the castle.  Each turn players will roll three dice, one will define their hero's movement, one will define the monster's movement, and one will define the monster's strength (added to strength cubes the monster may also have).  The player will try to collect weapons, find treasure, and build strength in order to fight the monster.  They can then head to Port Tiny or the Black Market to sell their loot.  The game features good decisions and high player interaction, but I'm reworking it for balance and overall game flow.
  • MiniSkull Dungeons - PLAYTESTING - A roll & write game where players move their characters around a map while also controlling monsters with hidden movement.  Players are trying to collect treasure and weapons, fight monsters, and escape the dungeon with more valuables than other players.
  • MiniSkull Travellers - PLAYTESTING/REWORKING - In a two-phase game, a fellowship of three travelers per player will first work their way through Port Tiny collecting supplies that they will then need on the game's second phase as they travel to a mystical destination, using the resources and items they collected they'll battle monsters, overcome obstacles, and try to be first to arrive at the destination.  This was originally conceived as a mint-tin game, but that was a bit too limiting, so it'll need to be slightly larger and reworked a bit.
  • MiniSkull Caverns - REWORKING - 1-3 heroes will compete to explore the caverns beneath the ruins of MiniSkull Castle.  Using a Character Control Card and an Action Card you'll secretly choose a control value each round that will adjust your Action card.  Actions will let you guide your hero through the maze of caverns, managing your strength, and battling monsters and other heroes, all while searching for priceless Gems.  Once you have acquired two of these Gems you must return to the center space on the map and battle Tiny in order to escape. This was created for the 2016 9-Card Contest on BGG and without the component restrictions, I would like to expand it to allow four players, square shaped control cards, and better maps.
  • MiniSkull Slayers - PRE-PLAYTESTING - MiniSkull Slayers is a semi-cooperative game about heading out and hunting monsters.  Together players will form a band of travelers trying to gain the most renown.  With elements of press-your-luck, dice-driven combat, and fun Rewards, weapons, and monsters to fight, you’ll have a grand old time ridding The Petite Kingdom of its vermin.  The idea for this game was the basis for Aliens vs Dinos, designed with a tame of designers in the 48 Hour Game Design Jam hosted by PlusOneExp (see below).
  • MiniSkull Explorers - RULES WRITING - A tile-laying game using triangular tiles, about exploring the area around PortTiny.  On your turn, you’ll take up to 2 actions (like move, scout, scramble, heal, or special abilities) and then build a path with tiles that you have available.  After building your path you’ll move your standee along the path built and then resolve the events of a card drawn based on the final tile of your path.  These could be monsters that must be battled, puzzles that must be solved, dexterity challenges, or other challenges to overcome.  Some tiles will be Destination Tiles that have specific requirements to reach and score points for discovering.
  • MiniSkull Adventures - IDEA PHASE - A sandbox adventure game with the goal of saving Port Tiny from the evils of MiniSkull Mountain.  There will be a game board that depicts the known country and cards or tiles that can be added around the board as the areas are explored.  Adventurers will visit different locations in the realm having various adventures and gaining skills, strengths, items, weapons, and treasure until they are strong enough to take on the threat at MiniSkull Mountain - before the threat attacks Port Tiny, that is.  This may be a larger MiniSkull game...
The Polyhedral Series:
This is a series of games that I'm working on that revolves around a set of polyhedral dice as the only, or primary components.  These are in various stages of completion.  Learn more on the Polyhedral Series page!
  • Polyhedral Potions & Poison Pack Expansion - COMPLETE - This is a roll-and-write game where players use the dice to draft ingredients, craft potions and poisons, and use them as distillations and fulminates.  The Poison Pack expansion gives players special abilities when they create a Poison.  Polyhedral Potions plays in 20-30 minutes and is for 1-5 players. On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Perils - COMPLETE - See the Polyhedral Series below.  A simple press-your-luck dice game that only uses a set of polyhedral dice (plus something to keep score).  Taking turns, each hero will attempt to defeat the strongest monster they can. As monsters are defeated you'll earn Prestige. Head back to the village to brag about your exploits at any time to secure your Prestige, but if you are defeated you'll return dejected and forlorn and earn much less Prestige.  A solo campaign mode lets you travel through the land of Petitia, battling monsters, gaining equipment, and eventually defeating the evil Demgop at MiniSkull Castle. On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Predicaments: Dungeon Demise - COMPLETE - See the Polyhedral Series below.  An 18 card dungeon crawler that uses a set of polyhedral dice as your weapons against various dungeon denizens.  This is the first in a series within a series of 18 card games that use similar mechanics and a set of polyhedral dice (and maybe a few other components). On The Game Crafter
  • Polyhedral Prix - PLAYTESTING - A racing game for 2-4 players where a set of polyhedral dice represent your gears and speed as you race three laps around a course.  But be careful, each space on the track has a stress limit and if you exceed it you'll receive damage and have to head to the pits for repairs.  As laps progress you'll add obstacles to the track.  The first one to finish three laps is the winner!
  • Polyhedral Predicaments - Sinking Survival - PRE-PLAYTESTING - The second in the Polyhedral Predicaments series.  A solo game where you are attempting to escape a sinking ship while rescuing survivors.
  • Polyhedral Pickup - PRE-PLAYTESTING- A simple roll & write game about trying to complete as many numbers as possible on your score pad within a set number of rounds.  Uses just a set of polyhedral dice and a score pad.
  • Polyhedral Pressure - PRE-PLAYTESTING - A dice drafting game for 2-4 (or 6) players using a set of polyhedral dice, a few decks of cards, and a number of tokens.  Players try to be the first to empty their deck of cards and score the most points.  Each turn players will draft up to 3 dice, rerolling as the dice pool empties.  Then, combining dice values, cards, and abilities, they try to acquire other cards for points. 
  • Polyhedral Predicaments - Pirate's Plunder - IDEA PHASE - The third in the Polyhedral Predicaments series.  You are a pirate attempting to collect treasure while avoiding the Kraken, Davy Jones, and other monsters.  This may be a true multi-player game in the series.
  • Polyhedral Properties - IDEA PHASE - Hopefully, using the same decks of cards and components as Polyhedral Pressure, this would be an area control game about purchasing and developing property to increase its value.
Highlighted Games:
These are other games I'm working on that I feel have promise.
  • Antioch - PLAYTESTING - Antioch is a tile-laying and area-influence game inspired by classic games like Tigris & Euphrates, Taluva, Mexica, and more.  Set in the ancient Roman city of Antioch, you play as a construction guild working to build and rebuild the city after increasingly destructive earthquakes.  You'll gain Prestige from Rome as you construct buildings and clear Rubble from the destructive quakes.  A unique scoring mechanism creates a strategic shift throughout the course of the game, resulting in an interesting game arc.
  • Duct Tape Roll & Lodge Members Expansion - PLAYTESTING - This idea is inspired by the Red Green Show!  It'll be a press-your-luck, resource management, crafting game that uses elements from both Roll Through the Ages and Dice of Crowns to have players rolling dice to collect duct tape and various parts (junk, tools, appliances, and old cars) to create various Handyman Corner style projects that are held together with lots of duct tape!  But watch out for explosions!  And you may need to send bumbling Harold out on an errand that he may, or may not, accomplish!  The Lodge Members Expansion adds seven main characters from the Red Green Show that can give you some unique abilities.  You'll recognize Ranger Gord, Mike Hammar, Ed Frid, and more!
  • Settling the Moon - PLAYTESTING - A 4x Draft and Write Game for 1-6 players about building a colony on the Moon.  Expand your colony, exploit resources, explore the further reaches of the moon to gain bonuses, and occasionally trigger events that can exterminate your opponents (or even yourself if you’re not careful).  Players go through a series of rounds drafting cards, taking 4 actions per round.  There will only be three types of cards to draft: Explore, Expand, and Exploit.  Occasionally Extermination events will come up and need to be resolved.  Each action gives players a few choices on what to do, and as their colony grows, they’ll be able to do more with each action.
  • Adventure Agents - PRE-PLAYTESTING - This cooperative game is roughly based on the Adventure Agents YouTube series.  It has a simple version and a more complex version.  The simple version uses a blend of memory and exploration mechanics to search a grid of forest tiles to discover the location of a treasure by revealing two tiles that point to a third, similar to Forbidden Desert.  The more complex version adds worker placement, set collection, and even trivia elements as players have to go to locations other than the forest to uncover clues about how to open the treasure after they find it.  In both games, the treasure must be discovered (and opened) before the Game Master arrives and collects the treasure for himself.
  • To Reign Supreme - PLAYTESTING - A 2 player area control war game that uses 41 cards, several tokens, and an action board that tracks wealth, military strength, and determines the number of actions you can take each turn - stronger/wealthier players have fewer actions.  Each player battles to conquer 6 contested Territories, using the abilities of the territories to build their military and increase their wealth.  Battles are conducted via a card-based mechanic that limits chance and increases decision-based strategy.
  • CivMint - COMPLETE/REWORKING - A 2-player mint-tin civilization game.  Players use actions each turn to Each turn players will complete four phases: Production, Maintenance & Construction, Action, and Development.  They'll manage resources, expand their civilization, attack their opponent, and research technology.  This worked great as a 2-player mint-tin game, but I want to revisit it without the mint-tin restriction.  I think it could still be a relatively small-box civilization game for 2-4 players.
  • Gemotion - ON HOLD/PLAYTESTING - A game where 2-4 players compete to collect the most positive emotions while avoiding the negative emotions.  A pile of gems in the center of the table represents various emotions.  Each color of gems has different values and affects the game in different ways.  Each player has identical decks of cards, each with a unique ability.  Using these cards, players try to Bank as many Positive Emotions as they can while sticking opponents with Negative Emotions.  On each turn, players will have three cards in their hands.  One card must be played, one discarded, and the third either played, discarded, or kept until the next turn.  Depending on what emotions are included in the game the experience can vary drastically, from a strategic race to collect the most emotions, to a take-that style game where you try to offload negative emotions on your opponents!  With 8 different emotions, the combinations are nearly endless.
  • Dulix - The Coin Game - PRE-PLAYTESTING - The idea behind this game is that it would be played in taverns in a fantasy world.  Two travelers would meet up and play for fun or money.  Using coins they have on hand, each player chooses 15₩ of coins, any combination (values 1, 3, 5, 10 were allowed).  One player is heads, the other tails.  They then take turns taking actions on a board with hexagonal spaces, trying to capture each other's coins or conquer the opponent's stronghold.
  • World Walkers - RULES WRITING - This is a game system that I have high hopes for, but at this time it's a bit bigger than I can devote sufficient time to.  World Walkers is an ambitious project intended to replicate the exploratory feel of some modern video games.  It would be a system, similar to legacy or campaign games, that evolves as the game progresses.  Starting with just a few basic mechanics, each scenario would be revealed as the game progresses, and could be any style of game - competitive or cooperative, resource management or area control, etc.  I currently have rules written up for four different scenarios set in a fantasy setting:  Civil War (competitive area control and combat), Orc Invasion (cooperative tower-defense), Quest for the Amulet (competitive race/quest), and Merchants of the Realm (competitive - Resource Management/Worker Placement).
  • Tanuki in the Garden - COMPLETE/REWORKING - a path-building tile laying game where players take on the role of Monks strolling through a Kaiyū-shiki-teien Garden, collecting Shitake Mushrooms for use in the evening’s dinner.  The first player to acquire enough Shiitake is the winner.  This plays great, but it uses square tiles and paths like the Tsuro line of games, however, I'd like to rework it to use a new tile shape to separate it from the Tsuro line since Calliope wasn't interested.
  • Polter-Heist - COMPLETE/REWORKING - A casual family game where 2-4 players explore a haunted mansion, uncovering rooms and searching for a hidden Treasure. Along the way, you’ll make discoveries that can help you out and encounter ghosts that will deplete your courage or hinder your search. Occasionally you may encounter a benevolent spirit that will help you along the way. Be careful though, because if you get scared to death you’ll become a ghost that can chase down your former friends!  Also available are two expansions: Polter-Heist: Don't Go Outside which features expanded play for up to 8 players, and Polter-Heist: Quests which features various scenarios, alternative objectives, and secret roles.  Polter-Heist plays great, but it's not really a gamer-game.  Feedback received was that it's 
Other Games:
These are games that are on hold or inactive for the time.
  • My First Cartographers - ON HOLD - This was to be a child-friendly, tile-laying game based on Cartographers.  I had the rules developed and was ready to move into prototype creation, but then received info suggesting that I'd be duplicating efforts being done elsewhere (hint hint).  I may come back to this if I can come up with an alternate theme.
  • Dulix: The Coin Game - ON HOLD - The idea behind this game is that it would be played in taverns in a fantasy world.  Two travelers would meet up and play for fun or money.  Using coins they have on hand, each player chooses 15₩ of coins, any combination (values 1, 3, 5, 10 were allowed).  One player is heads, the other tails.  They then take turns taking actions on a board with hexagonal spaces, trying to capture each other's coins or conquer the opponent's stronghold.
  • Adventure Agents - ON HOLD - This cooperative game is roughly based on the Adventure Agents YouTube series.  It has a simple version and a more complex version.  The simple version uses a blend of memory and exploration mechanics to search a grid of forest tiles to discover the location of a treasure by revealing two tiles that point to a third, similar to Forbidden Desert.  The more complex version adds worker placement, set collection, and even trivia elements as players have to go to locations other than the forest to uncover clues about how to open the treasure after they find it.  In both games, the treasure must be discovered (and opened) before the Game Master arrives and collects the treasure for himself.
  • A-TTACC MECHS - ON HOLD/PLAYTESTING - An Awesome Trick-Taking, Area Control, Combat Mech game where the low cards win the tricks, but the high cards are more valuable.  In ATTACC MECHS there are 4 Suits, in 4 different technologies: Attack, Movement, Research, Deployment.  Tricks are won with the lowest card played, even if it’s not the lead suit, and the highest card played gives the winner a combination of Actions specific to that suit and Power that can be used to boost Actions.  Losing a Trick powers your shields.  The game ends after 8 or 9 rounds or when someone’s Base is destroyed (or the entire region is controlled).
  • Aliens vs Dinos - TTS PLAYTESTING - This was created with a group of designers for a 48 Hour Game Design Jam hosted by PlusOneExp in April 2020.  It's based on my idea for MiniSkull Slayers but has been adapted and modified.  2-6 players are aliens that represent various intergalactic corporations.  Each has an interest in collecting dinosaurs from ancient Earth.  Over the course of several rounds, players will prepare for an expedition and then head out to hunt dinos together.  Each round one player will be the Expedition Leader and guide the group through the treacherous Jurassic landscape.  Various events will wreak havoc on the expedition as they encounter groups of dinos.  If they can survive their expedition, they’ll return to the Mothership with a large collection that they’ll get to divide up amongst themselves.  However, if anyone decides they’ve had enough, they can leave the expedition early, taking one dino along with them.  When the Asteroid hits, the game ends, and players will calculate their scores based on the numbers and types of dinos they’ve collected as well as their secret agenda.
  • Roll & Paint - PRE-PLAYTESTING - A roll & write game about being an artist and either creating or collecting incredible paintings!  Will you use the dice to work to earn paint to make paintings you can sell?  Or will you start your own art gallery and collect the paintings created by your fellow artists?
  • Fantasy Area Control Game - RULES WRITING - I had been working on writing rules for this, but I may abandon it in favor of the similar idea I've had more recently for Dulix: The Coin Game.  Played on a hexagonal board with triangular spaces, except for the center hexagon, 2-6 players would each have 8 pawns and a king unit.  The goal is to try and capture opponent pawns and take control of the center space.
  • Silver City: Founding Moxie Bottom - RULES WRITING - Set in a growing silver-mining city in the American west, tile-laying game played on a common grid.  Each round includes a drafting phase, with players drafting a tile from a market.  Each tile represents a building in the city and has an ability.  Once each player has drafted their two tiles they one tile must be added to the buildings in the city and one flipped over and placed around the edge of the city to trigger the abilities of buildings in that row or column.  Abilities triggered will give points, benefits, and resources required to win.  Buildings will have placement restrictions, may be upgraded, give set collection points, etc. 
  • Xtreme Snowboarding - ON HOLD/PLAYTESTING - A tile drafting & placement, racing game for 2-6 players.  The game consists of 3 rounds of drafting/placement to create the snowboarding run, and then a final round of racing.  In each round players will be dealt 8 tiles.  They’ll choose two tiles and then pass half of the remaining tiles to the left and half to the right, and repeat until they receive the last two tiles.  Then players will take turns using some of their drafted tiles to create the snowboarding runs and keeping some tiles to use their actions in the final racing round.
  • Catacombs of Mu - ON HOLD - 2-4 players take on the role of characters exploring the mysterious labyrinth that is the Catacombs. Buried deep within the winding passages are ancient relics from the prehistoric lost continent of Mu. Players race to discover these priceless treasures and escape to the surface. But without a map the treacherous journey may result in you getting lost forever!
  • SDTT - RULES WRITING - SDTT stands for Same Deck Trick Taking.  This is an idea for a trick-taking game where all players have the same decks.  Decks will consist of 48 cards and will have three card types: Offensive, Defensive, Maneuver.  Each of the three types will be shuffled separately and make their own draw pile for each player.  Over the course of four rounds players will draw 12 cards from any combination of their three draw piles.  So players can adjust their strategy based on their selection of cards.  There will be four suits with each pile containing 4 cards of each suit.  The game can easily be made asymmetric by giving each player a specialized deck of 12 cards for their character that’ll be added to the appropriate draw piles (or be a 4th draw pile), then play 5 rounds.
  • Exploring Argadnel: Quest for the Orb of Mystery - ON HOLD/REWORKING - Fellowships of Mages (users of Magic) explore the game board, moving spaces each turn and discovering what is around them, while searching for places to build settlements and finding magical artifacts. They also encounter magical creatures, make remarkable discoveries and even battle, trade knowledge with, and steal artifacts from opponents. Mages in settlements will research new mysteries, expand the knowledge of already obtained mysteries, produce new Mages, and protect recovered artifacts.  I still love the idea of this game, but the upkeep between turns and the slow pace of the game really needs attention.  I'd love to get back to the game someday - I put a ton of time and effort into it back in 2014.
  • #Getting Hitched - ON HOLD - A drafting and set collection game about building thematic wedding chapels in Vegas. Expand the theme of your chapel, hire thematic officiants, and attract high-paying Eloping Couples. The player with the most successful wedding chapels at the end of the game wins.
  • Aspects of Scouting - ON HOLD - Scouts play cooperatively, working together to create the best Scouting experience for their Pack, Troop, or Crew.  The Scouting Game promotes learning Scouting concepts, activities, and components from all four areas of Scouting: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crew, and Varsity Scouts.  The game is easy to play and can be played as a quick game at just one of the Scouting levels, or as a longer game that encompasses multiple Scouting experiences to represent a Scout’s entire Scouting career.  This was created as part of my Wood Badge training course.
  • Bounty Hunters - COMPLETE - A two-player game (with a solo variant) with 9 cards and a few additional components where players try to manage their hands and strategically play cards from a shared pool of cards in order to score the most points.  Players will be trying to collect dice of different colors and adjust the point values of each die.  Players will also have a secret color that is worth bonus points to them.
  • Fundraising Wars - ON HOLD - Players are raising funds for their respective organizations by selling products throughout their neighborhoods.  Boy Brigade, Voyager Girls, East Spiel High Marching Band, and West Spiel High Athletics all need money to support their activities.  Players can sell products around town, but not everyone will want to purchase from them.  Players must balance selling at homes, small businesses, apartments, and office buildings with setting up booths at grocery stores, churches, and other community locations.  Players can also perform Service Projects that will help them sell more when they are out in the community or hold Fundraisers that will provide more immediate benefits.  The ultimate goal is to win awesome sellers rewards, like science kits, books, and electronics, or to fund outings and adventures like camping trips, magician performances, and awards night banquets by earning enough money and completing enough sales to accomplish these goals!
  • Roll to the Moons - ON HOLD - This is a roll-and-write version of Race to the Moons.  The core mechanics of this evolved into The Manhatten Project: Loaded Dice, which in turn evolved into Pharmacology.  I'd still like to return to this, using things I've learned about roll & write games since then.
  • Ultimate Bull Run - ON HOLD - A strategic racing game set in the far future on a distant planet as an ill-conceived reenactment of the Running of the Bulls in Spain.  Each round has three phases; the Runner Phase where players move their runners through the streets in the hopes that they won't get trampled, the Bull Phase where the bulls run through the streets, wreaking havoc and damage on the runners, and a Reset Phase where a new lineup of bulls and their movement is revealed for the next round.  This was well-received during its one play at a Protospiel, though it is a bit fiddly.
  • Vim: A Puzzle Adventure Game - ON HOLD - Players cooperate to travel through the forest on a journey to the Temple of Lorran.  Path tiles are placed and explored to discover helpful items and cryptic puzzles.  As puzzles are solved, Vimstone Crystals are collected to power the Vitality Field and drive out the Darkness.  While doing this, players are chased by the vile Kiin Warg creatures that want to spread the Darkness.  A unique combination of cooperative tile placement and puzzle-solving using Celtic Knot dice sets this game apart.
  • QuadHex Tiles - PRE-PLAYTESTING - Players place tiles trying to match up colors to build temples on sacred sites.  The tiles are formed from four hexes set in a pinwheel layout.  The central hex is a temple spot and the surrounding hexes are different colors.  Players will earn gems for making strings of the same color and when a Temple location is surrounded by a majority of their own color they can take control of it to gain special benefits.
  • Knight Owl vs The Depressor - PRE-PLAYTESTING - A hidden movement, multiple-role game for 2-4 players set in a dark city (this is based on Batman, The Joker, and Catwoman).  Four characters would represent Knight Owl (the hero), The Depressor (the main villain), The Police, and Prowler (a burglar).  Some players would use a hidden movement mechanic, others would be visible the whole time.  Each player has an independent goal that may allow cases of cooperation at times.
  • King's Favor - PRE-PLAYTESTING - A worker placement game where players use workers to take on various roles throughout the kingdom, enhancing their status among the realm's nobility.  Or players may select a more nefarious route to victory.  Players place workers in mines and on farms (or as bandits), buy traps to catch goblins, research alchemical knowledge (or sorcery), raise an army of soldiers (or an army of goblins), and work the trade markets (or black markets) in order to earn gold and gain influence over the king's royal court.
  • The Great Flood - PRE-PLAYTESTING - A worker placement game that is played in two phases.  The initial phase consists of building the arks and collecting the animals.  But as the game progresses it’ll eventually start raining.  When it does, tiles will gradually get removed from the board as floodwaters rise.  Players must have their arks as complete as possible and then survive the 40 days of bad weather.  Players who do and save enough animals will earn redemption in their god’s eyes!
  • The Return of the HMS Horizon - RULES WRITING - In 1918 the luxury cruise ship HMS Horizon left port.  The ship made the Titanic look downright modest.  But 12 days after leaving port the ship vanished without a trace.  Now, over 100 years later, the HMS Horizon has mysteriously reappeared.  This game is a one-vs-many game where one player takes on the role of the ship and its monster(s) and the other players are explorers trying to survive while unraveling the mystery of the ship.  Each player will have a "sanity tower" with a tray balanced on top of a peak.  As the explorers have various encounters with the ship their experiences will affect their sanity, causing cubes to be added to various sections of the tray.  If the tray should topple they'll become insane!  The hope is to add a sense of tension and dread to the game, not knowing which encounter will be the one that finally drives them into insanity.
  • Villainous - ON HOLD/PRE-PLAYTESTING - No relation to the current game series of the same name.  This is a single-player deck-builder game in which the player takes on the role of a Super Villain trying to accomplish dastardly deeds while battling various heroes, law enforcement, and civilians.  Rules are written and some component files have been created, but I don't have the time to create all the cards needed for a deck-builder.
  • Worker Removal Game - IDEA PHASE - Instead of placing workers, players instead remove workers.  At the beginning of each round players place 10 workers, one on each of 10 action spaces.  Then, starting with the first player, each player will remove one worker from a space, gaining that space’s benefits.  As spaces are cleared off the benefits increase, mostly.  One space will trigger the end of the round once enough of the workers on it have been cleared off.
  • 3x3 Battle Games - INACTIVE - I was trying to come up with a game that could be played on a 3x3 grid.  I had a few ideas jotted down, and even got one as far as playtesting, but it was too fiddly and not very interesting.
  • Construction Wars - INACTIVE - Players control their construction crew of two pieces. Players move pieces on a three-dimensional playing area, building walls, bridges, and tunnels around each other in order to acquire their team’s lunchbox before other players acquire theirs. This was intended to be played on a large game area built with multiple layers of wooden blocks that could be dug out, piled up, and moved around as the construction equipment manipulated the playing area.  I wrote out rules but abandoned this when I couldn't figure out how to prototype it without spending hundreds of dollars and figured it would be too expensive to manufacture anyway.  Maybe someday I'll get back to it with 3D-printed components...
  • Interstellar - INACTIVE - This game evolved into Race to the Moons.  In Interstellar each player takes on the role of a nation in a space-race toward interstellar colonization.  The game has two distinct stages; initially, players will have to focus on building ships capable of bringing colonization crews to distant planets, and once those colonization crews reach the planets players will need to keep their colonists alive and thriving.
  • Manhattan Project: Loaded Dice - INACTIVE - This game was the winner of the Minion Games Manhattan Project Dice Game Contest in 2017, however since then it has evolved into Pharmacology.
  • Oz Games - INACTIVE - This was intended to be a series of small games based on the Oz books by Frank L. Baum.  Oz 1 - The Wizard of Oz was a micro-game of just 36 cards and a few other components.  This was a cooperative quest game where players take on the role of one of the travelers (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion) as they try to reach the Emerald City, then defeat the Wicked Witch, and finally get Dorothy home.
  • Peacekeepers of Jar-Zabonia - ON HOLD - The object of Peacekeepers of Jar-Zabonia is to place as many races into peaceful positions as possible within the area allowed by Queen Moxie. Players score points for the number of pieces in their ‘zone’ - side of the board (2 players) or quadrant (4 players) as well as for cubes captured from their opponents.  This is an evolution of the very first game I ever designed!  Originally this was cards and tiles, but the tactile element of the painted cubes really elevated the game.  I do want to get back to this someday - I had a few minor changes that I thought would fix some of the last remaining issues, but I moved on and don't know if I'll ever get back to this.
  • Pharaoh's Fortune - INACTIVE - A roll & write dice game about building pyramids and ancient monuments.
  • Phylogenesis - ON HOLD/IDEA PHASE - A game where players are attempting to build life forms that evolve from single-celled organisms to great beasts.  The game starts with each player starting with a small, single-celled creature.  Throughout the course of the game, players will earn Energy that they may spend to evolve their creatures, giving them new traits and improving others.  Players may also ‘Branch’ their life forms and begin evolving different traits on different lifeforms.  Note: I thought of this idea before I learned of the game Evolution.
  • Pirate Game - INACTIVE - A bluffing and deduction game.  It was originally themed around The Phantom of the Opera but later changed to be Pirates to support more players and better gameplay.  Players compete to see who accomplishes their goal.  Four characters each have a separate agenda during a trip through the Caribbean on a merchant vessel.  The Merchant Captain is only concerned with completing his trades at the island ports his ship stops in.  The Adventurer has a Treasure Map and must follow the clues on his map to collect the necessary supplies, sometimes supplies the Merchant Captain needs, and find the treasure.  The Pirate Boss has disguised himself and his henchmen as crew members on the Merchant Captain’s ship and is also searching for the treasure, but without access to the map, he must settle for attempting to thwart the Adventurer and the Merchant Captain’s actions.  The Naval Officer has received word that his nemesis, the Pirate Boss, is hidden on board the ship and is determined to finally apprehend him.
  • Planet Crash Solo Game - ON HOLD - A solo bag-building, resource management, worker placement game about survival.  While scouting out a planet for a colonization mission your ship crashes, leaving you stranded and without communication.  You have limited supplies available and pieces of your broken ship are scattered about the Location.  Fortunately, you learned that the planet is habitable, although there are some indigenous wildlife and interesting geographic features that will try to hamper your attempts at survival.
  • Stone Casters - INACTIVE - Stone Casters is a fast press-your-luck game about acquiring Spell Stones and using them to cast spells to either gain Power Gems or affect the outcome of turns and the gameplay.  The object is to be the first to acquire 10 or more Power Gems.
  • The Crowd - INACTIVE - In The Crowd, you are trying to work your way from the back rows of a crowd in order to have a prime viewing spot for the passing parade.  However, as you move forward the crowd shifts and jostles you around, pushing you back and to the side.  The first player to reach the front of the crowd is the winner.  This was working mechanically but was way too fiddly.
  • To the End of the Line - INACTIVE - A three-dimensional strategy game in which each player attempts to create the longest possible contiguous line in their color.  18 cards have cuts that allow them to be interlinked vertically.
  • Worker Placement the Worker Placement Game - ON HOLD/PLAYTESTING - Players take on the role of Temp Agency recruiters working to find suitable candidates for the companies that are looking for workers.  By successfully placing candidates in positions players will earn both income and reputations with certain businesses, according to the performance of their placed workers.
  • The Hex - IDEA PHASE - The Hex is a mysterious hive of interconnected biospheres that completely surround a distant star.  Players control different alien species that have all been brought to The Hex in order to survive and grow.  Each player has a starting biosphere that has been fine-tuned to their ideal environmental conditions, however, there are many other biospheres connected to theirs, each with different conditions.  Players must use the resources they can generate in their home hex to expand and adjust the hexes around them to be suitable.  But beware, some hexes are already inhabited and you don't want to step on the wrong toes (or tentacles or whatever the neighbors have)!  (Idea inspired by Hex by Allen Steele.)
  • Neutron Star Game - IDEA PHASE - Players are each a tribe trying to build their civilizations on the surface of a neutron star.  However, the gravitational forces of this star make east/west travel extremely difficult.  In order to grow your civilization and share resources and knowledge with your neighbors, you will need to develop techniques to trade and communicate across the magnetic field lines. (Idea based on the Dragon's Egg novels by Robert L. Forward.)
  • Fur Trade Game - IDEA PHASE - Players manage one of the fur trade companies of the 1600s-1800s, gaining control of areas on a period map of North America, trading with Native American tribes, and exploring.
  • The Grand Saga of George and Neal's Adventures Through Time and Space (and Pudding) the Game! - IDEA PHASE - Party game where players draw cards and have to decide if an event described is from their universe or George & Neal's universe, or players may have to invent stories that other players guess if they are true or false for this Universe.
  • Chemical Reactions Game - IDEA PHASE - Players try to acquire different elements to build molecules and chemical compounds, then combine them into exothermic or endothermic reactions to gain or lose energy and acquire different molecules and compounds. (Update, I have since learned about an interesting chemistry game called Compounded that has a similar idea, so this may take a back seat for a while.)

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