The Boss Fight Blog

Tablet-top RPGs

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:53:53 +1000

In the next generation of RPGs, we should expect that any new rulebook has a digital version that...

Defuse opposing bombs

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:15:15 +1000

I read this phrase in a card game strategy article and I’m like: “Holy balls, I want a...

"A good design should directly address components that allow the flexibility of altering game play...."

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:44:49 +1000

“A good design should directly address components that allow the flexibility of altering game...

Interview

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:56:50 +1000

Interview: I recently had a chance to meet up with the fine folks behind Shelmertime.com and they...

Photo

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:00:22 +1000

Photo

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:57:36 +1000

Photo

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:45:01 +1000

Here, for your entertainment, the raw, unedited footage of the...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:25:47 +1000

Here, for your entertainment, the raw, unedited footage of the Boss Fight unboxing. Some photos to follow.

This is amazing.I see this as “how it should feel to play...

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:52:05 +1000

This is amazing.
I see this as “how it should feel to play as a Wizard in an RPG”.

What’s that? Why, it’s just the confirmation that...

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 10:36:26 +1000

What’s that? Why, it’s just the confirmation that my test print is being shipped to me. HUZZAH!

Test Print ordered

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:55:00 +1000

Things done since last update: 1) The art is finalised. 2) The rules book has been printed,...

"The Herobrine stuff is awesome and kind of scary at the same time. It really shows how little..."

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:47:46 +1000

“The Herobrine stuff is awesome and kind of scary at the same time. It really shows how little...

Boss Fight has Cover Art!

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:46:08 +1000

Cover Art, by Marcus Hoenig. See his website...

Writer's Block

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:00:05 +1000

I went an entire week talking about creative process without mentioning writer’s block. It...

When to Finish

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:00:05 +1000

When you’re done. Avoid Diminishing Returns. Set a personal deadline. Have a professional...

Secret Guide: Play Testing

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:00:06 +1000

In 2011, I was involved in the making of a game called Awien Ambush (which you can see...

Secret Guide: Tab A into Slot B.

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +1000

Boss Fight’s birth can be charted back to January 12, 2010. Magic the Gathering announced...

The Secret Guide To Making Stuff

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +1000

This week is all about creative process. I think the most recent generation of creative minds has...

The guy on the right of this table is the villain of the piece....

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:08:05 +1000

The guy on the right of this table is the villain of the piece. The guy who flipped the table (Francis?) isn’t entirely sympathetic, but he’s not the worst person in the room.

Firstly, Francis has no cards in hand (0:15). He’s drawn his card for the turn and revealed that all he has is a land, which he’s placed on the table. That’s going to become important.

At (0:20), you can see the board state: Francis has one creature on the board (I think the other card is an enchantment placed on an opposing token, but I’m not sure), his opponent has seven. I’m not very familiar with the latest block, but I would hazard a guess that they’re playing Limited, because the decks look fairly tiny.

At (0:30), the guy begins to go through the motions of his upkeep step, insisting that its mandatory. It is. At (0:45), Francis says he wants to scoop. The rules procedures say that he can do that any time, but the guy on the right tries to talk him out of it. Francis asks why he cares what card is coming back and why he isn’t hurrying up. The guy responds at (1:00) that he has no idea what Francis’ deck is capable of. This is a lie: Francis has no cards in hand. There are no surprises waiting for him. At (1:08), the guy reveals that he has been holding a Devil’s Play in his hand: it is a spell that means Francis’ life will go from 6 to 0 instantly, ending the game. There are no possible answers, so Francis is dead. At (1:10), Francis begins to yell and shifts the table. At (1:12), I can see a microsmile forming on the guys’ mouth and then he calls for a judge, before locking eyes with Francis. Then, Francis flips the table.

Completely justified at a social gathering? Probably not. But the guy was cherry tapping him, and had probably been toying with him for the entire round. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a card game where you’ve lost, you know you’ve lost and the other guy refuses to admit that you’ve lost, because he wants to make you suffer those last few minutes. I sympathise.

It made such a beautifully scripted story with such a rich alternative reading that I ended up doing some research, just to see if I could find the original video and get some context on the characters depicted. It was all too easy: this is indeed a scripted story, made by a professional vlogger. He’s done a couple of posts using this kind of format and if this is anything to go by, he’s making a mini-movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOoTCii3cOU&feature=relmfu

This changes my initial opinion substantially.

Play test notes

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:06:06 +1000

After some play testing, here are the conclusions I reached:I think this game is way more...