An inexperienced wargamer might be surprised to find that Warhammer 40,000 is both Games Workshop’s most popular game and a complete mess. With decades of success and a devoted fan base, 40k has surpassed every other game in the industry by a large margin. This success has come at a dire cost; legacy rules and mechanics add to the overwhelming sense that Warhammer in space is as bloated and hard to grok as it is compelling to new players.
Category Archives: Game Design
Magic Lessons for Fighting Game Developers
Magic: the Gathering’s most prized treasure, Mark Rosewater, presented a panel at CDC called “20 Lessons from 20 Years of Magic.” His speech focused on various aspects of game design lessons that he had learned over his tenure at Wizards of the Coast, but many can apply to fighting games as well. Please excuse me asContinue reading “Magic Lessons for Fighting Game Developers”
Ode to the Barrens – Classic WoW Zone Design
When it comes to Vanilla World of Warcraft leveling zones, two stand out the most: Westfall and the Barrens. Each represent the 10-20 leveling experience for both Alliance and Horde respectively. While Westfall was one of the first leveling zones developed for WoW, it’s easy to see how much love and care went into theContinue reading “Ode to the Barrens – Classic WoW Zone Design”
The Delicate Balance of Complexity Allowance
Game design is often a juggling act involving complexity and the audience’s attention. Every game needs some level of complexity to evoke specific emotions in their players, but humans only have a finite amount of attention that they can (or want to) give to your game at any given moment. Each specific element of aContinue reading “The Delicate Balance of Complexity Allowance”
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