🧙♂️🤖 Blind Playtests and Printed Prototype Incoming
Juggernauts Journal: Aug/Sep 2024 Edition
Salutations to you spirited Mageineer! August was a very full month for JJ, from playtesting rules updates to updating art and card abilities. All this culminated in feeling good enough to order a second printed prototype! We will attempt to break down all the highlights below.
🖌 Art
Board, Book, and Box
There have been several updates to art in JJ, some large, like PaulJPowers.com's continued work on the Rule Book art. And some small, like changes to the eyes of the Mageineers.
Paul's renderings of a Junk Golem Battle and the Warlord with Warmach. He is making one more illustration, before moving on to inking theses scenes.
The game board has also gotten a slight facelift around the map, adding some more pop to the areas that hold the cities, and better highlighting the four chief spirits of Galmenni, the Forest Ray, Water Fox, Fire Owl, and Bolt Ram.
A "Free the Land" mini reminder has also been added next to the Movement Tracker to help Players recall the two steps of 1)Travel and 2) C.A.M.P. Speaking of the Movement tracker...
This laser-cut piece is planned to be included in the game as punch out element to be glued on the game board, allowing the Movement-Tracker Cubes (Fuel Cubes?) to be less fiddly when playing IRL, each staying in their own track. While this keeps the game board from folding down completely, it only will be slightly open by 2mm. In theory, this should still allow everything to fit in the box.
On the subject of the box, it now has a front...and back 🤯😅.
We want your input on what you think would look best on the sides of the box though (reply to this email with your thoughts 😀).
Given all these changes, we are very excited to have sent all the files off to The Game Crafter for the next prototype print!!
Look out for an unboxing video in our Facebook Group (👈 psss it's linked so you can go join it 😉) and possible YouTube/Rumble if Francisco ever makes separate channels for JJ.
🎲 Gameplay
Amplify Updates
In addition to changes in art there have also been some changes in the Amplify effects of the 3, 4, and 10 cards.
3's were formerly Naut Today cards, but it was pointed out by one of the play testers that there is never a reason to use a 3 for your Juggernaut and not just hold it as a Naut Today for the final battle. Given this, the 3 Amplify effect is now:
3 - MAGE STONE ALCHEMY - Destroy ANY limb. Limb owner gets 1d6 number of Potions. (Playable before Action only)
4s are slightly change from restoring your HP to all your limbs added together, to now restoring HP to all limbs added together x2, so that if used in the late game, you can get a bit closer to parity with what you may have had toward the end of the game. Or it could be a way to double your HP early on.
4 - FAIRY AID - Restore HP to current maximum x2 for yourself or for an ally. (Playable before Action only)
10s are now the Naut Today cards so that players have a more interesting choice between using it for a powerful Arm/Leg, the 3 Potions it's worth, or as a sometimes clutch, Naut Today counter.
10 - NAUT TODAY - Cancel an Attacker’s Action or Defender’s Dispel of an Action. This can only be canceled with another "Naut Today!" (Playable before Action or Reaction)
One other game change implemented to encourage using cards as Amplifies prior to the Final Confrontation: now cards that match your Mageineer's Element are no longer put in the Junk Pile after being played, but instead are set under your Juggernaut and considered Used for the rest of the Combat session, after which it is returned to your hand, not lost!
👩🔬 Playtests
Plan for Playtests and Demos
Once the printed prototype is here we will begin coordinating some blind playtests with those of you who are local to the Pacific Northwest, but until then we will be doing scheduled playtests of the Junkyard Juggernauts on the second Sunday of every month at 2pm Pacific. Please reply to this email if you would like to participate in the next one on October 13th (Please allow 3-4 hours for the playtest).
If you want to play JJ but either Sunday's don't work for you, or 4 hours is too much of a commitment, let us know in an email reply and we can try to arrange a different day, or running a demo version (still in development) where you will still make your Juggernaut as normal, but with the only goal of destroying one Junk Golem - the catch being, every turn you take before facing them, they grow in power.
Would love for you to experience JJ if you have not gotten a chance to or if it has been a while 😁.
Thank you and Godspeed,
Francisco
P.S. If you have advice about getting a game into Board Game Geek, please send it our way.