In which we consider the title treatment and the maps on the boards.
Hello everyone! It’s been an exciting few weeks since our last update, and I’m keen to show you our progress. As before, I’m Jess, one fifth of the team and your narrator.
What’s the name going to look like?
Well, this is exciting! I have learnt a new term: “title treatment”. As far as I can tell it’s the style of the title – more than just a logo, including the colour, font, background etc. We’ve been putting together what we think it might look like. Here’s an early draft, first in grayscale, and then with some colour. And then in the bottom right is an alternative thought we had.
The one with the flying books is clearly the best. We asked a lot of people (mainly on Facebook, because that’s the generation most of us are) and it was clear that people liked the energy of that one, but wanted more colour. Just not the colour of the second one. People also wanted the text cleaned up in some way, worrying about how easy it was to read. So, we ended up with the two below: one with books behind it (although it doesn’t have the frantic energy of the first draft) and one with just the glow. We’re not done yet though, and ill continue to work on these….but thought you’d like to have a look now! Do tell us your thoughts.
Mapping out the boards
The other really exciting thing has been considering how the boards might fit together. Right from the start, we have been thinking of modular boards. These make it easy to choose the right map for the group – perhaps a harder map for the first level, then an easier map for the level 3 monsters? And it also means it fits back into the box neatly, which is definitely a plus.
One of the key questions we have about the board set up is to do with stacking. If this is a library, and every board is a room….then maybe every board can also be a floor, and you go down the building to get out. The final showdown board could then be the foyer of the library. Another key question was whether we had boards for the cards too, and if so, where they should be.
We had a go at mocking up some boards, and trying out how they would fit together. Here are the main two options.
If we go for a modular board then players could chose between those two different set ups. We’re still quite a way from having printed prototypes though!
Seeking sensitivity readers
Last month we highlighted that we want this game to be truly, deeply inclusive. We’re therefore asking for sensitivity readers or cultural consultants from both geographical cultures and specific identities. There’s a list of cultures and identities we are looking for on the page about us. We will pay (or donate to charity in your name), and we will pay cultural consultants and sensitivity readers before we pay ourselves.
If you think any of these people could be you, please contact us at dissentgames@gmail.com or find us on Twitter or Facebook.
Playtesters needed!
Could you help us playtest? Please do! We have a Facebook group here, and we are trying to move to public playtesting about once a week.
Next steps
The next few months are sure to be ridiculously busy, and we are working at a fast pace. (Especially fast considering that we all have actual other jobs to do!) International Women’s Day is towards the start of next month, and we’ll have at least one announcement to make then. Please keep following, and recommend us to all of your friends!
Library Labyrinth 