“This War Of Mine The Boardgame” – News
“Greetings This War Of Mine fans!
We hope that you care about this game as much as we do and just like us you want it to be something unique and revolutionary, something more than a game.
A BIT MORE INFORMATION
We know that since the news about the board game version of This War Of Mine has seen the light of day, a great many of you have been thinking: “what are they going to do with this unique title?”.
Below you will find some answers, not all. Not yet. We will reveal more as we approach the finish line.
Step by step we will introduce updates, where we will describe in detail features already revealed, like instant play, additional app, broadening of the TWOM universe, multiplayer, solo variant and depth of plot. New features will also be presented and followed by an explanation.
If at any stage you will feel that there aren’t enough information, just write to us and we will gladly share what we can.
NOT A SEGMENT OF GAMEPLAY BUT A FULL ADAPTATION
The tabletop version of This War Of Mine is a full adaptation of the original experience, not just its fragment being either the shelter or the moral choices or simply exploration.
You will face the hardships of war as a group of survivors sheltering in a ruined house, awashed by the chaos caused by humanity’s worst enemy.
During day you’ll use the relative safety of your shelter and manage it, by:
• removing rubble,
• searching through various rooms, hidden behind locked doors,
• building improvised workshops, beds, stoves, tools, water filters, traps for small animals and other commodities essential for existence,
• cultivating an improvised vegetable garden,
• repairing the shelled parts of the house,
• reinforcing the shelter’s security,
• keeping it warm in the winter etc.
When night falls you will guard your shelter against raids, and a few of you will use the cover of the night to explore one of a few dozens of locations like the hospital, sniper’s junction, garage or market square, all situated in the more dangerous parts of the city and scavenge for the necessary items (like food cans, parts, bandages, fertilizer, tools, stimulants, materials and so on).
Your escapades will put you in harms way but will also allow you to meet dozens of characters with goals and personalities of their own (survivors like you, thieves, bandits, soldiers, war victims, refugees, neighbours, members of various communities etc.).
SCRIPTS
You will be given a chance to see and feel this experience through hundreds of unique and emotion-laden adventures, all of which will be anchored not only to certain characters but also to locations.
To guide you through this you will use the special SCRIPT mechanism, allowing us to introduce an incredibly complex and yet coherent plot into your experience (it will be unique for every playthrough).
We will reveal more about this in the nearest future, as this system is one of the base elements of This War Of Mine: The Board Game and it determines its potential for the depth of plot and story. It is also what consumes us most and requires largest amount of work.
Oh, and yes, we did our homework and played all of the great games like Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island, Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game, XCOM: The Board Game, T.I.M.E. Stories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, Above & Below, Mansions of Madness, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Mice and Mystics, Space Alert, Black Stories, Dixit, Mysterium, etc. We are also no strangers to both classic and indie tabletop RPGs.
EPILOGUES
What is the victory condition? It is basic and old as life itself. YOU MUST SURVIVE. Survive until the end of the conflict.
What you will experience will be dramatic consequences of cCHOICES, often very difficult ones, and later on you will have to face the outcomes of your decisions.
But survival itself is not always the equivalent of a victory. The price you will decide to pay may turn out to be too high.The goal is to survive in a way that will allow you to live on.
The EPILOGUES mechanism is what will make this happen. Each game will end with a unique epilogue that will be based on your actions and choices.
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THIS WAR OF MINE’S ORIGINAL CAST WILL APPEAR IN THE BOARD GAME
To strengthen the bond between the video and the tabletop versions we decided to do something unprecedented. We have scanned the original actors who created the unforgettable characters of This War Of Mine and we will turn them into miniatures.
The minnis will be prepared by Awaken Realms, starting from 3d scanning of the original actors, through the work of the 3d artists and sculptors, 3d printing, creating forms and finally moulding, painting and even the creation of the diorama.
When the time comes we will share a short video material with you presenting the whole process.
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JOIN US IN THE DISCUSSION!
The word travels fast nowadays, but even though we are aware of it, we were astonished by the amount of ripples that our little drop created in the sea of news and social media. We didn’t reveal a lot, in fact we teased a bit and so our amazement to your reaction was even greater.
Having been glued to our mailboxes, phones and social media for over a week allowed us to answer most of the buzz, yet we still have some more messages waiting and they keep coming… Good, we hope you’ll keep it that way, as there is no better motivator for us.
We did our research and saw tons of positive feedback but we also noticed the doubts and the, fully understable, concerns. Here you can see some both.
SO, BESIDES:
• “That is so fantastic! Great idea guys, can’t wait!”
• “Ohhhh my gosh, this is such exciting news. :)”
• “Oh wow! I was just thinking of this myself… awesome news!”
• “Excellent game. Making a board game is a smashingly great idea. Get people off their devices and back to the basics of gaming.”
• “YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. YESSSSS YESSSSSSSSS I am SO excited! :)”
• “A board game? A FREAKING BOARD GAME? Damn, you guys never cease to amaze!”
• “Wonderful news! Every time I play This War of Mine, my thoughts begin to flow. “What if TWoM became a boardgame?” I have even gone as far as writing some mechanics for a board. Now it’s real. I can’t wait to see this. I’m guessing it will be a coop or semi-coop game with Dead of Winter-eske mechanics. Traitor Mechanics. Random events. Wow, mind blowing!”
• “I loved the video game very much, and now I’m definitely married to this now becoming a tabletop game :)”
• “As a tabletop gamer, this interests me greatly :)”
• “Omg so much yes!!!!!!”
• “LET ME LOVE YOU GUYS. Ahhhg, cannot wait. What a fantastic idea, really. Bravo! Will buy the moment it is released!”
• “I want it now!!!!!! My God!!!”
• “O … M … G …. This is the best news ever!”
• “Mind blow 0_o”
• “Pls take my money!!!”
• “Awesome! That’s going straight in my basket”
• “The best news of the month! *_*”
…and many, many more, THERE WERE MANY OBSERVATIONS, QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, WISHES AND ORDERS:
• “Because if any game is going to make a great tabletop board game, it is this game. And it sounds like it is going to be a brilliant one.”
• “There are a few things that intrigue behind the idea of this. First and foremost, the bulk of the game will focus heavily on decision making and human interaction, which, if you’ve played the game, makes a whole lot of sense.”
• “The game will be playable for up to 6 people, but has a solo variant as well. This is perfect for people like me who don’t always have time to get a bunch of people together for boardgame night.”
• “Lastly though, and this one is very interesting, the game will be Instant-Play, meaning you’ll never have to open a manual to learn the rules. I’m intrigued by this, as learning a larger boardgame can sometimes take a large amount of time, especially if you need to teach the rules to multiple players as well.”
• “Isn’t Dead of Winter already the board game version of This War Of Mine? / No. You don’t build anything in DoW and your characters don’t really matters, there are plenty of them and they die quite quickly.”
• “I dunno, I haven’t played it yet, but it seems like the game and its subject matter wouldn’t be great fodder for a board game. I don’t know that soul crushing depression is a good mood to set for a board game.”
• “They would probably need to re-balance RNG vs strategy. It’s a game you play until you lose, essentially, so I would increase the strategy side and introduce a win-state. In the game you can also hit a point where you’ll never recover, but only very slowly die, and that sucks in a board game (for an example most would know, think slowly losing monopoly). Maybe a point system of people and materiel that if you reach above or below certain thresholds you win/lose?”
• “Mein GOTT! I mean, what’s next: “Grave of the Fireflies: The Board Game”?! Show some restraints, people! / There are board games for everything (I play quite a lot, and I still get surprised by the mechanics and themes that board game creators can make work, an ingenious bunch indeed), and the dark mood wouldn’t be unusual. Plus the game is essentially dice rolls and resource management, which is perfect for a board game.”
• “Hope it runs well on my table, I upgraded it pretty recently.”
• “I will gladly buy it providing it is pretty and payable. So take your time boys.”
• “The additional app with digital content will enrich the player’s experience – Will this app be necessary for the game?”
• “Will non-English-speaking players be able to enjoy the game?”
• “Excuse me but, YEAH!!! Please make it 2 player compatible, my wife and I need a 2 player board game.”
• “Well I hope the mechanics are not too simple or boring ^^”
Seeing all that feedback made us reconsider some of our ideas but mostly reinforced us in our initial assumptions. We don’t want this game to be ONLY good, it deserves something MORE, it needs more and we need you to help us with it. So please join the discussion HERE.
…and help us to understand your expectations and needs. Tell us your fears, tell us how you imagine your perfect This War Of Mine adaptation.
What’s most important to you? Is it the adventure, exploration, tactical combat, tower defense, crafting, role playing, managing the shelter, the story or maybe the moral decisions and antiwar idea? Tell it to us in this special FB thread and if you’re not using FB simply email us back.
Please share this thread if you know somebody who cares about This War Of Mine or who could benefit from learning about it.
Best regards,
the team”
