We have come to a crossroads in developing Village life. Originaly the game is designed with a board in which the map is pre-printed and players add buildings onto it.
The current game map, which players add pieces to as their economy grows
However another (I think) more interesting idea would be to have a set of tiles that players explore, then claim and build on each turn. This would add another step to the game (meaning gamplay would take longer), but also add a lot of creativity to the game.
The benefits I see are:
- Game board changes with each playthrough, making it more interesting.
- Different tiles can be easily added, making exploration part of the game.
- Tiles can have different bonuses, rather than the static board
- I think the tiles look much nicer
However the challenges are:
- Increased cost – tiles over a game board
- Tiles on top of tiles? How are buildings done? Would placing smaller tiles on top of larger tiles become burdonsome?
- Does the game need more complexity or would it be confusing?
- Would the tiles interlink well together?
A sawmill to be placed on a forest tile showing the cost and income
I also considered Hex tiles, but they seem to come out as twice the price of square ones, so will keep them as a backburner for the moment.
Playtesting update here
Please let us know what you think in the comments below or on our Patreon page where for just $1 you can get it when it is completed!
