New Beginnings and Nowhere Prophet
Also, a squidgy looking city builder
A lot of good game design is invisible. There’s so much you don’t see until something doesn’t work, and the resulting friction brings it to your attention. Then there’s the design you notice because it nearly didn’t work, and you realise what needs to happen backstage to make sure it does.
I nearly put down Nowhere Prophet for good after my first run. I’d died incredibly early on, possibly on the second or third stop on the very first map, and I had to stop and take stock. The AI opponent was skilfully playing with systems I’d barely acquainted myself with, and I have a low tolerance for unforgiving games (such as they have a low tolerance for me!).
I gave Nowhere Prophet another try almost entirely because of one greyed out skill check. It required fifty followers in my convoy (cards in my deck). You start off with a third of that, and I was curious what else had to be out there. The tease of what I was curious to experience was more than the frustration of what I didn’t understand yet - but it was very, very close.
Notably, Nowhere Prophet only shows you its rule book and alternative play options after your first run. Players aren't asked to first familiarise themselves with every verb in play. The game simply starts. I’m sure that if I’d seen the rule book first, I would have given up, attributing my difficulties to a too dense system, and an inability to memorise the necessary verbs.
Things are very carefully balanced for new players, here. Show too much of the system before players can internalise it, and you risk overwhelming them. Show too little, and there may not be enough to draw them in. If it didn't nearly lose me at the first hurdle, I never would have considered how careful that balance is.
Anyway, I’ve since beat the game with over fifty followers in my convoy, and I still get “Brawl” and “Rage” confused. So that’s neat!
Oh, Also
Arclands is in the last few days of its Kickstarter (ending 17th November). It’s a city builder where you can meaningfully interact with the city you build as a little RPG wizard. It also has this squidgy pixel art style that I am very fond of. I’ve been following it for a little while, and I think it’s worth supporting!
Ruth Cassidy is a writer and self-described velcro cyborg who, when not writing about video games, is probably being emotional about musicals, mountains, or cats. Has had some bylines, in some places.
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