We will be bringing a brand new version of Thornwatch to PAX South this week and I’m really excited for you all to see it. You might remember that at PAX Prime last year we announced a collaboration with the folks over at Lone Shark Games. The scope of the game immediately changed from a single game focusing on the Thornwatch, to a series of games based on Thornwatch, Lookouts and the Daughters of the Eyrewood. We revealed the new Eyrewood Adventures plan during a panel and you can watch the entire thing right here if you like:
In the months since that panel we’ve all been hard at work on the game. It’s crazy, I had an idea for a game and I did what I could to build that game but now I’m working with honest to God legends when it comes to tabletop games. I’m surrounded by a team of incredibly talented folks at Penny Arcade and Lone Shark, but at the heart of it all I am working with Mike Selinker (Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Betrayal at House on the Hill) and Rodney Thompson (Lords of Waterdeep, D&D 5th edition) and in case you’re curious, yes it’s incredibly intimidating.
It’s also exhilarating though. It’s inspiring and exciting in a way that is hard to describe. These guys are so good at what they do and just watching them work has been an incredible treat. Collaborating with Rodney and Mike over the last few months has been a thrill and the game is so much better for it. It’s like I built a car and then took it to a team of professional mechanics. Certainly I’d driven plenty of cars but that’s not the same as making one. For my first car I’d say it was pretty awesome but now these guys are going through the engine and it’s nerve wracking. Sometimes they go “this is perfect we’re not touching this!” and other times they break some piece off, look at me and say “what is this?” This is when I shrug, “I don’t know” I respond. “Well it’s not doing anything.” they will exclaim and then the question they ask me is “okay, well what do you WANT it to do?”
That’s such a fun question.
When you see Thornwatch at PAX South this year it will not look like the Thornwatch you saw last year. This is, in many ways a new game because what you’re going to play would not have been possible without Mike and Rodney. The heart and what I consider to be many of the core components of the game are still front and center. Wound cards, the Momentum deck, synergies and skill cards. It’s all still there, but it’s also so much more now. Thornwatch is still very much my baby, and now I’ve got a couple of the best babysitters in the business.
The Thornwatch Panel is Friday 4:00-5:00 in Cactus theater.
Thornwatch playtesting will happen Friday and Saturday 7:00-8:45 and 9:00-10:45
I asked Mike Selinker how one might get to participate in this playtest and he said, "If you want to playtest on Friday, I encourage you to be in line early for the panel". Here's a little peek at what's in store for playtesters:
So there you go. See you all in a few days!
-Gabe out
