Unpub Preview: Hedeby
BludleOne of our upcoming events is Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub.) This is not an event I will be able to attend, and it is being managed by James Mathes of Minion Games. Games coming to Protospiel-Milwaukee register through a different entity, and by doing so don’t get a page here on Unpub.net. This is our first time with this type of partnership and we’re testing these policies out. One way we can support the games and designers coming to this event is through these previews. So, today we continue our series of previews of games coming to Protospiel- Milwaukee.
Chevee Dodd is one of the most interesting characters I've met in the last year. I've played two of his games and been fascinated both times. I've heard him talking about Hedeby on twitter, but I haven't experienced it yet. This weekend it will be your chance to try this resource management game in person at Protospiel- Milwaukee.
You can find out more about this game from Chevee right now...
What was your inspiration for Hedeby? - I wanted to build a dice game that lets the player take charge of the randomness as they advance through the game.
What is your favorite part of Hedeby? - During the game, players roll dice to gain resources and use those resources to buy cards. They can pay for cards over a series of turns by leaving markers on them showing what portion of the card has or has not been paid for... the only problem is, the opponents can buy those same cards! It's a difficult balance between using all your resources each turn and trying to not have a card you really need taken from you.
To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about Hedeby? - Most playtesters have enjoyed the dice mechanic as well.
What has been the most challenging part of designing Hedeby? The game length has been a problem from the very first iteration. I have struggled to get it under an hour and a few previous iterations it has ran to almost two hours.
What advice would you give to players attempting Hedeby for the first time? There are a few different strategies you can use to achieve victory and you need to pick one early and go for it. Cards that you buy are used to buy buildings which provide permanent game effects. It's important to have goals of which buildings to buy and shoot for the cards that help you get there.
What has surprised you most in play-tests of Hedeby? This is the "biggest" design I have built to date. By that, I mean that it has the moth depth and decision points. When I bring it to the table, and everyone is REALLY into it, I can't help but smile. The player feedback about how much potential this design has is encouraging.
People who like___________ will like Hedeby. Why? Deckbuilders and Puerto Rico. The game plays very much like a deckbuilder, but without the decks. Dice are used for currency which is used to buy cards that better your chances. The buildings provide game benefits which, together, form a cohesive strategy much like Puerto Rico
What do you hope to accomplish at Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub)? I've radically changed the game from previous versions and I hope it's not broke! I need to see if I added more options for the player without making the game take too long.
Tell us anything else you want to say about Hedeby that I haven't asked or you haven't said already. When I started the design, it was a generic, medieval, city building game. I started thinking about alternate settings and Vikings came to mind. When I began researching that possibility, I came across the story of Hedeby and surprisingly, the city was built up almost over night. I never thought I'd find an actual historical event to tie into this game.
Protospiel- Milwaukee is your chance to try Chevee Dodd's new game. No doubt you've heard about it...now you can manage a play!
