Unpub Preview: Magistrate
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.
We've already talked about one Matt Worden game today (Cosmic Critters,) but let's take a moment and focus on a different project of his...a very different project: Magistrate. Matt has been working on this one a while (he was doing some play-testing at GenCon last year,) if memory serves me correctly, so this game is probably ready to roll and rock your socks off this weekend.
Let's hear some of Matt's thoughts on the development of this game.
What was your inspiration for Magistrate? A number of larger-scale strategy games, such as the World of Kaomaris (online/turn-based war game), and Age of Mythology the Board game.
What is your favorite part of Magistrate? Three different scoring areas that score at different (but somewhat predictable) times ... and the timing can be influenced by the players.
To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about Magistrate? Having to balance the three different areas of the game (production, military, agents) while directly competing with the other players.
What has been the most challenging part of designing Magistrate? Game flow, player turns, and how to provide a wide range of options to a player without it being overwhelming.
What advice would you give to players attempting Magistrate for the first time? Focus on building up your production first ... and keep an eye on the other players. You want to be *just* better than everyone else in each area.
What has surprised you most in play-tests of Magistrate? Players seem to want to "make it personal" ... and tend to really pay attention to their neighbors. They get more enjoyment out of sticking it to a buddy than in maximizing their score.
People who like___________ will like Magistrate. Why? People who like Euro-ized war games, more recent versions of Risk, or other games where you need to manage more than just the battles ... because, ultimately, this game is just about balancing your attention and doing the right things at the right time.
What do you hope to accomplish at Protospiel-Milwaukee (and Mid-West Unpub)? This game needs to settle-in to a stable form around what players do on their turns. This needs to get nailed down in order to focus on tweaking and balancing the details afterward.
Tell us anything else you want to say about Magistrate that I haven't asked or you haven't said already. I have been working on this game, in one form or another, for about 5 years. If you've read of or played "Uncivil" or "Show of Power" ... those were the earliest versions of what is now "Magistrate".
