Preview: Extraction Command Demo
A sneak peak at the zine game demo releasing next week...
Welcome to the Glyph and Grok - A weekly blog-letter exploring design, execution, and culture relating to anything played on a tabletop. See other pieces from the Glyph and Grok here.
Introduction
Happy new year, dear reader! It’s been a couple weeks, but you can expect the regular weekly posts you’ve come to love here at the Glyph and Grok - typically Wednesdays at 9:30 am - and TTRPG solo play updates, when applicable, on Fridays at 9:30 am.
I specifically wanted to take a break from weekly posting to create space for a push to finish development on the demo version of the solo wargame I’ve been working on: Extraction Command. I’ve mentioned this game a couple times that has spawned from the idea I had for a one-pager TTRPG, but just the demo has ballooned well beyond the bounds of a single page, so I am now defining it as a zine game. A zine game, as I see it, is one that requires just the zine, and a low threshold of materials to play. This may live in some inbetween and undefined space. I’ve added an oracle to give it a taste of that solo TTRPG gameplay, and all TTRPGs spawned from wargames, and this is a blend of all the above with ideas from extraction video games from a different angle.
My goal with this demo to get the idea out there and get feedback and get a final version developed to release later this year. The demo will be available for free next week and I know there are solo-enthusiasts in this audience so this a little behind-the-scenes for today’s post... a preview of what to expect when the game goes live on Itch.
The Thing
I got into a groove and got the layout of the rules to a place I like. There’s some style and even a cover image! It will certainly need more art, but that will be more of a focus approaching the final product. The document as it stands is 26 pages cover to cover and I have ideas for at least two systems to add to this to make it into the final release of the game. Just getting the full idea down on paper has been significant work, but enlightening as it always is. The demo purpose though, is to just let the player go through the main gameplay loop involved in executing a single “Locate and Extract” mission. I plan on having four different types of mission available for the full game, multiple enemy types and biome types with gameplay modifiers. But I got a plethora of ideas and they’re not all going to fit whatever this game ultimately becomes.
With this demo though, I am looking for specific feedback on satisfaction levels with the gameplay. The static parts of the demo are the terrain on the mission map and the player units - the objective locations, the infiltration hex chosen, the quantity and starting location of hidden enemy units is all variable each time the mission is played. I’m hoping for difficult but entertaining and I think it hits that mark.
One of my goals is a campaign system to allow the player to generate a starting group of units and string together a series of missions and determine if the player is successful or not in advancing the cosmic human war effort. If it works out, a resource system that allows for purchase, upgrade, advancement of the player’s units so they can get better as play progresses. But one thing at a time...
I’m fairly happy with the materials required for this. Four print-outs, a deck of cards, some dice, and a pencil is all you need.
Challenges
The largest hurdle I am working through right now is the fact that I keep finding things I want to add to this release. To maximize the viewership and to transmit as clear an understanding as I can muster to the player, I felt strongly that a youtube example video was in order - There’s even a link option on the Itch page for just this type of thing. I am already learning a lot about audio editing with the podcast, so why not add video editing? What could it take to create a how-to-play video, right? Turns out it can take a lot, but I’m sure you could have guessed that.
I was really happy with the way the second play through went, but I messed something up with the audio record settings and now it’s going to be “third time is the charm”. I’m techy and I do enjoy learning these new skills so all there is to do is get over myself and try again. This has moved the finish line a bit, but I am determined to release this demo next week and I’m feeling determined to having produced a video to go with it.
Finally
I hope this preview entices you to jump in and do a test play of Extraction Command when it goes live on Itch next week. The demo will be left up and always be free even after the game inevitably evolves into into it’s final form. Your feedback will be most welcome.
Be involved in making something awesome!
Check out this stinger preview vid :P
Thank you, dear reader!
Please like, share, and comment your thoughts.
Till next time!
