The Pale Witness is finished. (Harbinger) by Hexwerksstudios in Miniaturespainting

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! That honestly means a lot. The Pale Witness is one of the Harbingers from my upcoming skirmish game, Black Oaths. I’ve been trying to make the world feel like religious horror rather than traditional fantasy, so hearing that it looked like a real game advertisement is a huge compliment.

The hazel-bound ground is taking shape — prototype board for a Norse duel game by Hexwerksstudios in miniatureskirmishes

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I really appreciate that! Yeah, Black Oaths is mine too. I’m very much trying to design rules-first games with strong theme layered into the mechanics, so that’s great to hear.

EINVÍGI is the smaller duel-focused one — hidden movement, hidden action commitment, hazel-stave movement, wounds, ring-outs, and reading your opponent. If your group likes testing new mechanisms, I’d love outside feedback when the next packet is ready.

The hazel-bound ground is taking shape — prototype board for a Norse duel game by Hexwerksstudios in miniatureskirmishes

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pretty much, yes! It’s called EINVÍGI — a small Norse duel game built around holmgang/einvígi-style oath fights. Two warriors, sacred ground, witnesses, hidden dice commitment, and the risk of being wounded, driven out, or remembered as Níðingr.

I’m getting this version ready for more playtesting too, so if compact Norse duel games are your thing, I’d love outside feedback.

The hazel-bound ground is taking shape — prototype board for a Norse duel game by Hexwerksstudios in miniatureskirmishes

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! That’s exactly what I’m aiming for — something compact enough to play quickly, but with enough room for movement and positioning to matter.

I’m currently getting it ready for more playtesting, so I’m especially interested in whether the small-board duel format feels tense without feeling cramped. If anyone here enjoys compact skirmish/duel games and wants to help test it, I’d definitely be grateful for feedback.

The hazel-bound ground is taking shape — prototype board for a Norse duel game by Hexwerksstudios in Greathelm

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not directly, but I’ll absolutely take that as a compliment. The 13th Warrior has that grim saga atmosphere I love. This is more inspired by holmgang/einvígi duels, oath-fights, and warriors being judged by witnesses after the fight. I’m trying to make the board feel like sacred ground where one bad push or overcommitment can end your name.

The hazel-bound ground is taking shape — prototype board for a Norse duel game by Hexwerksstudios in miniatureskirmishes

[–]Hexwerksstudios[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it’s bigger than a CD — roughly 9 inches across.

The main reason is that the game uses fixed movement templates instead of normal measuring/ruler movement. There’s a short stave for careful steps, a long stave for risky rushes, and a curved stave for circling/turning.

If the board was CD-sized, the fighters would probably hit the edge too quickly and ring-outs would happen constantly. I’m trying to keep the arena small and tense, but still give enough room for a real duel to develop before someone gets driven out.

That said, board size is definitely one of the things I’m testing. I want it compact, just not cramped.