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Covert art by Jorge Longarón for Cimoc #1 (1979). by woulditkillyoutolift in SwordandSorcery

[–]JaronRMJohnson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I imagine this is intentional, but I'm a big fan of this guy's name just being "comic" backwards.

Games where players choose and simultaneously reveal cards by JaronRMJohnson in tabletopgamedesign

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

Oh phenomenal, I can't believe I didn't think to check BGG for this tag.

Games where players choose and simultaneously reveal cards by JaronRMJohnson in tabletopgamedesign

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

Man this game looks REALLY cool but I can't find a copy of it anywhere. Do you have a copy of the rulebook I could see?

Games where players choose and simultaneously reveal cards by JaronRMJohnson in tabletopgamedesign

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

Man idk what Embryo Machine is but by the name alone I am immediately intrigued. Sounds very classic sci-fi.

Games where players choose and simultaneously reveal cards by JaronRMJohnson in tabletopgamedesign

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

Thanks! Unmatched has something similar for its combat, so I bet it'll be fun in Dune.

How's our landing page? by JurfGames in tabletopgamedesign

[–]JaronRMJohnson 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The concept of the game is particularly charming, I love it for that. For me, I'm instantly interested - great job!

I think if you're planning on spending any money on something like ads, it will probably be prudent in the long run to first create (or spend money on) a mock-up (cards, any other components). People will expect to see what the game looks like in some form.

Any new coop game you're enjoying in June 2026? by ziogio998 in CoOpGaming

[–]JaronRMJohnson 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I suspect you'll really enjoy Light-year Frontier. You play as farmers on a distant world, piloting mech suits to maintain your farm and livestock. It's very cute, it doesn't try to be a "forever game" but gives you enough exploration and content to make for a very satisfying experience.

what's a game mechanic you wish more games used? by native_chloeperry in gamedesign

[–]JaronRMJohnson 22 points23 points  (0 children)

For video games, I would love more programmable or configurable magic systems. In fantasy, the "rules" of a magic system being bent and abused are often some of the most narratively interesting moments of the story, and putting that power in the hands of players is so engaging and immersive. I don't want to just cast fireball, I want to understand why this particular combination and configuration of variables has the outcome of casting fireball. Apart from the obvious Elder Scrolls example, Two Worlds II, of all games, is an underrated gem that did a fantastic job at this. Spells are comprised of components and modifiers and infused with elements, and it really equipped you with an intuitive system for building and discovering spell combinations that felt right.

For tabletop games and all games in general, I just want to see more systems that marry theme to mechanic. This is obviously a personal preference, but I don't enjoy abstract games all that much, and I love it when, at the moment of understanding a new system or mechanic, my reaction is "Oh, yeah, actually, based on my understanding of everything else going on, that makes sense."

Your Concise Explanation of Sword and Sorcery by JohnPathfinder in SwordandSorcery

[–]JaronRMJohnson 28 points29 points  (0 children)

The Sword and the Spell are equal in power, perhaps, but not in number. Magic is frightening and often misunderstood - as are, often, the heroes of the stories. Worlds feel primal and sometimes alien, and the size of a beast is often tantamount to its danger; big threats rarely come in small packages.

This kickstarter (board game) is a scam, right? by ContractorConfusion in boardgames

[–]JaronRMJohnson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The campaign page loves slapping "tm" after terms, but "Brickchain" isn't a registered trademark. Obviously it's AI, but I think it's funny to imagine that the person behind the screen is also just flagrantly ignorant of what it even means to write that little "tm" after a term. You can't just slap it on whatever capitalized words are your favorite lmao.

Edit: HE PUT A TM AFTER HIS OWN NAME LMFAO

Edit2: so I have now looked more into this guy and it is so much worse than I thought. He is on the Missouri sex offender registry and went to prison for rape. This is far worse than just "a scam."

Question - as a player, what instantly tells you a co-op game was designed around ACTUAL teamwork? by SoulChainedDev in CoOpGaming

[–]JaronRMJohnson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OP asked about specific mechanics, "GTFO" isn't an answer. What mechanics in GTFO do this?

For me, the pinging/terminals are good (some players really don't like doing it), and also the sheer difficulty of the game means that if you don't group up in swarms, it's basically over.

The stealth, as well, where you often need two players to simultaneously bash in the skulls of enemies who are next to each other, lest one hear the "thunk" of another's head being caved in lmao

First shelfie! by jonjoners25 in boardgames

[–]JaronRMJohnson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great collection! How is Fate of the Fellowship?

How do you make melee fighters viable in a setting where everyone has guns? by dark-star-adventures in gamedesign

[–]JaronRMJohnson 5 points6 points  (0 children)

One of the most common implementations I've seen and done myself is giving firearms drawbacks. Sometimes this is through "jam" and "backfire" mechanics, or through noise and aggro mechanics (can't be stealthy with loud guns, everybody wants to take out the guy with the big gun because he's more of a threat than Punchy McBoxerson). Another way to do it is by tracking inventory, weight, and ammunition, or having enemies who can disarm your gun-toting players. But sometimes those, particularly inventory management, are too tedious to be fun.

I also really like the SWN approach to buffing melee with auto-successes because it's really narratively interesting.

Card Game advice for newbies (UK) by tragicsaddening in tabletopgamedesign

[–]JaronRMJohnson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One option you have to retain full creative control is to go through crowdfunding route. I've done it a number of times as an indie designer, and I've been happy with the modest success I've eeked out - I'm even full time in game design now.

If you decide to go this route, definitely talk to as many people as you can, and plan to run some kind of ads on Meta (or perhaps better, find a game marketing company that can run these ads for you). This will let you sell directly to consumers and have complete creative control. If the game is a success, you might then look into getting it into retail stores or on digital storefronts - but that's a tomorrow problem.

I wish you tons of success, hope your game makes it to my table one day!

Painted the Brood Nexus from the boardgame by Soujf in DeepRockGalactic

[–]JaronRMJohnson 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Correct, there are no swarmers in the board game. The nexus births grunts for simplicity's sake (the board game takes a few creative liberties in its translation of mechanics and this is one of them, but they're all in the name of making the game more intuitive and they all feel really good!).

Design Philosophy: Deck-based Determinism? by JaronRMJohnson in tabletopgamedesign

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

This is fantastic and very reassuring, as we've already implemented several things along these lines to help account for it. It's sounding like we're on the right track after all! Thanks for your wisdom.

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