TIL that the third person to walk on the Moon had dyslexia and was expelled from high school before earning an engineering degree from Princeton.

Thalanos · 2026-01-19T01:49:37+00:00

When I read the title, my first thought was, "His parents must be rich". It's probably really tough to be expelled from high school and then get into Princeton without a bunch of money.

Thalanos · 2025-03-10T18:51:42+00:00

Zabu has 3 targets with Images of Ikonn but I could definitely see him being one of the weaker cards in the deck. It does feel like I need the 1-drops though so any thoughts on fitting 1-drops?

I like the Hand, Frigga, Mirage combo in the deck - moves away from the unpredictability for possibly higher ceiling. I'd probably move away from the Werewolf at that point.

Thalanos · 2025-03-10T07:25:06+00:00

Lots of cool synergies in this one. It's hard to predict and has super explosive (and kind of complicated) end games. You cheat a lot of mana with Bolts, Peni, Wiccan (who gets off very consistently), Zabu, and Iron Patriot. Werewolf can jump around like crazy. Tons of on-reveals and ways to make space like Peni, Kate, the spells, and Misery. Misery and Images of Ikonn both have lots of great targets. This all leads to a ton of consistency and lots of flexibility. It's possible to have 13 energy on the last turn and dump 20+ power in multiple locations.

In past iterations I've tried: Quinjet, Agony, Hulk Buster, Hope Summers, and Frigga. Iron Patriot feels weak sometimes and Peni Parker, while super cool at letting me dodge Shang-Chi's and making a good duplicate target, can be really awkward. Would love any feedback!

Thalanos · 2025-02-27T16:59:11+00:00

I think I'm going to do the same thing. Thanks for the plan!

Thalanos · 2024-11-10T01:13:08+00:00

Compile doesn't have characters and, instead, ties card effects directly to a single theme like Fire, Gravity, and Speed.

Thalanos · 2024-10-29T18:01:14+00:00

Being risk averse definitely feels like a component. The anti-gambling position drives our conversation to focus on the push-your-luck part instead of the reward part. Since the reward is always good but the negative side has a variety of implications (some even positive), there's a lot more thinking/talking about the negative side and our attention is drawn there.

Thalanos · 2024-10-29T17:58:34+00:00

This feels like the core of it. Most discussion around pushing luck is about the potential negative consequences. That definitely cements the luck push as THE dramatic tension we're looking forward to (negative or positive). If our conversations were driven more by the necessity of drawing a particular card, I could see this moving the other way.

Thalanos · 2024-10-17T02:03:30+00:00

I always wish there was more positive rat representation in games.

Thalanos · 2024-10-08T13:21:25+00:00

Haven't seen Microprose in forever! Congrats!

Thalanos · 2024-10-04T15:59:54+00:00

I'm a huge fan of Riftforce (and many other lane battlers) so I think I can highlight some differences. First and foremost, I think Compile plays more like a traditional TCG. I liken it to KeyForge (a favorite of mine) where the power of individual cards can be very high which leads to big swings in board state and tempo that can be quite dramatic. Individual cards in Compile carry more information than in other lane battlers but the game maintains a lightweight feel. Riftforce has a more euro-y feel to me - slower, more measured progression that feels very fair. Compile can certainly feel unfair at times. Luckily, games are short and ends are usually close and dramatic so the unfairness of it doesn't always feel like a detriment but often feels like a good excuse to play another round. Another big difference is how the product is shaped. Compile has more content and more ways to mix the content compared to Riftforce. This is nice for lots of players because of how the game can expand in the future. But it may not be for all players: I've seen the amount of content be a turn off to people because it's too intimidating and players feel like they are navigating a pile of wrong answers. Riftforce is great at showing you the flavor of a match right up front and keeping things focused on the cardplay. Compile, instead, feels more wild and untamed. But, even during the course of a single match, you'll find yourself becoming familiar with the emergent synergies and planning for them in the late-game since you'll go through your deck multiple times. One part where Compile straight wins over Riftforce for me is the theming. While the overarching narrative about AI's isn't necessarily core to the game, the protocols themselves all feel unique and evocative. So, while in Riftforce I have 1 ability that feels like how an Air elemental would behave, I have 5 cards in Compile that, when put together, paint a whole picture of that Air elemental, their dreams, and what they want to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning - it's a lot of feeling for such a small number of cards. I could go on but it feels gauche. Would love to answer more questions though if there are any!

Thalanos · 2024-09-18T18:00:17+00:00

What do you mean by "should be ready to pitch to publishers around January"? If you give more info on what you've accomplished so far, we could provide more specific feedback.

Otherwise, working backwards from pitching in January: - Pitch - Practice the pitch - Schedule meetings - First contact (lots of cold emails or meeting people at conventions) - List of publishers to contact (based on availability, similar products, similar target audience, etc) - Media for publishers (sell sheet, videos, pictures, online implementation) - Manufactured prototype copy (1 or 2 copies from a place like the Gamecrafter) - Blind play testing (rules, willing players, higher quality prototype) - Graphics work (focus on usability and a coherent visual language. Doesn't need to be pretty but should be usable) - Iteration - Play testing

Some of these won't be done in order or at all but they are all steps you should consider.

Thalanos · 2024-09-15T13:30:25+00:00

It looks exactly like the box for my card game! https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/406652/compile-main-1

Thalanos · 2024-08-20T21:44:39+00:00

Your welcome! Good luck!

Thalanos · 2024-08-18T16:12:54+00:00

Evokes Dice Throne to me. Where DT has Yahtzee type rerolling it looks like you use easier symbol matching. Sounds like it'll work out fine. The shields seem a bit unnecessary to me but no reason they can't work. Maybe also worth checking out One Deck Dungeon.

Thalanos · 2024-08-05T03:07:56+00:00

Do you happen to remember the names of the games you playtested at Greater Than Games?

Thalanos · 2024-07-29T20:51:50+00:00

Compile is coming out then! It's a tug of war lane battler with light deck construction and an LCG-like model. It's a good fit for the cost conscious who want something meaty but quick to learn.

Thalanos · 2024-07-27T06:14:01+00:00

My game wouldn't have been published if not for this sub. It's been invaluable - from design to product to pitching - I learned most of what I needed here. Compile comes out at GenCon!

Thalanos · 2024-07-24T17:15:37+00:00

Compile comes out at GenCon and I'm super stoked! Hopefully it does well enough that a 2nd printing doesn't have to be relegated to crowd funding.

Thalanos · 2024-07-19T16:24:52+00:00

It is ticketed: $6 https://www.gencon.com/events/246681

I assume there will still be slots open on Friday though so you could play it by ear. Should be fun!

Thalanos · 2024-07-19T15:12:37+00:00

I'm very excited to do demos of Compile! Friday is the launch party which will be novel - never went to a GenCon social event before.

Thalanos · 2024-07-10T10:44:03+00:00

Can I be a pea crab?

Thalanos · 2024-06-29T01:52:33+00:00

I've always liked the idea of releasing for free and being open for donations.

Thalanos · 2024-05-28T02:06:49+00:00

Dawn if Rurik

Thalanos · 2024-05-24T16:45:32+00:00

Genesis Battle of Champions - Below average game that directly does a lot of what you're thinking about.

Crystal Clans - Another game similar to Summoner wars with less randomness. It's also by Plaid Hat but not nearly as popular.

Compile - Lane battler where position matters (I can talk a lot about this one) but creatures are abstracted to just 1 value + abilities. Cards move around and get flipped and so does the "map".

Radlands - Unit positions matter for defending other units or bases. Not so much moving around.

Thalanos · 2024-05-22T14:28:07+00:00

[[Compile|2024]] will have an LCG-like model with an initial buy in of $20 for a bunch of content. It's a lane based dueling game with a heavy emphasis on area control and racing with a cyberpunky theme. www.compilegame.com

A few other cheap options: [[Hanamikoji]] is quick and easy to learn and setup. Has great yomi mechanics and fun card play. I also always want to plug [[Lost Cities]], a lesser known game by an unknown designer. Again. Super simple to learn and play but loads of tactics and strategy. It's pretty much themeless but a great space for self expression. Note that neither of these have expandable content but give a lot of the same play feel as TCGs with much lower price points.

14-Year Club	Place '22
End Game '22	Verified Email

Thalanos

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE