Introducing: The Write and Erase Solo Series

Before taking a short hiatus from game design a few years back, I had been working on several smaller projects designed to be print-and-play focused. The cost (both mentally and financially) of prepping and running another physical Kickstarter was daunting, and the main project I was working on (Dead Machine Gods) had been picked up by a publisher (see the below for updates on that one).

I was sort of over it re: making more physical games. At least for a bit.

But the idea of setting some very specific constraints and working on what I thought would be tiny print-and-play games I could release and sell digitally without having to worry about the nightmare hellscape of chasing down missing Kickstarter packages...well, it seemed appealing.

So I started making some tiny 18 card games that used a few other components.

Except they turned out to be not so tiny. Despite being 18 cards, 3 dice, and a dry erase marker, each of these prototypes punched above their weight in depth and layered complexity. These games are pocked sized and quick playing, but they aren't casual in the least. I was on to something. As noted in another recent blog post, I discovered that I really love the creative design space that comes from creating roll-and-writes where you use a dry erase pen to write directly on the cards. This opens up an lot of fun possibilities that are harder to manage with just 18 cards and some dice.

Earlier this year I kicked off the dust on a few of those forgotten designs and realized...yeah, these are still solid. I've been spending the last few months polishing up the first two (of many) games that I'll be releasing as part of what I'm calling the Write and Erase Solo Series. Each game in the series takes the concept of writing on cards with a dry erase pen and puts a different spin on it. Throw in a few dice, and it's a weird thinky party.

Morbid Fortress is release #1 that will kick the series off later this month, followed by a Doom Machine sequel that takes the original formula and does some funky and cool things with it. I have a few more in the oven beyond that, and I'm excited to keep seeing how far I can push this simple format.

If you're fans of my previous designs, I think you'll dig these next few releases.

About Dead Machine Gods

Regarding Dead Machine Gods...I am going to be launching a Kickstarter to finally bring that game to life. Since the time I sold the rights (and subsequently regained the rights after it never published after a few years), Kickstarter has changed a lot. I'm going to take the time to get up to speed on new features, how it works these days, etc. And also I'm making a few adjustments to the solo mode and a few cards that I want to update. So...that may drop later this year, but more likely it's a 2027 project. Stay tuned.

In the meantime...Morbid Fortress will be launching on June 23rd! You can join my newsletter to get notified when that and other games in the series launch! Thanks a bunch and stay tuned!