Harrr!
It has been a busy year. We are back in Amsterdam, and Space Pirates has moved from a large collection of ideas into a game we are testing and improving every week.
More than 30 play tests and 9 printed prototypes later, we are getting closer to the heart of the game: Salvage Boosters, upgrade your flagship and challenge anyone standing between you and your ultimate goal: finding the lost planet Second Horizon.
With every prototype, we remove unnecessary mechanics and sharpen what remains. At the same time, we are improving the cards, icons, terminology and rules to make the game easier to understand and play.
An expanding universe
While the game becomes leaner, its universe keeps growing.
We added a fifth faction: PAX Gallus, a civilisation of heavily armed space crusaders with absolute faith and very little restraint.
We also started developing The Hive Gate, a cooperative expansion in which rival captains must stop fighting each other long enough to face an overwhelming Swarm invasion together.
Graphic novel
We have written a prequel to Space Pirates and translated it into a page-by-page graphic-novel script.
My wife Cristina is an author and she is helping shape the story and its characters. Together, we completed an initial test of the first eight pages, moving from rough layouts and sketches towards concept artwork.
It is the beginning of a larger universe that players will be able to explore beyond the game itself.
Follow the journey
We have launched a website featuring the artwork, factions, first graphic-novel pages and regular updates as we work towards Kickstarter.
You do not need to become a playtester to join us. Sign up to follow the game’s development, receive occasional updates and be among the first to hear when the Kickstarter campaign is ready.
Originally transmitted to the backers of Pirates! on Kickstarter. View the original update ↗