Naughty Jester Games: How it Started
Naughty Jester Games: How it Started
So first all, I’m not a writer. Essays, reports sure. Creative writing not so much. That said over the next year or so I’ll be updating this blog every month or so because it’s an easy way to provide updated information on what we’re doing and why. This post is really just going to be about myself, my son and Naughty Jester Games.
So who are we?
My name is Cory and I’ve worked in a variety of industries throughout the years mostly revolving around software and more specifically project management. However, my first 17 or so years I worked in video games. I’ve done a pretty wide variety of projects over the years and during all of it my family and I have always been avid board gamers. My son is 18, grew up with all this madness, plays more games than I do (which is impressive) and if I can get him to stop redesigning every game he even glances at it’s an accomplishment. I’d always wanted to create a board game (who hasn’t) and as things would have it life will find a way.
The local convention
So here we were at the local gaming convention when we come across a game I’m sure a few of you have seen called Circus Maximus by Avalon Hill. The game isn’t played as much anymore except at conventions but there an inspiring set of people have created these 8 foot boards with full 32mm mini’s of it and have turned it into a roman party. Looked like fun, the game we usually play during that slot was a repeat so we figured why not.
We. Had. A. Blast.
The odd thing was that it wasn’t because of the game. The rules of the game were decent if a bit verbose (one of the reasons I love conventions is you don’t have to memorize the obscure rules, those running the games do) and overall the play was somewhat interesting. But what really did it for us was the atmosphere, watching all the players chant “Flip! Flip! Flip!” every time someone took a risk or crashed their chariot. Watching everyone have a good time while their favorite chariot was destroyed, that created quite the experience.
Ultimately though we walked away thinking that it was a fun little game but not quite something we’d play outside of a convention on the big table with lots of people.
The Design
So as we drove home that weekend we did what we often do after a convention and discussed games we liked, ones we didn’t and so on. Pretty quickly we started in on that chariot game we had played and started throwing out various ideas on what we’d do differently. It mostly started out as a homebrew discussion to create a set for games we play with friends but before long we had the beginnings of a completely different game. There were similarities of course, you were still racing with chariots or wagons around a map but beyond that everything else had completely changed. A different theme obviously but also an entirely new combat system, unique races so that one team would actually play differently than the others, customizable maps to encourage path adjustment and a control mechanism that we’ll be introducing soon.
Not only was it something we wanted to play, but it was something we wanted to make. I’ve always been a sucker for new projects so Naughty Jester Games was born! Why Naughty Jester? Because one of my Dungeons and Dragons characters is a Rogue that wears a magical jester hat (Yes Pam, it’s magical!) and what better obscure reason to choose a name. The company really has two purposes, first off we have a lot of ideas on games that we’d like to create and here’s an opportunity for us to do just that. Secondly, my son wants to design games for a living so here’s an opportunity for him to participate in exactly that.
Father Son Project
So what ultimately developed was a father son project to create a new game out of the old. Something that people would enjoy and we could see on your table someday.
We are off on our journey and we’re very much hoping many of you will join with us. We have several other game ideas we’re bouncing around but for now Chivalry is Dead: Race for the Crown is the thing we’re focusing on.
In the next few months I’ll be putting out a series of blog posts on how various systems work and the intent is to launch a Kickstarter sometime early 2023. Between now and then we’re working with artists to create art, getting manufacturing quotes and in a few months we’ll be expanding our testing sessions to some local game stores as well as conventions.
Until Next Time!
The Jester
