When I was a kid, I played Dungeons and Dragons. A lot. Upon reading all the RPG magazines of the day (Dragon Magazine was by far my favorite) I would notice a pattern in the types of ads that were strewn across the back half of the periodical. Of course there were advertisements for off-the-wall role-playing games that no one has ever heard of, discount figurines and paints, but there was one that I couldn’t quite figure out… the play by mail game.
The play-by-mail scheme worked like this. You send in some money somewhere to subscribe to a particular game, and you mail in your character’s turn. The virtual Dungeon Master would respond by mail with the results, and you would mail in another turn. Some games would allow you to play a fee, and you had unlimited turns, but the majority of these games were pay-by-the-turn, and usually cost between $1 to $2 per turn. This was in the eighties, so everything was handled with regular good ol’ U.S. Postal Service, so a week or so would pass between turns. Not only could you play D&D, but CyberPunk, Middle Earth, and even Chess.
I never subscribed to any of these, but I figured that someone out there was, because there were so many ads for this type of game. This type of game would never work today, but what if everything were handled by email? What if there were a web portal where you could login, check your “game mail”, place your turn, and check the next day to see the results of your move? Wizards of the Coast is working on just such a game, called “The Goblin Game”.
Buoyed by the success of Magic Online, Wizards of the Coast is preparing to expand its foray into multiplayer digial gaming by offering a new web-based game. At last year’s PAX, representatives from Wizards of the Coast R&D offered a sneak peek at a new game code-named: “The Goblin Game.” Currently in internal testing, a public beta test of “The Goblin Game” is slated for later this year and will allow gamers from all over the world to try it out.
If anyone can pull this off, Wizards of the Coast can. They invented Magic the Gathering series, and have created a successful online portal for fans of the card battle game. A worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop role-playing game categories, Wizards of the Coast is continually striving to develop new and exciting challenges for game enthusiasts. “The Goblin Game” provides an exciting, online game environment while building on popular elements of strategy, fantasy and community present in current Wizards of the Coast products. Allowing for anywhere from 10 to 100 players at a time, “The Goblin Game” challenges each participant to grow their goblin tribe, join a powerful goblin faction, and ultimately win the game. Players can manage their goblins daily, uncovering new developments and give new direction to their tribe in this rapidly changing, often surprising environment. A typical game will last about 2 to 3 months with players crafting one strategic turn per day.
I spoke with Cormac Russell, the project leader for the game, who gave me an update on the game’s progress. Last year Wizards announced the game, but it was nothing more than the game engine and several graphical placeholders and was truly nothing to write home about (hence the reason last year’s preview was shelved). One year later, Wizards has added alot of artwork to the game, and many of the fantasy artists from Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, and Magic the Gathering have inserted their talents into the character and board art. A player of the game will notice that the goblins in the game appear recognizably similar to Magic the Gathering and D&D.
Wizards has been playtesting the Alpha with current friends and family, and the game is alomst ready for a public playtest. Wizards will start accepting Beta playtesters in January or February, and will use a lottery system for selection.
Since this game was shown last year, I asked Cormac what the holdup was with the game. He stated that while the development time is unusually long for Wizards of the Coast, that the timeline is on par with other games in the industry. They have spent alot more time prototyping the engine and interface, so most of the recent work has been creating the fantastic new artwork.
The gameplay works like this: You can play “The Goblin Game” from any standard web broser that supports the Flash plugin. You make one play per day, but each play could involve doing several tasks (moving units, gathering resources, attacking enemies, etc.).
In “The Goblin Game” you are the leader of a goblin warren. Goblin Heroes and Taskmasters look to you for orders and round up goblin followers to do your bidding. The goal of the game is to build up your warren until you attract the attention of one of the major goblin factions, then join that faction, and help your faction win the game. Your goblin heroes might encounter trolls or dwarves or any number of other fantasy creatures– even dragons!
Turns store up, so if you don’t play for a three days, then you can take three turns. You can’t do military actions on stored turns, , so you cannot attack or participate in auctions. You can only perform resource-based actions on these stored turns. Basically if you miss a day, then you can’t do something that will affect other players, because that would not be fair to store up 3 turns and then make 3 attacks.
A typical game will take about two months to play, with a player taking five or so turns a week.
Is this a Magic Online style game where I install a client on my computer and then play against other players?
No, “The Goblin Game” is a Web-based game that can be played using any standard Web browser (EG: Internet Explorer or Firefox) that supports the Flash plug-in. No download is required and players can rejoin the game from multiple PCs — anywhere they normally connect to the Internet.
Is the game play like Magic? Are there cards to collect and decks to build? Will I benefit from buying boosters to gain a competitive edge?
No. This is a competitive strategy game not unlike a board game. No collecting is involved, although there is a great deal of depth to the game and there are many different ways to play it and win. Committed players will start new games often and experience a different community, challenge and reward each time.
Will you be charging for the game?
At the conclusion of the open beta, when the game is ready for final release, there will be a charge to play the game. Rather than a monthly fee, Wizards plans to require a one- time fee to join in or start a new game. Each game should last from 2 to 3 months. Players may play in more than one game at a time if they choose. Future expansion of the game could include a tournament structure as well. Exact pricing details will be released at a future date.
How is this game different from some other Web-based empire games?
Wizards of the Coast is about creating innovative, social and competitive play. There are a few empire building Web games out there, but most focus only on the process of leveling or gathering incremental status indefinitely. We wanted to create an entirely new Web-based gaming experience, requiring strategic skills and a social, interactive layer with an ultimate goal of winning the game in a definitive manner. Experienced players will take what they learn from previous games and strengthen their approach, becoming a more competitive “The Goblin Game” player. Additionally, we are deploying Wizards of the Coast’s fabulous stable of artists to bring an unmatched level of quality and polish to the game experience.
Is the game all about goblins? Are there other characters or objects you can manipulate?
In “The Goblin Game” you are the leader of a goblin warren. Goblin Heroes and Taskmasters look to you for orders and round up goblin followers to do your bidding. The goal of the game is to build up your warren until you attract the attention of one of the major goblin factions, then join that faction, and help your faction win the game. Your goblin heroes might encounter trolls or dwarves or any number of other fantasy creatures– even dragons!
Can you explain more about these “Factions”?
Within the world of “The Goblin Game” there are many powerful goblin factions all vying for power and each with its own agenda. As you begin the game and start to develop your own goblin warren you’ll want to build your reputation with one or two of the various factions until you are invited to join one of them. Once you are part of a faction you’ll join with other players in fulfilling that faction’s goals and thereby winning the game.
Can you give an example of a Faction?
One of the goblin factions is the “Dragon Tamers.” Their goal is to steal a dragon egg, hatch it, try to convince the dragon that goblins don’t actually taste good, and then eventually tame the dragon. If they pull all of this off before any other faction meets its own goals, they win the game.
Is there PvP in “The Goblin Game?”
“The Goblin Game” is about both cooperative play and competitive (PvP) play. Your goblin Heroes can lead troops into battle and hold strategic points on the map for you or your faction. You’ll need to work with the members of your faction and against the members of the other factions in order to win. Some factions place a heavy emphasis on PvP combat while some have very little. What faction you join will have a significant impact on how you play the game. We believe that many players will want to try them all as each presents its own strengths, weaknesses and strategic