Fiction informs function — to paraphrase Keith Stetson in his excellent game, Seco Creek Vigilance Committee — was the guiding principle when I decided to tear down Nocked’s existing game structures for the desktop release, salvage the good, and rebuild the rest from the ground up.
Previously, I had 1 resource pillar (gold, renown, men), 1 counter-pillar (bounty), and a tacked-on sideways mechanic (Grace) that nevertheless left a player with the distinct possibility of losing the endgame (and only the endgame). This might be seen as a challenge for some, but for others it’s just frustrating, and I want to ensure a satisfied - if thoughtful - feeling of accomplishment when the credits roll, whatever the outcome.
From the ashes of the old, Nocked now has 3 resource pillars - granular, regional, and structural - that feed from the story, to the story, and between each other. I’ll take an in-depth look at those, as well as the triumphant return of Grace and The Sheriff Strikes Back in future posts.
The Sheriff of Nottingham enjoys nothing less than your total destruction. He’ll have a harder time once the desktop version of Nocked is released.