Neck Lace and the End of the World

~ divers inputs for creative outputs ~


            
                            February 26, 2024
                        
                
                Neck Lace and the End of the World
                

                        Hello Friends,
I got to try out the game Eschaton by Archon Games this week for game night. I had purchased it several years ago in what I’m guessing was its first print run. The box is wrapped in brown paper and the box art appears to be hand-printed. Ink bleeds off the edges of some tokens. The game board is raw linen stamped in black. It’s lovely.
A bleak and moody map for a game that ends the world.
Overall, I love the theme of cultists bringing about the end of the world, but the deck-builder mechanics left me wanting. (I, someone who doesn’t play a lot deck builders, was stomped by a friend who plays a lot of deck builders.) Here are some design lessons I took away from the game:
Communicate mechanics in a way that to helps players understand intended strategy. The game is built on four stats presented identically on the cards you can purchase for your deck. Since each stat does something very different, I treated them as representing different viable strategies to pursue. In reality, one of those stats (Influence) is non-negotiable if you want a deck that can keep up. And a second stat (Zeal) is almost up there. Presenting Influence differently from the other stats could preserve all the current mechanics while more clearly signposting what matters.
Usability beats aesthetics. Players build their decks by combining two distinct sets of cards called the Arcana deck and the Conclave. The cards have identical backs so they can be shuffled together. And the face of each card has the same muted, grim dark aesthetic. It’s beautiful, but don’t you dare ask me to sort the Conclave from the Arcana cards in each player’s deck after the game.
The Brain Box
~ divers inputs for creative outputs ~
📜 Scientists create a time crystal that lasted for 40 minutes - I think the absurd title of this very real article provides enough info on why it might interest a world builder or game master.
📖 Some wikipedia tidbits this week:
Louchébem - A slang used by Parisian butchers. Think thieves’ cant, but for butchers. And French.
Ciompi Revolt - A labor rebellion in Medieval Florence against the guild system of the time. This one’s directly feeding into my work on Conceit: City of Devils.


Ten Necklaces
~ bedeck the neck and bewitch the observer ~
Perhaps the most interesting thing you can do with an item like a necklace is build in a potential hook from the get go. So, I tried to make sure to include a column for that in this table.
d10 It’s made of Attached is Why is it significant?
1 Seamlessly interlocking silver loops A brooch made of red stone, carved to resemble a pair of fangs It’s an heirloom stolen years ago from a wealthy family.
2 Chunky wooden beads in alternating colors A torn clasp that would have attached a brooch or pendant It can be disassembled and rearranged to spell out an encoded message.
3 Uniform copper rectangles inscribed with saints Nothing; it’s a simple piece of jewelry One of the players finds it on their person by surprise. It must have been planted on them while they were out and about.
4 A single set of large horns harvested from a beast of burden A glass disc that inverts the color of anything you observe through it Many forgeries of this necklace have been in circulation, but this one could finally be the real deal.
5 Black leather, shaped as a snug collar A pewter hourglass mounted sideways It’s enchanted to manipulate probability so that the holder keeps encountering people in conflict, ranging from minor disagreements to blood feuds.
6 The coin of a dozen nations strung on fishing wire 99 small charms shaped like suns. Each sun has a different facial expression. It’s a religious artifact that would be of great interest to researchers in several fields.
7 Green leather shaved into fine fringe A thin wooden pipe for smoking When gifted, it makes the recipient pliable to the person who gifted it.
8 Plain rope with seven knots An egg-shaped pendant covered in garish grins It was thought buried with a powerful sorcerer.
9 Rusted silver worked into floral filigree A copper bell that rings just before it is rung It’s cursed to continuously make copies of itself, usually when no one is looking.
10 Two unbroken sheets of gold. Almost resembles a wide collar. A fist-sized sapphire with poison sloshing in its hollow core Nothing special - it just looks neat!
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Thanks
Have fun. Be weird.
-Strange Years
                    
                
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d10	It’s made of	Attached is	Why is it significant?
1	Seamlessly interlocking silver loops	A brooch made of red stone, carved to resemble a pair of fangs	It’s an heirloom stolen years ago from a wealthy family.
2	Chunky wooden beads in alternating colors	A torn clasp that would have attached a brooch or pendant	It can be disassembled and rearranged to spell out an encoded message.
3	Uniform copper rectangles inscribed with saints	Nothing; it’s a simple piece of jewelry	One of the players finds it on their person by surprise. It must have been planted on them while they were out and about.
4	A single set of large horns harvested from a beast of burden	A glass disc that inverts the color of anything you observe through it	Many forgeries of this necklace have been in circulation, but this one could finally be the real deal.
5	Black leather, shaped as a snug collar	A pewter hourglass mounted sideways	It’s enchanted to manipulate probability so that the holder keeps encountering people in conflict, ranging from minor disagreements to blood feuds.
6	The coin of a dozen nations strung on fishing wire	99 small charms shaped like suns. Each sun has a different facial expression.	It’s a religious artifact that would be of great interest to researchers in several fields.
7	Green leather shaved into fine fringe	A thin wooden pipe for smoking	When gifted, it makes the recipient pliable to the person who gifted it.
8	Plain rope with seven knots	An egg-shaped pendant covered in garish grins	It was thought buried with a powerful sorcerer.
9	Rusted silver worked into floral filigree	A copper bell that rings just before it is rung	It’s cursed to continuously make copies of itself, usually when no one is looking.
10	Two unbroken sheets of gold. Almost resembles a wide collar.	A fist-sized sapphire with poison sloshing in its hollow core	Nothing special - it just looks neat!