work in progress - serica

Serica: Plains of Dust - is a 2 player game of trade and empire building that takes place within the Silk Road of Asia, which spanned from the Han Dynasty to the Roman Empire in 200BC. The game uses tableau building and card drafting mechanics that have cropped up in recent years. This is my own spin on those. I am happy to say I think I reached another small milestone in my game designing with this game. It is far more complex than any game i've created previously, though it is still simple to learn, takes only one deck of 54 cards, and plays in about 30 minutes.

I really like the bottom two photos above, imagining the leaders of each of these empires looking across Asia imagining what that other mysterious empire is all about.

I did a lot of research prior to beginning the design of this game, reading about the Silk Road and how trade happened across such distances. The game is currently in its alpha playtesting phase and some great people around the world are giving it a try or two. Out of this will come a great deal of revising and strengthening to the game which will make it all the better in the end.

A few friends have suggested I print the board on cloth which is certainly an idea in keeping with the game narrative.