Tag Archives: John Kovalic

ROME: CITY OF MARBLE spotted in the wild.

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And an official press release from ACD Distribution:

Rome: City of Marble

$49.99 SRP

Welcome to ancient Rome! In this tile-laying game, you are a builder backed by one of the powerful Patrician families of Rome.

Influence and direct new construction of the expanding metropolis through shrewd development of the city’s districts. Construct various civic buildings: Temples for worship, Baths  for health, Theaters and Arenas for arts and entertainment. The more you build, the more you gain Imperium, the measure of real power and influence in Roman society.

As buildings are constructed, influential players score victory points representing their prestige. Score additional victory points by building Bridges, Aqueducts, and Fountains. Earn a final reward for your level of Imperium.

The player with the most victory points in the end earns the title of Architectus Romanus!

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a cabin in the woods

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I’m leaving in the morning for a long weekend of tomfoolery, camaraderie and isolation in the North Woods of Wisconsin. I’m bringing a few games and prototypes, as well as my Chevee Dodd-inspired Idea Box for rapid prototyping while I’m up there.

I mentioned isolation–I’ll have negligible Internet access while I’m up there; I don’t own a smart phone, and there’s no Internet access at the cabin. I’m really looking forward to a few days away from the Internet. My pal John Kovalic has been leaving his smart phone at home when he’s working at his studio. I hope it’ll help me be as productive as he’s been.

I’ve got a brand new game to work on while I’m there, and a couple others to play test. Additionally, this morning I had an idea for a game based on the old Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip. I think it’s  a perfect basis for a game, and I want to explore the idea of serendipity in game mechanisms.

Before I go, I want to share this insightful video from one of my favorite YouTube series, Extra Credits. Fascinating stuff.

Snake and Ladders may be one of the oldest and one of the best “Mechanics as Metaphor” games out there.