itch.io

Oh fun! :D

It has sit in backlog for too long! It is a priority for this year though, and will be focus after my next game release.

(and it'll be a free update for everyone who owns Black Heart!)

v2 is stuck in a weird nebulous spot currently! I have done a full rewrite of the game that still needs to be edited (and probably revised one more time) and the design & layout are started but have stalled. I've been putting off finishing it to work on newer & shinier things but it is still a priority for me!

I hope your game demo goes well! If you have any feedback please share it so I can implement it into v2! Black Heart is near and dear to my heart since it was my first original game buuuuut, it is definitely the game I need to update the most!

This is an excellent question! I've delayed Seven Rings a tiny bit as another (secret but not really because I keep tweeting about it) project has jumped the queue, but it won't be too much longer!

Yes indeed! That is why I opted for the community forum for this game. I'll be slowly rolling out previews of archetypes, of the city, and more over time!

Thank you for checking in! If I was to give it a percentage, we're at about 92%! For a few reasons development has just been a slooooow process. It'll be out very very soon though and I'll be doing a postmortem blog post going into the how and why it took so long.  😅

Thank you for playing this and for your comments and write-up! I really loved reading all of your scenarios and such.

You are very right about the prep being a big thing and that the rules aren’t 100% there! I have version 2 all written up and ready to go (just got distracted by other projects) but I think I need to go and take one more look at them with your comments in mind. (Also version 2 is different enough that both v.1 and v.2 will be available for folks!)

This was my first ever original ruleset and I think that is quite apparent. 😅 But I’m also super glad you enjoyed the world and picked up on the passion I put into it as well! If you get a chance, “In Case of an Emergency” is a refinement on Black Heart’s rules as well (it was originally conceived as a Black Heart spinoff but the rules changed enough that it is something completely new, with Black Heart as kind of its foundation).

Anywho thank you again for playing and sharing all of your thoughts and ideas!

all is well now! and no problemo! considering I said August 31 "AT THE LATEST" and it is now 12 days after that, a check-in is warranted. :p
(and thank you for checking-in in such a polite and nice way!)

It is! Well - my apartment lost power for five days at the end of the month which put a dent in my development plans. But we're wrapping things up now!

For your consideration! https://boyproblems.itch.io/boy-problems

That is because it is a tabletop game and not a video game! Hard to get gameplay pics/clips from that.

https://boyproblems.itch.io/tales-end

It is indeed gone! So many of the heists are in such different locations and situations that having one set getaway vehicle felt a bit too static and stifling. 

The Driver did get a cool new item though to make up for it a bit!

It might also not be the permanent cover image... (maybe possibly)

So it is! It is just a stock image from Shutterstock so we must have been on the same wavelength.

It runs off my own custom rule system! You will need two 6-sided dice but you don’t need any knowledge or reference material outside what is included here.

Great question! In the big update I'm working on for the game I actually cut these mechanics completely for these reasons. 
However your interpretation is correct for "Visit"! Each player gets an Easy, Medium and Hard challenge for their turn in the place they visit, their turn ends after these three challenges. The Assist mechanic is supposed to encourage players to stick together and help each other by making the dice rolls easier, so the "assisting" player gives the player who's challenge it is a bonus without losing out on their own challenges either.

I hope that clears it up for this version! The new version will maybe probably also be out before your online game as well, so keep an eye out for that.

I find going through the SCP Archives great for inspiration! I also plan on adding some more in a future update, so keep an eye out!

Any print place should be able to help out! They'll be able to print on half letter size and bind it for you. I go to my local Staples for good and cheap prints of my games.

It does! The rulebook is for players (employees) and the Director (GM). The reference card is to help keep track of the main nouns and verbs within the game as well.

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback!

It's my first game with an original ruleset (Boy Problems was based on L&F) that got tested in a bit of a vacuum (I ran the playtests), so now that it is out to more folks I am starting to see which parts need to be cleaned up! I'm glad your group had fun though and your feedback (along with others!) is helping me put together a Black Heart 2.0 update that I'll be starting to work on after I release my next game. Thanks again for this!

Thank you for this very in-depth review! I really appreciate you taking the time to write it and document everything.

I have plans to re-do the writing and interiors soon, to clean up the mistakes and clear up some of the mechanics. Thanks for the list for small changes so I can make sure I don't miss anything!

Also: Did you take a look at the Tome of Knowledge? It has some stories to help guide a new GM and cut down on some prep, but I also plan to expand those for new GMs even more in the update!

Once again: thank you!!

Thank you for the kind words!
I have some plans on updating Black Heart soon, and might just add in an extra story into the tome! I also am working to create a whole new setting and updated ruleset using Black Heart as a base called In Case of an Emergency. It'll be out soon!

I've been thinking of making something exactly like that!
And to answer your question: Each player has the choice to visit a location on their turn, but they can choose to travel with another player (or players) instead and team up with them! It usually makes sense to split up at first, and then group up more as you investigate the storylines more.
It's meant to simulate an episode of television in structure! Separate plot threads running concurrently that overlap and then meet each other towards the end.

You did get in early! I am very glad more people are getting to experience this too.
I am even more glad I got to support a great cause and be in that bundle too with so many great folks.

I also have plans for a third! I have to make it a trilogy.

There isn't one as I haven't gotten too many questions before! If you want though, you can ask em here or DM me over on Twitter! https://twitter.com/colinmcummings

That is such a cool idea! I'm glad you had fun, and thanks for sharing your experience!

You are good to play them separately! They can tie into each other narratively (either one first) if you want but it is more of a fun neat bonus rather than a requirement.

You are correct, there should be one available! That has been fixed and can now be downloaded.

I do have some ideas for "Boy Problems B-Side"...

https://boyproblems.itch.io/black-heart

It’s a tabletop game so there isn’t really any game play to show, but if you’re looking for something to play with a group of friends you can run a game of this online via video chat or (soon hopefully) in person!

It does operate similarly to Boy Problems, my other game, which Dicebreaker plays here: https://youtu.be/RhJVSaKJb6k

Thanks so much! I shall endeavour to finish this CRJ trilogy soon...