Hobby World International

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible – Economic Strategy in Historical Setting

Maria — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:04:59 +0000

The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible

Economic Strategy in Historical Setting

Hey everyone and welcome back to our Game Creation series.

Recently we’ve announced a new economic strategy game The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible from Stan Kordonsky, the designer of Rurik. The game is now being presented to the international market, and will be displayed at Gen Con and Essen Spiel this year.

The producer of the game, Petr Tyulenev, told us a lot about the game’s development, its features and historical setting.

Where did the game come from?

In May 2019, there came an email from Stan Kordonsky, in which he suggested to watch a video presentation of the game. Stan lives in the USA, but he has soviet roots and has a big interest towards Russian history. It was in 2019 when he launched the game Rurik on Kickstarter, which has been released in Russia by Hobby World afterwards.

So The First Tsar looked like a Rurik’s sequel – a big economic strategy game about Russian history.

Stan wanted to release the game through a Russian publisher, so he offered it to us. Our developing studio looked at the prototype, playtested it, made some corrections and signed the game in the Fall of 2019 – the time when it was already known that we’re going to publish his other two games: Rurik and Lockup.

From the moment it was signed till its official release there had been 3 years.

The first prototype sent by Stan Kordonsky

What makes The First Tsar different from other euro games?

The producer of our studio, Petr, thinks that the game stands out because of several things:

Firstly, it’s pretty limiting in terms of actions, resources and choice. You have a limited amount of opportunities: there are only 3 actions per round, 4 rounds, which means you have only 12 actions in total, and you need to gain maximum out of them.

Secondly, though the game doesn’t provoke conflict, it is quite competitive. You always need to be only a step ahead the other players, because if you take a major lead in one aspect, you will fall behind on the other and won’t be able to win. So you need to find this balance between being the first, but not move ahead too far.

SETTING OF THE GAME

As a rule, euro games are set in a more or less particular period of history: for instance, “Bruges” – at the times of cultural and commerce progress of Bruges.

Here, the setting was originally suggested by the game designer. We decided that it was a great choice, because on one hand, it’s the Rurik’s sequel, on the other hand, it is a well-known historical period of Russian history. And it is quite known outside of Russia too.

The general flow of the game is quite competitive, but there is no direct conflict and it perfectly aligns with the situation in the country at the time of Ivan the Terrible’s reign. There is tsar and all the others who cannot claim his throne.

A great reflection of that in the game is the Tsar’s Favor track.

Game Development

The track hasn’t always looked like it does now. In one of the early prototypes it was a track from 0 to 10. Players moved further on the track and when someone went much farther than the others it was easier for them to stay on top. Now this track works better both mechanically and thematically, because it reflects how Tsar’s opinion could change on a whim. Once you’ve gained Tsar’s favor – you are immediately on top of things, you don’t need to slowly crawl to the top.

The Tsar’s Favor track in early prototypes

Another feature of the game is that it does not impose limits on the amount of resources or cards that you can have. These limitations are created themselves just by making you choose what to receive at a certain point.

Initially, Kordonsky included these limits. For instance, you could have only 5 resources of the same type, and then you had to discard the rest. But after playtesting it became clear that there was no need in including this in the rules, because the game managed this naturally. There was no point in making people remember how much of what they could have.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Tsar’s appearance

If you try to look for any images of Ivan the Terrible, you’ll find out that there are no actual images of him. There is only one image that was created during the tsar’s life, and it is not even a painted, but an imprinted portrait from the “Acts and Epistles of the Apostles” of 1564.

The world-known images of the tsar – such as the paintings by Repin, Vasnetsov and others – are imaginations of the 19^th century, the same as the character we know from Soviet films. In the 20^th century a reconstruction of his skull was made, which relates to the age of 53. Besides, there are verbal descriptions made in his early ages, but they have a lot of inconsistencies and are not truly reliable.

The imprinted portrait from the “Acts and Epistles of the Apostles” (1564)

“Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan” by Ilya Repin

“Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible” by Viktor Vasnetsov

The forensic reconstruction of Ivan the Terrible’s face

The developing studio didn’t want to contribute to this demonic image that has developed in art and was depicting the tsar in his late years. We wanted to show a relatively young Ivan Vasilyevich, full of opportunities, the tsar at his early ages.

So the final image of the tsar was based on Nikolay Cherkasov’s character from Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Ivan the Terrible”. Some adjustments were made based on the verbal descriptions of the tsar – his nose, for instance.

Elements, infographics, illustrations

The design of the game board and game components was based on the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible – the largest compilation of historical information ever assembled in medieval Russia. A great number of historical events were depicted in the form of images and text.

Our developing studio has studied this graphic style, made it more modern and based on it created the infographics of the game and design of some elements.

Coins in the game have different patterns, this is also historically correct, because at the time they were minted there were no automatic process for that, so it was done manually. That is also why the coins have this elongated shape.

The First Player token is how the actual seal of the tsar looked like – a unicorn on one side and a two-headed eagle on the other.

The illustrations were created based on Russian history paintings that were used in education in the 20^th century. Scientific reconstructions were used as well. For example, to illustrate Sobornaya Square in the middle of the Kremlin of that time we used historical reconstructions, archaeological research, and managed to depict it as it looked like in the past.

Except for the above-mentioned Illustrated Chronicle there also existed the Book of a Great Map – a map of the whole country. Unfortunately, it was created in a single copy and hasn’t survived to our days. As a map source there were used European maps of that time.

The First Tsar is not a historical game

It’s not a simulator of historical events, nor a reconstruction, nor an attempt to study this period of history. This is primarily an economic strategy game in a historical setting. And still we tried to eliminate everything that could contradict with the history.

For example, Stan Kordonsky included Voronezh in early prototypes of the map. The city was founded after the death of Ivan the Terrible. And though it fit perfectly in terms of waterways and general layout of the map, historically it was incorrect, so we had to remove it.

The waterways on the game map aren’t 100% graphically correct, but they are depicted in accordance with the real topographical data. Such rivers as Klyazma flowing in the Oka, Volga, Moskva River, Dnipro, etc. actually connected the cities.

We also tried to avoid anachronisms. For instance, the main illustration on the game box has a dog on it – it’s a breed that was popular at that time, but doesn’t exist anymore.

Local goods (resources) in the game reflect what the country was rich in – wood, grain and stone.

Thus, the historical setting was maintained, but the game doesn’t relate to any specific events.

So these were some of the behind the scenes of production of our new release The First Tsar: Ivan the Terrible.

In our Game Creation series we tell you more about the games and how they came to exist in their final versions. If you found these articles interesting, you can read some more:

MEZEN – History of the Game’s Setting

MEZEN – Behind the Scenes of Design Production

NEON – Battle Royale Game Overview

NEON – Behind the Scenes of Game Development

See you in our next Game Creation series!

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Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

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Neon. Behind the Scenes of Game Development

Maria — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:50:05 +0000

NEON

Behind the Scenes of Game Development

Hey everyone and welcome back to our Game Creation series.

Earlier we told you about the features of the battle royale genre of computer games that were implemented into our new release Neon. Today we’d like to dive more into some details of the development and production processes.

Our game developers had been receiving a lot of board game battle royale versions from different authors over the years. None of them, however, were approved to be signed. The problem, according to our development team, is that people try to copy the mechanisms and/or stories literally. Usually, it was an enormous game board with 50 miniatures, which looked quite ridiculous and just didn’t work as a boardgame.

The game presented by Igor Sklyuev and Ekaterina Gorn, on the other hand, immediately grasped attention, because the mechanisms and features weren’t just copied, but were thoughtfully recreated. Let’s take the game board as an example: the essence of a shrinking area is achieved, though visually or mechanically it is not what we are used to seeing in games. The point was in conveying the general atmosphere, which these authors managed to do perfectly.

At the time when the game was at early development stages, the whole team shared their views on how it had to look like. It was decided to combine the two popular genres: battle royale and cyberpunk. There were some options on what the fighters should become – biological avatars, battlemechs or cyborgs. But the general setting of the game was clear for everyone.

Some gameplay mechanics though demanded to be adjusted.

During the tests, for instance, it was noticed that people divided into two groups: those who enjoyed risking and fighting, which was connected with the elimination part, and those, who preferred a more slow and patient kind of game and didn’t like the fact that they can be immediately killed.

Usually during board games creation, it is preferrable to pick one game mode and refine it instead of tearing the game into several modes. In case of Neon, however, different modes fit in just fine.

Here’s what Ekaterina Reyes, head developer of the game, said about it:

“Battle royale can be very different and each one of us had their favourite battle royale game. So in the end we decided to reflect all of them in different modes, which even added the feature of shooter computer games when you can choose a mode at the start of the game”.

The Resurrection mode was inspired by Apex, and was a great solution for that group of players who preferred a milder mode of the game. Like in the famous computer game, in Neon you can fight either alone or in teams of 2 or 3 players. While in Battle Royale it is sometimes safer to just hide and wait while the others will shoot each other, in the Resurrection mode you can fight more freely, being not so afraid to die – you can come back to the field after it!

Besides, a lot of tests were conducted to see whether it is possible to die in just 1 round or, vice versa, can you really last until the end of the game? Isn’t there too much HPs (hit/health points)? Or not enough? After all, no one wants to die after only one turn.

There were a lot things to test: how balanced the unique abilities of each character are; the effects on equipment cards and how the equipment is arranged in different decks; and many more.

One of the fun parts was to name the equipment cards, as the developers included various allusions to the pop-culture in them. Here are some examples:

Bonnie and Clyde

Almost identical weapons that can be found within one deck allude us to the notorious criminal couple.

Orion

This reference is for board gamers – do you remember the game Master of Orion? It was designed by the same authors as Neon!

Texas

A chainsaw called Texas can refer to nothing except for the famous horror franchise The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Yūrei

Yūrei is a restless spirit from Japanese folklore, that seeks revenge for their violent death or some unfinished businesses. Some of them are also sort of vampires that consume people’s energy.

So… Why not name a huge weapon that gives you energy every time you hurt someone in honour of an evil spirit?

These are just a few meaningful names in the game.

Check the whole game out to find out more!

One of the final components that was added to the game was the Drop Ship.

Initially, there was an empty space in the centre of the gameboard, where the character miniatures were placed at the start of the game. Then eventually cards, dice or tiles were placed there. But it was obvious that something was missing both visually and practically.

The Drop Ship became a starting platform for the players, which fits with the lore; but it also helped to place the Scoreboard tokens in the centre of attention. During the tests they were usually left out, players failed to keep in mind which sectors were to submerge, though that is not an entirely random process. Now the tokens are at the very heart of the game and that helps a lot.

Finally, here’s a bonus fact for you:

The game has an Achievement sheet and one of the achievements is “Play the game”. This is yet another typical computer games feature that found its place in Neon.

So these were some of the behind the scenes of Neon development.

In our Game Creation series we tell you more about the games and how they came to exist in their final versions. If you found these articles interesting, you can read about our recent release Mezen here and here.

See you in our next Game Creation series!

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Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

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Neon. Battle Royale Game Overview

Maria — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:52:07 +0000

NEON

Battle Royale Game Overview

Hello and welcome back to our Game Creation series.

Recently we’ve announced our new game Neon – the game in which a computer games genre, battle royale, was recreated into a tabletop version.

In this article we’d like to talk more about the genre itself and what’s similar between digital games and this boardgame.

Surprisingly or not, many of the boardgame lovers share their love for computer games too. There are even online boardgames, which for some might still be a bit confusing. Yet the two worlds exist pretty close to each other and often ideas, mechanisms and stories from the digital reality are implemented in boardgames.

In Neon, just like in any classic battle royale game, players find themselves dropped at a common area, from which they can start moving in any direction. They have their own abilities, some of which are unique, and some minimal equipment, like a basic weapon.

The aim of each player is to become the last one standing by eliminating all the opponents. In order to do that effectively, they need to explore the city area and search for better equipment.

There are different types of equipment: weapons – from melee weapon to small and heavy guns, – grenades, armour and helmets. You’ll also need to have ammo, with which your gear will work much longer.

When another player is within your weapon’s range, you can attack (by rolling dice) and use your pre- and after-attack abilities to improve the result. Your rivals could’ve prepared a Defence Field in advance, but they still can receive damage if they roll their defence dice poorly.

When you are hit, you don’t die immediately, but you lose your health points. When you lose your last HP, you are eliminated from the game and your equipment can be looted by another player.

Another feature of the battle royale genre that was used in Neon is a gradually shrinking (in our case, submerging) playing area. So the tension of the game grows more rapidly over rounds making players attack each other more frequently and speeding the game end.

Unlike most of the classic battle royale games, Neon has 3 game modes, only one of which contains this elimination element. The other two modes allow players compete for victory points without dying completely (but having an opportunity to go through maintenance and get back in the game) – either alone or in teams (squads).

Generally, although the game was created by battle royale fans, you do not necessarily have to be a fan of neither the genre itself, nor of computer games as a whole.

After all, who knows, maybe for some Neon will be the one to open a door to the digital world

In our next article we’ll tell you more about the development of the game: why it is hard to recreate a battle royale game in a boardgame, which details of the game are worth paying attention to and what ideas inspired our development team. So stay tuned not to miss our next Game Creation series!

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Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

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Mezen. Behind the Scenes of Design Production

Maria — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 10:00:02 +0000

MEZEN

Behind the Scenes of Design Production

Hey everyone and welcome back to our Game Creation series.

Earlier we told you about how the idea of our new release, Mezen, came about. Today let’s talk about further production process in more detail.

The main focus of the game process is on tiles that you flip, slide down, move and… just look at. When you prepare for the game, you need to easily distinguish their form to pick all the corresponding components. When you think on your move, you need to quickly figure out where are horses, but not foxes or birds. What side is the tile up now? Does it form a group with those ones?

All these things are supposed to happen quite quickly in your mind, your eye should grasp what’s needed and move on to further tasks.

You do not usually think about such details when you play, unless it is made poorly. And by “it” we mean design.
(Not game design in general, but artwork, design of tiles – form, size, colour, etc.)

There were several major decisions to be made on the visual aspect of the game:

SYMBOLS

From the first design of each symbol to the final one there were at least 10 different options – from slight changes to major redesign.

At first, except from the animal itself, tile design contained frames, ornaments, day/night symbols and whatnot. The balance between too much details and too plain image was achieved through trial and error.

Here is the evolution of each animal from the very first design to its final cut.

Fish

Fox

Bird

Hedgehog

Horse

The horse was sort of a lab rat and has come through more changes than any other tile. Even at the final stage its design was still undecided.

The Spruce tile, which is kind of a Joker in the game, also has come through several changes: from a reindeer to a spruce, then to a ship and to the spruce again.

DETAILS

Except for the animal design itself, the tiles on certain stages contained frames and additional symbols, which were not only meant to serve a decorational purpose, but also to distinguish between different sides of the tiles.

BACK SIDE

The dark side of the tiles wasn’t always black. It took some time and a bunch of other options before it finally turned to the dark side. We tried different colours of the frame and background, sun and moon symbols, colour-filled and colourless images. All that was to avoid breaking the Mezen painting traditions, because in the craft, the background was usually white (or wooden), while the black colour was only used to paint small details. Those options weren’t good enough though, so the decision was made to bend traditions a little for the benefit of the playability.

SHAPE

To distinguish different animal symbols more easily, we tried to put them in various geometric figures and even to place several symbols on one tile (like in cards) – these ideas were put aside in the end.

After all these stages of design development, the balance was found in minimum details, smooth forms and simple colours.

In these Game creation series we’ve unveiled to you some of the behind the scenes of the game creation process. As it is true to almost any area of activity that everything seems easy until you try it yourself, boardgames are not an exception. Creation process will always remain a mystery for many, but at least you’ve manage to catch a slight glimpse of how difficult, but still exciting, it might be.

We’ll be back with you on our next games.
Stay tuned!

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Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

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Mezen. History of the Game’s Setting

Maria — Mon, 22 May 2023 10:21:27 +0000

MEZEN

History of the Game’s Setting

Hey there and welcome to our Game Creation series.

Today we are going to dive into the story of how the idea of Mezen, our brand-new release, appeared and developed into the game of unique style and art. It will soon be shown to reviewers and our foreign partners to have a chance to be launched all over the world.

When the game came to our developing studio in 2022 it wasn’t anywhere near what it looks like now (and you can see from the pictures that the original theme had different symbols with no real connection between each other). It took somewhat a month to adjust the mechanics and to make sure the gameplay is balanced, and then it got to the hands of our producer for the game to fully show itself.

The idea to connect it to some art of northern cultures had been out there for some time, but there were no specifics. We tried to use Siberian nations clothing ornaments, tried Gzhel and Hohloma, but those were the things that are very common to everyone in Russia and even all over the world. But we wanted to find something unique. It somehow turned out that Vladimir Grachev, the producer of the game, who worked on the setting and the whole how-it-has-to-look-like thing, was from Arhangelsk – a place of great historical significance in terms of folk craft. So the idea of the setting sprang up from of our producer’s roots. Vladimir came up with the idea of Mezen art that is common in Archangelsk, but actually not well-known in other regions.

Mezen painting is one of the Russian northern painting styles, which originated near the river Mezen in Arkhangelsk Governorate and became popular in the 19^th century. In the olden times, northern craftsmen would decorate spinning wheels, baskets and kitchen utensils with Mezen paintings.

Nowadays, Mezen art is still alive, yet not so popular as it used to be. The style has changed a bit, modern artists started adding something to it – for instance, new animals that weren’t traditionally depicted by craftsmen. While visiting Arhangelsk one may find souvenirs with the famous painting – one of the forms in which the craft continues to exist.

The Mezen style combines Finno-Ugric patterns and symbols with the images of animals that were common in the river area.

For people of those times every symbol had a meaning, so the whole painting created a story of a person’s life.

Most of the patterns and symbols in the game are not random as well: the majority of them reflect meanings connected to earth, ground, soil and so on. For instance, amulets are designed with the symbols of soil, seeds and plants.

In order to create the appearance of the game and keep it authentic Vladimir did impressive research, read study guidelines, reference books and even consulted an expert in the sphere!

And still at some points he had to sacrifice visual precision for the sake of playability:

In Mezen craft only two colors would be used to apply this style of painting – black and red. This is due to the harsh climate and long winters of Arkhangelsk Governorate. The black color would come from soot and the red – from local clay. The painting was applied with wooden sticks, feathers of the capercaillie or the black grouse, and brushes made of hair for intricate details. At the end, the finished painting would be glossed with drying oil – a film of plant oils and resin.

The game, however, bends the traditions in some ways. The back side of the tiles has black background with white and red-colored ornaments – only this way it has become possible to easily figure out which side is which during the game process.

Yet color was only one of the many parameters we had to closely work with.

In our next story we will elaborate on the topic of how the design transformed, what we tried to change and achieve, how these decisions were made and why. So stay tuned not to miss our next Game Creation series!

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Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

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Munchkin Russia, or From Russia with Linguistics

hwiadmin — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 21:30:14 +0000

Munchkin Russia, or From Russia with Linguistics

Remember when you were a kid and mom came to your bed to wish you good night? She probably didn’t want you getting up in the middle of the night, but did she ever threaten you with a wolf attack? If not, you’re not a Russian.

Munchkin Russia is coming soon, containing 168 cards with a merry Russian soul. Some entendres worked in both English and Russian with a direct translation, but most of them were an exciting adventure with multiple paths, exemplified by the “Crossroads” card.

Let’s begin with the simple ones.

An “Iron Curtain” as a political situation and a shower curtain combined. Drawing a guy behind a curtain made from iron — voila, 100% match!

Another great example and basically a no-brainer was a “ROFLing Pin”. In Soviet culture, a rolling pin accompanies a tough Russian woman waiting for her husband who comes back home late and drunk. In the Russian edition of the game, this symbol of an enraged Soviet lady has a rhymed name meaning “a rolling pin with bared teeth”.

During the translation, the wide smile turned into a ROFL and we’ve got ourselves a nice new name! Easy enough, but there were quite a few cards that were more challenging.

Grey Little Wolf

For instance, the wolf reference we mentioned earlier. It comes from a terrifying lullaby that is known by every Russian child:

Sleep sleep sleep

Don’t lie too close to the edge of the bed

Or a grey little wolf will come

And grab you by the flank,

Drag you into the woods

Underneath the willow root.

It’s totally understandable why a mother wouldn’t want a child to fall from the bed, but creating a fully fledged phobia is probably not the best way to prevent that! It’s like with the English “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Falling asleep definitely stops being the top priority in a kid’s mind.

In the Russian edition, the card is named Grey Little Wolf. While the name refers to the lullaby, the image is another layer of the joke. “Little wolf” sounds exactly like a “whirling (or spinning) top” in Russian. Additionally, if you’re affected by its Bad Stuff, the wolf “grabs you by the flank” and you lose a level. Thus, there is a clever visual and semantic entendre!

There was one big problem for the translation: no one outside of Russia would know about the lullaby, and even if we used the “grabs you by the flank” phrase, an English-speaking player wouldn’t understand the context.

So, for the translation, we had to abandon the lullaby reference and play with the remaining wolf and whirling top. You’ll see the result to the right.

Three Brown Bears

Another case: a fairy tale that you might know as “Goldilocks and The Three Bears.”

In Russian folklore, the bears suffering the intruder are the same, but the girl is called “Masha.” “Masha” is short for the female name “Maria,” while the Russian word for “bear” sounds exactly like a nickname for the name “Michael” — “Misha.”

In the Russian version, it’s a -3 to your Level if you have the same name as a female character from a fairy tale, and a +3 if your name is Misha.

What should we do when there are very few Mishas in America?

We had an idea to pursue Goldilocks and her blonde hair: then, all blonde players would have a -3 modifier, and all brown-haired players would get a bonus. However, we realized that instead of being activated occasionally, this effect would be activated almost every time.

For the English edition, we decided to drop the sufferings of bears and let everyone come up with a fairy tale with their name in it.

Your Carpetliness

And let’s talk about the most sacred one for today.

Back in the USSR, everyone had many carpets. People put rugs on the floor, hung them on the walls (preferably on several walls at once). The more carpets you had, the more prepared you were for the winter and the wealthier your family was.

The tradition is still strong, especially among elderly people, but youngsters are not so far removed either. Try googling “Rugs in Russian culture”, and you’ll quickly realize that it’s a special thing to take selfies with a good ol’ rug in the background.

The closest translation of the Russian version would’ve been “Your Carpetliness,” but we needed to share that obvious Russian urge, so we went for another option instead (see image to the right).

As you can see, trying to explain local memes, traditions, or superstitions is a great challenge, especially the ones involving multiple layers of humor and double entendres. This kind of cultural localization is the most tricky and, therefore, the most rewarding of all.

Is there anything that you would’ve translated differently? Share your ideas with us, comrades!

Stay with us to learn more about the creation of Munchkin Russia and all of the other great games we develop!

Gameplay ArcHWay — New Characters in Furnace

hwiadmin — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 13:16:59 +0000

Gameplay ArcHWay — New Characters in Furnace

Hey, guys!

While our international editions of Furnace are getting through the world’s shipping disaster, we’d like to tell you more about the new characters represented in the game.

You may already know that, initially, the game was all about Russian industrialism. There is the Russian heraldic eagle in the first player token, and you probably read our previous article covering the in-game characters and some of the architectural references. What’s more, the Russian edition contains a historical overview in the rulebook saying that the game is a tribute to the Russian empire of the 19th-20th centuries.

However, for the international editions, we’ve decided to expand the theme and turn Furnace into a game about industrialism as a whole. It was not a foreign change since, in the base game, our artists were inspired by different buildings of the same era worldwide. Thus, as Rahdo fairly pointed out, we needed more representation in the characters.

Shortly after the game announcement, our partners at Arcane Wonders fell in love with the game, and we agreed to replace two of the Russian industrialists with the American entrepreneurs of color who lived at the same time: Annie Turnbo Malone and Charles Clinton Spaulding. One of the starting Company cards was replaced as well, introducing Malone’s Poro building in St. Louis.

So here we are — sharing their stories with you, but let us boast about all of the editions in one photo first

The Patriarch of Durham

Charles Clinton Spaulding was born to a family of prosperous landowners, and at the age of 20, he left the family farm and settled with his uncle in Durham, NC, where Spaulding attended school and took part-time jobs.

Charles’ uncle noticed the nephew’s potential and hired him as general manager of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. The title was slightly misleading, for Spaulding was, at the time, the company’s only employee, and the company was at the brink of failure. Charles managed to turn it into a prominent business worth nearly $400 million in today’s money.

The company specialized in “industrial insurance”, which was basically burial insurance. Spaulding hired salesmen whose main job was to collect small payments (of about 10 cents) to cover the insured person for the next week. If the person died while insured, the company immediately paid benefits of about 100 dollars.

Spaulding believed in gaining equality through achievement and worked hard in civic, educational, and social organizations in hopes of offering opportunities to African Americans. Unfortunately, Spaulding has had little name recognition outside Durham and its historic Black Wall Street. However, we share the excitement of Thinkers50, the London-based group behind the so-called “Oscars of the management world”, having Charles represented in our international editions of Furnace and witnessing him “getting his just due.”

Self-Made Beauty Millionaire

We are also proud to enrich the array of characters in Furnace with Annie Turnbo Malone — another critically underestimated historical figure of that time.

In 2020, Netflix released a four-part mini-series called “Self Made,” covering the story of Sarah Breedlove (known as Madam C. J. Walker) and giving her all of the credit for pioneering and succeeding in the African American beauty and cosmetic business instead of Annie Malone. Fortunately, many historians believe Malone deserves more credit for her devotion to African Americans.

During the late 19th century, African American women used bacon grease, heavy oils, and butter to straighten hair, all of which were very damaging and caused severe hair loss. Malone, always being interested in hair and chemistry, created a product that didn’t damage the hair or scalp and called it Wonderful Hair Grower.

In 1906, Malone trademarked her company’s name, “Poro,” which was either a reference to a West African organization devoted to disciplining and enhancing the body—or a combination of the last name from her first marriage, “Pope,” and her sister’s name she tested all of her products with, “Roberts.”

As a black woman, Turnbo was denied access to regular distribution channels. To sell her products, Annie and her assistants went door-to-door, giving demonstrations. Everywhere she went, she hired and trained women to serve as local sales agents, creating a nationwide distribution system.

One of her recruits was Madame C.J. Walker, a former washerwoman who eventually founded her own company and sold her own “Wonderful Hair Straightener,” which Malone called a fraudulent imitation.

Malone’s empire thrived through the World Wars, the Depression, her rivalry with Madam Walker, but could not withstand her second divorce, Malone’s back taxes, and a lawsuit from a disgruntled former employee. By 1943, Malone owed the government $100,000, and in 1951, the government and creditors seized her business.

Madam C.J. Walker — Annie Malone's rival. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Poro Building

Even though Malone’s image got tarnished in the end, she was extremely generous with her money and committed to community building and social welfare. To that end, she built Poro College in 1918, a complex that included her business’s office, manufacturing operation, cosmetology training center, and facilities for civic, religious, and social functions. The complex, which was valued at more than $1 million, included classrooms, barber shops, laboratories, a 500-seat auditorium, dining facilities, a theater, gymnasium, chapel, and a roof garden. In Furnace, it is represented as one of the Starting companies.

Having another entrepreneur in mind?

Share your suggestions with us in this BGG thread, and we’ll be happy to represent other iconic figures from the 1900–1940s in the upcoming expansions!

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Hobby World and Steve Jackson Games will release ‘Munchkin Russia’

hwiadmin — Mon, 17 May 2021 10:26:07 +0000

Hobby World and Steve Jackson Games will release ‘Munchkin Russia’

Steve Jackson Games will release Munchkin Russia, developed by Hobby World within the exciting world of Munchkin, into retail in September.

Welcome to Munchkin Russia, where the jokes get you, our dear tovarisch!

This new version of Munchkin, developed by the team of Hobby World for Steve Jackson Games, delves into the myths and monsters of Russian folklore and makes you face the Troll Factory, KGBirds, Rasputin, or the dreaded Hangover with your Russian Wolfhound and Balalaika by your side.

As the players grab loot and become Hackers, Oligarchs, Athletes, or Cossacks on their way to Level 10, they should always be on the lookout for the Revolution and the horror of the Eurovision Singer. They will also have to learn to appreciate the beautiful in-game seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter, winter, winter…

The whimsical artwork for this game was provided by Sergey Dulin.

Munchkin Russia is for three to six players, ages 14 and up, and players in 60 to 120 minutes. The game will hit retail in September and will be available for $24.95.

The Russian edition of the game was published in August 2020.

Stay with us to learn more about the creation of Munchkin Russia and all of the other great games we develop!

Gameplay ArcHWay — Historical Setting in Furnace

hwiadmin — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:43:47 +0000

Gameplay ArcHWay — Historical Setting in Furnace

Hi, folks!

Earlier we talked about the auction mechanism and production phase in Furnace, and today we’d like to tell you more about another aspect of the game — its setting.

Setting

Furnace is set in the world of Russian industrialism of the turn of the 19th-20th century.

Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Russian empire was experiencing the same technological burst as the rest of the world. While Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and many others were building America, numerous Russian industrialists owned and managed factories, mines, and banks, too. They competed with foreign manufacturers, fought for “easy” budget money, were elected for the State Council, and made generous donations to hospitals and art galleries.

How did they live? What were they famous for and how important is their footprint in Russian history now? Let’s take all five characters from the game and see for ourselves!

Russian Morgan

Nikolay Alexandrovich Vtorov was called a “Siberian American” for his business acumen and ability to manage complex situations. According to the estimate made by Forbes in 2017, Nikolay was the richest entrepreneur of the Russian Empire and his fortune exceeded 60mln rubles (appx. $720mln).

The younger son of a successful merchant in Irkutsk inherited a 13.6mln rubles (appx. $163mln) with his brother and moved to Moscow where his business developed rapidly: yesterday Nikolay traded tea, and today he bought dozens of companies and banks, invested in new production facilities, and fulfilled military orders bringing him windfall revenues during the First World War. Being engaged in the technological race and gold mining, Nikolay did not forget about his hobby — being intrigued by photography, he owned a photo plate production facility.

After the revolution of 1917, according to some historians, Nikolay expressed his loyalty to the new government but was killed under obscure circumstances in May 1918.

Savva the Magnificent

Savva Ivanovich Mamontov inherited his father’s shares of the railway company and engaged in railway construction. Savva’s main achievement is the railroad from Moscow to Arkhangelsk, which was extremely necessary at that time. However, two years after its launch, Savva failed to pay off his loan and was arrested and imprisoned. After the hearing, the charges were dropped, but Savva went bankrupt and died in poverty.

In the obituaries, Mamontov was called “Medici of Moscow” and “Savva the Magnificent” by analogy with a nickname of Lorenzo Medici. He was frequently compared with Lorenzo the Magnificent as the Florentine patron of arts also supported prominent artists, had good eyes for the blossoming talents, could inspire everyone around him with new ideas, and, at the same time, was famous for being not quite a patron, but a tyrant of arts.

His extravagance and artistry always manifested itself. For instance, in his village near Moscow, Savva could take walks in a long Italian cloak with silver inserts and a wide-brimmed hat. His contemporaries mentioned that Savva even managed to turn his own hearing into a show.

Prominent Gallerist

Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov spent his youth in commerce, working with his father and brother. When the father passed away, the brothers expanded the business and built paper mills with a total of several thousand employees.

Their father also developed their love for arts, so when the brothers were wealthy enough (Pavel was in his early twenties at the time), they decided to create their own collection of Russian paintings.

For a long time, Pavel kept all of the acquired paintings in his house in Moscow, but they required more and more space. Finally, the brothers financed constructing a building for their gallery and launched a publicly accessible museum that turned into the State Tretyakov Gallery visited by 2 836 000 people in 2019.

Principled Businesswoman

Varvara Alekseevna Morozova was probably the most famous philanthropist in Moscow of her time and an extraordinary woman. After her husband’s death from a mental disease, Varvara inherited a huge fortune under one condition: she must have no second husband. Varvara owned her fate and didn’t want to choose, so she lived in civil marriage with Vasily Sobolevsky, a Russian journalist and a newspaper publisher, which at that time was an unimaginable brazenness.

Neither her contemporaries nor her family could understand why Varvara organized numerous labor movement studies, sponsored educational courses, and held illegal revolutionary meetings. Her activity was closely monitored by the police at all times. Varvara did not spend much money on her whims and donated a lot: her money was used to build a psychiatric hospital, a cancer research institute, classrooms for Moscow University, the first free library in Moscow, and much more.

Unlike his mother, Arseny Morozov was a spoiled child. When he built his house in Moscow (his estate is featured in one of the starting cards in Furnace — see below), Varvara told him: “I used to be the only one to know that you were a fool. Now, the whole Moscow will know that!” Arseny led a bright but short life: during a party, he bragged about shooting his own knee. When he finally did, his guests left in disappointment, while Arseny didn’t even take care of the wound and died of sepsis.

Murderous Aristocrat

Felix Felixovich Yusupov did not follow in the footsteps of his father, who served as mayor and left his only son a solid fortune that defined his son’s life. Since childhood, Felix was one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, and his father decided to enhance his son’s position by sending him to Oxford. Obviously, it was not difficult for a man with such a remarkable appearance, vast connections, and a huge fortune to find a good catch. Felix married the Emperor’s niece and soon emigrated and never went back.

History, however, will remember Felix Yusupov not as a rich heir or an emigrant, but as the murderer of Grigory Rasputin — one of the most mysterious characters of the early 20th century. In his family home, Felix gathered his three accomplices and poisoned Rasputin with a dose of potassium cyanide that could kill five people — with no success. Then, Yusupov went upstairs to get the gun and shot Rasputin in the back. When he approached to check if Rasputin was dead, Grigory attacked Felix and tried to strangle him. Then, Rasputin was shot and beaten by the whole group. They also claim that Rasputin, after being poisoned, shot and beaten, tried to escape, so they had to throw him in the river.

Buildings

Furnace is also full of hidden architectural references. See the pictures below and take a look at the cards: maybe, you will be able to recognize some of them?

What are we missing?

Let us know what character or building you’d like to see as a promo or, maybe, even a part of the upcoming editions of the game! Share your ideas in the BGG thread here.

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Gameplay ArcHWay — Mastering Production in Furnace

hwiadmin — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:41:43 +0000

Gameplay ArcHWay — Mastering Production in Furnace

Hi, guys!

Last time we were talking about the auction mechanism in Furnace, and now it’s time to cover another part of the game — tableau-building and resource management during the Production Phase.

In Furnace, you’re gradually expanding your own industrial empire and trying to maximize your profits despite the ever-changing market tendencies.

Entering Production

When the auction results are resolved, the players usually receive 2–3 new cards with the basic sides up and their bottom effects being not active just yet.

Then everyone manages their own industrial empire: the players resolve their cards one by one, in any order they wish (if they don’t play in a frenzy “Production Chains” Mode explained below), by activating all available effects.

It’s recommended to overlook each other’s actions in player order during the first few games, but after several game sessions, everyone will be able to resolve their facilities on their own.

Card Effects

There are the same 2 types of effects you’ve seen before: 1) gaining and 2) processing resources. However, here, the effect doesn’t get multiplied by your bid — it is limited by the card itself.

New Effect

There is also a special effect available on each player’s starting card that allows upgrading facilities: flipping the cards and resolving their bottom effects.

1 2

Golden Rule

There is one important thing: you may not resolve a card partially and get back to resolving it later.

Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Optimal Production

Your aim is to get the highest profit possible out of your empire. Ideally, you shouldn’t have any unspent resources by the end of each round. It’s okay if you do, but you need to have a plan.

The resource supply in the game is limitless and if you ever run out of resources, there are several multiplication tokens that can be used. However, Petr Tyulenev, the producer of Furnace, likes saying, “If you find yourselves using the multiplication tokens during a game of Furnace, you’re probably doing something wrong.”

Grandeur Thinking

Normally, each player gains 2–3 new cards and a certain resource supply as a result of each auction. This means that you will get to resolve about 6–7 effects during the first Production and up to 30 (!) effects during the last one!

In order to manage such an empire effectively, you must carefully build your strategy and be ready to maneuver if the market doesn’t correspond to your expectations.

This is how your industrial empire may look like at the end

Production Chains

Managing your facilities during the third and fourth Production can be daunting as is, but there is an additional game mode that turns production into a real challenge!

In this mode, you won’t be able to change the order of your cards. You will still be able to insert new cards in the row, but your empire won’t be so flexible anymore and it will require a careful approach and thoughtful expansion.

Industrialists

If played with Industrialists, the Production Phase plays differently for their owners.

With Savva Mamontov, you’ll be able to upgrade your facilities much easier and potentially profit from your Upgrade tokens later in the game.

Felix Yusupov allows activating one card twice and each round it can be a different one!

What’s Next

Next time, we’re going to talk about the game’s artwork, so stay tuned!

If you want to explore Furnace on your own, the rules are available now!

Game Page

Game Rules

Are you a publisher or a reviewer and would like to discuss the projects? Feel free to contact us right now!

Contacts