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Rise! is a simple game with a simple story, an abstract strategy that commands imagination. I wish I could tell you that its history has all the elements of a great story like inspiration, collaboration, tribulation, conquering a nation, but unfortunately...wait a minute. This is my story, and I can tell it however I want. Well, well, well, as a matter of fact, Rise! has exactly those things! All of them!
Inspiration: Beginning to Rise
The story of Rise! begins with descent, that being me lowering myself onto my couch one fine September afternoon. Before me lay a vast wooden canvas: my coffee table.
I was in a creative mood, you see, as I didn't have to work this day or the next! I like my job and all, but there's nothing like that liberating feeling of knowing you have an abundance of free time at your fingertips. I thought, "I want to play a game right now, a small and simple game rich in strategy, a game in which players manage a finite resource supply to build a great kingdom, where managing your resources goes hand-in-hand with maximizing your influence over the land, a dramatic game of power and presence." Monopoly wasn't going to do. To be honest, none of the games on my shelf were going to do. (Mind you, I don't have a great selection to begin with.) Like every red-blooded gamer I know has done, I thought, "I should create this game!"
I had created two other board games previously, so I had a small collection of random game bits perfect for gleaning. These other games are not published, just fleshed-out inspirations. I pulled out my box of bits and began painting a world of green grass and powerful wizards with ascending towers shadowing overhead. By that I mean small hex tiles, glass beads and blocks! Eureka! This was feeling great already!
But where do you go from here? What's next? What's the first step in developing game mechanisms? How do you know if it will make sense? Or even more importantly, how do you know it will be fun!? Courage – it's knowing that you can lose but trying anyway. Your mechanisms will likely not work right off the bat, but you need to start somewhere, so just do it.
This was going to be a game in which players used mages to control their area and build mage towers to secure it. The mages were going to need books; these books would expand their options and allow for dramatic twists in the players' strategies. Furthermore, players would start in a limited space, then have to spend precious time exploring the land. A fine balance of offense and defense would be needed to succeed. I wanted it to play like a pure strategy, no luck game, yet feel like a big box board game. The most important thing for me at this point was to not lose sight of my original inspiration: a small and simple game.
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Collaboration: Rise Together
Let the playtesting begin! This is where I owe a hearty and well-earned "thank you" to the developers of Rise! as well as personal friends with whom I game. Thank you to my wife Brittany, who is always the first person to playtest my games. Thank you to Patrick Nickell, my friend and partner in Crash Games for your game-mechanism knowledge and devotion to quality. Thank you to Jessica, Patrick's creative and insightful wife. Thank you to Brian for your understanding of tactics. Thank you to everyone who has played Rise! and offered their feedback. This includes the many people who played at BGG.CON in 2011. The relevant feedback received from everyone has helped shape the game into what it is now.
If you have designed your own game, you may ask: Who are the best people to help you playtest this game? In a perfect world, you'd test the game with your target market; in my world, anyone who agreed to play with me was a valid critic. Rise! was created for a general market, and it was of paramount importance to me that Rise! would be simple enough to be played by children and brand new gamers, while remaining intriguing and rewarding to the more experienced gamer. The only way to find out whether that was working was to play with everyone, any age, any gender, anytime!
Also, when playtesting your game, you need to be trying to break it or else others will end up breaking it later. The refining process is not a step in which to take shortcuts of any kind. It was during this refining process that I decided Rise! was to be without a theme. I said goodbye to my wizards and their books and adapted the mechanisms to this new approach to evolve it into a true abstract strategy game. This wasn't easy as I love a rich theme. Time and time again, theme tried sneaking back into the game, but once it went abstract it was there to stay!
Tribulation: Will an Abstract Strategy Game Please Rise Up?
"An abstract strategy game is not an easy sell nowadays; you may need to give it a theme." This is friendly advice I've been given while traveling this road. The advice is well-received, and I had been tossing a theme around in my head a lot, but I couldn't go against the feeling I was having about the game being abstract. I must say I enjoy abstract strategies personally, but I don't know what the future for Rise! is going to look like. I just have this hunch.
Playing the game more than one hundred times at BGG.CON 2011 brought such a new light to the game. An amazing element of play that we at Crash Games did not know existed in Rise! was exposed. People left and right were giving it their own theme. During their play they would mention how they love that it is like (insert your favorite theme here). The Eurogamer described it as resource management and worker placement. The wargamer described it as a tactical siege battle. A refined older gentleman said he was engrossed in the puzzle element of the game. Moms found it to be lighthearted and easy to learn. One young child sees skyscrapers, while another sees castles. A young girl, seven years old, was wondering why there weren't any water tiles and boats. She then went on to explain how her version of the game would involve transportation via the water.
I was beside myself at what had happened here. Rise! was sparking people's imagination! It was drawing a creative nature out of people. This was never an intended element, though in hindsight I would love to take credit for it. It is a wonderful x-factor that has been a major player in the ascension of Rise!
Rise! creator Michael Coe (R) playing against Asmadi Games' Chris Cieslik at BGG.CON
Conquer a Nation: Rise to the Sky
All right, so I don't have much for "conquer a nation"; it just rhymed with the other subjects. I will say this though: Conceiving a game in your head and seeing it through to production are two things separated by very powerful beasts. You must equip a full suite of knowledge, brandish steel of tempered wisdom, and have the courage best known as money. (Speaking of which, the Rise! Kickstarter project is ongoing through the end of December 2011.) It is never going to be easy, but the best things never are. It is not a battle you fight alone; it is a war, so gather your truest friends. Wow! This is getting really campy! Thanks to everyone who has helped with this dream!
"At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable." -Christopher Reeve
Michael Coe
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