The Starting Point of Everstone
This blog discusses the lead-up to how Everstone began as a design project. I discuss my coping mechanism during the lockdown, and how it led to me starting the development for the game I’ll be Crowdfuning later this year.
How Did Everstone Start?
Back in 2020, during peak lockdown, I had just discovered the site.
I was obsessed. For those unfamiliar people, Pubmeeple allows you to import or create a list of items (board games, movies, beers, etc.) and rank them to have a “definitive” list of how your favorite things compare to one another. I was using the ranking engine every moment of downtime I had. After a while, I started to give “criteria” for how I would rank the games in the app. Favorite Art, Best production quality, best game experiences, most nostalgic, these were just a few of my lists.
The list that started my quest.
This ranking obsession went on for months. Then it happened. I did a ranking of my favorite games based on their mechanics. The twist was that the top 10 games I ended up with couldn’t have the same mechanics. Over 200 comparisons later, I got the results.
What if there was a game that had all of these mechanics in them?
That was the thought I was left with when looking at the results on my phone screen. I didn’t want to wait for that game, so the next day I began crafting Everstone. I want to finish today by sharing the ten games that were the building blocks for my design journey. Not all of them influenced Everstones final design, but they all played a role in getting it to where it is today.
“Sam’s Top Ten Games Based on Their Game Mechanics, But The List Can’t Repeat Mechanics… OF ALL TIME!”
(STTGBOTGMBTLCRMOAT for short… it’s a working title)
10. Can’t Stop
The decision of choosing which dice to combine is just fun!
9. Western Legends
I just found that having the action cards also function as a poker card deck was really cool.
8. Century Golem Edition
The resource restriction with the cart cards… I don’t know what I’d call it, but it really makes the game work.
7. Everdell
The tableau building and stretching your seasons out as long as possible, along with the timing of everything in the game, is a great puzzle
6. Viticulture
I know Everdell also has worker placement, but the wake-up order and having the worker placement spots split into different seasons make this game so much fun to play.
5. Planet Unknown
The track progression to gain bonuses feels so rewarding.
4. The Magnificent
The dice selection in this game, combined with activating your action cards, is brilliant.
3. It’s a Wonderful World
The production stage of the game, where there is an order in which resources are gained, is such a nice twist to earning income!
2. Dune Imperium
The deck building and decision at the beginning of each round of which cards you will play for their action ability vs. holding them for their passing abilities kept me up for weeks dreaming about getting Dune to the table more.
1.Scythe
The action selection in Scythe forcing you to plan turns two or three in advance is so sweet! I love the way it makes my mind work.
I’d love to know your favorite game in the comments below! Feel free to explain what part of the game makes it your favorite!
