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| HHMC's first through 11th pre-prototypes |
Wild Dragon Games' first tabletop is a card game called "Human-Hunter-Monster-Cannibal". It's not a particularly original name I don't think, but it gets the point across. And it's unlikely to be already trademarked by a bigger, more lawyery company.
People ask me "what's your inspiration" for the project, and I honestly don't remember. I just woke up one day and there it was, whole in my brain: a somewhat simple card game that could be fun. Three days later, I had a basic prototype.
That's how it goes sometimes with creative folk. Some ideas come fully formed; others are a struggle to wrap the mind around.
It's equally possible that the details have been floating in my brain for a while. Let's look at those details.
HHMC is whist-based. This hasn't changed from its base concept. Whist is the basis for a lot of games; in particular, Bridge and "Hearts" (or "Queen of Spades"). The idea that one player might collect all the "Hearts" (or Monsters in our game) to gain advantage has a certain appeal. Of course, just reskinning Hearts doesn't appeal. But those are (probably) the inspiration for the core mechanics -- Gathering and Conjunction. (Gathering is what Humans do -- throwing parties from picnic teas to lavish soirées; Monsters form a Conjunction and only a fool turns down Death or Baba Yaga.)
HHMC is a ditty. It flows, although it's a bit long. Also, the title may have come from a personal thought to complicate Rock-Paper-Scissors without overcomplicating it. Humans tell Hunters where to go; Hunters kill Monsters; Monsters (something something) the Cannibal and both eat Humans. Of course this idea didn't quite fully form, so we're left with "something something" mumbled under our breath.
And if you don't like the ditty "that Cannibal game" is descriptive enough.
HHMC is simple. At its core, Human-Hunter-Monster-Cannibal seeks simplicity with a low level of tactical bluffing. So "simple to play, hard to master", although not Bridge-level hard-to-master. This is reflected in both the gameplay and the art style -- high-contrast, easily identifiable, visually striking.
This makes it ideal for people who are colourblind, which was intentional going in.
The American Sign Language is more... than I can actually appeal to, sadly. I don't know my sign language well enough to do it justice, but I recognize that some people view the world very differently. Which speaks to my next point.
(Although I do have ideas for a Braille version.)
HHMC is global-intended. Well, yes. The "in-canon" story takes place in eastern Europe, somewhere in a mountain valley with a few remote villages, sure. It has a gothic look and feel because it "takes place" in the late gothic era (the mid-to-late 1400s), but that's just for a unifying theme. Humans are identified by what they contribute to the Village's society, not by their race, creed, etcetera. While I personally imagine a mountainous forest, the Villages could equally be on the edge of a tundra or in a vast desert plain.
The Humans involved are rather universal -- workers and farmers, oh my. They were supposed to be simpler than they turned out, but I'm very happy with the artist-improved results.
The Monsters, oh, the Monsters. Humans were envisioned simply. The Monsters are intentionally from all over the world. (I admit my over-all European bent; not much to do but apologize.) I've got legends from eastern Africa, the Philippines, and at least two Americas (I think I missed South America in the base game). I wanted all the creepies to come out. And they have. Our artist has outdone herself with the sheer uniqueness of each Monster.
There is a reason for every Monster story. Some of them speak to the horrors of pre-medicine trauma and danger. Others speak to the wildness of society back when a starving wolf pack would off a small Village caught unawares. There are terrifying stories of entire towns just vanishing and the survivors need a way to cope with that.
Everyone has their own Monster, their own "creepy". The key here is that every Monster comes from somewhere, and even the most terrifying stories have a grain of truth -- a grain, I think, of humanity.
What does that have to do with Human-Hunter-Monster-Cannibal? I think it's a unifying human trait -- that we need to understand things and explain them. Fear or other instincts may stop us from delving too far into a truth, and explaining it with a Monster is a form of curiosity-satiation. Those with curiosity, and those with self-sated curiosity, are all too Human.
So we've got:
* Whist
* Memorable
* Accessible to colourblindness
* Unique Monster Stable
* Global Appeal
There is more to this story, but it's not conscious. In the end where only honesty remains, it was the first game I thought was viable. So it'll be the first one going to print. The next one will also be simple, but the one after that, well. We'll just have to see, won't we?
-MSB
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