Europa Universalis: The Price of Power (EU board game) - Development Diary #11 and #12: A Year Out of the Ordinary

  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

eivindv

Sergeant
1 Badges
Sep 21, 2018
98
153
www.aegirgames.com
  • Victoria 3 Sign Up
It’s been way too long since we last published an update here, and there has been a LOT going on since then. In the meantime, we hope that most of you have been able to follow the game development in the other fora where we publish updates, and that you are all in good health and staying safe.

external image


First and foremost, if you would like day-to-day updates about development, the places to go are Aegir Games' Discord Server where there are daily discussions and frequent play testing sessions you can join. And the Europa Universalis: TPOP Facebook Group where you can find all the official information and some memes. There is also a collection of Kickstarter Updates with in-depth information about the game development over the past year – these come out about once a month.

It has now been a year (and a couple of weeks) since the Kickstarter campaign ended, and the task of making this game a reality begun. So let's take a look at where we stand one year on.


We have learned a few lessons during the year that has gone by, that's fore sure. One of the most important ones is that we (as you already know) have been far too optimistic with our timelines. Game development with a huge game like this simply takes a lot of time, and cutting corners is not an option. But even with home offices due to the second Covid-19 wave, we are reaching new development milestones on a regular basis now.

The most recent milestone, and biggest one so far, is the submission of files for the PPC (pre-production copy), as we’ll get back to just below. But to get there, there were a few other things that had to fall into place first. It feels good being able to say that the designs for all the physical components, aside from the print files, have now been finalized. Perhaps more exciting for most, is that Age IV Events, as well as all Milestones (the in-game ones), are now finally available for you to inspect, provide feedback on, and immediately try out on Tabletop Simulator (TTS) if you like (we can guide you through it and give you the most updated assets on our Discord.

external image


Another, equally important but solely positive, lesson learnt, is that you simply cannot overestimate the value of a vibrant and supportive community. Bringing you guys onboard the development process for this game, has easily been the best decision we have made during this whole project. The contributions from members of the community has improved the game many times over. We have said it a few times already, but please come join us on our Discord server, where we try to respond to feedback every day. This is also where you will find the most up to date TTS module at the moment, with all the newest components. But we read all comments, and have made so many significant adjustments based on the feedback we’ve received so far


Main Rules and Solo Rules

Rules are currently going through another round of revisions, based on testing and feedback. Meanwhile take a look at the latest published drafts for both the Main Rules, and Solo/Bot Rules. The last update also had a bunch of improvements, in no small part thanks to the community play testing of the TTS module over Discord and BGG. We have also been, and still are, striving to make sections intuitive, and less ambiguous.

external image


The whole document went through a language clean-up, earlier in the year, to make it easier to read. Significant changes since the rules published alongside the KS campaign, include: Alliances, Royal Marriages, Casus Belli, Peace Negotiations and the Holy Roman Empire.

As the rules are still a draft, expect them to be updated again soon, as we get more feedback and finish more gameplay examples.

Solo/Bot Rules have seen some major revisions to the Diplomacy, Defend and Military Action. New bots should be coming very soon, with guidelines for how bots handle new Events we’ve added.

Checking Proofs for the Pre-production Copy

Last week I went through the digital proofs from Panda’s printing team, after we delivered a total of no less than 90(!) preliminary print files earlier this month. Monday I pointed out some things that needed to be fixed, Tuesday I got updated proofs, and was able to approve the last of them! Overall it is looking very good! All the numbers add up as intended, all the different card backs have been correctly matched with the fronts they belong to, and no unforeseen problems have come up.

external image


This may sound like we sent off the final print files without letting you look at them first, but this not the case. The PPC is first and foremost made to give us an impression of the whole product, and let us check if all components have come out as intended, in terms of numbers, dimensions, colors, aesthetics, legibility of text and iconography, etc. When the PPC arrives on our doorstep, we will spend some time to review all these things, and make the necessary adjustments. But before that, while we are waiting for the PPC to arrive, we will work on finalizing all text and art. Then there is a new round of file submissions, and checking digital proofs again, before giving the green light to start the press.

The Age of Revolutions

external image


Age IV, the closing Age of the game, is undoubtedly an age of upheavals and grandiose clashes. No one will come unscathed from the ravages of war and revolution, but those who manage to harness the chaos may come out more potent than ever on the other side. Check out the Age IV Events for yourself in this overview document (there are still a few missing, but we’ll update it again soon).

The final Age will offer something quite different from the earlier Ages, with gameplay more focused on high interaction levels and conflict between player realms. It can be used as a grand finale to an epic campaign of four Ages, or it can be set up with scenarios starting just as the Ancien régime is starting to crumble.

Your Realm can either be left behind in the shadows of the past, or choose to embrace the new currents emerging across Europe. But everything comes at a price. Most virulent Revolutions will spread, rooting deep in your provinces, rattling your stability, spawning unrest and rebels, creating the primordial soup for progress, war, liberalism, and … modern emperors!

Panda Manufacturing

For those who have missed it earlier this year, we were very happy to announce that the game will be produced by the renowned and well regarded Panda Game Manufacturing. Known throughout the board gaming community for their quality and high standards.

external image


I’m sure many of you have at least one of their games on your shelf, like Wingspan, Pandemic, Twilight Imperium IV, Feudum, or Pax Pamir.


Custom Trays



… as you might have guessed from the video above. And for those who enjoy good storage solutions as much as us – you can grab some popcorn and click play on the second video a bit further down, where you can see us unboxing the “white sample” box, and putting some authentic game pieces into the trays to see how everything fits. [Spoiler alert!] They fit really neatly, and we are just making minor adjustments to the width of some of the wells in the trays.
Remember to check the video below!

The plastics are supposed to be the best in town, sturdy stuff that you can give as heirlooms to your descendants. The player tray is designed to hold all tokens and pieces of one player color, so no sorting of any kind will be needed prior to setup (provided you put them back where they belong after each game of course!).

Here are some still images for you to enjoy the details.

external image

White samples of the three boards, a punch board, and a player mat.

Look at how each well is designed to let you scoop those tokens out easily.

external image

Average Spanish hand for measure. This one has all the tokens, pieces, and minis in it. Notice the little slit in the top right corner, where you can keep your Mission cards at hand while playing.

external image

All designed with great precision by Bryce at Game Trayz, to ease the job of organising your game.

external image


At the top, next to the common resource tray, there will be space for the player mats, reference sheets, the rules and scenario booklet. The box will be a little bit thicker than the sample we got. The latest estimated dimensions for the box are 305 x 380 x 127 mm, meaning that it should just fit nicely into a Kallax shelf. As you understand, this is going to be a meaty and heavy game in every sense. Check out GameTrayz to see all the great inserts they have done in the past.

And now to the promised video made in-house:




Miniatures

external image


We recently got new a new batch of sample miniatures – this time the real deal, showcasing a full set of all of the player colours. These 3.5 cm miniatures have retained the detailed look of the master sculpts, and with the PVC 100 material they are sturdy, yet slightly flexible, for a maximum lifespan. The colours match perfectly with the wooden tokens as you can see below.

external image


external image



Durable plastics, ensuring a long lifespan.

The miniatures make the armies stand out so you can find them with quick gaze at the board, and the different stances and postures also make them easy to tell apart from each other. Please excuse our photograpy skills, but we hope you get an impression.

This is an older version of the map that we printed some time ago by the way. You can see the newest one in the section below.
Just as intended, the miniatures visually stand out on the board

Of course we also had to try putting them into their respective slots in the trays, along with all the wooden pieces and tokens that go in them too.

external image


Take a moment to appreciate the lids of the trays. They will make sure that no matter how you flip the game box and trays, everything is going to stay in place (disclaimer: they do have a limit, and would probably not survive a 360º backflip from the top of a 4 floor building).

The miniatures fit perfectly as you can see. In those tailor made compartments, they will stay protected even if you decide to paint them. And you will always know exactly where they are when you need them.


Aurum Potestas Est, and dice too

external image


The quest for the perfect coin set has not been an easy task, but one which have finally come to a happy conclusion. Above you can see most of the coin iterations we have gone through, with a plethora of washes and effects. We wanted to find a balance between the vibrant shininess of the metal material, and that feeling that they have been used and touched by many hands. We’d like to think that when humans 2000 years from now find them (while excavating our pyram… mausole… graves), they will look at them and think that these are real. Below, with the rebel dice, are the last coins that came through our door last week, the final version of the 10 ducat gold coins.

external image


How cool are those designs? Wait, I know, very cool. Aurum Potestas Est.

We have the metal coins almost ready, and we think they are beautiful! These have been shown in our social media and newsletter, so if you’re not in there, you know you’re missing out. Sign-up to the newsletter!

They were designed by Andrew Forster (who has also designed the coins for Venice, a game co-designed by our good friend, and EU:TPOP solo mode designer, Dávid Turczi).

And speaking of dice, here’s a picture of the rest of them. We think they have turned out really good.

external image


The 1618 Map – A Different Game Experience

We are happy to present the map that is coming on the reverse side of the game board, but be aware, this is not just another map, it will provide an altogether different game experience.

– In 1618, Major Powers are just that, MAJOR.
– A Religiously divided Europe provides new challenges from the outset.
– Grandiosity and despair from the very beginning, with crumbling, old giants, and new, dynamic pretenders. Perfect for asymmetric scenarios.

external image


Full Deluxe Edition reverse side map with Eastern Europe.


Wood Tokens

We've received wooden samples from the manufacturer as well. These are very close to what the final pieces will be like. But these have been hand painted, and the final mass produced tokens will actually have an even better finish and print. We still think these look rather stunning to be honest! You already saw them in the context of other components further up, here's a closer look at some of them.

external image


What Turczi Says …



We thought we’d tip you off about this excerpt from a larger LIVE Q&A that prolific game designer virtuoso Dávid Turczi did on November 1st. He goes into detail about the solo modes he has designed, and in the above clip he talked briefly about his experience working on Europa Universalis: The Price of Power.

Thanks to everyone that has chipped in (and continue to do so in the Discord Server) to refine the Solo Rules and helping us getting rid of loopholes. Making the bots into something we can really be proud of.

Illustrations Galore

We are very happy with our card illustrations made by Olly Lawson and Joeri Lefévre (check their respective instagrams!). But an image is worth a thousand words, so I’ll leave you with the gallery already.

external image

external image

external image

external image

external image


To be the first to get news, learn how to sign up as a play tester, and receive reminders about Development Diaries, Sign up to our Europa Universalis newsletter!: https://www.aegirgames.com/eusignup/

Also, please visit the Aegir Games’ Discord Server and the Europa Universalis Facebook Group!
 
Last edited:
  • 6Like
Reactions: