blog – Page 9 – Thomas P. King, author and game designer

New Release!

While playtesting for Winds of the North continues (and ends Nov. 15th!), I worked on a special project for Halloween. The Abigail Woods Spook is a FREE interactive horror short story. I also wrote a couple of pieces of music for it. It was a bit of an experiment to put this together, so ifContinue reading “New Release!”

Winds of the North v0.8 Release

For those new to WotN, it’s a sandbox RPG/Gamebook set in Viking Age Scandinavia where you’ll make your own character and begin a campaign to become a King or Queen over the course of multiple in-game years. There have been several previews that detail more about the various mechanics and activities there are. Below areContinue reading “Winds of the North v0.8 Release”

Board Game Session Report: Runebound 2nd Edition (solo)

I’ve never done a comprehensive review for Runebound 2nd Edition, but I’ll probably make one soon. It’ll be long and rambly, for sure, because this is still my favorite board game after a good 10 years in the hobby. And part of that is because I’ve used it as a design playground, making and tryingContinue reading “Board Game Session Report: Runebound 2nd Edition (solo)”

Winds of the North v0.8 Preview

At some point, I may have said there were to be no further large changes to Winds of the North. Well, there were still some things bugging me, and I felt the design needed something more than tweaking to deal with the issues. The two big areas where I had problems were Combat and Trade.Continue reading “Winds of the North v0.8 Preview”

My Experience with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

No story spoilers I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and my recent go-to stress relief has been FFXIV. It’s hard to say if this is a review. MMOs have always been difficult to review because, by design, they can be played for hundreds of hours that can eventually turn into thousands of hours.Continue reading “My Experience with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn”

Board Game Session Report: Railways of Nippon, Tokaido + Crossroads Expansion

I’m behind again on posts, in large part due to Final Fantasy XIV. But let’s talk board games! We’ve recently had to go back into partial lockdown while waiting for boosters for the more vulnerable people in our house, but prior to that, we played Railways of Nippon (a stand-alone release in the Railways ofContinue reading “Board Game Session Report: Railways of Nippon, Tokaido + Crossroads Expansion”

Donations Return

Donations had apparently been broken (and the company never emailed me). They are back on!

Winds of the North Update v0.7

It’s finally here! There’s a lot to unpack in this update, so here’s a rundown of all the changes and additions. Re-balances Rewards for Encounters have been re-balanced. Item costs have been re-balanced. Ships also now require Hide. Rune-stones and the Rune-smith Old crafted rune-stones have been replaced. New Basic Building: Private Temple, it hasContinue reading “Winds of the North Update v0.7”

Board Game Sessions and First Impressions: DinoGenics (+expansion) and Kanban EV

I’m behind on posts due to extra work the past couple of weeks. Recently, we played DinoGenics with the expansion (Controlled Chaos) and then Kanban EV. DinoGenics + Controlled Chaos I’ve previously reviewed the base game, which, in short, is fun but nothing unique. The theme really helps it stand out. So we were reallyContinue reading “Board Game Sessions and First Impressions: DinoGenics (+expansion) and Kanban EV”

Book Review: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

9/10 A great dinosaur adventure with smart details. A new, mysterious animal is roaming around Costa Rica, attacking locals. The incidents are soon traced to an island belonging to John Hammond and his company, InGen. Hammond quickly invites several consultants to visit his island, a secret park full of live dinosaurs, hoping to win theirContinue reading “Book Review: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton”