By T. M. Romanelli The final leg of the high velocity transit skimmed the outer magnetosphere of Jupiter, the escalating centripetal forces making the ship’s hull vibrate. The passengers didn’t complain, cocooned in their cryotubes deep within the vessel’s infirmary. Monitors surrounded each station, displaying vital signs and controlling hydrostatic infusions that prevented fatal complications from sustained high-G maneuvers. The flight crew did not have the luxury of cryosleep, but…
Read MoreDesign Diary 010 – Presence of the Opponent
How to play a game with everyone who plays your game. I had some questions recently about how this game is different from other games in the Helionox universe. Seems like a great design diary post to me! First off Helionox: Chronicles (sometimes called HX: C for short) is a stand alone game. That said does draw inspiration from its predecessors. Primarily, this comes in the form of deck building…
Read MoreDesign Diary 009 – Slowly but Surely
Helionox: Chronicles Update But my name’s not Shirley! Maybe it’s SLOWLY? As always, I mean to blog and social post way more than I do but the good news is, I’m generally working on games instead of blogging and marketing. The bad news is, things are still going much slower than I had hoped and here’s why: First, Helionox: Chronicles is a much bigger game than I had initially thought…
Read MoreDesign Diary 008 – Game Mechanics Continued
Part 2 of ? Welcome back! In his part of the design diary, I’m planning to deep dive into game mechanics of Helionox: Chronicles. I started this a long while back and you can see it here if you’d like to get more of an overview of what’s in the game: Design Diary 003 – Game Mechanics in Helionox What I’d like to do over the next few entries here…
Read MoreRules of Engagement
A Helionox Story By T M Romanelli The ancestral estate was sequestered in a pristine valley of central Hokkaido, bordered by the Tokachi range to the north and the lesser Mount Sahoro in the south. At the height of its commercial productivity three centuries before, several large farms produced heirloom lavender that grew thickly in many shades of purple. The farms, automated harvesters and processing sheds were long gone, but…
Read MoreDesign Diary 007 – How much can one person do?
Dedicated to this craft. You like the tape holding my dice faces on? Somehow it seems a fitting image for today’s entry. I’m holding things together but sometimes it feel like I’m using tape to do so. For example, if you follow these blogs at all, you’ll notice pattern. I’ll write, maybe even a few entries, then silence. For weeks. Or even months…. It is so hard for me to…
Read MoreDesign Diary 006 – Guest Post from Richard Launius
Thunder Rolls Launch Day is Fast Approaching! Today we have a very special guest joining us to share his own design notes out his latest game, Thunder Rolls. I have a special vested interest in this game as I’ve helped develop and I will be running the Kickstarter for it later this month! Exciting times for sure! So without further ado: So what did you do during the lockdown of…
Read MoreDesign Diary 005 – Thunder Rolls
Status Report and an Introduction Welcome back to Taran’s design diary and intermittent blog post ramblings. As always, I get to post here far less frequently than I want to and, as always, I’m hoping to change that. There is always just so much going on! That said, I do have some exciting news about a new game project! “Wait – what?” You might be inclined to ask, “Why are…
Read MoreThe Blameless
By Matt DiBiasio “It shouldn’t be this dark” Too stubborn to turn on a light, Brody inched his way across the living room, the contours of the furniture just visible enough for him to make it to the terrarium. Simon’s heat lamp had gone out, two days after he bought it. With a few sharp,frustrated shakes, thankfully, it turned back on. “Look,” Brody addressed the iguana “We can’t afford a…
Read MoreDesign Diary 004 – Helionox Art
Let’s try something new! Somewhere over the last year or two, I decided that I’m not only a game designer and graphic designer but also an illustrator… Too many hats?! Yes – but what’s a boy to do? I just want to do everything! It started something like this: “I need an artistic outlet for my creative mind. I liked drawing and painting when I was younger, maybe I’ll give…
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