Games - 54 Jones and the Kingdom of the Disgusting Shunk

Well, with little time to sit down and write at the moment, I've been working on the latest update of the 54 Jones game (see Games for more details). It's always nice to have a break from one set of problems with another different set :)

I and others have been playing the game a good deal for a few months now, and the game has had a few rules queries sorted out in that time, plus the game has had some unneccesary complications trimmed away.

Playtesting is now beginning on the expansions, which will be small additions to the main game introducing new tiles, icons and mechanics. Expansions are a thorny problems for games in that they often take away from the game more than they add. But early playtesting has gone very well. The extra tiles seem to add new tactics and challenges, without hampering the game.

We (a bunch of like-minded spirits) are currently working through the idea of professionally publishing the game, but it's in investigatory mode only at the moment. I have of course been here before with games. It's as difficult publishing a game as a comic, if not more so. But hopefully we can exhaust all possibilities.

The latest version of 54 Jones - Keeping up with the Joneses is still freely available to download and play on the yahoo group, accessible via the Games section of this site. It's currently been played by people as young as 10 (with a little help from a parent) and has been very well received by players. As always, feedback on the game is welcome!