Board Game Asylum Earth - The Covenant

The Asylum 

EARTH WAS NO ASYLUM. 

Certainly not according to Andrea Estrella. Not yet, anyway, and nobody knew if it would ever be a place where burgeoning societies would break on through to the other side (just as The Doors once lyrically admonished) and hopefully spring up like wildflowers in a lone desert.

 Really, what were the chances?

Apparently, not good at all. But the enigmatic group known as, The Nomads, championed that effort to no avail. So,  for the moment, Earth was no sanctuary or place of refuge to speak of. 

In fact, Earth, as it was formerly known, looked more like a monstrous Godzilla, had stomped his way right through it; unleashing the perfect storm for the ages, forging a violent path of rage against humanity in its wake.

And so begins the prologue to the new book, Asylum Earth, The Covenant (Available soon on B&N). After several years of delays for one reason or another, what started as a challenge just for kicks has evolved into a game with a respectable back story backed by a full-length novel. 

What's Different?

What you won't see in this game are fancy miniatures and slick video presentations with thick, colorful instruction manuals. Instead, you'll find a game you can play intuitively with minimum rules and a gameplay manual you can download onto your favorite device. Fun, interactive video links are also something different to look forward to, giving players a more immersive digital experience.

New B&N Hardcover Novel

What will become of this game and its novel? In part, that's up to me, because of what I've managed to develop and put together over the years and what I decide to publish. And in part that will be up to the powers that be, as it were. If everything works and engages the audience into full participation to go along for the ride, as they say, the rest is board game history.

At that point, all the major influencers who choose to be a part of it and champion the game because they believe in it and see its value will do what they do via reviews, articles, and publicity. Bonafide proof of concept. Other than that we're all just pissing in the wind, my friends.

So what's it gonna be, folks?

That remains to be seen next year after I finish the last round of playtesting during this Christmas season. I like where the game is going as far as the world-building and nuances that also build up the characters throughout the story. Building tension, fun, and unexpected moments are other important ingredients that will make it all work.

The New Cover

You'll notice the new box cover has gone from destruction to renewal. That's the new focus or the angle to the story because what's the point of showing ruins when we can show a rebirth instead. Now the story becomes the path to this Asylum and how the girls get there from where they begin in Austin to New York City and beyond.

For my next post, I'm going to compare the similarities between this story and a movie you might have seen, Melancholia with Kirsten Dunst and Kiefer Sutherland among other notable performers. If you haven't seen this masterpiece, please do yourself the favor and rent it today. The director, Lars von Trier does not disappoint with an ending so shocking it will knock you dead. Excuse the horrible pun. Now, that's my kind of story, although I've decided to reverse that trajectory for Asylum Earth.

That's the right decision because given the climate of world affairs these days, I doubt that a morbid ending will work. And so, I'm not opposed to a happy ending, if you can call it that, but Asylum is a story of hope and not a story of gloom and doom. I'll leave it at that.

As it stands, it's one huge experiment into my worldview about the end of days and more importantly, what's next on the horizon for this new Earth. Asylum Earth.

Welcome to The Asylum.