Asylum Earth Cyberpunk Board Game and Novel are Back

 What a difference a year makes

Not so long ago, I was down and out for the count. Today it feels like I'm on top of the world. In just a few short months, I met someone who lifted me out of the mire and into a much better world.

Dear gamers, this is not a rags-to-riches story, but it sure comes close, and it is absolutely true. If you recall or go back to my previous posts, I spent two weeks in a hospital battling COVID, a little over a year ago. I honestly didn't know what would become of me. Would I survive? And if I did, would I remain functional? God only knows, but I'm still here, and Asylum Earth is back on track, as you can see below, and I'm planning on taking this game to the Ancient City Con in September. That's in St. Augustine, Florida. I live about 45 minutes away. I'll be there for the weekend and I hope to present my game and novel and get to play Asylum Earth with several visitors. It's going to be a great time.

As you can see from the photo below, the covers have changed for the better. This is the same image I found on Etsy months ago, and so far it's working out nicely. Featuring the main character, Andrea Estrella, looking fierce. The official name for the game is Asylum Earth: Supreme Survivor. The novel is titled Asylum Earth: Age of the Apocalypse. The novel centers around the impending Apocalypse and what starts it in the year 2057. Sorry, Texans, but the Apocalypse kicks off in Austin, much like Dasha's little diddy. So what is it about Austin that everyone seems to pick on that poor city? Well, back in the day when I finished my military career, I washed up in Austin myself for some time, straight out of Fort Hood. Thanks for the great memories, Austin, but I'll try to be kind in my story.

I'm still finishing up the game. In fact, I'm play-testing again this weekend and hope to tie up a few loose ends, improve some of the artwork that printed too dark in the last prototype, and enlarge some of the text. Other than that, everything looks really good.

Here's a link for the convention in St. Augustine, Fl. I'll be attending the weekend of September 13-14. I hope to see you there. I'll be posting the location of my booth or the spot where you can find me later this month.

AncientCitycon.com

Here's artwork for This-Is-It T-shirts I'll be making for the convention. It's so good to be back. Stay on for the ride because this is about to get interesting and exciting in the following months.

Asylum Earth: The Covenant [New Cyberpunk Novel]

New Cyberpunk Hardcover Novel

 How do you turn a simple idea into an engaging book concept?

The answer to that question lies between the covers of this new novel:

Asylum Earth -The Covenant.

Four years ago I decided to challenge myself and design my own board game, just for kicks and giggles. One of the components of the game (previously named, Millennium) was a journal, which the main character, Andrea, kept religiously. 

The actual journal included with the game is only about 24 pages long where Andrea tells about her dangerous trek to New York City from Austin, Texas with her best friend, Maria, during an all-out apocalypse, of course. That idea led to this novel, which, in turn also produced 3 short paperback stories that accompany the game. (the paperbacks are sold separately, however, all 3 e-books are available as a free download on this blog.

The original story focused on an impending apocalypse and how that horrific event played out in the lives of Andrea and Maria, total strangers turned BFF's, who try to escape not only the terrorist attacks befalling them but the verbal attacks and mind games they routinely unleash on each other in the wake of WW III.

That concept by itself is intriguing but perhaps a bit predictable, especially if the story ends with planet earth in ruins. A grim ending that just doesn't work considering the state of global affairs these days. 

Enter, Asylum Earth, which promises to be a refuge from the chaos, the bombing, and nuclear fallout. No, it's not a perfect world yet and it may never be, but this new earth, ordained by the powers that be, holds the promise of better things to come; a much brighter future for all survivors.

Striking the perfect vibe between chaos and hope is one heck of a balancing act that can easily derail a story when you miss the mark, although, for this author, that's the proverbial sweet spot. The trick is to keep things light but introduce dark moments with a way out. Don't box yourself into a corner with a storyline that dead-ends. That's the only trick writers need to know. Always give your main characters a way through.

And speaking of a way through, what about finishing the game?

Great question. Stuff happens and life always finds a way to get in the way of your goals and so as it stands now, I'm still several card decks away from printing the next and hopefully final prototype.

I've got a small window coming up when I'll be able to continue designing and updating the rulebook, which has changed considerably because the evolution of the game has improved thematically and the storyline is more solid than it ever has been. Sometimes, stories work that way. You won't find them all at once. Writers have to tease out every bit of it as time goes by and as time permits. 

All I can say is that Asylum Earth is far better off today than it was 2 years ago. Everything about it has improved including and especially its name and box cover. 

Everything evolves over time and games are no different. What game designers must understand is that the core concept of a story is the only thing that matters as far as identifying a genre.

Everything else is flexible and can change to fit your narrative and themes as the story grows. For example, the genre, or sub-genre is post-apocalyptic. That covers a multitude of themes including Cyberpunk, which Asylum Earth delves into with a focus on its genesis. 

I'm capturing Cyberpunk as it breaks into the mainstream population in its early stages. That's interesting to me because we usually read stories well beyond that point in time. In Asylum Earth we get to see and feel how Cyberpunk emerges and develops into a culture all its own.

The game, of course, doesn't need to get into all of those details. What makes the game interesting are the goals of each player, the tension that creates, and how players strategize to win the game. That's still a work in progress due to the limited time that I can devote to finishing the game at this point. The trick is not to rush into finishing because that will only lead to a poorly designed game that nobody wants to play.

So as much as I would like to call it a day and put the game out there, that's not the right option until I can iron out all the new changes and card decks and how all that works together to make an exciting and engaging game that players talk about and look forward to playing.

Creating that anticipation is what it's all about. That helps build momentum so when the game finally hits the shelves, players are eager to buy it and get into it. And speaking of that, it gives me an idea for my next topic. What makes a board game successful? What makes any product a winner? 

In all honesty, an entire book revolves around that idea and that's also in the works. For those who follow this blog, you'll get the first crack and insights into that process that starts with the name and design of your game box. I've mentioned that before when I compared a game box to a movie poster. If screenwriters can't get the movie poster to work with a great title, image, and tagline, nothing else matters because the trick is to reverse engineer the concept before you waste your time writing 120 pages of description, narrative, and dialog. 

This shortcut actually works and in fact, the finished poster will inform the writer and director in advance about everything that fills that 120-page script.

And for those of you wondering: How did I manage to change the title from Millennium to Asylum Earth, without re-writing the entire novel? Easy. Write a great prologue. I realize that prologues are frowned upon but from my point of view, I enjoy a well-written prologue so that's what I added to the new novel; a short three-page prologue that sets up the story that's about to unfold.

To me, it's not a cheat. It's adding depth to the story concept so readers are primed for the main event. There are effective ways to write prologues that enrich your story without cutting corners. I'll post my prologue here to give you an idea of how to go about it.

BTW, one of the best prologues I've ever read was in a novel titled, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski, which debuted in 2008. Check out this story and in particular its prologue to see what I mean. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, this novel was a bestseller after she included it in her book club. A well-deserved ranking for a terrific book. I've not seen another book by this author so he's a one-hit wonder so far. A modern classic novel in my opinion with a great backstory.

Okay, this post has gotten away from me but I've covered some interesting points. You can sign up for updates to the game and keep track of its progress right here. 

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P.S. What about Asylum Earth the hardcover novel? I'll be able to release the new novel when the game hits the shelves or shortly before, which will most likely be around this same time next year in 2023. I'm glad to announce that the novel is totally updated and finally completed with its new title, cover, and prologue. 

I just have to decide which way to publish it. Self-publishing with B&N is a bit of an uphill battle for me right now but I might be able to offer a limited number of advanced copies to readers of this blog. Otherwise, I might go with Amazon for now, although they only offer case laminate hardcover bound editions.

Stay tuned for much more about the new novel since I'll be posting parts of it here and eventually a digital PDF download of the whole book will be available as well.

BTW, if you have any projects you'd like to announce here, I'll be happy to post them. Just send me an email with jpgs of your writing or gaming projects.

Cyberpunk Tabletop Games (Sergey Vasnev and Star Wars Ewoks)

 And the winner is. . . 

Drumroll, please. . . 

Right. You've heard this all before. And don't think that I'm not just as skeptical as you are. But there comes a time in the design and development stage of any product, board games included, that you have to decide on what you're going to publish. 

That's a big decision because everything hinges on your first impression. And as you know, you can only make, blah, blah, blah.

So after experimenting with dozens of designs and getting a feel for how this game should look and feel, I've settled on this image. (fingers crossed)

Battle for Endor

Chances are you're familiar with the Star Wars movies and characters like most humans on earth. In this image, Vasnev re-imagines George Lucas' Ewoks with an interesting fan-art like this.

Mmm. . . now it's all coming back.

And so if we remember, Ewoks hail from the moon of Endor, thus the battle you see hear.

When I saw this image I was struck at once with several questions and curious about the idea behind Vasnev's concept art.

As it turns out this was an art challenge of sorts, of which I don't know its outcome.

Star Wars

So all that aside, let's get in our time machines and travel back to the year 1983 and the movie, Return of the Jedi.

Many of you had not been born yet. But I'm sure you recall the Jedi movie as part of the Star Wars franchise and all the films that followed it. How many action figures do you own?

If you recall, those furry little bears, the Ewoks helped destroy the imperial shield generator in their forests and defeated the stormtroopers and scout walkers of the Empire. Nobody saw that coming.

Battle of Endor

Long story, short. 

I contacted Sergey Vasnev and asked if I could use this amazing image and he was gracious and generous enough to grant me the use of Battle For Endor, as a cover for the Remnants board game. (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Sergey.)

As it turns out if you visit Sergey Vasnev's website on ArtStation, most of his artwork lends itself perfectly to this sort of game. He's quite prolific and all the artwork is stunning. You must see it. So the idea is to incorporate more of his designs into the game (box, playing cards, etc.) so gamers have a choice of whichever design they like most. Collectors can collect all three boxes, for example.

That's the plan for now and I haven't run it by Sergey yet but, you get the idea. I hope he'll be on board and I think he'll agree so we'll see. Let me know what you think in the comments and what your favorite Sergey Vasnev work of art is. It'll be difficult to choose, I promise.

You'll notice the new game board with the city of Manhattan and new playing cards. I'm loving it so far. Overall I do like this current iteration of the game and I think it's a good place to be as I further develop the game.

At this point, I'd like to feature the game on Kickstarter.com but not sure if it will be ready for this coming April. That's what I'm trying to finish as we speak. Actually, I just might be able to pull that off because the new concept flows much better than anything I had tried before so hopefully, I'll be able to launch the game this coming year.

How exciting will that be?

I can hardly wait. 

Don't forget to sign up for updates (upper right column) about the game plus interesting reveals about Vasnev's art in upcoming posts.

Hey, check out the animation on the blog where you see the whole box in 3D and much more fun stuff.

Learn more on the blog:

3 Essential Design Elements (Board Game Packaging Box)

New Remnants Box

Hungry For The New Board Game Box?

Here are the 3 essential ingredients.

Hooks, Hooks, and more Hooks.

If you're a subscriber to this blog, you probably already know about the importance of hooks. And it's worth repeating because, without the proper hooks, your audience will dismiss your game and look for another image or a catchy phrase in another game that piques their interest and excites them.

In other words, your packaging must instantly push all the right buttons for the genre. It's just that simple and that important.

Let's break it down

First things first. Your main image must grab their eye and mind all at once. For Remnants, Andrea's face, her expression, says it all. She's not startled or surprised by what she sees, but something has caught her attention.

Next, you'll notice the big-ass Glock in her bionic hand. After all, she is an Android, with a backstory, mind you. And that says a lot about her already. She knows how to protect herself. So far, so good. And who doesn't carry a weapon these days? Many people do and whether they carry one lawfully or not is another matter. But in the near future, personal protection is a must. And all the doomsday preppers said, AMEN.

Aside from all that, she's dressed to survive. Not to mention her one blue eye. That detail is mentioned in the first book, Edge of The Apocalypse (featured on the bottom right side of the box).

Other Hooks

As far as the background goes, there are subtle messages that inform the audience. In this case, the New York City skyline is rushing by and there's a massive planet looming on the horizon. (Another Earth?) Plus, you'll notice the flash of sunlight on the left. That's not part of the original image but I included it to evoke a sense of hope or normalcy. Yes, the world is a blur, but the sun still shines. That's the metaphor, in a nutshell, folks.

Okay, so much for the imagery. What about the all-important copy? Well, that's another beast altogether but let's get into it.

Tagline Closeup

Taglines

We all know about hierarchy when it comes to copywriting for advertising or packaging of any kind and as you can see, the 2 lines read:

1. Welcome to the edge of the apocalypse and beyond.
2. "Take her to the edge."

I hadn't come up with this until now because that's just the way things go sometimes but I think this is good enough to stick with for the next printing.

As a side note, these two lines are at the top of the box (first lines) but they're not what the viewer sees first because the name or title of the game is front and center in a much larger size, as it should be. Nevertheless, the hierarchy still works as-is and potential buyers most likely will read those first two lines after viewing the name, Remnants right in the middle of the box, and the all-important subtitle, Supreme Survivor.

The word Remnants has a built-in curiosity and that's an advantage right there. Then there's the sub-title, which has a good ring to it because it evokes the object of the game in a catchy way. Yes, I could have used lone survivor or last survivor, but the word supreme is fresh and on point for the genre.

What's effective about that first line is that it mentions the title of the first book and evokes the title of the last book. That's clever enough and a great choice of first words.

The second line is of course a double entendre. No explanation is needed but suffice to say, it's a good and effective line for those two reasons. It ties in with the first line and evokes not just a sexual innuendo, but two books in the process.

Copywriters are fond of double, or multiple meanings and I'm no different because you get your money's worth when good copy does the heavy lifting. So remember that when you write your copy next time.

Here's a good example of multiple meanings in the media today:

"Pizza lovers get it."

Dogs get it too!

Short and sweet as Marco's Pizza declares in their new ad. But that didn't stop Papa John's from using the same, exact tagline. Who's line is it, anyway? (See what I did there. Right. Let's move along.)

The last line, or bottom line, as it were, evokes the subgenre and the author's name, which right now is not as important because no one has ever heard of A. R. Arias. (Hopefully, that will change next year.)

A Cyberpunk Strategy Game by A. R. Arias

So this line mentions the genre, the game mechanics, and its author. All very important elements that help sell the game in short order.

So there you have it, folks. We've dissected the front of the box and made sense of it all for aspiring copywriters and we've added strong sales copy that should help towards the long and winding road or sales funnel that hones in on prospects of the genre and beyond.

It's a win-win-win for all.

In my next post, I'll cover all the juicy details on the back of the box (so many). Now that's a can of delicious and tempting lines that should make your mouth water for more.

Bon appetite!

All comments or questions are welcome so please post them below.

See you soon. Be safe and play on!

CYBERPUNK Board Game Box Packaging - It's All About Hooks

 

Remnants Box Bottom

Okay folks, here's the back of the new box, as promised. Lots to unpack here so let's get into it.

The most important thing is the copy on the left column. Similar to the back of a book, this is all about sales copy that takes you right to the sales page on the manufacturer's website, for example.

That actual link has yet to be determined because the game is unfinished and not for sale yet, but, you get the idea. I tried my best in this limited space to cover all the important points that make this game unique and sales-worthy.

Let's face it, I'd need to write an entire book about this to be thorough but I'll have to keep it short here. As you can see, I've packed the back of this box with lots of good stuff. All that good stuff translates into many different hooks that should lead prospects to the buy button. That's the short of it and that's the result you're after, obviously. 

HOOKS

I've also stuffed 2 promos for the books on the bottom right. These are important because upselling, so to speak is part of the deal. I've included a promo for the first book in the series plus a peek at the collectible hardcover. 

What makes the hardcover collectible? Its unique design plus the fact that it includes all three stories in one book and also includes awesome photos. In a perfect world, the title should be blind-embossed or have some sort of metallic embellishing, etc. But for now, this jacket is good enough as is.

The characters up top are also hooks because they are what make the story meaningful and exciting. An example for an odd video link follows (another hook).

That's followed by a short summary of the game in the gray box. This is a crucial hook and the equivalent of a strong headline and sub-headline.

HOOKS

That's followed by another hook stating the theme of the game that provides a visual tone and what players can expect with this extraordinary game. Take a read and see if it works for you.

On the right column, you see the game board and below it, many of the components and card decks included in the game. These are all additional hooks that intrigue players.

The bottom line is simple. The back of your box must entice, inspire, and motivate prospects, your audience to find out more about the game and eventually buy it. The goal is for curious gamers to get into the theme and imagine themselves playing the game and having a great time.

AND MORE HOOKS

You want to create a burning desire in your audience that leads to a sale, hopefully, now rather than later. That's why you need more than one hook. You need as many hooks as you can configure and fit into a small space without over-crowding the box. Not an easy task, but it's always possible with a bit of planning.

Let me know what you think in the comments. I've also finished a short promo video that I'll post here soon. It's just a teaser so it doesn't include gameplay instructions. But instead, it's designed to intrigue gamers so they can find out more details about the game on the blog. Your blog should be the equivalent of a long and never-ending advertisement, but without looking or sounding like one. 

Welcome to the world of marketing, my friends.

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