MAXIMUM APOCALYPSE- A REVIEW PLUS UPDATES ON THE NEW MILLENNIUM BOARD GAME

I haven't played this game but it looks interesting with so many options and I like the comic book graphic style artwork. Although, it's fantasy-based and for younger audiences. Nothing wrong with that if you're into that sub-genre and circling that age range. Let me know if you've played this game or plan to get it and if you like it. 

The New Millennium Update

Below is the latest update for Millennium with its 4 new characters. As you can see Millennium is for older audiences, at least 18 and up with realistic settings and stories. First up is our cover girl, Andrea. Make no mistake, aside from her soft facial features and childlike freckles, she's one tough cookie.

And don't let Alex fool you either. He might remind you of an underwear model (ouch) but he's strictly business. Freedom has a quiet charm about her but she's the real deal too. Don't piss her off because she'll unleash her super freaky side in a heartbeat.

And Pucho . . . well he's another story altogether. My alter-ego without a doubt. This guy is slick and even hilarious when he wants to be. But overall he's an introvert with a sick twist. Take him for a spin and find out what makes him tick.

Here's a sneak peek at one of the new pages from the Millennium rules booklet. As you can see, I've updated all the characters to include, Pucho, a joker of sorts who's sure to add some levity to the game, plus I've added a different, much cooler version of Freedom to this mix of oddball characters.

The best thing about this new batch of characters is that their appearance is much edgier and cooler than the original versions. Below is a comp of Freedom's new look. 

Thank you to CanStockPhoto.com for these awesome images.

These new photos will appear in the new Millennium card deck with the next printing in July. As you can tell by her looks, when Freedom speaks, everyone listens. She's far beyond just being a hot chick, she's got important things on her mind and plenty to say, so listen up. 

As for Pucho, well he's not easy to figure out. One minute he's quoting Malcolm X, the next he's spewing nasty stuff like, "Dangle that thought, I've gotta drop a deuce," or "... lay down some fudge." Right, right, he's got those kinds of issues. It's all in good fun and besides, girls like Freedom and Andrea love that kind of stuff.

As far as Andrea's best friend, Maria, well so far she's only featured in the books but as time goes on I might add her to the card deck and the board game.

A lot of things remain up in the air but as Covid-19 diminishes in our rear-view, this game gets closer to publication.

As I see it, once we get back to the way things were before COVID-19, it's going to be an outdoor fest for some time and few people will be playing board games. So with that outlook in mind, I'll still launch the game in September but I'm not expecting any real activity for several months.

The biggest lesson I've learned throughout this process is that taking my time is better for the quality of the game. The beginning of the design process is usually tentative at best and so as time goes on, ideas come into focus, and weak concepts become stronger.

I have to say that Millennium has evolved in ways I had not expected and as the following months blur across the COVID-19 landscape, this board game will emerge as a different kind of post-apocalyptic game that acknowledges our current life and times while giving a refreshing nod to America's nostalgic past.

It's an exciting time in more ways than one and I hope you can join me along the way as Millennium makes its long-awaited debut in September.

Say it in the comments below, thank you.

Hell Gate City Companion Preview

Millennium Board Game - A Nod to Cyberpunk 2077

 

Cyberpunk Prototype Box Design

Here's the latest update on the next prototype box. As you can see, Andrea, true to form, has robotic titanium-reinforced arms below her elbow. You can read more about that in the ebook, Edge of The Apocalypse available on Amazon.com.

So, this box has been through quite an evolution. This new design is probably the most direct and focused image based on the story in the three books. Andrea's Journal, included in each box, hints at events behind the scenes in detail about how the coming apocalypse gets underway and everything that happens to Andrea and her best friend, Maria.

Printed Journal Booklet

It's a fun story despite the fact that it takes place during an apocalyptic event, but hey, even the apocalypse should be entertaining at some level. But from my point of view, or Andrea's, there's so much more to Doomsday than doom and gloom.

And so, there are quite a few light-hearted moments and funny, albeit, tense situations, like their trip northeast when they pick up a suspicious hitchhiker in Jacksonville, Florida. Yes, Florida rears its dubious head, rightfully so, and not just because I live there.

My only reservations about Andrea's new image is the goggles, which give it a bit of Cyberpunk vibe, but I think I'll get over that and probably embrace it a bit more as I go along. Check out the robitic arms in a scene from the video game, Cyberpunk 2077.

These yellow marvels are attached at the shoulders, unlike Andrea's, which start at her elbows, sort of like the one Furiosa (Charlize Theron) sports in Mad Max: Fury Road. Yes, plenty of inspiration to feed from. Not to mention Blade Runner, which in my opinion leads the way with Cyberpunk history, if you will.

And so, I'll admit that while the Millennium game and Edge books are not hardcore Cyberpunk stories, they certainly lead into Cyberpunk territory. What separates my stories is that they reveal the seeds of Cyberpunk somewhat just as the recent Capitol insurrection revealed an underbelly that until that point had only been referenced and uttered in the deepest parts of the internet and among rogue QAnon groups.

Cyberpunk 2077 Game Trailer

Also, Andrea's one blue eye might suggest some sort of 3D camera lens capability but she was just born with a rare condition known as, heterchromia iridum, or different colored eyes, among several other odd birth defects mentioned in the books.

To really appreciate the board game, you should read the books because they give all the important backstory and juicy details that the game leaves out. And those ommissions are not intentional but they certainly are necessary because each product has its own vibe as far as feasability to inform.

And so, the books round out the game and vice-versa. It's a win-win all around.

In my next post, I'll talk about several other characters, which are still under development; namely Alex, Freedom, and Adam. These names are subject to change, maybe to a more descriptive image and so that remains to be seen.

Otherwise, Millennium lives on as a very ambitious board game with a scope unlike most others. I only wish I was further along with it but at this point I don't want to rush it out to market because in all reality, it's just not quite ready for prime time.

Getting it ready to meet the needs and wants of savvy players is what it's all about. And so the work goes on until the game is beyond awesome.

Stay tuned. It's getting close.

*** Remember to sign up here for private email updates about the Millennium Board Game. I hope to release the first edition this September 11, 2021. ***

Say it below in the comments.

Your Name on the Next Mars Rover Mission!

 Want to send your name on the next mission to Mars aboard a Rover? 

Read all about it here: Your Name on Mars!

Here's what a boarding pass looks like. 

Post-Apocalyptic Steampunk in the New Millennium

 

New Millennium Box

And the winner is . . . ?

Heck if I know. I've been through dozens of designs and not really crazy about any of them. This comes as close to what could make it into the final design.

It does have a Steampunk or Cyberpunk vibe to it, which is not what I'm going for but, I'll run with this amazing image because it's very close to what I want for this box cover.

This is a free Pixabay image and the only two things I did were change one eye to blue and desaturate the overall color. I love it so far and I hope to print the next prototype with this design.

If you're familiar with this game's backstory, (Edge of The Apocalypse) its protagonist is Andrea Estrella, who originally had platinum hair. I might change her to this image, for now, otherwise, I can give this cool chick a haircut and hair color change.

Guest what? It's much easier to leave her as is and make new playing cards for Andrea. Stay tuned for that in the coming days. I might add a gun to her.

Let me know what you think in the comments. I might print the new prototype in March or April if I can pin down a few more game mechanics. It's all finally coming together and it's about time so onward it is gamers.

Play on.

Hello gamers, it's about time to update my posts. I've been busy updating Millennium before the next printing of its 3rd prototype. It's a slow and tedious process, especially in my case but I hope to send for another prototype soon, maybe in April.

Here's the newly updated box cover I hope to print with the spot-gloss option.

New Millennium Game Box

This is a rough version of the new square box. (large stout box) The main difference is the gradient around the letter M, which will be printed in shiny spot-gloss while the remaining image is a matte black around it.

Here's a sample of spot-gloss on the game board. It gives the spot a glossy and raised texture that's hard to see here but it is a very impressive effect.

I decided to go with a more comic book style to the box and a graphic novel feel for the books with the same idea. More contrasting colors and black and white gradients throughout.

It's not a hard and typical graphic novel look, but it has that flavor. As the design progresses over the next few months, I suspect I might indulge a bit more in the graphic novel approach to all the artwork.

Spot-Gloss

Overall, I think it's a bit more eye-catching and trendy, I suppose so this could be the direction I'll go in when I launch the game this September (fingers crossed).

It's a work in progress, as all things are and so I hope to fine-tune everything else to match and optimize the game mechanics, which is very important. I tend to work backward and tackle the design elements first because I work visually towards the end product. So all the moving parts are in place but I need to synchronize all those wonderful parts with an exciting game that players will love.

That's really the hard part. Everything else is window dressing but for me, that's an easier way to develop games. It's a lot like designing the poster for a movie before you write one word of the script. I think it's a good approach in this case too because I work visually, which is a good thing since players are first going to see the box before they learn to play the game.

I don't know about you, but that makes perfect sense to me.

In reality, I work on everything along the way, including writing descriptions of the game and developing images to go along with it for marketing and promotional purposes. And that reminds me of the back or bottom of the box. I won't be printing the bottom now but here's a preview of the "finished" design.

I've enlarged it so you can read the text, see the texture, and get a feel for the game and how it's played. It's an ambitious project with a broad scope so that takes time to develop and refine as I go along. Ideas are simple but their execution can be daunting as you can see. This image has not been updated with the new gradients yet but it's just a snapshot of the actual prototype box.

Back of Millennium Game Box

After I'm done with the game I'll post more about how I went about this design and why. There's much more than meets the eye here because there's so much to tell in a very small space. And so that's always a challenge. 

There's an entire book worth of information here as far as design and development but that will be for another post and another time.

Right now, I'm stuck in development hell as long as COVID-19 is around. But that makes the game even better because I'm not rushing anything.

Stay tuned for much more to come about the game's progress. It's slowly but surely getting to a better place than when I started so improvements are essential.

Meanwhile, keep on staying alive and well and keep playing this wonderful game we know as, life in the fast lane.

Ending of Midnight Sky - George Clooney, Felicity Jones

Here's another movie that needs explaining. Why Clooney, why? I wanted to love this movie as much as Interstellar but it's far too cryptic to get the first time around. I hate when that happens, especially when there are so many opportunities to show and tell during so many great scenes. 

Again, this is one of those films, especially with its opening where audiences fail to connect with these characters because of a lack of better scenes that clearly and emotionally reveal what's going on before the film gets going. All the moving parts are there but without an emotional connection at the outset, most of the film seems meaningless. See for yourself.