Journey’s End… Kickstarter Beginning
The Rulebook Is Finally Done!!!
Waves of relief continue to hit me this week as the rulebook for Wu Wei: Journey of the Changing Path comes into sharp focus. This year has been particularly challenging as the rules and components went through their final metamorphoses. I went through three major versions of the rulebook with full text and graphics overhauls. I’m a bit of a perfectionist but this level of scrutiny isn’t typical for me.
It took me a number of years to get the mechanics of Wu Wei working in a tight and integrated way. After that, the big challenge became trying to explain the concepts and rules to folks new to the game. I wanted this little book to be easy to read and understand and interesting enough to capture folks’ attention. Needless to say, I was having trouble locking it down until I started working with Dustin Schwartz from The Rules Forge. He really pulled me out of the mire and helped me reorganize the rules so they could be more easily digested. I am really grateful for his amazing work. Getting someone to read a rulebook is hard. Getting someone to scrutinize a rulebook in process is nearly impossible. If you are working on a rulebook I highly recommend Dustin.
This latest edition of the rulebook really is the definitive version. Armed with this rulebook, I have a whole new confidence in the game and I’m actually looking forward to the Kickstarter, the manufacturing process, and the eventual delivery of the final product. I have a few loose ends to tie up with regard to file preparation but I am very close to having everything completely locked down and ready to roll. That is something I’m quite proud to say going into my Kickstarter relaunch!
Kickstarter Launching on March 20, 2017
The original Kickstarter for this project happened over 3 years ago. I had no idea it would be such a trek to transform my old game LINEAGE into Wu Wei: Journey of the Changing Path. I can only say that I am glad that I went through the exhaustive permutations. The game that emerged really is the best version of the game. It has three different levels now and the components have grown to accommodate a more sophisticated expression of universal themes.
Wu Wei is a concept from Taoism that means to go with the flow of nature. To that end, the game follows the seasons through Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. I have chosen the first day of Spring (March 20, 2017) to launch the game. It feels like an appropriate nod to the game’s theme and in the natural flow of the universe. I hope you will all join me at this very special Spring Gathering and pledge to get your copy of Wu Wei: Journey of the Changing Path.
Reviews, Videos, and Website Material
Leading up to the Kickstarter, I will be busting my butt to get a number of videos ready for the campaign. One of these will be the main video but the rest will be supporting videos and tutorial videos pertaining to game play. I will also be revising the website and making sure the correct content is on BoardGameGeek.com. It really is an endless process to keep all this information going but it will be well worth it when the campaign succeeds! I’m also talking with a few community sources about reviewing the game in anticipation of the Kickstarter release. I will keep you up-to-date as best I can as more information becomes available. The biggest thing you can do right now is share playwuwei.com with folks you know and have them sign up for the newsletter. I will be putting out a number of blasts in the near future. As always, thanks for keeping your eye on this project. It will only succeed with a little help from my friends! Let’s make Wu Wei a reality!