Witchin’ Hour progress

Progress on the Witchin’ Hour game I am developing.

Now that my own game of Witchin’ Hour is well and good underway in its development I thought it would be fun to give you all a glimpse of the amount of work this project has been so far.

When I first started with this concept (months ago) I knew I wanted to make a demo table to show people how the game is played. This has to become a nice looking table of course and filled with beautiful models. I started with some soldier-type models, knowing I still had some old Advanced Heroquest miniatures that I could chop up and combine with bits and pieces from old Mordheim sprues.

Last year at Crisis I used my budget to get some more scenery and models for this game. The demo table would at least need a small village and players should see all sort of available troop types from the warband lists on the table. I found enough to keep me busy for a while.

I also needed a big hill that would divide the table in two. I want the table to be able to host two demo games at the same time, one in the village itself and one that will take place in the caves under a big hill. I am still thinking of a way to connect the two games so that one can influence the other. I started by glueing blocks of styrofoam in a rough shape and used a sharp hobby knife to ‘sculpt’ the rockface and carve out the cave system. The hill and most of the buildings and models are still a work in progress, but I am aiming to get the table ready for next years Poldercon (February 2020).

The rulebook itself has also been a very satisfying process. From writing the initial ideas as mere bulletpoints and loose phrases to the stage I am now at; incorporating the various notes and changes made while testing the game and designing the layout.

Some of the initial notes
Necessary changes in the very first rule set used for play testing
Designing the layout

I have also started with the various pictures I need in the rulebook. These will be general pictures just to spice up the pages and explanatory pictures to go with certain rules. I do not own a professional lighting set, but a bit of improvising will do. I do own a decent camera, so I have been able to create some pretty decent shots. Most of these will have to be re-done for the final version of the book though, since not all miniatures manufacturers give permission to use their models in rulebooks not related to them.

The lighting setup

A few weeks ago I placed a large order with various models to make sure I have most (if not all) of the various opties I want to show in the rulebook or on the demo table. These included wolfs, dogs, pack mules, more witches and witch hunters and a host of models to be used as mercenaries or cultists. I am currently assembling the cultists from the Frostgrave range.

Assembling cultists

Meanwhile I keep playtesting the rules, paint models (also some sci-fi versions), build the hillside and working on all the components for the demo tables. It is a big project, with lots of different aspects, but it challenges all my creativity in a very positive way. I am looking forward to unleash this game on the world!

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