Crab Tactics = The Mountaineer's Deck!

Hello everyone–

A brief announcement for you regarding the development of my latest analogue card game.

Crab Tactics is now… The Mountaineer’s Deck! A summary of changes as development continues is below.

Two ways to play:

• A multiplayer competition to race and reach the peak of the mountain.
• A cooperative game where all the members of a mountain-climbing expedition must reach the peak before time runs out (there’s an approaching snowstorm, you know…!)

Why the change?

• A coworker/fellow intern suggested the co-op mode, and it sounds cool to me.
• The original theme had some off-putting and potentially mean-spirited vibes and I want to avoid that.
• The idea of playing either a cooperative or competitive game with the same core mechanics seems like a great idea.

What’s different, so far?

• The competitive game is still pretty much the same, with only thematic changes so far.
• The cooperative version introduces fail states such as reaching the end of the time limit (ten rounds, as in the original competitive version) and a “three strikes” mechanic. I’m also considering a “sabotage” mechanic and will see how that works out through playtesting.

When to expect it?

• Look for more details in next month’s update. I can only work on physical prototypes and playtesting in my spare time, which is limited.
• Self-publish date is pushed back - again? - to Spring 2023.

Anything else?

• Happy Holidays!
• I’d avoided celebrating virtually any holidays at all for many years. But where I am now, celebrations are frequent. Personally speaking, it’s been a healthy change for me, in general.

Feel free to drop off any comments or questions below. Otherwise, you’ll hear from me next year. Take it easy, folks!

–Stephen