So I've been frustrated, trying to create my own idea as a game, which I've been harboring for a few years now - but had yet to get it to paper.
Brant's February Game Jam helped get me aligned, but after day 6 things went by the wayside. Too much work and other things to get done.
In any case, it's very difficult to come up with a new system that doesn't mimic other attempts at design work. For example, doing something along the lines of B-17 QotS, Target for Today/Tonight, or something in Greg Smith's vast repertoire.
My idea is to do a solo game centered on the B-52 (tentatively titled 'BUFF' at this time). However, instead of the player controlling a crew over a campaign, just like in all those other games, I thought it may be more interesting to make it about the bomber itself. So you're there when it's 'born' off the assembly line in the 50s/60s (can't recall the data offhand, but I have it down in a master file), and you have crews come and go, but you're the 'spirit' of the bomber, more or less, over decades of service. The ultimate goal is to survive its entire service history until perhaps it is mothballed/retired...or shot down/otherwise destroyed.
There's conflicts of course - historical ones like Vietnam, Desert Storm, the Balkans, nuclear deterrent patrols, etc. - but there's also possible ahistoric events, such as a NATO/Warsaw Pact flare-up, or some other crisis in the world. I'm still not quite sure how to have players navigate that without just doing it straight off a table, though I might just land on that and see where it goes from there.
Game play would be simple - card draws, events, challenges, that sort of thing. No range or map, but card draws, so some missions may be eight cards long to get to the target, some six, more, maybe less.
So I throw this all out there to see if anyone thinks this idea has merit. I appreciate any comments, even criticisms, because honestly I can't make this better without someone else's input.
The ultimate goal? Publishing would be great, but it might need to be a PnP first. I'm no designer - yet.
