Aetherstream: Leviathan Developer’s Blog #1
Happy 2024 everyone! As we closed out 2023, there was a flurry of activity and development on the upcoming Leviathan project, and I am happy to say that early playtesting among the developers has officially begun and we are on the last steps of finalizing all the models for the initial release of the game.
In Interceptor we went into designing it with the goal of focusing on quick and easy setup and play but offering enough diversity in strategy to make the game re-playable. We are trying to do the same with Leviathan.
While the game is shaping up to be a little more complex, the basic game will emphasize putting players in charge of a small task force of ships, ranging in size from small scouts all the way up to the largest ship currently in the game, appropriately called a leviathan. A fighter token (or miniature) now represents a single squadron or flight. Like Interceptor, we are likely going to break the game down into a basic and advanced rules set. The basic rules capture the spirit of the game and teach all the core concepts necessary to play without getting into the weeds. The advanced rules will be presented in optional pieces that can be added, or not added, to the game as desired.
Probably the most important thing to state is what this game is and is not. It is not intended to be a full-on simulation of real-world physics. While ships will maintain their velocity and use that as part of their movement, they will use the power of science-fantasy to move in ways that are relatively un-spaceship like. One my own personal goals with this game is to prevent the game from devolving into “ships of the line” style battle where everyone lines up big broadside attacks, and rather having it land somewhere between submarine, surface navy, and cinematic space battle.