Designer Diary: Expanding Lands of Galzyr

by Sami Laakso

Delving back to Galzyr

Creating Lands of Galzyr was a monumental undertaking. While designing the game engine was a significant challenge, crafting the intricate narratives that bring its open world to life required years of dedication. Although the base game was a complete and sophisticated package, we ensured it was designed for future expansions. That time has now arrived!

We couldn’t dive straight into developing the expansion, even if the desire was strong. A brief hiatus allowed us to explore other projects and, more importantly, gave players the opportunity to immerse themselves in the game and its stories. This experience was invaluable in shaping our vision for the expansion. Let’s explore what we discovered.

Determining the Scope

One of the initial questions we faced was determining the content and components for the expansion. During the base game’s development, we had envisioned a single expansion featuring 240 cards and two new adventurers, compared to the base game’s 480 cards and four adventurers. However, as we began to develop the expansion, our plans evolved.

  • The decision to introduce two new adventurers was firm, as these characters were already illustrated in the base game and would enhance the skill system.
  • However, the content required to incorporate these adventurers amounted to approximately 120 cards, consuming half our planned card budget.

We opted for a broader approach: instead of one large expansion, we decided to create two smaller ones, each containing 240 cards. This structure allows for one new adventurer and a wealth of additional content in each expansion. The base game’s box can accommodate this, even with sleeved cards. This approach offers several advantages:

  • Faster development and release of the first expansion.
  • Lower monetary barrier for players.
  • Comprehensive integration of the base game and expansions for a seamless experience.

Seeking and Receiving Feedback

To ensure that Dreams and Mysteries, the first expansion, resonates with fans, we actively sought feedback from various platforms, including our Discord server and BoardGameGeek comments. A targeted survey also gathered direct player insights.

One unique source of data was the game’s digital storybook, which provided valuable gameplay statistics. This allowed us to analyze which scenes were most frequently played and which decisions players made. For instance, we recognized the need to introduce greater variety to the most played scenes to reduce repetition.

Our survey garnered over 400 responses, where players ranked their desired content types and provided general feedback. The results indicated a clear preference for:

  • More long-form content, offering a stronger narrative hook.
  • A desire for character progression, albeit without altering the core game mechanics.

Players expressed satisfaction with the current game mechanics and primarily sought additional story content.

Dreams and Mysteries

With player feedback in hand, we began designing the expansion’s content. Four key aspects stand out in this design journey:

  • New Adventurer: The expansion introduces a new character, allowing for five-player gameplay and offering an alternative storyline for players to explore.
  • Extended Personal Stories: We expanded the adventurers’ personal stories to offer deeper engagement, broken over multiple games to enhance the open-world experience.
  • New Adventurer Special Abilities: While not introducing significant power increases, these abilities add depth and a sense of progression during players’ journeys.
  • New Grand Storyline: This expansion adds another overarching narrative, allowing players to influence the story as it unfolds.

Conclusion

These plans for the first expansion reflect our commitment to enhancing the game based on player feedback. The total narrative content has expanded dramatically—from roughly 700,000 words in the base game to over one million words in the expansion. This growth is truly remarkable!

The Dreams and Mysteries expansion is now available through various retail channels. What are some of your favorite expansions and what makes them stand out to you?

– Sami Laakso

Via BoardGameGeek Blog