Though I have toyed and tinkered with Near Space for a great number of years I have rarely let it loose without supervision. This coming weekend that changes a little bit. We are taking the game to Protospiel-Milwaukee (http://www.protospiel-milwaukee.org/) and see how well it handles the stress test. I have no real expectations mainly because I have never been involved in something like this. Hopefully the take away from this will be a better game.

Speaking of improving the game. Recently, I have started working with Alex Clayton as our Head Playtester. Someone that is willing to argue with me and smart enough to find my mistakes. I have invited him to start posting here and I look forward to his observations. I have established a Playtest Group on Facebook with Alex as the Admin. This will be our primary means of communication with Kickstarter backers who want to be involved in the playtest. (Unless someone else has better idea…?)

Just a quick note to myself really. I think I have this up and running? I will be detailing the ongoing process here at Spartacus Publishing in our game design, play-testing, writing, art direction, etc. I am inviting our various collaborators and allies to post here as well. It is my hope that with time I can get this to grow into something of interest for you and me.

To kick things off, here is the draft of the card back for our new game Near Space. There will be lots more of this in the coming months as we prepare to attend Proto Spiel in Milwaukee. http://www.protospiel-milwaukee.org/