Before Waypoints even existed, Matthew and I knew we wanted to make a game with freeform mark making. Earlier this year I wrote a post about the fun and different ways that folks had been marking their game sheets in Voyages (our studio's first game). Voyages is built on a hex grid with movement options determined by three six-sided dice. As players progress through the game, the options they make are drawn out in front of them in a literal map. After 16(ish) rounds, players can look back on their Voyage and compare stories of their travels as they add up victory points and determine a winner.
With Waypoints we wanted to take this idea of journey creation even further. The obvious answer was to remove the restriction of grid-based movement and allow players to create more nuanced routes across a map. The problem with this is that without a grid the game loses structure, and the player is faced with overwhelming choice. We needed the feeling of freedom but with enough constraints to give the game momentum and direction.
Topography turned out to be the solution. Contour lines provided a thematic and mechanical way to alter a player's path across a map without overtly stipulating a direction. In Waypoints you can choose to travel far across low lying land, or travel short distances up mountains or down valleys. Features on the map encourage the player to twist and turn their pen around the game sheet as they try and maximise the points from their trail. The result is a map that is unique to each player's story.
I'm really proud of what we've created with Waypoints. It's been through a lot of iterations but I think Matthew and I have held onto our original vision pretty well.
If you're interested in learning more about Waypoints, you can check out the campaign when it goes live on Kickstarter next week. https://t.co/spMEiRvTd2