Expanding a Story
By Sean Jacquemain
B
oard games can take an interesting path from the first spark of an idea to the game that ultimately hits the table. Changes and edits to the gameplay, strategies, and narratives are quite common. That was certainly the case for Fall of the Mountain King (FMK). When Adam Daulton first pitched the game that would become FMK, it had a totally different theme. It was set in a real historic period and explored conflicts that actually took place. The Burnt Island Games team loved the concept and the core mechanics of the game, but they had a different vision for the narrative arch. “Right away, we saw the similarities with In the Hall of the Mountain King (HMK),” said publisher Helaina Cappel. “We could envision these same mechanics in the setting we had worked to establish in the original game.” While Daulton’s game used totally new rules, the two games shared a mechanical DNA. Fans of HMK would definitely see the connections between the gameplay of both titles, but FMK offers a totally new experience with its own challenges and strategies. HMK tells the story of exiled trolls returning home after being run out by gnomish invaders generations ago. The game focuses on rebuilding the mountain to its former glory. It always felt as if there was more story to tell in the lives of these trolls. What were their cus52 AROUND THE table • Q2 2021
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toms and politics? How was the mountain divided among the various clans? What did it look like before they were ousted? Finally, what took place in that dramatic battle that caused their downfall? These were questions that begged to be explored further, and with a ruleset that fit the theme, it seemed like the perfect fit. Whenever a publisher returns to an established theme, there are benefits and drawbacks. You need to adhere to the spirit of the original game enough to satisfy fans, while creating enough of a new play experience that you’re not simply rehashing old ideas. It’s a tightrope to be walked with any design within an existing world. As an additional challenge to setting FMK in the past as a prequel to HMK, the narrative had
to connect with a specific set of circumstances. At the beginning of HMK, the mountain has just collapsed scattering the remaining gnomes and providing an opportunity for the trolls to return. FMK had to end with the defeat of a once proud civilization, but needed to explain victory conditions even in the context of a greater defeat. For several months, Daulton and Burnt Island Games worked to establish the setting and refine the rules for fun strategic gameplay that makes sense in that context. As development continued, the Ancestry mechanic become more interesting and even better incorporated into the theme. Across three rounds, called Waves, the onslaught of gnomes threatens control of the mountain, and only through brave actions and clever decisions can a player prove themselves worthy of claiming a leadership role with the trolls as they bid their time in exile. Destiny is predetermined in FMK. Players will sit down to the table knowing their defence of the mountain will be in vain. They also know that in a few generations the trolls will return. Winning a game of FMK will ensure they will be the ones to lead the return to the mountain when that moment is right! Contact info@burntislandgames. com to become a retail backer for our June 1 Kickstarter.
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6/1/21 3:01 PM
