Scotland’s national football teams have just had a big week. The women’s team qualified for the World Cup, while Alex McLeish’s side were horsed by Belgium (who, admittedly, are very good). McLeish’s side have a chance to redeem themselves on Monday night, but the question haunting us all remains: will Scotland’s football teams have as successful a week as Counter Attack?
This week, you see, my prototype is in the hands of three people: a fella in Glasgow who’s gonna play his mate, a family of board gamers (and football fans) in London, and me in a pub in Leith, with 4 mates in tow. The first two on the list are of the greatest interest to me because the game has never been played without me being present, so this is a big moment in its development. Will it sink or swim? Are the rules easy to follow or baffling to the ordinary punter? I’ll know soon, I guess…
As for the event in Leith, I’ve managed to procure two tables in a watering hole for me and my plus four. We’re all football fans and board gamers to various degrees, so I anticipate a wee bit of a challenge to some of the concepts in the game. We’re at the prototyping stage, so a challenge is definitely what I’m after. What I’m finding now, though, is that only minor tweaks are being made to the game mechanics after each new player is introduced. Surely a good sign. Let’s hope for equally good signs in the Scotland – Albania match!