So I’ve played Gotlandia on Gotland! I visited Medeltidsveckan with my son and a friend just for fun and to learn what kind of event it is. We sat down at a table in Almedalen for a couple of hours and playtested Gotlandia, showing it to random passers by. This time my son and co-designer won — he is 12 and doesn’t agree with all the changes I make to the rules. But he is certainly on top of the changes and uses them to his advantage.
Energised by a great vacation, I was inspired to try out some further changes. Which turned out to be great, making a great game even better. The best changes are those that makes a game simpler to learn and harder to master. Funny how it helps to step away from a project for a while to look at it with fresh eyes.
So what’s next with Gotlandia?
Virtual edition
I’ve decided to not implement a virtual version of Gotlandia. I looked into what it would take to implement Gotlandia in Vassal and Tabletop Simulator. A lot of work and I’m not sure it will pay off: I’m not much for playing virtual boardgames myself. Even with a great adaptation, playing online is different from the physical play experience at least for a game like Gotlandia in many subtle ways.
Commercial outlook
I would like to get Gotlandia out for more people to play and see. I believe there is a commercial potential, if just a fraction of the many tourists that visits Visby and Gotland every summer picks up a copy of Gotlandia as a souvenir.
I’m undecided on whether to run a kickstarter or pitch Gotlandia to a publisher. Both sounds more like work than fun. Maybe more fun to just do a small print run, put the games in a trunk, and drive around pitching to shops on Gotland next summer. Let’s see. A game like this will have a long sales tail, it is unlikely to sell out first year even with a heavy marketing campaign. Which also does not sound like fun.
Coming to a convention near you
So Gotlandia is a hobby project with no commercial release planned. If you want to try out Gotlandia, find me at a convention near you over the next year. I will continue showing up at conventions demoing Gotlandia. Next up is Viking Con in Copenhagen in October. I’ve also pitched Gotlandia for Fastaval 2025, let’s see if it makes it to the program. Competition there is a lot harder since I last had a boardgame at Fastaval 2013. Happy to receive more tips for conventions to visit over the winter.
Or you can create your own copy of Gotlandia using the print and play instructions.
Anyhow, after days of intensive playtesting, it’s time to do a new print run with updated cards to be ready for convention season. More fun ensured to update the design.
Find the latest version of Gotlandia here. Read more posts about Gotlandia.
Key changes
For those of you who have played a previous edition of the game, here is a summary of the key changes since the LinCon 2024 edition.
- Reputation cards! At the start of the game, each player selects a reputation for their family which gives them a special ability and some flavour. Say rich, troublemakers, gossip mongers or misers. Great for replayability and for adding that extra story telling fun to the game.
- Updated craft cards. Revised cards, new cards and all now grant victory points for news ways to victory. Brewery, Fishing hut, and Mill are some of the new ones.
- Updated trading cards. Revised cards, new cards, and all grant victory points. Stralsund, Skanör, and Riga are new trading destinations.
- Reduced hand size. Maximum hand size is now 8, not 10, and it's much harder to earn those extra cards. This makes for a much more intense puzzle in the late game to squeeze the most resources, silver and points out of the cards you draw!
- Unbury. Bury can now bury a card. Home can unbury cards and silver. This opens many deck building strategies.
I still haven’t found a way to work a rauk into the game. Maybe as an expansion or as a separate game?