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Welcome to the Lower Studios website. Scroll down to see games currently under development. You will also find a section of the website dedicated to the music of Abdomen, my late friend Brian, and the Legion of Sloth. Take a look around and let me know what you think. I can be reached via e-mail. |
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Phalanx, Peltast, and Pilum is a set of ancient miniature rules focused upon warfare during the classical age. The rule set enables players to experience the surprisingly abundant military developments over a 1,000 year period (from roughly 650 B.C. to 450 A.D.). From the seemingly unstoppable Persian Royal Guard, to the Greek hoplite phalanx, to Alexander's cavalry, to the maniples of the Roman military system: heavy infantry, peltasts, cavalry, and elephants make for a rich complexity of combined arms. Although still under development, the rule set seems nearly complete. We continue to make subtle improvements with play-testing during the cold winter months of each year. If you are interested in playing the game, then please contact me. |
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Dukedoms is a board game where up to six players struggle to ascend to the imperial throne and become the next emperor of Gong Jué. Players work against the competing interests of keeping their peasant populations content and encouraging trade while maintaining a sufficient treasury to suppress bandits, open trade routes, develop an army, and win the favor of one or more of the three temples. The rules need some work, but they are darn close to play-testable. | ||
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Henchmen: Stop the Dragon, Save the Princess, & Become the Wealthiest Knight is a board/card game where up to eight players act as self-interested knights hoping to collect the most gold coins in a quest to defeat a wicked fire breathing dragon and save the King's daughter. The princess is somewhere in the forest, yet her rescue is only assured when the dragon is dead. The environment beyond a small walled enclave is teeming with the half-witted minions of the dragon — goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, bugbears, and ogres — eager to devour the flesh of a knight's henchmen. Henchmen is a great example of what I call a "beer and pretzel" game. It is fast playing, easy to learn, and everyone seemed eager to test-play it multiple times. It is fun to play, but the game needs something more to make it great. For the moment, Henchmen has moved to the back burner. |
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Classical Pirates is a board game where up to seven players command their own pirate fleet, hire crews, and compete for control of the trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea. The game is a mix of ship building, crew hiring, capturing and exchanging trade goods, and struggling against other pirates and warships along a finite number of trade routes. The game has been test-played only twice, and presently, I am reassessing the numbers and making some major changes to the game. |
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Zombies In The Warehouse is a board game for up to six players. Players represent employees of a nondescript industrial park business. Their only goal is to avoid being eaten by zombies. Players must work together against the mindless mob of flesh eating undead, and if anyone survives, everyone wins! I still continue to struggle with the board layout and some unexpected mathematical problems with the system. I have test-played several versions of this game, but it still is not quite right. For my friend Matt's sake, I will continue to work on it, and it will be test-played when I get it right. |
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| SOME OTHER NOTEWORTHY GAME DESIGN PROJECTS |
Elemental Wizards Body Count G.I.B.S. Follower and Leader Green Iron The Great War Ice and Sail Rawolfx Revolution Siege! |
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Abdomen managed to record over 450 songs during its first 10 years together. We had a great deal of fun with our creative musical energies, so Lower Studios presents the Abdomen website to both preserve the past and encourage the future of this "band".  |
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Brian was a poet and a friend. Although Brian never really embraced computers, I wanted to share some of his work with the world, so take a look at Brian's Stygian Ferry page.  |
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Our group of gamers affectionately refers to itself as The Legion of Sloth. We gather about twice a month to primarily play board games. Periodically, we are looking for additional players. If you are a member of the Sloth, then this page is for your gaming interest. 
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| (c) 2010 Lower Studios all images by m |
