Dr. Chips, Epiphanies, and how Lifeship came into being - Dev Blog #1

My name is Chris, and I am the creator of Lifeship.

When the idea for Lifeship first occurred to me, I had no idea how big of a project it would become. I have spent a lot of my life writing, roleplaying, video gaming, and playing board games. I LOVE narrative! When Gloomhaven came home with me, a little damaged (Discount!), I had no idea what to expect. I had been playing tabletop RPGs my whole life, and the opportunity to play a board game adjacent to that, was thrilling. I played so much Gloomhaven, (Thanks Covid) and wanted more. I played My Father's Work, Sleeping Gods (Fave!), and any other game that boasted a narrative. I made my own expansion to Gloomhaven, called Stories from the Road. It was a bandage on what I viewed as the worst element of a game I loved.

Early 2023, I had an epiphany. A game, like Gloomhaven, like Sleeping Gods, like so many other games, but also, unlike anything I had ever played before.

The dream: A board game with stakes, with great enemy AI, and compelling narrative. A game where the players get to change the universe around them with their choices. By standing on the shoulders of everything that came before, and by putting together a team of people who absolutely will not say Yes to my ideas unless they are good, vetted, and worthwhile, that dream is getting closer and closer to reality. We are so excited to demo the game at WellyCon 2024. We have rad shirts, posters, dice, and most importantly, several missions that you guys can test!

We already have a TON of content ready to go, and so much more in the works. Mint Design is working on a phenomenal website that will run your missions, deliver voice acted narrative, and track your choices throughout the game! One of those choices leads you to recruiting Dr. Chips, the awesome puppers pictured as the main attraction for this first blog post. We will also have posters of Dr. Chips at the booth. So sign up for updates, follow us on socials, and strap in for Lifeship. I am ridiculously excited to get this game in front of new players. Come see us at Wellycon!