Anyone who has been following our occasional blogs or our social media feeds may be aware that we have a new game in development. Called '26.2', our new project is a game that is very different to our Strong Point range, but we hope that it will still be of interest to anyone who just loves games of all descriptions!

If you have read any of those previous posts you will be aware that the game is centred around training for and running a marathon, so at its heart 26.2 is a racing game. But as with Strong Point, which we tried to make sure is more than just a trivia game, it will be more than just a racing game.

The photos above are of Gill after completing (from left to right): the New York Marathon, the Tokyo Marathon, and the Berlin Marathon.

Gill's passion for marathon running has provided not just the inspiration for the project, but also much of the expertise and knowledge of the many things that go into running a marathon. So from the weird, wonderful, and painful things that can occur during a marathon, to the huge range of emotions and thoughts that runners experience, or the small details of preparation needed that non-runners don't even think about, to the hugely detailed and complex training plans that can guide a runner towards completing the iconic endurance event, Gill's experiences and knowledge have helped us implement so many things that we think can help make 26.2 more than just a racing game, but a highly thematic experience, that runners and non-runners can all enjoy.

At this point we have got most of the core concepts and the key elements of the gameplay defined. We know how the game is going to be played and we are now at the point of working with home-made prototypes to test and demonstrate the game as much as we can, while in the background we are starting to conceptualise the art style and the visual look of the game. And we are excited. So far, the core concepts seem to be working and the gameplay is making sense! Phew! Is it perfect and is it set in stone? That is something we will find out in the coming weeks and months as we give more people the opportunity to test it out.

At this point the art is just concept art and not necessarily reflective of how the game will look when it is ready for production, although we have had plenty of lovely compliments about the prototype board shown in the image above, so this look is something that we will have to consider!

What we are pretty certain of is that the game will be played in two phases: Training and The Race. During Training players will simultaneously draft Training cards over 12 quick rounds. From a hand of cards players pick one to play into their training plan and pass the rest on. The Training cards provide a boost to different fitness attributes such as Stamina, Speed, and Strength. These attributes are shown on a Fitness Tracker that is used during the Race to modify and adjust a player's movement around the board.

The Race itself will be played using a shared deck of 'Pace' cards, which control a player's movement during the race. From a starting hand of 4 'Pace' cards, players, again simultaneously, choose 3 to play and their movement is the total of the 3 cards.

Utilising the Fitness Tracker adjusts that movement; use of 1 Stamina allows the play of an extra card, or the use of 1 Speed grants 1 additional space to movement total. Strength can be used to combat the negative effects of uphill or headwind stretches on the route. However, as players progress around the board, using a high Pace card total adds Fatigue to the tracker and for every Fatigue a player has, their future Pace total is reduced by 1.

You may have noticed Hydration and Energy also on the Fitness Tracker and these are attributes that can reduce Fatigue or increase Stamina, Speed, and Strength. By using 1 Energy a player can either reduce their Fatigue level by 1 or increase their Speed attribute by 1. By using 1 Hydration players can increase their Stamina or Strength attributes by 1.

The concept is thematic for running a marathon, but it is also intuitive for gameplay. Managing the attributes and utilising the Fitness Tracker is going to be an essential part of the game and a key to success and ultimately winning the Race!

We are going to be demoing 26.2 for the first time to the public at Tabletop Scotland, in Edinburgh from Friday 5th - Sunday 7th September, so if you are attending and want to try out the game, drop by our stand over the weekend and you can be among the first to give it a go!

If you have enjoyed finding out about 26.2 and want to keep up to date with all our latest news follow us on our social media channels or subscribe to email updates via the link below:

https://www.strongpointgame.co.uk/our-games