User:W. Alex Ronke

I'm a professional software developer who used to work in the Video Game industry. I now take on game design projects as a hobby, with a focus on board games (particularly Diplomacy variants).

Diplomacy Variant Work:

"1812 Overture" - Designer / Creator This variant is for 6-player controlling two powers each across a two-continent map. I have been GM-ing playtests for this variant over the past year, including one face-to-face game at DixieCon. "Living" Rules URL: http://tinyurl.com/1812-overture-diplomacy Example Playtest Album: http://imgur.com/a/mDxDk

"College of Cardinals" - Artist / Contributor (variant designed by Timothy Hayward & B. M. Powell) During the 2016 playtest of CoC, I produced and maintained a higher-resolution SVG-based map and orders history. Album URL: http://imgur.com/a/5hFKt

"The Two Towers" - Adapter / Artist / Contributor (original variant "Middle Earth II" designed by Terry Kuch & Don Miller) As part of acting as GM for a Play-by-Forum game at PlayDiplomacy.com, I chose to update the 5-player "Middle Earth II" variant from 1966. I produced a map more closely based on Tolkien's illustrations, and I made a few tweaks to the gameplay. Album URL: https://imgur.com/a/T19We

"Ambition & Empire" (version 6.0) - Artist / Editor / Co-Designer (original variant designed by Jeffrey S. Kase & B. M. Powell) This project, currently in-progress, is an update both to the art and rules of "Ambition & Empire". It will likely be released later this year as version 6.0. I have been in close collaboration and communication with both Powell and Kase throughout the entire process. In addition to a map update, with new art and a few small structural changes, I will be editing and formatting the latest rules PDF.

"Emerald City" - Artist / Contributor (variant designed by Morgan McAllister) Similar to my College of Cardinals project, I generated an SVG-based map for this Seattle-oriented variant. I didn't end up maintaining an orders history long-term, but the art assets still exist for potential future use. Example URL: http://imgur.com/8Z6uofH