War of Concubines
War of the Concubines is a 5-player royal life Board Game. To simulate the harem’s life in the Forbidden Palace, four players become concubines, and one player assumes the role of the emperor. The goals of these two kinds of players are different. Combined with strategy and fun, this game is created for players who are curious to experience the classic royal life in Qing Dynasty.
Project Type: Board Game
Date: 2018
Members: Lea Liu, Chen Wang,Yeer shi, Will Chen
My Role: Lead Artist, Game Designer
Game Trailer
Game Overview
Characters Design
Abstract
Background Story
The emperor has four concubines, they all love and awe him. But each woman has their own agenda- help their children usurp the throne and become the next emperor, The only way to achieve this is to serve the current emperor in bed as frequently as possible and eliminate their competitors. To achieve their goal, they are not afraid to do anything, such as spreading rumors, physically abusing others, or even using toxic, sterilizing herbs. The emperor must be wary of the young princes and stay in power, but dying without an heir is equally disastrous.
Inspirations
This game is inspired by popular TV shows in China such as “Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace,” ”Story of Yanxi Palace” and “Empresses in the Palace” in which female concubines and the queen compete against each other and help their sons ascend to the throne.
Sketches
Initially, we envisioned two types of game scheme. The first one was to set up the emperor's role as an NPC which doesn't require a player. The second is the current version. The emperor is an active decision-maker.
My Role
1\Came up with the overall concept of the game, investing in the culture of the Qing palace.
2\Designed and polished all the visual elemtns of the game.
3\Drew illustrations for all game card characters and UI elements.
4\Assisted game rule design and documenting.
5\Assisted game testing.
Game Rules
