中文 (台灣)Designer Diary: Lone Wolves
The Game’s Birth
The idea for Four Clans Conflict (and later iteration Lone Wolves) came to me while I was enjoying Reiner Knizia’s classic Battle Line with a friend. I’ve long been fascinated by Dr. Knizia’s game designs—simple, yet deeply strategic. Just as there is such a thing as beautiful code in programming, I believe that elegance exists in game rules as well. That belief is what drew me to his work.
In truth, I’ve never been particularly good at competitive games and have often tasted defeat in those settings. But through such experiences, I came to believe that “the elegance of rules” holds a value beyond winning and losing. This mindset became the starting point for my own game design journey.
Concept
(Four Clans Conflict @ Game Market 2023 Spring)
The development of Four Clans Conflict/Lone Wolves began with a flash of inspiration: “What would happen if I added trick-taking elements to Battle Line?” I find the appeal of trick-taking lies in its strategic depth. In particular, the option to deliberately lose, namely that you might sometimes choose to throw a hand, is something I found fascinating. That’s why I set out with the guiding principle: I want losing to have meaning.
With this in mind, I ran many test plays, experimenting with various elements such as rank, suit, must-follow, and may-follow rules. In the early stages, the complexity stood out, and I couldn’t quite draw out the game’s true charm. However, after much trial and error, I gradually pared the system down, eventually arriving at a simple game playable with just 32 cards.
Some people suggested, “Why not add more elements?” But I wanted to preserve the kind of simplicity found in Battle Line, so I chose not to add anything further.
Theme of Four Clans Conflict
As the title suggests, Four Clans Conflict has a theme of four clans divided into two factions competing with one another. In reality, though, this theme may be best described as a “compromise born of trial and error.”
Thinking about the theme was certainly enjoyable—but at the same time, I had to consider costs. Since this was an indie card game made for Tokyo Game Market, I needed to prioritize the mechanics while keeping design expenses low. As a result, Four Clans Conflict was chosen as a theme that matched a “numbers-and-letters” visual style.
Had I gone in a different direction, the game might have become one about pirates raiding merchant ships, or about offering tribute to pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
Theme of Lone Wolves (this section written by WWBG)
WWBG has a bit of history of using animals as central themes, wolves of which, after internal pitches that included a more abstract night sky, were ultimately chosen over lions. We quickly realized that the image of the lone wolf fit the mechanics of the losing card in the trick being flipped over to its “1” side.
But more importantly, thinking on Yasuyuki Nakamura’s principle of “losing having meaning,” deliberately losing to flips one’s card has a lingual connection—a play on words, if you will—to “going alone” found in some traditional trick-taking games, such as Sheepshead where the partner can be called off.
Finally, for a final layer, as there are always (at least) 13 cards flipped over to their “1” side, it only made sense to (as The Dice Tower has pointed out) “pluralize the lone ranger.”
Acknowledgments
When Four Clans Conflict was first released, I felt a quiet joy at having created something that became part of the long tradition of trick-taking card games. I hadn’t imagined anything beyond that. But then, out of the blue, I was contacted by Anthony Perone, who offered me the chance to evolve this game into a more polished and refined piece of work.
Now, in its new form as Lone Wolves, the game has been transformed into something beloved by fans around the world. This success is thanks to Anthony Perone’s brilliant ideas. I’m also deeply grateful to Lenny Liu for his continued support and to the talented staff at Wonderful World Board Games.
Thanks to everyone’s contributions, Four Clans Conflict has been given new life as Lone Wolves and has become a game that many can enjoy. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks.
merry-andrew-works 中村 泰之