{"id":4676,"date":"2015-05-30T14:00:47","date_gmt":"2015-05-30T14:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/?p=4676"},"modified":"2017-01-24T19:55:40","modified_gmt":"2017-01-24T19:55:40","slug":"argo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/blog\/2015\/05\/30\/argo\/","title":{"rendered":"Argo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"argo_feedback_covers_01_Page_7_Image_0001\"<\/a>

L’un des cinq croquis propos\u00e9s par Miguel Coimbra pour la couverture<\/p><\/div>\n

Lorsque j\u2019explore mon disque dur, je constate que le dossier \u00ab\u00a0Argo\u00a0\u00bb a \u00e9t\u00e9 cr\u00e9\u00e9 le 8 f\u00e9vrier 2002, mais on peut remonter plus loin encore. D\u00e8s les ann\u00e9es 90, Serge et moi avions en effet pens\u00e9 \u00e0 un jeu de tuiles sur un th\u00e8me de science-fiction. J\u2019ai le tr\u00e8s vague souvenir de discussions sur le th\u00e8me du \u00ab\u00a0point central\u00a0\u00bb qui appara\u00eet dans quelques aventures de Valerian et Laureline – une vaste station spatiale constitu\u00e9e de modules tr\u00e8s vari\u00e9s accroch\u00e9s l\u00e0 par des esp\u00e8ces extra-terrestres toutes plus exotiques les unes que les autres. Je ne sais plus si cette id\u00e9e nous est venue avant ou apr\u00e8s Castel, mais il y avait de toute \u00e9vidence un lien. Il y en a un aussi avec Kheops, notre jeu de tuiles triangulaire et labyrinthique, con\u00e7u plus tard, et qui lui aussi ressort bient\u00f4t.<\/p>\n

Un jour, je ne sais plus quand, je ne sais plus pourquoi, plusieurs ann\u00e9es apr\u00e8s que le tr\u00e8s vague projet de Point Central avait \u00e9t\u00e9 abandonn\u00e9, nous avons recommenc\u00e9 \u00e0 parler d\u2019une station spatiale. Les modules ayant chacun un pouvoir diff\u00e9rent \u00e9taient toujours l\u00e0, mais les occupants de la station en construction \u00e9taient d\u00e9sormais tous des humains, \u00e9quipes rivales devant tout \u00e0 la fois construire la station spatiale en accrochant les modules l\u2019un \u00e0 l\u2019autre et lutter contre les aliens d\u00e9sireux de s\u2019y installer. Je me souviens d\u2019un premier prototype dans lequel les modules avaient plusieurs types de connecteurs – USB, VGA, parall\u00e8le, SCSI (c\u2019\u00e9tait il y a\u00a0longtemps) – ce qui rendait les assemblages probl\u00e9matiques\u2026.. D\u00e8s l\u2019origine, il y avait donc des aliens, et l\u2019objectif \u00e9tait que les \u00e9quipes rivales se fassent bouffer pendant que nos gars s\u2019\u00e9chappaient \u00e0 bord des navettes. Les salles n\u2019\u00e9taient peut-\u00eatre pas exactement les m\u00eames qu\u2019aujourd\u2019hui, mais l\u2019id\u00e9e des effets diff\u00e9rents obtenus en activant les diff\u00e9rents modules \u00e9tait d\u00e9j\u00e0 l\u00e0. Les astronautes, en revanche, \u00e9taient tous identiques, et le sont longtemps rest\u00e9. Pour le nom, nous avons pas mal h\u00e9sit\u00e9 – je me suis fix\u00e9 sur Argo, qui me semblait un nom assez indiqu\u00e9 pour un vaisseau spatial, tandis que Serge pr\u00e9f\u00e9rait le moins original Space Station, arguant avec raison que ce que l\u2019on construisait \u00e9tait plus une station immobile qu\u2019un vaisseau en voyage.<\/p>\n

\"argotests1\"<\/a>

Prototype, phase 1<\/p><\/div>\n

Pendant un ou deux ans, les versions du jeu se succ\u00e9d\u00e8rent, avec une tendance tr\u00e8s nette de Serge \u00e0 en rajouter, dans les m\u00e9canismes comme dans le mat\u00e9riel. Je pr\u00e9sentai le jeu \u00e0 quelques \u00e9diteurs et, tr\u00e8s rapidement, Fantasy Flight Games d\u00e9cida de le publier. Je viens de fouiller dans mes dossiers et ai m\u00eame retrouv\u00e9 le contrat, dat\u00e9 de mai 2005. Nous commencions d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e0 imaginer une grosse boite, avec des modules en cartons \u00e9pais et de jolies figurines d\u2019astronautes et d\u2019aliens. Il \u00e9tait \u00e9vident que, si nous voulions coller au style baroque et violent des jeux de Fantasy Flight, et justifier l\u2019utilisation de figurines diff\u00e9rentes, il fallait imaginer, pour les diff\u00e9rents astronautes, pilote, space marine ou scientifique, des pouvoirs sp\u00e9cifiques. Un an plus tard, lorsque FFG, qui s\u2019\u00e9tait lanc\u00e9 dans trop de projets simultan\u00e9ment – une de leurs habitudes – renon\u00e7ait au projet, Serge et moi nous retrouv\u00e2mes donc avec un jeu qui avait pris du poids, mais auquel cela r\u00e9ussissait assez bien.<\/p>\n

\"argotests2\"<\/a>

Prototype, phase 2<\/p><\/div>\n

C\u2019est donc cette nouvelle version que nous avons commenc\u00e9, en 2007, \u00e0 montrer \u00e0 d\u2019autres \u00e9diteurs, dont plusieurs se montr\u00e8rent int\u00e9ress\u00e9s, mais dont aucun ne donna finalement suite. Il \u00e9tait alors assez difficile de vendre des jeux de science-fiction, et j\u2019ai d\u2019ailleurs toujours dans mes cartons un bon petit jeu de bluff, les Pirates de l\u2019Espace, con\u00e7u \u00e0 la m\u00eame \u00e9poque. J\u2019ai du imprimer une dizaine de stations spatiales envoy\u00e9s \u00e0 Edge, Matagot, Asmod\u00e9e et quelques autres, en vain.<\/p>\n

\"argotests3\"<\/a>

Prototype, phase 3 – avec des astronautes aux capacit\u00e9s diff\u00e9rentes.<\/p><\/div>\n

De temps \u00e0 autre lors des week-ends de jeu, je ressortais ce prototype que j\u2019aimais bien et, en 2012 (je crois), aux rencontres ludopathiques (je crois) Flatlined Games, c\u2019est \u00e0 dire Eric Hanuise, petit \u00e9diteur Belge, nous annon\u00e7a qu\u2019il \u00e9tait pr\u00eat \u00e0 publier notre jeu – mais ce n\u2019\u00e9tait que le d\u00e9but d\u2019une autre histoire. Flatlined n\u2019est pas Fantasy Flight, et notre concept avait peut-\u00eatre un peu vieilli. Bref, l\u2019\u00e9diteur souhaitait un jeu plus accessible, plus rapide, moins touffu et, en un sens, plus moderne. Argo entama alors sous la ferme direction d\u2019Eric une cure d\u2019amaigrissement. La plupart des \u00e9l\u00e9ments sont toujours l\u00e0 – les aliens, les navettes, les salles et les astronautes aux capacit\u00e9s vari\u00e9es – mais tout a \u00e9t\u00e9 all\u00e9g\u00e9. Plus de cases sur les tuiles, plus de r\u00e8gles de d\u00e9placement compliqu\u00e9es, on va d\u2019un module \u00e0 un module voisin. Eric, auquel le jeu final doit sans doute autant qu\u2019\u00e0 Serge et \u00e0 moi, imagina en outre de donner aux aliens la possibilit\u00e9 de l\u2019emporter s\u2019ils \u00e9liminent suffisamment d\u2019astronautes, mais on reste tr\u00e8s loin d\u2019un jeu coop\u00e9ratif.<\/p>\n

\"Un<\/a>

Un des derniers prototypes, avec Serge, au salon de Cannes 2015<\/p><\/div>\n

On continue \u00e0 pousser ses copains dans les bras des aliens ou \u00e0 les t\u00e9l\u00e9porter dans l\u2019espace pour faire de la place, \u00e0 faire l\u00e2chement d\u00e9coller des navettes avant qu\u2019elles ne soient pleines, et les robots, que les aliens ignorent, rigolent b\u00eatement en voyant leurs courageux ma\u00eetres humains se faire d\u00e9vorer. Il n\u2019y a pas de place pour tous dans les navettes de sauvetage, mais nous sommes dans un futur o\u00f9 il n\u2019y a plus d\u2019enfants et o\u00f9 l\u2019\u00e9galit\u00e9 entre les sexes s\u2019est d\u00e9finitivement impos\u00e9e – c\u2019est chacun pour soi, les plus forts et les plus malins d\u2019abord.<\/p>\n

Argo<\/strong>
\n Un jeu de Bruno Faidutti et Serge Laget<\/span>
\nIllustr\u00e9 par Miguel Co\u00efmbra et Alexandre de la Serna
\n2 \u00e0 4\u00a0 joueurs\u00a0 – <\/span>40 minutes<\/span>
\n Publi\u00e9 par Flatlined Games (2015)
\nTric Trac<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ludovox<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boardgamegeek<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"argo_feedback_covers_01_Page_2_Image_0001\"<\/a>

One of the five sketches submitted by Michael Coimbra for the box cover<\/p><\/div>\n

Browsing through my hard disk, I\u2019ve just noticed that the Argo folder was created on February 8th, 2002 \u2013 thirteen years ago. I can go even farther back, in the nineties, when Serge and I first considered designing a tile laying science-fiction game. I have vague memories of discussions of \u201cCentral Point\u201d, a gigantic baroque space station made of modules haphazardly attached by exotic alien species which appears in many of the issues of Valerian and Laureline, a French sci-fi comics from the seventies. I don\u2019t remember if we had this idea before or after designing Castle, but there\u2019s obviously a link with this game, as well as with Kheops, our triangular and labyrinthine tile game which will soon get a new edition.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some day, I don\u2019t remember when or why, years after the Central Point project had been abandoned, we came back to the space station idea. There were still modules with various effects and powers, but the builders of the station were now all humans, rival teams vying both in building and taking control of the station\u2026. while fighting the aliens who were also trying to settle in. I remember a first prototype in which modules had different kinds of connectors \u2013 USB, VGA, parallel, even SCSI (this was years ago\u2026) \u2013 which made the assembly a bit tricky.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aliens were there from the beginning, and the goal was to escape them and flee the station in emergency shuttles while other team were devoured. The rooms were not exactly the same as in the final versions, but they already had each a different effect which had to be triggered after taking control of them. Astronauts, on the other hand, were all the same, without any specific abilities, and it stayed so for quite long. I named my prototype Argo, a name that sounded fit for a spaceship, while Serge remarked that what we were building was more a motionless station than a travelling ship, and called his simply Space Station.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Prototype,<\/a>

Prototype, phase 1<\/p><\/div>\n

Two years long, we worked on this game. Serge had a natural tendency to add rules and stuff, and I let him go with it. I showed the game to a few publishers, and Fantasy Flight Games almost at once decided to do it. I just looked in my contract folders and even found our contract, signed in May 2005. Serge and I were already imagining a big box full of heavy cardboard modules and large alien and astronaut miniatures. Obviously, if we wanted to fit in FFG\u2019s baroque game design style, and give some rationale to the different astronauts miniatures, the game needed different abilities for the different astronauts \u2013 pilot, space marine, scientist\u2026 One year later, when Fantasy Flight, who had started working on too many games at once, abandoned the project, our game had took some weight, but was carrying it easily.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Prototype,<\/a>

Prototype, phase 2<\/p><\/div>\n

So, in 2007, we started showing the new version of our space station building and escaping game to other publishers. Several showed some interest, but no one decided to make the game. Science Fiction games had a reputation of being bad sellers, and I still have on my shelves a nice science-fiction bluffing game designed at the same time, Space Pirates. I have printed about ten space stations, and sent them to Edge, Matagot, Asmod\u00e9e and some other, all in vain. We gave up, but these became one of the old prototype that I still play from time to time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Prototype,<\/a>

Prototype, phase 3, with differentiated astronauts.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2012 (if I remember well) at the ludopathic gathering (if I remember well) I played a game of Argo with Eric Hanuise, of Flatlined Games, a small Belgian publisher \u2013 and he decided to publish it. This was not the end of the story. Flatlined is not Fantasy Flight, and our game had aged a bit. Eric wanted something slightly faster, lighter, not just old style FFG stuff. Under his firm direction, Argo entered a slimming program. Most elements are still there \u2013 aliens, shuttles, astronauts and modules with different effects and abilities \u2013 but everything feels lighter. No more spaces on the module tiles, no more complex movement rules, movement is just from one room to an adjacent one. Eric, who has probably spent more time than Serge and me in developing this last version, added a possibility for the aliens to win the game if they devour enough astronauts, but it\u2019s still very far from being a cooperative game. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"Near<\/a>

Near final prototype, with Serge, at the 2015 Cannes game fair<\/p><\/div>\n

We still push fellow astronauts into the aliens\u2019 arms, or into sketchy teleporters that can send them directly into deep space, in order to make more room in the shuttles. Shuttles still often leave the station before being really full. Robots are completely ignored by aliens, and giggle when they see their masters devoured. Well, there\u2019s no room from every astronaut in the emergency life shuttles, and since we\u2019re in a bright future with no more kids and achieved sex equality, it\u2019s every man for himself, the strongest and shrewdest ones first.<\/em><\/p>\n

Argo<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
\n A game by Bruno Faidutti & Serge Laget<\/span><\/em>
\n Art by Miguel Co\u00efmbra & Alexandre de la Serna
\n2 to 4 players\u00a0 – <\/span>60 minutes<\/span><\/em>
\n Published by Flatlined Games (2015)
\n<\/span><\/em>Boardgamegeek<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lorsque j\u2019explore mon disque dur, je constate que le dossier \u00ab\u00a0Argo\u00a0\u00bb a \u00e9t\u00e9 cr\u00e9\u00e9 le 8 f\u00e9vrier 2002, mais on peut remonter plus loin encore. D\u00e8s les ann\u00e9es 90, Serge et moi avions en effet pens\u00e9 \u00e0 un jeu de … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[298],"tags":[269,313,316,236,61],"class_list":["post-4676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-argo","tag-argo","tag-flatlined-games","tag-miguel-coimbra","tag-science-fiction","tag-serge-laget"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s2HNOP-argo","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4676"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6705,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4676\/revisions\/6705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faidutti.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}