According to my website, the last time I did a Monday write was on May 16, 2016. Today is October 12, 2016. Not exactly the once a week I set for myself back in 2015.

So what the heck have I been doing, you probably didn't ask. Well, I played softball 3 nights a week and then sometimes every weekend. I went to 17 Brewers games, 4 of which were on the road. I headlined Skyline Comedy Cafe, that was pretty dope.

But the big thing I have been working on was alluded to in a previous Monday Write. I have been trying to make a board game.

This has probably taken up 90% of my free time when I wasn't playing softball or doing comedy shows. I say comedy shows because I haven't really been writing that much. I've just been going on stage with the material that I know will work adding a few things here and there and that's about it. Sitting down and actually writing new material and bits and routines has hardly been on my radar. Making this game has been my top priority.

I realized just last week that this board game has been my 2016 passion project. Last year, my big project is what you are reading right now. I wanted to challenge myself to write something, anything every week of the year. This year has been this game. I started thinking about this game last year, but I really started to get the ball rolling on it this year. Ever since I started putting in mechanics and figuring it out it's all I can think about.

I should probably explain what the game is, shouldn't I?

The game doesn't have a name, but it is in its essence a game about getting elected president of the United States of America. It combines Risk and Twilight Struggle.

Players take turns placing support across the country essentially re-creating the long election cycle that we go through every 4 years. My goal lately has been to make that election cycle not that long. I played a test game with my girlfriend last weekend and it took 2 1/2 hours to get halfway through the game.

Players go through a Primary Season where they are gaining support throughout the country by holding rallys, leading forums, running attack ads and in some cases being effected by headlines that come up randomly.

As players gain support they go back and forth on a Popularity Scale which helps determine how much support they can play at the beginning of a round. (Like how many countries you own in Risk is how much reinforcements you receive at the beginning of your round.)

While you are placing support you are also building your platform as a candidate. Your platform helps you in the general election. If you set a platform and you are strong in that platform you can earn bonus support which can put you over the top and keep your opponent from winning the state.

There are debates, you try to control swing states, you do whatever you can to get to 270 electoral votes.

I don't know what made me think to a game based on our crazy election system. More than likely it has to do with the 1992 election. I remember seeing the map and how it got colored in as a candidate won. And then how their were essentially points associated with each state. I tried to recreate something like it in my room. I guess now that I have an actual idea of how the whole process works and my own money to actually build something it's a little different.

I'm still working out kinks, but for the most part I am about 85% done. All the pieces are there. Now it's just making it cohesive, easy to follow and, doesn't take an entire day to play.

So that's why I've been gone. Here are some pictures of the game from a few weeks ago. Even in that time period the game has changed a lot.

I don't know if this will be anything but I want to complete it to see if it can be. If you know how to get a board game published, or just want to try and play it sometime let me know. I can only play the game by myself so many times before I go crazy.