Oh what a LOVELY DAY… After nearly 5 years in secret development, I am today releasing Gaslands: Third Edition (G3E) in a closed beta!
The G3E closed beta runs from June-August 2026. In summer 2027, you can expect a hardback rulebook from Osprey Games and a starter box from Planet Smasher Games.
Joining The Beta
I’m calling this a “closed” beta because it is only open to my Patreons. If you are a Bronze-tier (or higher) Patreon supporter you can join the G3E Closed Beta by clicking through to this locked post.
Why a Third Edition?
Gaslands will be 10 years old next year! I have ten years more professional design experience, and ten years of player feedback on the game. I am confident that I can make a much better and more consistently fun version of Gaslands to be enjoyed for the next ten years.
My key objectives with this rewrite of Gaslands are:
- Reduce overall game time (my objective is around 45mins per player)
- Significantly reduce player downtime
- Provide a killer campaign experience
The design principles that I’m keeping in mind as I work:
- Still Gaslands. Build on the setting, don’t break it. Keep everything that makes the game special. Keep all the hobby loops that make it fun.
- What’s old is new again. The experience of playing the game on the table feels fresh again. There are fresh list-building challenges. It’s okay to break players’ current teams and ask them to re-form them, as long as they ‘feel’ the same.
- No bloat. Avoid options that add additional horizontal or vertical complexity which does not provide significant incremental gameplay value. Find ways to fragment options rather than bloating the game. Don’t make me learn a billion options to play a game.
- Reduce Page Flipping. Reorganise the rules so all related rules live together, rather than a ‘progressive’ rules structure. Trust my instincts. Find a layout that blends both on the same page.
- Easy to teach. Make the demo/teaching/first-touch experience smooth and easy. Don’t put a bunch of rules exceptions in people’s first activations.
- Inspire and reward kitbashing and terrain making.
What’s Changed?
If you join the beta, you’ll see a lot has changed. I could summarise the changes, but without the full context of how they all slot together, I think it will likely confuse rather than illuminate. If you wanna have a snoop on the new systems in the game, come join the beta!
Join the Beta
If you are a Bronze-tier (or higher) Patreon supporter you can join the G3E Closed Beta by clicking through to this locked post.
If you do download and play the beta: MY ETERNAL THANKS, SHINY AND CHROME.
Cheers!
Mike
