The journey of The Great Harbor began with our designer, Matteo De Nardis, who initially submitted the game under the title Lubecca. The original theme centered around the early Roman city of Lübeck, capturing the city’s development and trade networks in its formative days. Matteo’s design showcased a great balance of strategic depth and player agency, making it a natural fit for our catalog. Additionally, Matteo is also the designer of our title Magna Roma, so the cooperation on this new game proceeded naturally. 

Small Thematic Shift

As development progressed, we decided to make a small thematic shift. While the game thematically was in the “Roman Empire” era, we felt we needed a bigger design (development) space, so we reimagined the game as The Great Harbor. Additionally, by sharing a thematic universe with Magna Roma, The Great Harbor could appeal to those looking for new challenges in a familiar setting while still standing on its own as a unique experience.

Prototype 2023

This change sparked new ideas and opportunities for development. Adapting the game to this setting meant incorporating elements that highlighted the grandeur of Roman trade and the complexity of The Great Harbor of Carthage. We brainstormed ways to introduce mechanics that reflected the bustling activity of this iconic harbor—balancing trade routes, optimizing resources, and managing dynamic market demands rooted in its historical significance. While the thematic and mechanical evolution somewhat diverged from Matteo’s original concept, we’ve worked to ensure the core ideas of strategic depth and immersive gameplay remain intact.

Prototype Early 2024

For example, we revised how dice were placed on the tiles. Originally, players placed dice on the corners of four tiles, but in the updated version, they are now placed on the edges of two tiles. This adjustment not only streamlined the placement process but also enhanced the clarity of player decisions. Furthermore, we simplified the matching mechanics: instead of requiring both numbers and colors to match the die with those on the slots, players now only need to match a color. This change made the game more accessible while preserving its strategic depth.

Latest Prototype (Early 2025)

Changes such as these were made further down the development path as we worked to refine and enhance the gameplay experience. However, there are many more exciting adjustments and innovations we introduced along the way. We’ll dive into those details in another Developer’s Diary, so stay tuned for more insights into the journey of The Great Harbor!

We hope you like this developer’s diary and thank you for reading!

If you haven’t seen yet, The Great Harbor is launching on Kickstarter on March 11th, so make sure you follow the Kickstarter page on the link below!