What People Say About the Game
The original Lensman game is © 1969, Norstrilia Software, Inc. All other material is copyright 2004 - 2008, Norstrilia Software, Inc.
What to Perfect?
When Lensman was first published it was, as Marc Miller has said, 'a tour-de-force'. For a game published by a single person it was an astonishing achievement. Had it been published by a wargame company, of which there was at the time exactly one, it would still have been a first-class production. It was completely up-to-date in design techniques and it provided the key component, the gorgeous map.
To understand why this was such an achievement it helps to realize how difficult the physical production of the game was. The art, all of the art, map and counters, was drawn with a pen. The numbers on the counters were done with a plastic stencil. Each star was individually drawn.
Given the problems of physical production, it is not surprising that some game components were provided in kit form. The player had to glue the counter sheets to cardboard and cut out the counters and to play the tactical game the player had to obtain a hex-map from somewhere. Play aids were few, the gamer was expected to keep notes.
And sometimes the designer's creativity exceeded the components capacity to support the design.
As time passed the art of game design advanced, as did the standards for the physical components.
So, all credit and respect to Phil Pritchard for creating the game. But, with the assistance of modern technology and a vastly more sophisticated game industry, we can bring the game into the 21st century.