Author: Evelyn Roberts

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Documentation of GoViral

Game Setup

An early development change I made was implementing a timer. Otherwise, players take too long thinking about their response.

The changes I made included adding a timer and a way of tracking points.

If I were to move forward with this prototype, I would add a new way of tracking points, a solution for ties, and another randomizing factor. I would probably make a “viral meter” where players could track their points and the first to get to the end goes viral and wins. The total amount of points needed to win would need to be tested but I would start with 100 points. For ties, I need to specify in the rules what happens. I would begin by saying that both players keep their cards. If that doesn’t seem fair after play testing, then the higher valued hashtag card wins. Finally, another randomizing factor may help differentiate this game from other similar party card games. I was thinking of having a “trend” spinner. On this spinner could be topics that match the hashtags. This spinner would be spun each round. If you play a hashtag that matches the trend, the points could be doubled.

Overall, the game mechanics worked and the post cards were funny. The format of the caption cards makes it incredibly versatile for a wide spectrum of age groups and provides a replayable experience. While I think it could be a fun game with these changes made, I am more interested in moving forward with other prototypes.

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Gaming Marathon: Garden Sabatage

  • What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Losing the plant immediately with a bug.
  • What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I loved the art! I thought all of the pieces were cohesive. I think the pen and ink style works well! I also love that you can do three actions per turn. I haven’t played a game that you can do this but I think it makes players feel more productive and may reduce the feeling of turns being tedious. Overall, the game was well-paced and a good combination of fun and strategic.
  • Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?  A board would also be helpful for the draw piles etc. I think it could be cute if it was themed … maybe a market shelf? Pots?
  • If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? More pesticide! Honestly, I think it was a fine amount. If there was more, it might be too easy.
  • What should be improved with the next version? I don’t know if it’s necessary to have drawing options for the insects/pesticide. At any point, you could sabotage people easily.
  • Describe the game in 3 words. Artsy, PlantMom, Well-Paced
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Evelyn: Question Response

  • Question Set 1
    • what is the difference between a game designer and a game developer? Perhaps the difference is similar to the difference between UX/UI Design? Design focuses on the creative aspects and implementing the game metaphor whereas developers are responsible for iterations and game mechanics.
    • what commonly occurs during the game development process? Playtesting prototypes and then further iterations based on observations from these tests. Refining game mechanics. As prototypes become more refined, materials should become higher quality.
    • what are the challenges of balancing a game? Some aspects that game creators must consider when balancing are the difficulty levels, resources, power dynamic, risk factors, and freedom vs structure. For example, a designer doesn’t want the game to be so hard players get discouraged and give up but still want to present a challenge that is satisfying to overcome.
    • what should every player of your game believe? why? Players must believe that what they are doing is meaningful to the game. If they are not motivated or do not believe that they have agency, they will not enjoy it or be immersed in the game. Satisfaction comes from a feeling of completion and usefulness. Taking this away takes away satisfaction.
    • how can you avoid stealing players fun? Don’t overcomplicate the game in initial stages (it’s overwhelming). Let difficulty be realistic and choice be meaningful. Be aware of time – find the balance between length of tasks and satisfaction from completion. Providing freedom of choice can increase players’ fun. Overall, being clear with instructions and mechanincs and making it as intuitive as possible.
    • what 10 maxims should you follow when writing rules? Be Concise, Be Consistent, Be Clear, Be Logical, Use Concrete Examples, Avoid Complexity, Provide Logical Flow, Anticipate FAQs and clarify, Keep Choices Meaningful, Playtest the Rules!
  • Question Set 2
    • how has play testing changed your game? Hearing other perspectives is helpful to sort through mechanics in real time. It helps confirm certain choices and send me back to the drawing board with others.
    • who from class would you like to play test your next game or version 2 of your first game? Amber; She has played all of my games so far and has a good understanding of my iteration progression. Then again, I think it would be equally as helpful to have somebody random test my games!
    • who is the audience for your game? My first game – GoViral – 13 – 55 year olds. I think this one is extremely flexible though and can easily be made relevant to whatever age group is playing. Counterfeit Couture’s audience is 13+. It might do best with those who are more aware of fashion (16+?). I think my last game Dare thee Deep makes a good childrens game. The Bees and the Beavers could also be a cute kids game while also being fun for older crowds.
    • who should play test your game outside of class? My family and friends of different age groups and interests.
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Evelyn: Tasty Travel Review

Overall, unique and interesting concept that is easy to understand. Here is some feedback to consider:

Something I would change about this game would be the path. Consider theming– latitude/longitude lines? Airplane flight paths? Also maybe bigger path with more stops? Maybe cooking tiles? Also, if you start in certain locations, you have a significant advantage

In general, we got in a pickle with ingredient possession. How do you reset? Cooking Pot? Ingredient limit in the hand?

Side quests/Objectives? Like in ticket to ride, having other objective cards that have point assignments. With the cards, consider matching the ingredient illustrations on the recipe cards

Vary the point value for the recipes.

I love the idea of a market.

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Evelyn: Builder Buccaneer v.1 Review

Fun and interesting concept. Here are some thoughts to consider in future iterations:

Players were definitely frustrated and argued over who won and what constituted a “better built ship.” In order to prevent arguing, perhaps clearly define what you want the final product to look like. It might help to have a player judge as well.

Consider blueprint designs. That could be cool. Colored-coded pieces on the instructions?

Please include enough piece reference for every player.

I would consider the mechanic of choosing a blueprint. Perhaps its a pile of unidentified difficulties and it’s luck and randomized how hard the blueprint is. Or maybe define who picks first (ex: whoever won last time).

Game right now: chaotic, tension-building, creative

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Evelyn: Collecting Game Ideas

  1. Touchdown Takeover. Players must collect yardage cards to get a first downs, touchdowns, and field goals. If they are not able to “make a play” within a given amount of turns, they lose yardage cards. There are also negative yardage cards.
  2. Trash Collecting. Players clean up the environment by collecting trash. Spend actions and energy to collect the trash.
  3. Wall Street Monopoly. Invest money tokens in gold, start ups, and hedge funds. Collect returns on your investments when you pass go if you invested smartly. Be careful! The stock market may crash!
  4. Counterfeit Collectibles. Players collect fashion items by buying them. These items can go up for auction on the market or from other players. The catch? Nobody knows until they own it whether the piece is real or fake. There will be a separate “value” card clipped to each item that may only be viewed when it’s in your hand. Player at the end with the most valuable pieces wins. This could be played with other themes. (sports memorabilia (autographs, jerseys, etc) makeup)
  5. Realm Roamers. Be the most experienced traveler and collect the most locations! However, you may only travel places accessible to you from your location. Gain experience points at each location. Player at the end with the most culture points wins!
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Evelyn: Splendor Review

Was it fun? Yes!

What were the player interactions? Every man for himself. You could unintentionally ruin someone elses plan by buying the gem they were saving up for.

How long did it take to learn? Initially not long but it took longer to fully understand the strategy behind it.

Would you play it again? Yes! We tried to but he wouldn’t let us

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The beginning of the game involved us learning the rules and strategies. The middle part of the game, we were building up our stock of gems to buy more. The end of the game was reached when one person got 15 points.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? There was little collaborative interactions in this game (no trading). It was possible to sabotage but not usually very intentionally. The game was competitive as it was every man for himself.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game was about earning and buying gems with resources. A gam-changing mechanic was the rule that you could only have 10 gem tokens in your hand at one time. It kept gameplay going and leveled the playing field.

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Evelyn: GoViral Game Rules 1

Game Objective: To win the most “aura points” and go viral by making the funniest combinations.

Required Materials: Picture Cards, Caption Cards, Good Humor

Game Setup: Cards are shuffled. Players are dealt 5 cards each to start. The rest of the cards are placed face down in a draw pile. Gameplay begins when one card from the draw pile is placed face up.

Players Turns: Depending on whether it was a caption or photo card placed, everybody must then choose the funniest pair to the card (each pair consists of 1 photo card and 1 caption card). Players then vote on their favorite combination and whoever placed the card keeps it and gets aura points. The other unfunny combinations are discarded. Players may take one more card. The next round of gameplay begins when a card from the draw pile is faced up. The game can continue as long as it’s a good time. Whoever has the most cards/ aura points at the end of the game wins.

Similar Game Mechanics: “New Phone, Who Dis?”

Other thoughts: Room for expansion with comment or music cards

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Evelyn: Game Ideas – Circus Themed

  1. Full Tent- A game based on collecting character cards of circus performers (showman, lion, acrobats etc). The cards will vary in rarity. First to have a full house (or full tent) of characters wins.
  2. Circus Tycoon- Run a circus! Invest in materials, talent, and resources. Players gamble with the possibility of their investments not paying off or catastrophic events effecting them.
  3. Carnival Caper- Mechanics similar to Coup but *circus.* There are character cards with different abilities on them. Some cards have the ability to eliminate other players’ cards from the game. Each player starts with two cards and is eliminated when both cards have been disqualified. During their turn they can do an action on their card. Character cards might include ringmaster, acrobat, lion tamer etc. Last person standing wins.
  4. Balancing Act- All players start with a ringmaster piece (a small figurine). One at at a time, players take circus character piece (other small figurines) from the pile and balance it on existing pieces. The last balancing act wins! (reverse jenga mechanics)
  5. Ringmaster’s Gambit – Players move their pieces around the circus ring on the outside of a circular board. in the middle of the board is a spinner with many different outcomes. On the outside path (or circus ring), there are resources on the tiles. Once all players have moved once. The circus “begins” and the spinner is spun. Whoever it points to (or closest to) gets the prize or penalty that’s on the spinner outcome. Last one standing wins.
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Evelyn: Review of Carcassonne

Was it fun? I thought so but I think it might be frustrating for some.

What were the player interactions? Your choice of tile placement may either help or hurt your teammates.

How long did it take to learn? For the original game, not long. It was relatively easy to learn (under 10 minutes)

Would you play it again? Yes I would.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. In the beginning of the game, players chose their color, learned the game and placed their first tile. During the middle of the game, players begin to expand their empire, learn strategies, and build alliances or enemies. The game ends when the tiles run out and players count their points based on the tiles they placed throughout the game.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? The goal of the game is competitive; however, there may be collaborative aspects depending on specific gameplay. Players may help each other out with tile placement.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor of the game is to be the ruler over as many building towns, roads, and farms as possible. A mechanic that makes the game interesting is the requirement to randomly pull then immediately play that tile; this often forces the hand of players.

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Evelyn Game Ideas

  1. GoCook is a card game in which chefs (the players) face off to make the biggest feast by collecting ingredients to build recipes.
  2. Dare the Deep is a Push-Your-Luck game where the deep sea divers (the players) must compete to collect the most ocean treasure by risking their treasure and oxygen tanks to dive again.
  3. Dynasty is a simulation/education/strategy game where players can explore the consequences of political actions by joining or creating a nation, work your way up in rank, and set political goals (conquest, environmental, etc)
  4. A Pirate’s Pact is a strategy game where each player is a pirate fleet that must conquer the seven seas and collect pirate booty by exploration, deception, alliances, and more!
  5. Renaissance is a roleplaying game where each player is assigned an archetype (artist, inventor, merchant) and must work their way up in the kings court by using their resources, according to their skillset, trading, and alliances.