Author: zachdunlap

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Weeks 12-13 Question Sets

Question Set 1

  1. Working prototypes are intended for evaluation by playtesters and potential publishers, while display prototypes, with finished art and components, are intended for the eyes of distributors or chain buyers.
  2. Publishers want to see a clean, playable prototype. The game needs a clear set of rules so that playtesters can properly test the game. Without rules, the working prototype fails.
  3. According to Dale Yu, prototypes should look clean and well-made for a good first impression. Rules should be clear and correct, maybe even with diagrams and pictures to help first-time players understand how the game works. Components like cards, card sleeves, stickers, and paper are essential to make a clean game. Finally, he says if you want people to get excited about a game, send them home with a full, playable copy of it so they can play on their own time. 
  4. Richard Levy’s first piece of advice is to be prepared. He also says to remember that information is power, meaning you should research the company you are publishing to and try and find other inventors to talk to about your game. He suggests selling yourself first and handling rejection well. Keeping your ego in control and having realistic expectations for a presentation. Finally, he suggests that inventors do multiple submissions of a game (revisions) and keep in mind how a trademark can impact their game being published.
  5. Pitching your game to small to mid-sized publishers in the hobby games industry is a suggested route to take.
  6. Publishers look for the fun factor, player interaction, immediacy of play, strategy, an interesting theme, an immersive experience, an interrelated theme, solid, innovative rules and mechanics, easily manufactured components, compatibility with other products, the correct target market, a good title, expansion potential, multi-language capability, easy demoing, and collectibility only if necessary.
  7. A good set of rules usually includes these subheaders: Overview, Components, Setup, Gameplay, Card types, Endgame and winning, Example of play/strategy hints/optional rules/game variants/glossary, and Credits.

Question Set 2

  1. The best game I made this semester, personally, was Headlampers. Headlampers is a board game in which the players take turns mining for ores by rolling dice and sabotaging their opponents with wild cards. The goals of the game are to end the game with the most points by collecting ores that will help you reach that goal, and attempting to lower the score of other players by drawing wild cards to sabotage opponents. In the event of a tie, a “pickaxe duel” must take place. Whoever rolls the higher number with the two dice is the true winner. The game is different each time, since tiles are detachable and randomized before each new round. Ore values are 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. There are also bombs hidden within the board that have a value of -3. Wild cards occupy about 35%-40% of the board, and they prompt players to choose another to skip a turn, steal ores, or roll again, to name a few. Within playtesting, audiences liked the brevity and simplicity of the game. They liked how they didn’t need to use a ton of brain power, especially early in the morning.
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Week 8 Questions

Question Set 1

  1. Game developers usually don’t design the game; they enhance a designer’s game.
  2. Developers will try to push the boundaries of the game’s mechanics to see if they break.
  3. The number of components that need to be balanced, incorporating “costing”, and being okay with imperfect balance are challenges of balancing games.
  4. You can avoid stealing players’ fun by making sure they believe that there is a reasonable chance they can win until the very end.
  5. Use no intermediary terminology, use real words, make no more work than necessary, add flavor (but not too much flavor), make your text no smarter than your reader, discard rules that can’t be written, take a breath, go easy on the eyes, get your final version playtested, and fix it in the FAQ are 10 maxims you should follow when writing rules

Question Set 2

  1. Play-testing changed my games by making it easier to tweak rules based on the experience of the testers.
  2. I am open to anyone testing my next game or another version of one of my existing ones, but I would like Harmony to test my newest version of Headlampers.
  3. The audience for my game (Headlampers) is ages 6 and up.
  4. I think my roommates here at RMU and my friends from work should test my game outside of class.
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Week 5 Game Ideas

  1. Leprechauns is a card game in which players collect the most gold by drawing cards and strategically stealing from the other players.
  2. Front Lines is a board game in which the players collect troops to fight the other players by taking over the armies of others.
  3. Producer is a card game in which the players collect instruments to make the best band by collecting cards and making trades with others.
  4. Trinkets is a card game in which the players obtain the best trinkets by collecting cards that change rules, give players abilities, and trading with other players.
  5. Headlampers is a board game in which the players collect the most gems and jewels by mining for gems on the board.
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Playtest Questions: Catan

Catan is a board game in which players build roads, settlements, and cities to help reach 10 victory points by using dice rolls, currency gained by owning settlements and cities, and using development cards to one’s advantage.

  1. Was it fun?

Catan was very fun. I was honed in on expanding my settlement and gathering resources.

  1. What were the player interactions?

Player interactions included collecting resources according to the number rolled, buying buildings or development cards, trading with other players, robbing other players, and getting robbed by other players.

  1. How long did it take to learn?

It surprisingly only took about 10-15 minutes to learn. It seemed like a lot at first since the setup took a good bit of time.

  1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating aspect was when multiple dice rolls in a row granted me nothing in resources.

  1. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite aspect was being able to rob other players and hinder how many resources they would get in future turns.

  1. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

I wanted to play my development cards in the same turn I bought them in.

  1. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?

I would add the ability to play your development cards in the same turn you bought them in.

  1. Is this a game you would play again?

I would 100% play Catan again. The game feels like it can have thousands of outcomes, which means every game will be unique. Each game would also be unique since the numbers that are placed on the board are random, so your strategy from one game could be wildly different than the next. I got really into building my settlement to be the strongest it could be.

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Matician Rules

Setup

  • Shuffle the “Equation Symbols” deck and the “Numbers and Symbols” deck separately
  • Dealer deals 1 face-up “Equation Symbols” card to each player and 6 face-down “Numbers and Symbols” cards to each player
  • Each “Equation Symbols” card is placed in front of the player it was dealt to

Objective(s)

  • Create the equation with the highest solution with your given “Numbers and Symbols” cards
  • Attempt to lower the solution of other players’ equations with your “Numbers and Symbols” cards

Actions players take

  • Once cards are dealt and each player has their “Equation Symbols” card in front of them face-up, the round starts
  • First, players evaluate their hand and play the cards they believe will yield the highest possible solution. One card will go on one side of the symbol, and one will go on the other side, both face down (ex. 6 + 15)
  • After each player places their cards face down on each side of the symbol card, players have the option to add a card that they think will sabotage another player (if they have any in their hand)
  • Once all players have made their final moves, every player flips the cards in front of them over to reveal their numbers and the card another player may have placed

Ending the game (win, lose states)

  • The player who first reaches 3 points wins the game. 1 point is granted for each “highest solution”. The game can either end, or play can resume to determine the place of all other players

Example

  • A player could have the equation “4 + 13”, but after those cards are placed face down, another player could put a “-” face down in front of the 13 to make the equation equal -9 instead of 17
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Week 4 Game Ideas (Theme: Kayaking)

  1. Overboard is a competitive card game in which the players have to protect their boat from incoming attacks by using protection cards to guard their boat.
  2. Battleship: Kayak Edition is a strategy game in which the players try to destroy their opponent’s ship by calling coordinates and strategically moving their ships.
  3. Rowers is a board game in which the players progress by rolling dice, collecting useful cards, and avoiding obstacles.
  4. Rough Waters is a collaborative card game in which the players eliminate obstacles from the river by drawing and/or playing cards to get the desired outcome.
  5. Team Effort is a collaborative board game in which players make it to the end of the river by syncing dice rolls and collecting rule change cards.
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Playtest Questions: Dominion and Splendor

Dominion is a card game in which the players compete to have the most land owned by using money to buy action cards to use during their turn and property to keep in their deck.

  1. Was it fun?

Dominion was sort of fun. The game felt pretty slow and tedious.

  1. What were the player interactions?

The player interactions included buying Victory and Action cards, playing Action cards that affect other players, and putting curses on other players.

  1. How long did it take to learn?

The game took about 30-40 minutes to learn. I was confused about when to shuffle my deck and how some action cards work.

  1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating aspect of the game was not having enough money in my current hand to buy gold.

  1. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite aspect of the game was the Smithy Action card.

  1. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

I wanted to play more cards during my turn.

  1. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?

I would add a currency above gold (emerald or diamond).

  1. Is this a game you would play again?

I would probably play Dominion again because I didn’t understand it too well the first time I played it. I think it would be more fun with more knowledge and with an established strategy. 

Splendor is a card game in which the players compete to be the first to obtain 15 prestige points by tokens to buy cards that either help them get more prestige points or cards that directly translate to prestige points.

  1. Was it fun?

Splendor was a very fun game.

  1. What were the player interactions?

The player interactions included collecting gems and buying cards.

  1. How long did it take to learn?

It took about 10-15 minutes to learn how to play Splendor. The concept of the bought cards having benefits took me the longest to adapt to.

  1. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating aspect was somebody buying a card that I wanted to buy during my next turn.

  1. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite aspect of Splendor was the gem borrowing system. I understood it well.

  1. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

I wanted to take more gems or take gems and buy a card in the same turn.

  1. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?

I would add the ability to buy cards and take gems in the same turn.

  1. Is this a game you would play again?

I would definitely play Splendor again. The game was really fun, and I really enjoyed the competitive nature of it.