Trick Or Treat Game Makers Playtest
Power Game Review
Worldbound Game Review
Playtest for Broken Mime
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I think that the list of tasks that the players are supposed to mimic need refinement. Some of them seemed way too easy, while others felt nearly impossible.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I like the way that it stimulates humorous table talk. It brings out some personality in players. It involves quite bit of movement, so everyone gets a chance to perform fairly regularly, while others are kept entertained. There’s not much time for boredom.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? No, not off the top of my head.
- If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? With a change in the mechanics that keep the difficulty roughly the same throughout all the tasks, the game could be a new spin on the old Charades classic.
- What were the mechanics and how well did they work during your play? The mechanics were competitive and team/turn based. They worked well. The rules were clear and easy to follow. The pace of the game felt good.
- Is this a game you would play again? Absolutely. I think this game would be great at parties. I could see different versions sold for adults as well as children. I think it’s also one of those games were a little bit of alcohol for social lubrication could really take the fun to a new level of fun and funny.
Game Response Questions – Honey Heist
Was it fun? Absolutely, once we all got into the spirit.
What were the player interactions? The player interactions were quite humorous, as we all pretended we were bears trying to do uniquely human tasks.
How long did it take to learn? Since the game involved more of a sandbox experience with no turn based rules, I feel like it took more time getting into the story than it did learning the rules.
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I think the most frustrating aspect is that the game seemed only as interactive as the least interactive player.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? The laughs. The laughs. The laughs. I really enjoyed the character creation sheet, both pages.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wanted a simpler way to collaborate with my teammates. The story kinda kept us apart.
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything: I would add more depth to the bear characters, including attribute scores.
Is this a game you would play again? Yes, because I enjoy the humor, socializing, and open ended structure.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The opening act would be the setting up of the characters with roles and attributes, along with a goal/statement of purpose. The second act involves the majority of the fun, where each player adds their own unique personalities to their humorous roles as bears trying to steal honey.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? I found the entire game to be collaborative.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game mechanic that stood out the most was the lack of game mechanics. Aside from act 1 (in which players learn their roles) and act 3 (where the players actually end up as a bear or a criminal) are we bothered by the mechanics of starting and finishing the story. The second act, where the majority of the gameplay takes place, is fairly open ended.
Playtest for Quads
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? In my opinion, the game felt much too much like poker, and therefore didn’t feel very compelling to me.
- What was your favorite moment of aspect of what you just played? I enjoyed to social aspect of the game. Much like poker, friendly crosstalk is allowed and can add to the enjoyment of the game.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I felt like the pace of the game was much too fast. I wanted to slow things down.
- If you had a magic want to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I would definitely add more variation and depth to the gameplay, to move it past the goal of acquiring simple-ish poker hands.
- What were the mechanics and how well did they work during your play? The mechanics were familiar and smooth.
- Is this a game you would play again? No, simply because the game seems very similar to poker, and I’m not enthusiastic at all about poker.
New Ideas on Collecting
(apologies for posting this so late – better late than never I guess)
- Set amount of cards based on the number of players. To begin you take turns picking all the cards one at a time (strategy/psychology of the game in paying attention to the cards others choose) There’s also a money pile. Then based on what cards you took, you take action against each other and take whatever money you get from what happened. You do this three times and whoever has the most money wins.
- Building the perfect music company – trying to collect the most “talented” artists – you start with base characters and throughout the game build up their strengths (and sometimes weaknesses) to create the most talented group or company of musicians/singers
- Society kind of thing where you build your army for world dominance or just your quiet little villages – so like amassing funds, resources, people, homes, etc etc
- Collecting design pieces/tiles that you must try to replicate a design but you are picking up pieces every round and can lose certain pieces that don’t allow you to complete the design so it’s a sort of race to complete and gather correct pieces fastest
- Hidden Objectives kind of game – there’s something you have to complete but noone knows so you gotta secretly work toward a goal of sorts.
Player Centered Mindmap Directions
Pretty Directions
week 7 game questions/ game master questions
Aleah Dudek
Strays: Rules, Board, and Cards Ideas
🟢 BONUS MOVES (6 cards)
1. Zoomies! — Move forward 3 extra spaces.
2. Sniff Something Familiar — Move to the nearest Red house space.
3. Fetch Champion — Roll again and take another full turn.
4. Neighborhood Shortcut — Jump across one Alley to any connected Street.
5. Lucky Bone! — Gain +2 points instantly.
6. Treat Time — Draw one extra Fetch Card this turn.
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🔴 PENALTIES (6 cards)
7. Caught by the Dogcatcher! — Skip your next turn.
8. Lost Collar — Move back 3 spaces.
9. Rainstorm! — All dogs lose 1 move next round.
10. Wrong Yard! — Lose 2 points for trespassing.
11. You Chased a Cat — Move back to your previous intersection.
12. Dropped the Bone — Discard your lowest-value house token.
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🟡 TRADES & SWAPS (6 cards)
13. Playdate — Swap one house token with any player.
14. Friendly Bark — Choose one player; both of you draw 1 Fetch Card.
15. Steal the Spotlight — Take one random card from another player.
16. House Swap — Exchange your highest-value house with another player’s.
17. Pack Instinct — Move to share a space with another dog; both draw 1 Fetch Card.
18. Good Neighbor — Give one Red house to another player; gain +2 points for kindness.
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🟣 CHALLENGES (6 cards)
19. Dig for Treasure — Roll the die; on 5 or 6, gain +3 points. Otherwise, lose 1 point.
20. Bark-Off! — Choose another player; both roll. Higher roll gains +2 points.
21. Hide the Bone — Roll the die; on even, draw another card. On odd, skip next Fetch action.
22. Obstacle Course — Move through two hydrant spaces in one turn to earn +4 points.
23. Sniff Contest — First player to reach a blue house gains +2 bonus points.
24. Runaway Mail Truck — All players move 2 spaces backward.
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🔵 EVENTS (6 cards)
25. Garbage Day! — All Red houses are worth +1 this round.
26. New Family in Town — Add a new Red house token to any empty space.
27. Full Moon Frenzy! — Every player moves again immediately.
28. Squirrel Chase! — Roll a die: 1–3 move back 2 spaces; 4–6 move ahead 2 spaces.
29. Friendly Fire Hydrant — Gain +1 point for each hydrant you’ve passed.
30. Dog Park Meetup — Every player draws a Fetch Card.
Updated Fester Rules and Board
Game 3: The Trial of the Taming: Aspirant Handbook
Created by Christine Ursiny
1. The Game: Bond or Die
Welcome to The Eyrie, the cutthroat military academy where you and your fellow Aspirants have formed a Fated Bond with an ancient magical creature. This RPG is focused on high-stakes teamwork under pressure to graduate; you must survive the brutal, lethal trials of The Reckoning and work together to expose the dark secrets of the oppressive Staff.
2. Character Creation: Set Up
Step 1: Roll for Your Identity
Roll on the table below to determine your: Descriptor, Species/Skill, and Sector.
| Roll 1D6 | 1-2: Descriptor (Your Personality) | 3-4: Creature (Your Power) | 5-6: Sector (Your Academy Niche) |
| 1 | Rookie (Terrified, but fast) | Great Wyrm (Fire Breath, Burn) | Wing Leadership (Command & Tactics) |
| 2 | Washed-Up (Skeptical, but wise) | Gryphon (Piercing Shriek, Shatter) | Archives Guard (Security & Surveillance) |
| 3 | Unhinged (Aggressive, reckless) | Sky-Lion (Air Magic, Soar) | Scouting & Recon (Stealth & Intelligence) |
| 4 | Ambitious (Political, slick) | Drake (Heavy Armor, Shrug Off) | Healer/Scribe (Lore, Medicine & Support) |
| 5 | Reluctant (Relatable, empathetic) | Shadow Serpent (Illusion, Vanish) | Weapons Master (Gear & Melee Combat) |
| 6 | Grizzled (Experienced, damaged) | Tempest Owl (Lightning, Stun) | Logistics/Wartime Engineer (Supply & Defense) |
Step 2: Set Your Stats (The Bond)
You have two opposed stats. Both start at 3.
| Stat | Focus | When to use this stat… |
| RIDER | Discipline, Cunning, Control | Lying, persuading rivals, carefully piloting your creature, remembering academic lore, or solving puzzles. |
| BEAST | Instinct, Raw Power, Speed | Mauling, flying recklessly fast, using elemental magic, shrugging off damage, or terrifying enemies. |
3. Action Resolution
When you attempt an action and the outcome is uncertain and has real consequences, the Game Master (GM) will tell you which stat to use, and you roll a single.
- Succeed: If your roll is equal to or under the stat, you succeed!
- Fail: If your roll is over the stat, you fail!
The “Expert Edge” Rule (Specialized Skills)
If you use one of your character’s unique strengths, you get a significant edge:
- Creature Skill: If you invoke your Creature’s unique Species Skill (Burn, Shatter, Vanish, etc.), you may treat your BEAST stat as 4 for this single roll (even if it is lower or higher).
- Sector Niche: If you use an action directly related to your Sector (Weapons Master with gear, Archives Guard spotting a trap), you may treat your RIDER stat as 4 for this single roll (even if it is lower or higher).
4. The Shifting Bond (The Core Mechanic)
Your stats are never safe; they shift based on your successes and failures. Keep the two numbers balanced!
| Trigger | Effect on Your Stats | The Story Behind the Shift |
| Pride (Success) | Move 1 point from BEAST to RIDER | You succeed flawlessly through intellect and showboating. Your ego grows; you rely more on cunning. |
| Guts (Failure) | Move 1 point from RIDER to BEAST | Your plan fails, and panic or instinct takes over. You ditch tactics and rely on raw, animal survival. |
| Voluntary: Yell at your Creature | Move 1 point from RIDER to BEAST | You willingly give in to anger or fear, forcing your creature to obey. You gain wildness, but lose control. |
| Voluntary: Flashback to Study | Move 1 point from BEAST to RIDER | You interrupt the action to recall an academic insight, bringing logic to the chaos. You rein in your wildness. |
The End of the Line: When a Stat Hits 6
If either stat reaches 6, you have gone too far and are out of the game!
- RIDER reaches 6: You become corrupted by self-serving ambition. You betray your squad to join the oppressive Staff.
- BEAST reaches 6: You have completely Lost the Bond. Your creature flips out and rejects you. You are expelled (or killed).
5. Quick Q&A:
| Question | Answer |
| When do I roll? | Only when the outcome is uncertain and a failure would create a consequence (danger, lost time, etc.). |
| What happens if I fail? | The GM will give you a Narrative Setback (losing time, attracting Staff attention, your creature suffers a temporary trouble). A Stat Shift only happens if that failure triggers Guts (forces a panic response). |
| How does the Expert Edge work? | If you use your special skill, you treat your stat as 4 for that one roll. This is the simplest way to gain a powerful, reliable advantage without rolling extra dice. |
| Why is a high stat bad? | A high stat makes you better at those actions, but puts you closer to the End of the Line. A BEAST of 5 is an unstoppable force, but one failure could mean they lose their creature forever. |
| Who controls the creature? | You do! It’s an extension of you. If you want to fly carefully, that’s RIDER. If you want to use elemental fire, that’s BEAST. |
Honey Heist Review
1. Was it fun?
Yes, I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of it all while also the restrictions made by the GM and the character guide. It was ridiculous in the best way.
2. What were the player interactions?
The interactions between people were my character Lewis (a retired Black Bear thief) kept trying to hold the group together. Luigi, the koala muscle, was overly confident im biting peoples heads off but not very strategic. Labubu, the “Face,” flirted their way to get information that didn’t get anywhere. Bob, the blind honey badger getaway driver had no way to help and was only a hinderance. We were constantly bouncing off each other’s stories.
3. How long did it take to learn?
It was quick, the mechanics were easy, it took about 10 minutes to understand. The hardest part was wrapping our heads around how flexible we could be about improvising rather than understanding the system.
4. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
The most frustrating part was how difficult the GM (BRYCE) made it to actually pull off the heist. Every time we got close to to something he would throw out everything to make it ridiculous. My character being on Ozempic and Flat Stanley got the most frustrating parts basically carrying the team.
5. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
When the blind honey badger tried to drive the getaway van and just kept blasting highway to hell. Also just coming up with random stuff to do. It completely derailed the game but in the best way.
6. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
I wanted Lewis to actually get closer to the vault and overall get more context within the game to get to the honey but between the GM’s and the team we never got close.
7. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
I’d balance the challenge a bit more so that players actually can succeed, which I guess all boils down the the GM. I wish the GM had more rules in general instead of it being impossible from the start.
Is this a game you would play again?
Yes
I would because even though we failed it was never not entertaining. I like the ability to have a completely different stort every time. I want to make a different verson of this type of game. The randomness keeps it fresh.
