Category: Game Design Studio 1

Alana Tush

Game Review

Sushi Go

1. Was it fun? Yes I enjoyed this game because it is easy to learn and not that serious.
2. What were the player interactions? The player interactions are switching the hand you have each turn and looking at others cards that are down to see which card you want to place next.
3. How long did it take to learn? This game almost took no time to learn, we quickly skimmed through the rules and started to play, we got more comfortable as the game went on.
4. Would you play it again?Yes i would play this game again, it goes fast and avoids getting boredom in the middle of the game.
5. What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? This game is competitive because you want to score the most points at the end of each round.
6. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphors is to have sushi as your meal and at the end of the three rounds, you get dessert. I like how each player switches their hand each turn because there is no secret what each player has because all the players have seen that hand before.
   • act 1- Reading rules, dealing 9 cards to each player
   • act 2-gameplay- choosing one card to keep and pass the rest of your hand to the left. Pick like cards so you can get as many points as possible
   • act 3- add up your points and start round 2, the game is over after round 3 and you add up all the points from each round, the person with the most points at the end of round three wins.

Spit Card Game

1. Was it fun? Yes I love this game.
2. What were the player interactions? The 2 players are trying to be faster than their opponent to place all their cards first and hit the smallest pile to win those cards. You want the least amount of cards as possible
3. How long did it take to learn?I knew how to play this game already, I was teaching Lauren but she caught on very quickly.
4. Would you play it again? Yes I would play this again.
5. What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? The collaborative aspects is flipping a new card at the same time once both the players cannot put any more down. The competitive part is trying to be faster than your opponent so you can get rid of all your cards.
6. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? This game is trying to deceive your opponent about your last card so they don’t suspect that you are going to throw it down and hit the smaller pile. The mechanics is quickly putting cards down either adding up or down and picking up cards so you always have five in your hand
   • act 1- deal the whole deck to 2 players, count 15 cards out of your hand and place the remaining cards in a personal pile. Count 5 cards to hold in your hand. Flip the top of each personal pile over and look at the 5 cards in your hand
   • act 2-game play- place the 5 cards in your hand counting either up and down on top of the card you flipped from the two personal piles. Pick up another card from the remaining 10 so you always have 5 cards in your hand to play
   • act 3- repeat until each player has no more moves and take another 2 cards from the personal pile and flip it in top of the cards in play. The first person that puts their last card down from their 15 slaps the smaller pile to win. Repeat this until someone wins with no cards left.

Gin Rummy

1. Was it fun? Yes I enjoy this game because There isn’t one way to get gin, you can either get 3-4 of the same number, or you can count up or down with the same suit, they just have to be in order
2. What were the player interactions? The players interactions are player 1 putting a card down, and player 2 either picking up that same card or choosing to pick up a hidden card.
3. How long did it take to learn? I already knew how to play this game, but when I first learned it was pretty easy to pick up on.
4. Would you play it again? Yes I would play Gin again.
5. What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? There is no collaborative aspects of this game but it is competitive and strategic to get Gin first so you win more points.
   • act 1- Deal 10 cards to each player, set the remaining cards in the middle face down, flip the top one over. Organize your cards into suits or like numbers
   • act 2- each player takes turns picking up one card at a time and placing a card down in the discard pile, the second player can either take a new hidden card, or the one their opponent placed down
   • act 3- match 3-4 like numbers in your hand or count up or down with cards with the same suit. Once you can no mis match cards on your hand you have gin and your opponent lost. Count up the points and the first who gets 100 wins.

Collecting Game Ideas

1. Flip over a color card and a number card, the person that retrieves the amount and color that the cards specify wins.
2. A play on slither.io but it’s a dog collecting shoes, homework, treats, and table scraps to eat. The game ends when the dog accidentally eats chocolate or a grape.
3. Scavenger hunt of lego pieces that have riddles for each clue where they are hidden. Once you complete the lego build first, you win.

Sushi Go! Game review

1. Was it fun?
   • Yes, it took a bit of time to get used to, but it was very fun once learned.
2. What were the player interactions?
   • Everybody took turns choosing sushi cards and rotating hands. Players would count up their card points based on certain card rules.
3. How long did it take to learn?
   • The game actually took a but to get used to, because each card type has its own scoring system. Though the cards were diverse, the concept was simple, so it only took 10 minutes.
4. Would you ever play it again?
   • Yes, I’d play it again. Although it would take some time explaining it to my other friends.
5. Analyze the game using the 3-act structure.
   • The first act of the game was learning the card types, as well as dealing nine cards to each player. On top of that, a piece of paper was prepared for the point system.
   • The second act involved choosing the right cards to help you score points. Players would not only rotate decks but make careful decisions that would garner them the greatest number of points.
   • The final act of the game was the tallying of points written on the paper. There are three rounds per game, so all of the points from the cards played are added from all rounds.
6. What are the collaborative/competitive aspects of the game?
   • There are no collaborative aspects to the game. The game is 100% competitive, as players fend for themselves in making the right decisions in earning points. There is no sharing, and players must choose their own cards from rotated decks.
7. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
   • I’d say the game’s metaphor is eating. The mechanic that sticks out the most to me is the dessert. The dessert cards act as a long-term investment, since if you have the most dessert cards at the end of the game you earn six points. This is unique with the notion that the cards don’t do any favor at first, but they can be sneaky at the end.

5 game ideas that revolve around the theme of collecting

1. Butterfly fiends – Players choose paths around a garden that gather butterfly pieces. Some paths are longer or riskier but might have more butterflies to collect. The placement of the butterflies can be randomized based on a wheel.
2. Coin-Cash – Players are given a coin they use to pass around during their turn. They must take the 50/50 shot of whether it will land on heads or tails. If it lands on the called side, they earn tokens. The tokens can be used to either keep being safe or doubled to go again. You can also choose to face off with other players to steal their tokens. (All options are during a turn).
3. Tomb-Robbers – Players flip over tomb tiles for a chance to either earn a reward, or a curse. In order to win, all tiles must be flipped over and the player with the most rewards wins.
4. Ball-bashers – Players are provided with an array of cups and one ball. The objective is to collect other types of balls, but to do so a player must make the ball into another cup with a ball in it. Once they’ve unlocked another ball, they can use the other ball to try to throw in other cups. There are different types of balls which can be a ping pong ball, rubber ball and so on.
5. Pizza Palooza – Players must roll dice and spin a wheel to collect pizza toppings to complete their own pizza. They can also choose to sabotage the pizza of other players by sending mice out to eat the cheese.

Builder Buccaneers Ruleset (2-3 players)

Setup – Players are given a pile of loose ship pieces, which should be placed in the middle of everybody playing. Cards are put into separate piles ranking in difficulty from easy to hard.

Objectives – There is only one goal, which is to be the first person to complete the ship building. After so many rounds, someone will win overall. (The ship must be standing without falling over)

Actions to take – All players will pick a card from the “hard” “medium” or “easy” pile. This will determine how hard the ship you will build will be, but the harder the build, the more points you earn.

Ending the game – There is a tally-board, which tracks how many points you earn. With the number of points you earn, is the number of spaces you move, until you reach the end of the scoreboard. Once the end is reached, the player wins.

Example – Jimmy chooses a card from the “easy” category. There are only a couple pieces to find for the ship, but Jimmy will only earn 1-2 points. Jimmy is the first to finish. After yelling “ahoy!” he moves his piece two spaces towards the goal.

Example #2 – Dave picks up a card from the “hard” pile. Although it is hard to keep his ship standing, he ends up pulling off his build without it falling over. Dave wins 5-6 points, earning him a massive boost on the tally board.

Objective of the Game

Grow the most valuable garden by cultivating various plants and herbs throughout the seasons. Score points by selling your harvests, completing bundles, and utilizing seasonal advantages.

Required Materials

• 4 Planter Boxes (player boards)
• 1 Season Tracker Board
• 12 Plant Cards per season (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter)
• 10 Bundle Cards
• 20 Buff Tokens
• 1 Score Tracker
• 1 Dice (six-sided)
• 4 Player Tokens
• 1 Rule Book

Setup

1. Season Tracker Board: Place it in the center and set it to Spring.
2. Planter Boxes: Give each player a Planter Box and place it in front of them.
3. Plant Cards: Shuffle the plant cards for each season separately and place them face down next to the Season Tracker.
4. Bundle Cards: Shuffle and place these face down near the plant cards.
5. Buff Tokens: Place these in a common area accessible to all players.
6. Score Tracker: Place the score tracker where all players can see it.

Player Turn Order

• Players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the player who most recently planted something.

Starting Resources

Each player starts with:

• 2 Plant Cards (drawn from the Spring pile)
• 1 Buff Token
• 5 points on the Score Tracker

Growth Mechanic

Growth Stages

• Each plant card has a growth time indicated on it (1 to 3 turns).
  • Example:
    • Basil: 1 turn
    • Mint: 2 turns
    • Tomato: 3 turns

Growth Tracking

• When you plant a card, place it in your Planter Box and use a marker to indicate it is “growing.”
• At the start of your turn, check which plants are ready to be harvested based on their growth time.

Player’s Turn Structure

Each player’s turn consists of the following steps:

1. Draw Phase:
   • Draw 1 Plant Card from the current season’s pile.
2. Action Phase:
   • Perform two of the following actions:
     1. Plant a Plant Card: Place a card from your hand into your Planter Box. Ensure it’s currently in season.
     2. Sell Plants: Declare and sell any fully grown plants for points.
     3. Purchase Buff Tokens: Spend points to acquire Buff Tokens.
     4. Draw an Additional Plant Card: Draw another card from the current season’s pile.
3. Buff Usage (Optional):
   • Use Buff Tokens at any appropriate time during your turn, such as when selling or planting.
4. End of Turn:
   • Your turn ends, and play passes to the next player.

Example of a Player’s Turn

1. Draw Phase: You draw 1 Plant Card from the Spring pile.
2. Action Phase:
   • You plant a Mint (2 turns to grow).
   • You sell a Basil (1 turn to grow) for 5 points, using a Harvest Boost for an additional 2 points, totaling 7 points.
3. Buff Purchase: You buy an Out-of-Season Planting Buff for 3 points, leaving you with 2 points.
4. End of Turn: Your turn ends, and the next player takes their turn.

Buff Tokens

Types of Buffs

1. Harvest Boost: Adds +2 points when selling plants.
2. Plant Swap: Swap one Plant Card from your hand with another player’s Plant Card.
3. Out-of-Season Planting: Plant one card that’s not currently in season.
4. Extra Draw: Draw an additional Plant Card from the current season’s pile.

Acquiring Buff Tokens

• Buff Tokens can be purchased during your turn using points (3 points each).

Harvesting Plants

• At the start of your turn, check your Growth Tracker:
  • If a plant has completed its growth time, it can be harvested for points.
  • If it hasn’t matured, it remains in the growing state.

End of Turn/Round

• After all players have taken their turns, advance the Season Tracker one step.
• When a season ends, all players discard their hand and draw new Plant Cards from the next season’s pile.

Winning and Losing

The game ends after all four seasons have been completed.

• The player with the most points wins.

Visual Examples

1. Bundle card, Bazil, rosemary, and mint

2. Plant card, Tomato

3. Buff token

Additional Details

Plant Cards

• Each card displays a plant name, growth time, and points for harvesting.

Bundle Cards

• Show the types of plants needed for completion, offering bonus points when fulfilled.

Final Note

Manage your time and resources wisely! The key to victory is strategic planting, careful use of Buffs, and timing your harvests. Enjoy growing your garden in Garden Glory

The way the game will work is people will take turns rolling a die and going aorund the board at the end of the round you decide how much money you would like to put into the pot

At the end of each round, you will spin the wheel where you are at on the board determines where you are at on the wheel.

There are different colored spots on the board were if no one wins the round it will go into a separate pot but the money you put in gets doubled you don’t get to keep the entire pot

you are not allowed to go all in till at least everyone has made one lap around the board I am making this rule so that people can’t just end the game without giving it a chance to develop

Photosynthesis

I enjoyed this game but also, I didn’t really like it because some of the ways the game could have been played and it took us a little while to understand the game

Once we started playing the game I enjoyed it but i still was a little confused about the shadow over casting over the small trees and the fact that the game could have gotten harder didn’t sound right to me the game wasn’t that easy to begin with to understand.