Category: Game Design Studio 1

Posted on

Rotten to The Core Presentation Review

I played this game, and I am so happy they are moving forward with this game.

I love that their inspiration came from different types of burial methods

I am so happy that they added fairness in to everyone gets to 50 points

The new design to the cards are so simplistic and cute!! I am so exited that they decided to make it more gory than cute, because in my eyes its still cute.

I believe that this could be played between the odd people out there (me), funeral workers/students, and anatomy students.

I suggested that Player interaction could be tipping the police off about the body.

Posted on

Evan and Dylan’s Manor of the Damned Presentation Review

I absolutely LOVE that someone did a horror board game, I rarely see them and I so appreciate it.

It gives me DND vibes, and I love that even more, it makes it so creative and more interactive than a regular DND playthrough that you usually see.

I asked how long they would predict the game to be, and if the “ghost characters” are customizable because of how invested they want the play testers to be. They responded with you roll your stats with characters, with advantages and disadvantages timing would probably be 30-40 with how fast players move

The sabotage effect is so so cool too,

Posted on

Toss Salad Presentation Review

I believe this game has some great potential, I think that Kelsey should take a look into Ronan Starks game “I’m Cookin’!” it could bring out a lot more ideas, salad based obviously

I love the idea of having sabotage cards for the salads, I had a question about it, if it is just for the recipient, or if it could be given to someone else.

The design in so beautiful, and very easy to understand, I suggested a new look for the condiment cards

Posted on

Da Final Rules

Rees Edwards

Gallery Grippers: An Art Heist Game

Game Overview: Gallery Grippers is an art heist board game in which 1 to 6 players assume the roles of Burglar Masterminds. Your goal is to assemble the best heist team, bypass high-security obstacles, steal valuable art pieces from four iconic museums around the world, and fence them off for monetary value.

Game Components:

  • Game Board: Features 4 famous museums, each with unique art pieces and security levels.
  • Specialist Cards: Crew members with specific abilities (e.g., Stealth Specialist, Master of Disguise, Hacker).
  • Attribute Cards: Tools and bonuses for specialists (e.g., Added Stealth, More Tech, Steroids).
  • Museum Description Cards: shows each museum’s art that matches with that said museum.
  • Percent Dice (2 d10) and Standard Dice (d6).
  • Score Sheets: used to track success percentages and strikes.
  • Art Cards: Represent unique artworks with monetary values and stat modifiers on their backs.

Setup:

  1. Each player selects 6 starting cards (3 Specialist Cards and 3 Attribute Cards) to form their heist crew to start.
  2. Shuffle the remaining cards into two decks (Specialist and Attribute) and place them beside the board.
  3. Match each museum quadrant with its corresponding artwork
  4. Place Art Tiles in the designated art quadrants of each museum on the board.
  5. All players start at the base/black market tile

Gameplay:

Throw a D6 to determine who goes first. Highest number rolled goes first. If there is a tie, rock paper scissors to determine who goes first. Then players take turns clockwise. Each turn involves the following steps:

  1. Roll to Move: Roll a six-sided die to determine how far you move on the board.
    • If you land on an Airport Tile (Blue): you must move to any other Airport Tile.
    • If you land on a Recruitment Tile (Green): Draw one card from either deck.
    • If you land on a Security (Black) or Alarm (Red) Tile: Attempt to bypass the obstacle through adding up your total percentage roll with your base success rate and bonuses.
    • Yellow Tiles (Trading Posts): Potentially Trade attribute cards with other player’s Attribute Cards 
    • If you land on an Art quadrant: Steal one piece.
  2. Obstacle Tiles (Black or Red):
    • Choose a max of one Specialist Card and/or one Attribute Card to address the obstacle.
    • Roll the percent dice (d10) and add:
      • Specialist bass success rate.
      • Attribute card bonuses.
      • Base roll percentage.
    • A total score of 100% or higher bypasses the obstacle.
    • If your total is less than 100%, you receive a strike.
  3. Strike Rules:
    • First Strike: Continue your turn.
    • Second Strike: You must leave the museum and return to the nearest Exit Tile (E). You then have the choice to leave the museum premises and reset your strikes on the next roll, or go back into that same museum with your previous two strikes still accounted for
    • Third Strike: You are out of the game.
  4. Exiting the Museum:
    • Successfully leave via an Exit Tile with the artwork to keep it.
    • If caught while carrying art:
      • No prior strikes: you have the ability to ditch the art and take one strike, or keep going with two strikes.
      • One strike already (which means this would be your second): Lose the art and return to an Exit Tile.
  5. Art Quadrant:
    • Upon reaching an Art Quadrant, you can steal one artwork.
    • Each art piece has:
      • A monetary value (e.g., $700,000,000).
      • A success rate deduction (e.g., -35%).
    • These modifiers affect your ability to leave the museum with the artwork, as the deduction is taken from your overall percentage roll.

Additional Rules:

  • Reupping on Cards: once a player has no more cards left, they must roll one D6 to determine how many cards they can pick from either deck
  • Selling Art:
    • Deliver art to a Black Market Tile to sell it for its face value.
    • Holding multiple pieces increases value (e.g., fencing two pieces together adds $200,000,000 when sold).
    • The first player to earn $1,000,000,000 wins.
  • Discarding Cards:
    • Used cards are discarded. When a deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to replenish it.
  • Recruitment:
    • If a player has 1 or fewer cards, roll a d6 to draw that many said cards from either deck.
  • Art and Stat Modifiers:
    • Carrying art reduces your overall success percentage, making escape harder.
  • Airport Rule:
    • Players must move to a different Airport Tile when landing on one.
  • Be Smart:
    • Not all Specialist and Attribute Cards are equally strong, adding challenge.

Winning the Game:

  1. Last man standing

OR

  1. Reach $1,000,000,000: Automatically win by earning this amount.

Tiles Breakdown:

  • Red Tiles (Alarm): Trip a wire; use cards and roll to bypass.
  • Black Tiles (Security): Confront a guard; use cards and roll to escape.
  • Green Tiles (Recruitment): Draw one card from either deck.
  • Blue Tiles (Airport): Move between airports.
  • Yellow Tiles (Trading Posts): Potentially Trade attribute cards with other player’s Attribute Cards 
  • Art Tiles: Steal one artwork.
  • Exit Tiles (E): Leave the museum.

Example Scenario:

  • Player lands on a Red Tile.
  • Chooses a Hacker Specialist (+30%) and a Tech Attribute (+20%).
  • Rolls a 50% on the percent dice.
  • Total = 30% + 20% + 50% = 100% (success).
  • If the roll were less than 100%, they’d receive a strike.

Plan your moves, recruit wisely, and master the art of the heist!

Posted on

Court Of Champions Presentation Review

I love the new design of the game boards, they are cleaner and more fun to look at.

I also really love the pull slide for the card, its super innovative, same with the teammate selection system.

I am super happy Kiya was able to fix up the timing of the game, and pace it out

Her game is so so so innovative and creative, all of the effort, art, and 3D printing went into it proves she worked so hard on it.

I hope she chooses to work on this game further.

Posted on

Anansi’s Web of Tricks Gameplay

Gameplay Mechanics

Setup

  1. Shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player.
  2. Place the remaining cards in the center as the draw pile and flip the top card to start the discard pile.
  3. Each player selects a Character Card to play as, gaining access to their unique ability.
    PS; take note of your characters ability and USE THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

TURN STRUCTURE.

Players take turns performing one major action per turn, keeping gameplay quick and fluid:

  1. Play a Card: Match the suit or number of the top card on the discard pile.
  2. Play a Mischief Card: Use special cards to disrupt opponents.
  3. Use a Character Ability: Activate a unique skill to gain an advantage.
  4. Draw a Card: If no other action is possible, draw from the deck.

Card and Effects

  • Numbered Cards: Match by suit or number to discard.
  • Mischief Cards:
    • Steal: Take a card from another player. The victim draws 2 new cards (4 if it was their last card).
    • Forced Draw: Make a player draw 3 cards. If they play one immediately, you draw 2 cards as a penalty.
    • Vortex Shuffle: Shuffle and redistribute hands among up to 3 players.
    • Wild Distractions: Target one player to pass you a card of a specific suit. They draw 2 cards if they can’t.
    • Nullify: Cancel the last Mischief Card or ability used.
  • Mischief cards once played goes in the discard pile 
  • Character Abilities: Once-per-round powers that enhance strategy (e.g., swapping cards, skipping turns, or blocking Mischief effects).
  • Once the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to make a new draw pile, leaving the last discarded card face-up. If the last card is a Mischief card, randomly select a card from the shuffled pile to replace it. Play continues until only two players remain, battling it out for the final victory.

Winning Conditions

“It’s a race to the finish! The first player to discard their cards is wins, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The remaining players face off in a nail-biting showdown. The goal is to not be the last player standing, as the final two players will compete for the ultimate victory.”

Posted on

Anansi Web of tricks Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Feedback:

The third playtest demonstrated the near-final state of Anansi’s Web of Tricks, showcasing its refined mechanics and balanced gameplay. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few minor insights to consider:

1. Dynamic Interaction:

• Players praised the high level of interaction throughout the game. Mischief Cards and character abilities encouraged strategic thinking and constant engagement between players.

• The combination of sabotage, strategic defense, and adaptability made every round unpredictable and exciting.

2. Replayability:

• Testers highlighted the game’s replay value due to the variety of character abilities and Mischief Card effects. No two games felt alike, which encouraged players to experiment with different strategies across multiple sessions.

3. Balanced Abilities:

• Adjustments made during the second playtest to balance character abilities were well-received. Players felt that no single character was overpowered and that every ability had clear strengths and weaknesses.

• For example:

• Anansi’s card swap was impactful without feeling unfair due to its once-per-round limitation.

• Fari the Hyena’s laugh mechanic now provided a consistent and enjoyable disruption to opponents, adding humor to the gameplay.

4. Reduced Downtime:

• The streamlined Mischief Card rules significantly reduced delays during play. Targeted effects (e.g., Steal or Wild Distractions) resolved quickly, allowing the game to maintain a steady pace.

Notes from Testing Across Age Groups:

1. Learning Curve:

• Younger players (ages 10-15) adapted quickly to the mechanics, especially the use of character abilities. The thematic connection between characters and their powers resonated strongly with this group.

• Older players (ages 25+) took longer to grasp the concept of character abilities, often defaulting to playing Number Cards or Mischief Cards during their first few rounds. However, after 1-2 games, this group also began to incorporate abilities into their strategies effectively.

2. Time to Learn:

• On average, it took 2 games for individuals to fully understand the interplay between card types, Mischief effects, and character abilities. Afterward, players found the game intuitive and engaging.

3. Group Dynamics:

• Testers noted that the game excelled in creating lively, competitive group dynamics. The mix of strategy and chaos kept all players invested, even when they weren’t in the lead.

Posted on

Anansi Web of tricks Second Playtest: Observations and Adjustments

Second Playtest: Observations and Adjustments

Feedback:

After the changes implemented following the first playtest, the second playtest revealed several positive improvements and areas for minor refinement:

1. Improved Game Flow:

• Players noted that the simplified turn structure (one major action per turn) made the game much smoother and faster.

• The pacing issues from the first playtest were largely resolved, with rounds progressing quickly without feeling rushed.

2. Balanced Offense and Defense:

• The rebalanced Mischief Cards and character abilities created a satisfying interplay between offensive actions (e.g., Steal, Forced Draw) and defensive strategies (e.g., Tiko the Tortoise’s ability to block Mischief Cards or Zari the Owl’s ability to draw and discard strategically).

• Players felt that they had meaningful choices each turn, contributing to a sense of control and engagement.

3. Card Readability:

• While the game mechanics were praised, players suggested improving the visual design of the cards for better readability.

• Specific Issues: Fonts for numbers and card effects were sometimes too small or overly stylized, making them harder to read at a glance.

• Impact: This caused minor delays during gameplay, particularly for new players unfamiliar with the card effects.

4. Character Abilities:

• Although the abilities were better balanced compared to the first version, some characters still felt slightly overpowered or underwhelming:

• Overpowered: Anansi’s ability to swap a card remained strong, particularly when combined with certain Mischief Cards.

• Underwhelming: Fari the Hyena’s ability to skip an opponent’s turn by making them laugh felt inconsistent in effectiveness.

Posted on

Documentation for “Court of Champions”

  • Game rules

original:

Game Instruction Manual TemplateDownload

Final Version:

Final Game Instruction Manual TemplateDownload

Photos

The game when setup :

This Was the Original Prototype
This Is the Final Setup

Details of the pieces:

Protype Pieces: will upload these later for some reason it won’t add them all. – I have the images for anyone interested but it won’t let me upload them

Final Pieces: will upload these later for some reason it won’t add them all. – I have all the images but it won’t let me upload them.

The final pieces are made from the following materials/ ways

  • Boards – Player boards are a digital drawing on procreate, and boards are from amazon. I painted to be black (player boards) and purple (main board). The logo on the main board is a digital drawing on Procreate that I printed on a adhesive label and cut it to fit the board.
  • Small Box- is 3D printed in PETG Material. Logos are digital drawings in Procreate that I printed on an adhesive label.
  • Characters- 3D Printed in white and painted them
  • Chest – Plain Chest From Joann’s, painted it black, digal logo drawings, and stickers from hobby lobby
  • Cards – Digital drawings, printed on a adhesive label, on plainplaying cards from amazon
  • Pull Card Feature to cover answer – Digital darwing on cardstock paper, stuck to card with double sided tape
  • Basketball hoop – Container from amazon and mini hoop taped to the outside to give it a hoop look effect.

  • any process photos – The transition from the protoype to the final
  • any design iterations – changes to the board, cards or pieces
  • An overview of changes made:
  • Alterations to the player game boards making the game last longer, and less confusing to follow. Making the design digtal artwork that was printed on an actual game board.
  • Made the trivia cards have a pull silde card feature in order to cover the answers rather than a taped piece of paper
  • Made there be a Home Team and an Away Team feature for the challenges rather than the teams being randomly chosen per challenge
  • Updated the point system for the challenges
  • Added a timer to the challenges
  • Printed card design on a piece of labeling paper and put it on a plain playing card purchased from amazon.
  • Adusjted the rules for the slam dunk feature
  • Made a collaspable basketball hoop
  • 3D Printed Character pieces in white and painted them with acrylic paint
  • 3D printed small box for cards, and small challenge pieces
  • 3D printed trays to go into box to hold small items
  • Added a chest to hold materials since everything didn’t fit in 3D printed box

An overview of changes to make:

  • As of right now I am not really sure all what I would add or change to it. I know that I would like to make a more sturdy option for the basketball hoop because the tape doesn’t hold on the material too well. I would also like to further develope the pull card feature making it a little more polished.
  • Your thoughts and lessons learned from play testing:
  • Playtesting taught me a lot about this game and made me understand how much potential that my idea truly had that I just needed to profect it. When playtesting I learned that they way the player boards were set up it didn’t really work, it depended on the dice way to much and most times it resulted in the game ending too early.

Posted on

Game play w.i.p DND!

Recently I started a DND campaign recently and this is going to be my reflection so far of my journy!.

Was it fun: so far we are all having a blast playing through our campaign

What where some of the player interactions: So far we have battled a vampire who was locked in a church basement to protect the villagers from the clutches of the BBEG of Stradh. My character(a goliath druid) has trouble opening doors and fence gates so far(had to buy a new set of dice haha)

How long did it take for the party to learn the game: so far we are all still working through the motions of battle and just the workings of rolling and finding out what we have to add or remove based on our stats.

Would you play again: we are meeting this friday to continue our campaign and I am super excited!!

Analyze the game using the three act structure: there are multiple instances of the three act structure in DND every time that we roll for initiative thats the starting phase, then battle through a turn based system ensues and then after we either reap our sorrows or celebrate a valorant victory!

What are the collaborative/competitive aspects of the game: there are many aspects in both respects in this type of game, for collaborative you have a chance to help another member with a roll giving them advantage on their next roll, or on the more competitive side of the game you have the ability to fight multiple different creatures, monsters, and other various entities as well as possibly your fellow party members ( if they are under a spell or enchantment.)

What is the games metaphor that makes the games mechanics stand out: In my opinion the metaphor of this game would be”a living, breathing storybook where you are the author,” “a character development journey through a fantastical landscape,” “a puzzle box where you piece together your own path,” “a grand stage where you play out your chosen role,” “a sandbox where you sculpt your own destiny,” or “a quest for self-discovery within a magical world.” to name a few, and the mechanics that stand out to me the most are the turned based attacks and the interactions within the game itself with the non playable characters.

Posted on

Anansi Web of tricks(1st Playtest)

1st Playtest

During the first playtest, several critical issues surfaced that needed attention to make Anansi’s Web of Tricks more enjoyable and accessible:

1. Pacing Issues:

• Players often took a long time to complete their turns because they had too many options available (e.g., playing Number Cards, using Mischief Cards, activating character abilities, and drawing cards all in one turn).

• The combination of multiple actions led to decision fatigue, especially for younger players in the target age range of 10+.

2. Disruptive Mischief Cards:

• Certain Mischief Cards, such as the original version of Wild Distractions, which forced all players to pass cards to one another, caused significant delays and confusion.

• Group-wide effects often felt frustrating for players who had carefully planned their strategies, only to have their progress upended without much recourse.

3. Rule Complexity:

• Players struggled to follow the game’s flow because the rules for Mischief Cards, character abilities, and the multiple actions allowed in one turn were not clearly delineated.

• Younger players found it hard to track which cards were played and what their effects were, leading to slower rounds and frequent rule clarifications.

Posted on

Ananasi Web of tricks(Version 2)

Version 2: Developing the Game

Changes Made:

  1. Streamlined Deck:
  • Reduced Trick Cards to 20 and renamed them Mischief Cards to avoid confusion with the Trick suit.
  • Removed Wild Cards entirely.
  1. Simplified Turn Structure:
  • Limited each player to one major action per turn:
  • Play a Number Card OR
  • Use a Mischief Card OR
  • Activate a character ability.
  1. Balanced Abilities:
  • Adjusted character powers to be fairer and more strategic:
  • Anansi: Changed from “swap hands” to “swap one card with another player.”
  • Tiko the Tortoise: Adjusted to block one Mischief Card per round.
  1. Improved Card Effects:
  • Mischief Card effects were focused on individuals or small groups, reducing group-wide disruptions.
  • Example: “Wild Distractions” was changed from forcing all players to pass cards to targeting one player.

Posted on

Anansi Web of Tricks, 1st version

Initial Version

The initial design included 30 Number Cards, 40 Trick Cards (now Mischief Cards), and 10 Wild Cards. Concerns were raised during playtesting:

  • Pacing Issues: Too many options per turn slowed the game.
  • Unbalanced Rules: Powerful Mischief Cards (e.g., Wild Distractions) targeted all players, disrupting flow and frustrating younger participants.
  • Unclear Design: Fonts and text placement on the cards needed adjustments for readability.

Posted on

Documentation For “War of The Survivors

  • Game rules
WOTS- Rule BookDownload
  • Photos of:
    • the game when setup 
IMG_2769Download

Details of the pieces

Trivia cards –

Elimination Markers:

Reward Tokens

  • any process photos – I didn’t happen to taken any process photos during this game.
  • any design iterations – This game didn’t have any changes since I chose not to expand upon it.
  • Your thoughts and lessons learned from play testing

An overview of changes to make

  • More variety in the trivia categories, especially with tougher, non-pop culture questions.
  • Add a “challenge” option to question answers—maybe we could contest a wrong answer from the other team.
  • Make Reward Tokens more flexible, like allowing extra dice rolls or changing the turn order.
  • The elimination process. Once a player is out, they have no role—maybe let eliminated players help in small ways.
  • Add more variety to the checkpoints, like negative effects or rewards for the other team.
  • The trivia categories need to be more balanced in difficulty.
  • Make the endgame more exciting—add a final challenge or twist to make it more competitive.

Your thoughts and lessons learned from play testing

  • Players generally picked up the game fairly quickly, especially the basic mechanics of answering questions, using tokens, and moving along the board. It took only a few rounds for them to understand the flow of the game and how the strategic elements (like the checkpoints and Survivor Tokens) worked.
  •  There were a lot of fun moments where teams tried to outwit each other, especially around the checkpoint rewards and when players started targeting weaknesses in the other team’s knowledge.
  • The timer caused some stress, as players felt rushed to come up with answers, which led to frustration and sometimes poor decisions.
  • Some players felt that certain trivia questions were either too easy or too difficult, leading to some uneven moments in the game.