1. Was it fun?
   • I thoroughly enjoyed the game pandemic, though it was a little Annoying to set up at first.
2. What were the player interactions?
   • Basically, all the players interacted by trying to beat the game before the game beat the players. More times than not, there are more ways to lose than there are to win, so it required a lot of teamwork. Communication was the biggest interaction between players as far as how we can all use the mechanics of the game to our benefit and sort of foreshadow and strategize each turn.
3. How long did it take to learn?
   • I would say it probably took us a good 20 minutes to learn just because there were so many mechanics to add on to the themes, like there was a hand limit of seven, also the idea of the flights and how cures work, and the infection rate increases while trying to get rid of outbreaks and epidemics.
4. What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
   • Honestly, the most frustrating moment of the game was probably when I had my little rage moment trying to collect enough cards to trade them in for cures but also part of me wanted to wipe out all the epidemics before finishing the game.
5. What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
   • My favorite moment of Pandemic was honestly strategizing with my other players on how we could trade and meet up with each other in the same city as well as how each of us could take on our own City so that we each had our own cures.
6. Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
   •  Honestly, the only thing I would add, which is outside of the game structure and games in general, was the ability to sort of go back or reverse a turn because there were a lot of times where we didn’t 100% think the outcome through when there was a better way of going about it.
7. If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
   • If I had a magic wand, I would try to find a way to remake the game, but from a Gateway game perspective, using Luck instead of strategy, I think it would be interesting to see how the mechanics, meaning, and theme shifted, and honestly, a different theme in general would be interesting to see how it went into play.
8. Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
   • I would definitely play this game again and have already considered asking my friends to come to the library to play it with me.  I think what makes this game so addictive is that competitiveness; however, it is not everybody for themselves, it is everyone else against the game and I think that brings an added power of teamwork.
9. Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
   • As far as the beginning structure or act one of the game, it all starts with the setup, as far as where infection starts on the board and who each player will take part in, and all of the added rules to send players’ characters, as well as divvying up all of the epidemic cards. The second act, which is the idea of the struggle and push for victory, comes into play when players use strategic moves and trade to their fullest advantage, ultimately coming up with more cures. The third act, or the push for victory, comes into play when all of the infections on the board have depleted. You’re down to your final set of cards, looking to get the last of the cures, when the whole gameplay intensifies, which can also come across as a euphoric phase for the players. This is where all players’ emotions are heightened.
10. What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
    • I would honestly say the collaborative aspect of the game is very prevalent in trying to beat the game, especially when reaching the third Act. As far as the competitive aspect between players, I don’t really think that is prevalent in the game.
11. What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?
    • Overall, the game’s metaphor is the idea of an expanding pandemic, which is the realm the players live in for the entirety of the game. Of the couple of game mechanics I mentioned earlier, I would honestly say the one that stood out the most was the cures because that was the biggest way for the players to beat the game. 

Was it fun? Yes

What were the player interactions? We couldn’t see our cards but had to tell the other players what was in their hands

How long did it take to learn? A little while but not too long

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? Trying to figure out how to tell the other players what they have without giving too much away or not being able to remind the other players what was already told to them

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? It was like a card game but with fun graphics so I enjoyed it (and I like cards so that was good)

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? be able to use the wild cards as just wilds when we played the second round

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Being able to use the wilds differently

Is this a game you would play again? Yes I would, Why, because it was fun and engaging

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure: Honestly it was less of a 3 act game in my opinion, it felt like one continuous action for some reason

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Collaborative was the entire game really, we couldn’t win on our own and only won as a team and how well we all performed and got scored on that.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? You are firework pyrotechnicians trying to save a firework show; I really like not being able to see your own hand, made it infinitely more interesting

ALEAH DUDEK

Argument :

Was it fun? It was fun I think it would be more fun playing competitively.

What were the player interactions? Yes almost every turn.

How long did it take to learn? Only a few minutes I liked how easy it was to understand.

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I didn’t find the game frustrating at all , but I can see how it would be if it was the competitive version.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I liked the different match making and the different ways you have to move the pieces.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? No

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? I wouldn’t change anything I think it’s a nice simple game that could be played over and over again.

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why I think it was fun, can be relaxing , but also competitive.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Act 1 : The set up was to set up your pieces either in order or random and move them accordingly to how the certain symbols moves along the board and try to get the 3 stacks in order to collect points.

Act 2: The rising action could be to make the matches and collect more and more in order to win or screw people over potentially.

Act 3 : If you wipe all the pieces off the board or have the most stacks you win the game or everyone wins the game if playing the collaborative version.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? The collaborative aspects is helping each other out moving pieces to one another to get stacks and wipe more pieces iff the board. The competitive aspect is making your way over to other peoples pieces to steal their pieces in order to give yourself more stacks.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

I would think the games metaphor is rock paper scissors because some pieces over power other pieces to make stacks and collect stacks for yourself or one another. The mechanics I would say is also Rock paper scissor because we used that to determine who went first. Also the way the pieces moved in order to get around the board and the colors of the pieces.

ALEAH DUDEK

Forbidden Island:

Was it fun? It was alright the mechanics were kind of boring , but the theming was pretty.

What were the player interactions? Yes we had to collaborate the entire game almost, but we could make personal decisions.

How long did it take to learn? Not long like 20 minutes.

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I wasn’t really frustrated, I guess the only thing is is that it was a little too easy to beat.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I liked the theming and the suspense of it.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Not really, but I wish it was trickier.

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 more cards such as to deflood or more actions to move.

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why No it was kind of boring it is definitely a one and down game.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Act 1 : The board is laid out in different locations making it more adventurous, the tiles representing different parts of the island. The characters choose their abilities and their “powers” throughout the game. The objective is to save the island from sinking while collecting treasures. You are in danger of pulling sinking cards destroying the island while trying to save it.

Act 2: More tiles flood and disappear, making the map shrink. The water level meter may rise from bad flood card draws. Key tiles needed for treasures may flood, threatening to end the game early. Players have to sacrifice actions and resources to keep them intact. Players must coordinate their moves carefully.

Act 3: The last treasures are collected, the water level is dangerously high, and players make their desperate dash to the helicopter pad. The story will end in a win or defeat.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? We had to collaborate to collect the treasures and the competitiveness was pulling the sinking cards.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The games metaphor is risk and reward I feel because the team has to collaborate in order to save the island, but as you pull cards it can get really risky to the race to save the island from flooding. The mechanics are the flooding and sinking tiles limiting where players can go. The water level meter can dictate how in danger you are in. The treasure cards can help lead you to victory. Role powers can help collaboration or avoid the sinking tiles.

I believe that Munchkin is a fun game if all the pieces fall into place. It is a nice take on the turn-based card-drawing model. Unlike a game like FLUX, Munchkin encourages you to act out of turn, make informal deals, and make strategies on the flyby helping or hindering others.

There were many great interactions our group had while playing. After we overcame the learning curve, we opted to help each other if needed and build strength individually. This came crashing down when one person decided to curse another, which started pitting players against each other.

We were learning all of the time while playing. There were so many intricate conditions and terms to understand to play the game the way it was intended, which was a bit overwhelming. We had to take a while to understand how each turn worked.

The most frustrating moment was being targeted because I was getting close to winning.

My favorite part of playing was winning because I negotiated a deal to help fight a monster.

I wanted to carry more cards I believe that the hand limit, while nice in encouraging players to sell and donate, really hurt our ability to strategize for the long term.

I would tweak the rule book and simplify certain systems. It was quite the read.

I would play Munchkin again. While it is difficult to understand when starting, the liberties that Munchkin allows you to take makes the game much more dynamic.

While there was no set story in Munchkin, there was definitely an early-game, mid-game, and end-game. In the early-game, every player did not work together much, and it took a while to understand the mechanics. In the mid-game, there were more interactions between players, like team-ups and trades, with the inevitable betrayal. The end-game became a close race to the level 10, with players throwing anything they could to make another player lose their fight.

Was it fun? Meh

What were the player interactions? 

There wasn’t much player interaction, the only interaction was the passing of the card hands. Besides that you could affect other players but yourself, so there wasn’t much competitiveness or excitement. 

How long did it take to learn? 

Not too long, we only were confused about the different sushi combinations, but once we were familiar enough it was easy to play.

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

 I honestly wasn’t frustrated at all but if I had to choose something it would be only being able to play one card at a time besides using the chopshick cards. This game was simple enough where it is hard to choose something to be frustrated about.

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

My favorite aspect was the point system and the visuals of the game. I like games where you have to get the highest score and keep track of points over time. As for visuals the cards and sushi characters were adorable and colorful, it was very appealing to look at. 

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

Not really, but again I would want to play more than one card when I couldn’t.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? 

I don’t know exactly what could be added without changing the whole game, but if I had a magic wand I would add better player interaction or card stealing aspects. I would do this to add some competitiveness between the players besides only the points being used as the competitive aspect. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

I probably would play again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice because I have a very competitive personality and this game wasn’t very competitive, but I enjoyed the simplicity of it. 

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: The set up of the game starts with a specific amount of cards each player has, and getting a feel for what combos and cards to first put down to start the game. There are no set characters, but the sushi characters are the points so the players begin to think of their next moves. The setup creates the foundation as players begin to think of what they might collect and how others might play.

Confrontation / Rising Action: The rising action of the game is when players draft and pass cards, balancing point gains with strategy. Collecting sushi sets, timing pudding (dessert) cards to prepare themselves for the end of the game. The rising action is driven by both opportunity and risk with every hand when the players are still creating their meals strategically. 

Resolution / Climax: At the end of the final round, all points are tallied (including the dessert cards that can swing the outcome). The climax arrives when it’s revealed who built the “best sushi meal” (highest score). This resolution provides closure, with all earlier decisions leading to who used their hands wisely, who took risks, and who ultimately won.

Was it fun? Yes!

What were the player interactions? Player interactions were similar to fluxx where you can affect other players hands, characters, and plays. It gives a sense of competitiveness because you start to target people by stopping their characters from becoming gloomy and dying, or taking people’s cards (of course when there is an action card that says so). So overall there is a lot of player interaction in Munchkin Gloom. 

How long did it take to learn? It took a whole “dummy hand” for us to learn, but during the second game we played it was a lot more enjoyable and it ran smoothly. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustrating part was figuring out what cards were. We struggled with this because they all look very similar, and at first without knowing or getting familiar with the cards we had to examine them extra hard to figure out what could be done with specific cards.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? My favorite aspects of the game were the visuals of the game and the self-worth/ point system. It was easy to keep track of the self-worth points and other symbols because the cards were clear, and I also enjoyed the medieval look of the characters and cards in general. As for the self-worth aspect of the game, it brought competitiveness out of everyone and forced us to change each other’s cards/ target each other. I also just thought it was a creative take on the game. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? The only thing I wanted to do that I couldn’t was use my untimely death cards whenever I wanted rather than using it as your first play. We all kept forgetting that rule, but I do see the purpose of it so the players can’t give their own negative points and then untimely death all in one move. Without that rule the game wouldn’t be as interesting or long. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? The only thing I would change would be the look of the cards. It was easy to take other players’ untimely death/ event cards because the other cards looked different. I felt this was annoying because of course other players would pick those cards over others. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because ultimately I enjoyed the second round of playing and it was fun targeting other players and it became competitive, which I enjoy because I am a very competitive person. Also, I thought it was a funny take on the game with being the most miserable person, having the most miserable characters, and then killing off all your players. I think it’s unique because it’s the opposite of the majority of games.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: This is when players establish their foundation and everyone chooses their party members and characters, learn their backstories, and receive the dealt cards. It introduces the world, the characters’ identities, and sets the tone for the game. The stakes and goals start to take shape here.

Confrontation / Rising Action:The main gameplay happens here. Players begin to manipulate the narrative by assigning negative self-worth to their own characters and positive self-worth to other players’ characters. Action cards and early “untimely death” plays introduce conflict, alliances, and rivalries. This is where strategy, tension, and drama build.

Resolution / Climax: The endgame arrives when only a few characters remain alive. This act is about timing and execution and choosing the right moment to play untimely death cards. The suspense increases as players attempt to plan their story outcomes, and the game resolves with final self-worth points and the narrative payoff of whose team is all dead first.

Bohnanza Madison Hurst

Was it fun? I thought this game was pretty fun at points. Though in some areas of the Bohnanza it was slow because you were waiting a long period of time for your turn. I did enjoy how it forced you to think about what cards you had to keep by adding limitations or getting rid of specific cards before you can use your own hand. 

This game was highly interactive, with players decisions directly affecting others. Trading cards often led to tough choices, especially when multiple players wanted the same card. Players competed to collect and harvest specific cards to get coins. 

How long did it take to learn? The game didn’t take long to learn because it would end after we went through the deck of cards three times. So, we had plenty of time to understand and fully play. I would say it took about 15 minutes to fully comprehend and begin playing competitively. The only confusing part in the beginning was understanding how you gained points/coins. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustrating part of the game was not being able to “steal” cards from your opponents after they planted the bean. For instance, Meredith and I had the same bean planted, and we couldn’t steal from each other after the bean was planted or placed down. 

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?- My favorite moment of Bohnanza was collecting the coins. It was fun being able to take 2-3 coins after gathering multiple cards of the same bean. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?- After you were done with a card or didn’t have a use for it at that point in the game, you would discard it. But I really wanted to bring back that card later on in the game because it would’ve been beneficial. So, I just wish the discard pile was recycled faster. 

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 probably change the pace of the game and just go through two decks of cards instead of three.

Yes, I’d play again because I enjoyed the challenge of making the most of my cards and the engaging trading aspect of the game. This kept the game interesting despite occasional slow turns.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The act of the game is when players start to learn what each card type is worth, and exploring the rhythm of planting the beans. At this point, trading cards are hearted, and players can be unaware of the meaning or unable to see the full effect of that trade. The second act is when the players are in the middle of the game. This is when competition kicks in and trading deals go wrong, or someone is on the wrong end of the deal. Moreover, we see players start to get a vast collection of cards, and are thinking about harvesting and collecting their coins. The third act is when the game is close to being complete, and every bean planted matters. Trades are extremely cutthroat or can lead a player to victory. The resolution happens in this act, and this is when all the coins are accounted for, and we see who the victor is.