Game Maker’s Play Test Notes – Donkey’s Vs. Elephants

What questions did your players have?
- Players asked if the ball is allowed to ricochet off of the walls. This is unspecified in the rules, so it makes sense that this would be a valid question. Next, players wondered about if they had to move the maximum number of pegs. One of the players spun the wheel after their turn and got a 5, and they wondered if they have to use all 5 movement opportunities. Lastly, another question they had was based on an unspecified situation of hitting one of your own ballot boxes. The ball could ricochet back and hit your own boxes, so I will have to think of a way around that.
How quickly did they learn to play?
- Players learned fairly quickly. The rules are simple, and the gameplay is very straight forward. After answering the questions they had about the rules, players were able to understand the game fully.
What kinds of interactions did the players have?
- The players interacted directly with each other. Moving the pegs around made some interesting interaction, as players strategized what peg placement would benefit them while giving the other side a disadvantage. Furthermore, while a player would aim toward the other player’s ballot boxes, there was some tension arising on whether the peg placement was efficient.
What confused players?
- Mostly just unspecified rules, which I ended up having to answer for them. These unspecified rules were discussed in what questions players asked, but another confusion was if they were allowed to hit multiple ballot boxes. One of the players made the interesting point that if more than one ballot box is knocked over during a turn, maybe the player can choose which ballot box to knock over. Of course, this is something else that will need clarified in the rules. There can be turns in which all three ballot boxes can be knocked over, ending the game in one turn.
What made players excited?
- Most of the excitement came from spinning the wheel or getting bank shots. The wheel is luck-based, so excitement derived from whether players were going to spin on a big number. The bank shots were hype, as players not only got the ricochet but bypassed the pegs in the middle of the board.
What did your players enjoy doing?
- Players enjoyed hitting the ball with the popsicle stick. It reminded them of knock hockey, using sticks to hit the puck to the other side of the board.
Did any aspect of the game frustrate players?
- The only thing that mainly concerned players was the fact that there was no net to catch the marble after hitting the ballot boxes. This is something I’m surprised I haven’t thought of, but as players started hitting the ball, it flew off of the board.
What is your plan to address player questions. confusion and frustration?
- In order to address most of the confusion and frustration, I will have to make some clarifications in the rules. Most things that confused the players were not touched upon in the ruleset, so it wouldn’t hurt to make the necessary clarifications. Although I will probably end up dealing with the ballot boxes, whether it is adding a net or completely revamping the mechanic.

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