Game Response – Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a world building game where players take turns placing random tiles and meeples to connect their real estate to gain points.
Was it fun? It was alright
What were the player interactions? Player interactions consisted of sort of chance on what the other people would do and where they would place there tiles.
How long did it take to learn? Not very long
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? As the game progressed, not being able to place meeples on unclaimed land that you didn’t just place
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? It was simple and kinda cute
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Yes, place meeples on unclaimed land you didn’t just place
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Same as the previous answer
Is this a game you would play again? Maybe, it is a maybe not a yes because it wasn’t quite engaging enough to play a lot
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. Setup, placing tiles and meeples and accumulating points and land, farming should be the third act but none of use really wanted to do it and count all those points so someone won before we got to act 3
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Collaborative on an unofficial level where you can try to convince people where to put their tiles to either help you or other players, competitive in the fact that well you are trying to simply get the most points and win
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The metaphor is around medieval estate collecting and establishing kingdoms, i liked the mechanic of chance of what tile you place and needing it to match up with tiles on all sides.
Game response – King of Tokyo
Was it fun?
Yes, I thought it was a fun game.
What were the player interactions?
Player interactions were adjusting points and health wheels, moving their player in and out of Tokyo, rolling dice, and collecting/ spending energy points.
How long did it take to learn?
It did not take long to learn at all, but we also had it explained to us instead of reading the instructions.
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
The most frustrating part was the luck of the dice, since it was all luck you could base your actions on. It was hard to plan a strategy or anything “stable”.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
Even though the dice were the most frustrating, I thought it was the coolest aspect of the game because you could only do actions according to the dice.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
There were times I wanted my character to leave Tokyo, but I couldn’t because I wasn’t being attacked. Then even when I wanted to leave Tokyo, I was still taking damage.
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 like to see in this game is more character, and how the game would go if there were more players. Obviously, the game would have to be altered to meet this like having more spots in Tokyo, and more characters.
Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
Yes, because our game was quick because I reached 20 points, but normally the game runs longer and is more competitive. I would like to play the game to experience different strategies and outcomes.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
The first act of the game is setting up the game, choosing characters, and starting your first dice rolls. This helps introduce the game to the players. The second act is when characters start battling for Tokyo and start losing/ gaining points, hearts, and energy cubes. Players start to gain leads and die off at this point in the game. The last act is when stakes are high and players start making risky decisions to try and survive, and then finally when the last player is standing or someone reaches 20 points they are then the King of Tokyo.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
The collaborative aspects of the game would probably only be trying to stop others from winning either by points, killing each other off, etc… The game mostly focuses on competitive aspects of the game which would be harming (taking hearts away) other players, gaining points, buying cards with benefits, and being in/out of Tokyo.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
The game’s metaphor is monsters trying to take over Tokyo by eliminating other monsters, and seeing who will be the King of Tokyo. The game’s mechanics that stood out were rolling the dice, moving characters in and out of Tokyo, and the personalized score boards with adjustable heart health and points.
Game Response – Citadels
Was it fun?
Yes, I thought it was a very fun game.
What were the player interactions?
The player interactions were picking characters, doing role calls (which I thought was a very cool aspect), and collecting gold.
How long did it take to learn?
It took awhile to understand, and we struggled the most with the characters and what to do with extras. But after we got the hang of it the game flowed well.
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
The most frustrating part was when you got to pick your character last, and the person who picked before you knew what character you were because there were only two to choose from.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
I liked being able to pick my own character, and planning what cards I should be collecting. I also really liked the role call aspect, I thought it added a fun touch.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
There was nothing I really wanted to do that 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 would maybe add two or three more character cards. I know there were extra for a harder version included, but I think it would add some more randomness/ guessing when targeting players.
Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
Yes, because I thought it was very engaging and enjoyable, and the group I was playing with was very competitive and made it fun.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
The first act is the game set up, everyone first gets a hand of cards with districts that they could possibly build, and gets a feel for the flow of the game and all the characters actions. The second act is when people start building their districts, planning strategies to try and win, and stopping other players from taking their turns/ building districts. The third act is when players are getting close to building the set amount of districts, and finally one who reaches that amount first wins.
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
The collaborative aspects of the game would probably only be trying to stop others from reaching the goal of districts, but this game is more competitive than collaborative. The competitive aspects are reaching a district goal first, destroying districts, assassinating characters (losing a turn), swapping cards, and stealing gold. All of these aspects create tension between players.
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
The metaphor is about power and influence in a medieval kingdom. Players take on shifting roles of different characters, each representing a way to gain wealth, gain control, or sabotage other players. The act of building districts stands in for constructing a city and proving dominance in the kingdom. The mechanics that stand out are building districts, choosing characters, and using character powers to interfere with other players actions.
immersion progress
So I was able to somewhat accomplish the trick I was going for, except the end result is no where near the level of intensity that I was going for. I used an old rotoscoped video of myself to project just an image of myself onto the smoke, however the clearness of the end result is just sorta good, not mind blowing or anything like that. I hope in the future I’ll be able to make this effect look realistic enough to yield quality holograms, or quite possibly, I may have to go for an entirely different route to achieve the holographic look; all while still incorporating a fog machine for aesthetic choices obviously. But if I do still use the fog machine idea, I may have to develop an exterior contraption of some sort as well, such as a clear thin guide that leads the smoke in a flat linear path. My only issue with this is its no longer holographic and is instead just projection onto a clear foggy surface. However I think testing this idea is still good to use as a backup.
Game Questions Camel Up
Madison Hurst
Was it fun?- Camel Up was a really fun game, and I loved the whole concept of it. I thought it was different from a lot of games because you didn’t choose a camel to win. I liked how they used the concept of betting on the camels, like you were watching the Kentucky Derby. It was pretty fun trying to predict which camel would win the leg and trying to see who would win the most money.
What were the player interactions? – The player interactions is not directly affecting each other. I would say the theme of the game is “ best bet wins” in a sense. Every player gets the chance to roll the dice and see what camel moves if that is the action they take during their turn. I would say the only interaction that would affect the other players is how quickly someone picks up a bet card for camel, which would lessen the amount of coins the following person would get if they bet on that same camel.
How long did it take to learn?- We ended up watching a quick 8-minute video about how to play Camel Up, and briefly read over the directions. I would say it took about 15 minutes and around the end of the first leg to fully understand the game.
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? – The most frustrating part about the game was only having one action on your turn. For instance, I couldn’t place a bet and roll the dice to see which camel moved up on the space. Though I can see why there was only one action, because they came could’ve been a lot faster or too easy.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? – My favorite moment of the game was the aftermath of placing a bet and winning. I really enjoyed reading the game and seeing which camel was more likely to win or get second place. I also didn’t mind the twist of the crazy camels going the other way in order to make the game more unpredictable.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? – One thing I wanted to do but couldn’t was place multiple bets in one action. I wanted to place two bets at once to possibly benefit me, but I couldn’t and had to wait a whole round. When it came back to my turn, either the reward of that bet decreased in value or the leg ended.
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 love to change the value of the betting cards and increase them. I think it would add more risk and reward to this game. I think I was rash with betting at some points because the risk/reward wasn’t high enough. The other thing I would change is something with the rogue camels, and making them more of an issue.
Is this a game you would play again? Yes , I would play this game again because it was super fun and I enjoyed the concept of it. I am not into any type of betting games, but I like this game because it’s not actually an issue, and it’s fun. I really loved reading the game and trying to see what cards to bet. I also loved the design of the board game and the camels.
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
In the first act of the game, every player is figuring out how to play and what cards, tokens, and dice mean. Everyone is not reading the game as quickly or to their full extent because we were still learning. I think the only part that everyone struggled to grasp was the player they chose and what bet they placed.
In the second act, everyone now understands the game, and we are in the second leg of the race. Bets are being placed, and we are starting to see which camel is taking the lead. In this case, this was the blue camel by far (ended up winning the race). Players are taking cards to see who is going to win the leg, and we are rolling the dice to see which camel is going to move. This is the act that the majority of the game is in, and things start to heat up as we close out the game.
The third act is when final bets are made and players are placing their player cards on the final winners/losers. I was rolling the dice and reading the other camel’s spots, and seeing which cards to bet in order to get the most amount of coins. The ending of the game is when the first camel crosses the line, and this is when all bets are final. Each player will count up how many coins they won/lost. The person with the most coins wins!
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?- This game is a competitive game and not much of a collaborative one. The competitive side of the game was fighting for the highest betting cards and trying to get as many coins as possible in order to win. The collaborative side of the game was that every player had the chance to benefit from the same camel. There wasn’t a camel that any player couldn’t bet on.
What is the game’s metaphor, and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?- The theme of the game is a desert camel race, where the player is a spectator and betting on which camel will win. The mechanics of this game are the ability to stack camels and how they affect which camel is in 1st or 2nd place. There are rogue camels that affect where the camels are placed on the board. Moreover, the pyramid dice rolling plays a factor as a mechanical part of the game because there is uncertainty and randomness in it, which can either push the camels to the lead or not even move a space.
5 Themed Game Ideas (Ghosts)
I decided that my theme will be Ghosts.
- “The Haunt” is a board game in which players must compete to posses a human and escape a house of trapped souls using strategies to learn their victim’s identity.
- “Ghost hunters” is a card game where players must evade capture by world renowned ghost hunters using the tools they come across to win.
- “Spirit’s Revenge” is a collaborative board game where players collaborate to hunt down a mysterious and elusive spirit using the clues found around the location.
- “Battle of the Boos” is a strategy game where players compete to be the head of the house using the clues of this opponents identities.
- “Ghost Stories” is a card game where players must compete by building the best ghost story using the cards they draw and pass to others.
5 game ideas that revolve around the theme of collecting
- The Barista’s Brew is a puzzle/time management game in which the baristas collect all the necessary ingredients and techniques to craft the ultimate gourmet coffee by using an organized inventory system, a variety of grinders and brewing machines, and a customer order list.
- The Cure for Common Nonsense is a collaborative deduction game in which a group of scientists work together to collect “Clue” cards to develop a “Cure” for an illogical and growing problem (ex. “The Case of the Talking Teapots”) by using a hand of “Trait” cards to make the most logical (or illogical) argument to persuade their teammates.
- The Alchemist’s Collection is a cooperative puzzle game in which a team of alchemists work together to collect a set of five matching magical ingredients to complete a powerful potion by using a hand of color-coded “Ingredient” cards and a hidden role (ex. The Herbalist, The Scribe) to perform actions and prevent a disaster.
- Ghostly Gala is a party/memory game in which teams of players compete to collect a complete set of Ghostly Guests by matching their hidden identities to their haunted pasts by using a series of question cards, deduction skills, and a shared memory board to track their progress.
- The Great Costume Seance is a collaborative deduction game in which a team of trick-or-treaters work together to collect and correctly match a Major Arcana Costume Card (ex. The Empress/Witch, The Fool/Clown) to its corresponding “Meaning Token” by using a series of Minor Arcana cards as clues drawn from the deck and a six-sided die roll to restrict how many clues they can reveal per turn.
Andrew H Citadel/King of Tokyo Play test Questions
Playtest Questions: Catan
Catan is a board game in which players build roads, settlements, and cities to help reach 10 victory points by using dice rolls, currency gained by owning settlements and cities, and using development cards to one’s advantage.
- Was it fun?
Catan was very fun. I was honed in on expanding my settlement and gathering resources.
- What were the player interactions?
Player interactions included collecting resources according to the number rolled, buying buildings or development cards, trading with other players, robbing other players, and getting robbed by other players.
- How long did it take to learn?
It surprisingly only took about 10-15 minutes to learn. It seemed like a lot at first since the setup took a good bit of time.
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
The most frustrating aspect was when multiple dice rolls in a row granted me nothing in resources.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
My favorite aspect was being able to rob other players and hinder how many resources they would get in future turns.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
I wanted to play my development cards in the same turn I bought them in.
- 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 the ability to play your development cards in the same turn you bought them in.
- Is this a game you would play again?
I would 100% play Catan again. The game feels like it can have thousands of outcomes, which means every game will be unique. Each game would also be unique since the numbers that are placed on the board are random, so your strategy from one game could be wildly different than the next. I got really into building my settlement to be the strongest it could be.
Game Response Questions – King of Tokyo
- Was it fun?
- I thought the game was fun, but I didn’t like it as much as the other games I played. I think I am starting to gravitate slowly to games that favor playing with cards.
- What were the player interactions?
- The player interactions were between being inside or outside of Tokyo which all depended on how the attacks were placed on people and how their own strategies affected their game.
- How long did it take to learn?
- It took us 5 minutes total, simply because we had Ames playing who knew what to do.
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
- The most frustrating moment of the game was playing the game in terms of health as my strategy to win, but I was beaten to the punch, losing by energy points.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
- My favorite moment was thinking I could win simply by keeping my health up while depleting others’. Also, not a big fan of the rules inside of Tokyo, felt like I never made it there.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
- One thing that I wanted to do was take away people’s energy points or steal energy points.
- 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 make a smaller deck of cards and make one card where people could wipe out their other opponents’ energy points or an if then statement card to help players who are playing the health strat gain more energy points.
- Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
- I would not play this game again simply because it wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped for. The game wasn’t rage baiting me, so it was a bust lol. Yeah, I really like a game that starts arguments, and I just didn’t get that from this game. I want a game to start WWIII.
- Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
- The beginning of the game, being the setup of monsters having a central conflict, starts the game. The players are discovering the theme and mechanics being put into this world. The introduction of the attack card is where the real game begins. Then the bulk of the game is the most engaging because the stakes grow as you’re forced to choose between collecting coins and building, or collecting coins to destroy others while collecting energy cubes and trying not to die. Lastly, there is the dramatic ending as monsters race to 20 points without dying.
- What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
- More coercion and manipulation than collaboration in the sense that you can convince someone to go into Tokyo, then absolutely obliterate them with attacks. In the competitive aspect, it truly is every man for themselves because how can you roll and get lucky without rolling something good but not knowing it, then getting crushed because on your final roll, you get screwed.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
- The metaphor/narrative is to keep the monsters in check and get them to take each other down, and be the sole monster to take over Tokyo. The genius mechanic of this game was the dice roll limit being 3, because it gives the player more options and allows them to choose the best play for them.
Game Response Questions – Citadel
- Was it fun?
- I actually really enjoyed this game, though it was intimidating at first as far as directions go. I would go out and get this game myself to play simply because I like the strategy each character card gets.
- What were the player interactions?
- The player interactions were between different warlords and any other player, as well as being the assassin and killing people you know are in the game.
- How long did it take to learn?
- Overall, I believe it took us 20 minutes total, including all the questions we had to ask ChatGPT to break down, because sometimes we were confused by the rule book and this just broke it down into understandable chunks: link to find out all what we asked ChatGPT
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
- The most frustrating moment of the game was honestly figuring out how to play, but once we got in the swing of it went by. Other than arguing on the steps for the game. We made it a big deal by playing the steps in order.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
- My favorite moment was watching the other players not realize what good cards were in the pile and being the second or third to play, because then I could gauge what other players had as cards and simply by the pattern of what they normally chose.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
- One thing that I wanted to do was give more option to chose the king card because it was being hogged by the same people, so a little more rotation.
- 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 make it clear that the order of a player’s action be very specific because we all got too excited and we may have played illegally.
- Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why
- I would definitely play this game again I really enjoyed the not know and plotting as well as the process of elimination of the game. This is very engaging and made me feel smart.
- Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.
- The beginning of the game is the setup of the board. Players learn the rotation of character cards and how each card affects the other players, as well as building their empire. Then the second stage is the struggle of deducing who has what card and how you can use your player to your advantage by just collecting coins to purchase or destroy others. Lastly, the push for victory can easily be described as what strategy are you gonna use to win, is it taking down others, or does it involve?
- What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?
- This game is most definitely on the competitive side, being that there is a little bit of teamwork in taking other people down, but also it can quickly change to every man for themselves when the character cards get changed and then it gets ugly.
- What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?
- The game’s metaphor/narrative is building up your kingdom to the best ability using your power to complete the building of your kingdom. The biggest standout mechanic, which I think should be emphasised and could make or break a player, is the order in which the player completes their turn. They should’ve emphasised that you do basic actions FIRST before character actions.
Game Response – Camel Up
Camel Back is a chance-based betting game in which players accumulate money by racing camels around a track by rolling dice that are color coordinated to the respective camels.
Was it fun? Yes, it was a chill fun
What were the player interactions? Not too much collaboration but we still interacted in a sense of gauging what other players would do to anticipate the betting
How long did it take to learn? Mmm 15-20 mins maybe
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? It really wasn’t too frustrating
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? Not having control of the camels was actually a very interesting aspect of the game – just watching them do their thing by chance was fun and then betting with no actual stakes, honestly it felt a lot like Clue but obviously a few different mechanics which made it move easier
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Not that I can think of no it just sorta worked out
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Maybe make the game setup a little easier, it was tricky figuring out where everything went, there were too many different cards that some didn’t seem to matter too much, making them mean more or taking them out completely would be best
Is this a game you would play again? Yes, it was cute and easy and fun
Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The setup was definitely one and giving the camels their first moves, then every leg of the race was part of act 2 and act 3 began when people started betting on the total winner of the race when the camels got closer to the finish line
What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Not really collaborative except for the fact you just have to pay attention to what everyone else is doing, competitive because we are all trying to get as much money as we can by ourselves, there weren’t any teams or anything
What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The camel metaphor was very fun – having so many different ways to earn money was very well thought out especially the betting cards and having several legs of the race available
Bug Themed Ideas
AI Generated Mockups – Fester (originally micro myriad)
