Game Design Play Test Questions
(8/28/25_Meredith B) Game Test: Fluxx
Play: Fluxx
- Was it fun? Kinda? Some parts were annoying to learn, and the game overall wasn’t too bad, mostly just a big thing of confusion.
- What were the player interactions? Yes, but lots of it was just explaining rules/cards and the confusion behind it
- How long did it take to learn? About 5 minutes to fully understand. However since the rules kept changing due to the gameplay mechanic, the game is always changed, hence constant learning.
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The constant changing of rules made the game mostly confusing due to the exceptions and changes being made all of the time. Almost every turn changes the rules, making the game change constantly, which I personally don’t find fun.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? Nothing in particular honestly, due to the nature of the game it personally felt very mundane the whole time.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? Honestly I would want to keep the rules the same, the changing of goals is cool, but the rules changes are confusing.
- If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? Remove the rules cards, as much as they impact the game, I would make it so you pick the rules, but it can’t constantly change. It would still allow for the weird rules as an option, but would make it a little more understandable.
- Is this a game you would play again? Not really, it’s not engaging and a little too confusing for me, especially for the constant rule changing for me to find enjoyable.
Play Test Question: Flux
Madison Hurst
- What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?- The most frustrating part was the rules and layers of the game.
- What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?- My favorite moment of the game was having the ability to change a rule. For example, we were able to change the number of cards you pulled from 1 to 5 then to 4.
- Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? – I really wanted to take another players card or swap easier with them. They had a card I could’ve used to win.
- 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 remove some of the rules so they didn’t overlap and slow down the game. I would change the game by players/opponents having immediate impacts on other players rather than limiting their card choice or number.
- Is this a game you would play again? – No because I was felt that the directions and rules took way too long to understand. It made the game feel long, and by the time I partially learned it I was mentally disconnected from the game.
Game Design 1 Fluxx Test Questions – Kaelin Hartman
- It takes too long to understand in my opinion and not having a general idea of what your getting into kind of annoys me.
- When the Rules stack up it gets interesting (even though slightly mind boggling)
- There didn’t seem to be a way to easily win honestly, and I wanted to win so I couldn’t do that.
- It wasn’t super captivating somehow so I would want it a little more intriguing somehow – it might have been the design or theme of the game that didn’t really keep me engaged. Also there are too many words on the cards which makes it complicated and a bit boggling to comprehend.
- It would not be my first choice, no. (We didn’t finish so that’s no fun)
Play test Questions – Star Flux
- Starting the game and getting set up first was the most frustrating refiguring out how to play.
- My favorite moment was putting down 2 cards in hand rule but you also had to pick up 5 and play 3 which kept it interesting.
- I wanted to be able to switch up a rule because I picked up a better rule but I had already played so I couldn’t change the rule.
- I would change the theme of the game to something more intriguing to my generation. Possibly would like to see an RMU version or maybe an Minecraft version or Halloween version. This would capture the user in a more relatable and enjoyable way.
- I would play this game again if it was a different more engaging theme.
Case Study: Till Death Do We Part
Short Summary
Till Death Do We Part is a one-hour, narrative-driven murder mystery game where players take on the role of detectives investigating the death of a groom on his wedding day. Designed for group play, players analyze a curated box of immersive evidence—including physical objects, documents, and character interviews—to uncover who committed the murder and why. Intended for adult players and fans of story-rich experiences, the game explores deeper social themes such as empathy, grief, privilege, and truth.
Design Process & Thought Process
Game Design Document (GDD)
- Core Concept: An immersive detective experience driven by evidence-based storytelling.
- Purpose: To foster empathy while exploring power dynamics, emotional depth, and the complexity of truth.
- Rules: Players must go through the provided evidence in order, discuss findings, and make a final deduction using a reveal card.
- Mechanics: Evidence examination, character interviews, group discussion, and narrative deduction.
Iterative Design
The game was fully fleshed out from the beginning, with a clear vision for both story and structure. While the core design remained unchanged, two key improvements were made based on playtesting:
- A player guide was added to clarify the order in which evidence should be reviewed.
- A final “reveal card” was introduced to provide closure and enhance the narrative payoff.
Game Mechanics (Simplified)
- Evidence Analysis: Players examine realistic documents, photos, objects, and text screenshots.
- Character Interviews: Each of the five suspects has a full police transcript revealing personal motives and emotional complexity.
- Group Discussion: A free-flow experience that encourages collaborative interpretation of the facts and stories.
- Final Reveal: A sealed solution card confirms the killer’s identity and motive.
Player Goals
Players aim to determine:
- What killed the groom
- What pieces of evidence point to the answer
- How the pieces of evidence come together to reveal the full story
Victory is achieved when players accurately connect the dots and empathize with the emotional layers behind the crime.
Gameplay Sequence
- Briefing: Players receive a short overview of the murder and are told to examine evidence in order.
- Investigation: Players analyze items including:
- A glass flute
- Wedding invitation and timeline
- Drink menu
- Wedding card
- Three photographs
- Five suspect interviews
- One personal letter
- Screenshots of text messages
- Discussion: The group compares notes, interprets motives, and formulates a theory.
- Reveal: Players open the final card to discover the truth and reflect on their conclusions.
Game Board & Components
There is no game board; instead, the experience is driven by tactile storytelling through evidence. Components include:
- 3 printed photographs
- A glass champagne flute
- A handwritten wedding card
- 5 police interview transcripts (one per suspect)
- A drink menu
- Wedding invitation and schedule
- A personal letter
- Screenshots of character text conversations
- A reveal card for the final solution
These items guide player actions and slowly build a layered, emotional narrative.
Rulebook & Playtesting
Rulebook Sample
A short instruction document is provided to:
- Guide players through evidence in the correct order
- Encourage group discussion and theory-building
- Explain how and when to use the final reveal card
Playtesting Notes
- Players found the experience highly immersive and emotionally engaging.
- The biggest challenge was managing the flow of evidence—solved by adding a clear order-of-play document.
- Players requested and appreciated the addition of the final reveal card for narrative closure.
Game Reflections
Developing Till Death Do We Part confirmed the power of narrative games to evoke empathy and critical thinking. The biggest lesson was in narrative coherence—ensuring every piece of evidence felt intentional and interconnected. Future expansions might explore alternate suspects, branching storylines, or character-driven epilogues to deepen replayability.
‘Fraudocracy!’ by Dillon DeSantis
‘Fraudocracy!’ is a one-on-one political satire card game where players use characters with influence hijack parties and rig power structures. It targets fans of games with social commentary. The game uses 3D-printed tiles, each representing a societal figure and containing directional spike values that dictate their individual ‘influence’. It depends not only on which tiles (characters) you get but also how you play them (offensively or defensively). The person with the most power over a party (purple or green) wins. Through its mechanics, the game satirizes how institutional power is often less about who you are and more about how you position yourself—rewarding manipulation, betrayal, and opportunism as viable paths to dominance.
Over Winter Break, I hyper-fixated on the old game franchise ‘Skylanders’. Within 6 of their games, 5 of them feature a minigame called ‘Skystones’. Stones are based on previously defeated in-game enemies, and feature various spike values encompassing them to represent how much damage they do to adjacent stones. I knew I wanted to make something for Game Design using this concept.
The political portion of the game is more of a manifestation of my emotions than an intentional decision. Not that I regret making this game per say – I don’t – but I most likely would have gone with a different theme had there not been political… ‘events’… that transpired during the start of the semester. I’ve been sitting here for like 30 minutes trying to figure out how to word this section, but I’m sure we all know what I’m referring to.
The first challenge was figuring out how to convey dynamic ownership of a card. In a round of Skystones, one card may have its color changed several times, and I wanted to remain faithful to that. The prototype used double-sided index cards with a “Corrupt” (Bad) side and an “Altruist” (Good) side. The spikes were represented with numeric values. I initially wanted 2 designs for each character – one for each side – and require players to flip cards whenever they gained ownership of them.
The first playtest revealed this wouldn’t be a viable mechanic because, not only did it take extremely long to do each time, it was also difficult to do when cards were placed next to each other. I needed to figure out a new way to represent ownership.
After a lot of thought and discussion, I concluded I’d make additional ‘frame’ pieces to magnetically attach to the cards. This change had the unintentional benefit of making the game even more faithful to its inspiration, as Skystones have a colored outline around them.
So I had a decent idea for a game, that’s good; but how do I even make these pieces? The biggest problem was my desire to make them weighted – something paper/cardboard/posterboard is not. It wasn’t until one class whenever Reese asked me to playtest his game, Invasion, which had used 3D printed pieces. I immediately knew I wanted to do the same, completely ignoring the fact I had never used one or anything remotely similar. I used a browser-based modeling software called Tinkercad to create my first model:
I printed the frame too large. But it’s a start! In fact, it felt weirdly invigorating. If you like cool gadgets and gizmos, I highly recommend watching a 3D printer work in real time; It’s absolutely fascinating. A bit of tweaking and a few days later, I printed my next rendition, this time with a correctly sized frame:
Things were going well! I posted this in a discord server, and a few people were quick to ask “why didn’t you just make a snap-fit piece?”; and with some help from an online friend who knows Blender, they edited my model to integrate a snap-fit frame, saving me money on the originally planned magnets.
Things were going well! The next step was to make about 20 more, each with different spike values. Unfortunately though, Tinkercad wasn’t well-suited for such a project. I briefly tried to teach myself Blender and Blockbench, but gave up quickly. I had hit a roadblock, and on top of that, I got busy with other classes and began to stagnate.
A few weeks later, Professor Ames helped me get the ball rolling again during class. I was busy worrying about the weight or thickness of my piece, and stressed about the process of finishing the game. Ames took my model, shrunk it, filled the bed with copies, and printed 16 tiny prototype pieces. I was honestly confused and reluctant, but I let him do his thing; and in a few hours, they were done:
By printing these, Professor Ames was finally (better late than never) help me understand the importance of looking past aesthetic and focusing on mechanics when in the designing stage. This was eye-opening for me, and unfortunately I cannot effectively communicate the impact at 3am.
With newfound motivation, I jumped in a call with another (different) online friend. He works full-time as an engineer, so being proficient in Fusion360, he was able to help me significantly improve my model. He rounded the spikes and corners, aligned the frame with the piece, sloped the spikes, and so much more. My project was finally starting to feel like a real game.
Next, I needed to make 20 cards with different values, so that my friend could model them with the correct spike amounts. I created a spreadsheet with various figures within society to use for the roster. I needed to design their spike values based on how much ‘influence’ that person has in real life. For example, an Editor has more influence (spikes) than a Protester due to their power to alter the narrative.
A lot of this is going to be a retelling of a long interaction between myself and my friend.
He then sent me the models, and I begun printing them on 2 printers at a time.
While these were printing, I was in the lab working on the instruction manual for the game. I took a new approach, and rather than designing it in Microsoft Word like I did with my previous games (for some reason) – I designed it in Adobe Illustrator. I was able to convert a piece file into a topographic image, and use that to incorporate a visual informative guide. I had a ton of fun and was incredibly happy with the result.
I continued until I had all 20 pieces, and left campus at around 11:30pm that WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WHY DO I ALWAYS DO THIS TO MYSELF ITS 4AM CLASS IS IN 4 HOURS. ahem. anyways. Despite saying I learned about prioritizing mechanics over aesthetics, I didn’t – and then proceeded to work on spray painting my pieces until 2am.
Here’s one of my cats Charlie watching me (he’s very cute):
I can confidentially say this was one of the TWO times in my ENTIRE LIFE that I went to bed feeling excited for school; and the second playtest begun in class the next morning. I wasn’t able to create the character portraits at that time, so I temporarily used sticky notes to convey which figure each card represented. I also had to create a temporary playing board/grid out of cardboard, as players would often misperceive them as puzzle pieces and try to connect them.
We played a few rounds, and I gained a LOT of insight into my game. Most importantly though, I needed a way to hide cards from your opponent, or limit the players hand. Flipping them over didn’t work, since the spikes allowed for players to intentionally leave bad cards for the other player. They were too big and there were too many to hold all 9 in one hand, so we needed something else to hold or hide the cards. Professor Ames gave me the idea to create a machine of sorts which would conceal upcoming cards from the player. I went back to the drawing board, and came up with this:
This was shaping up to be one of my all-time favorite projects, but I still needed the actual characters for the cards. I measured my pieces, opened an Illustrator file, and started shamefully AI-generating portraits for them. I told it to generate characters in an Monopoly/Fallout76 art style, and I can’t say it didn’t deliver.
This stage of the design put the cards through many changes, mostly in name and style.
I printed 2 copies, laminated one, and then cut them out. They fit perfectly, and it was incredibly exciting to start seeing my game properly come to fruition.
Next was the card dispenser. Another call with my friend later, I had one designed; but it had one major problem: it took 18 hours to print.
While that was printing, I headed to class for the 3rd playtest.
Playtest 3 was the most popular (for lack of a better term) playtest. After watching several games unfold, it quickly became clear that the corrupt cards were incredibly overpowered, and desperately needed a nerf.
I had become fully invested, and at this point, I was ordering my own spools of textured filament online to use for my final print. But I needed to go check on my tower print.
It worked, but it also didn’t. On one hand, it printed with very few visual issues, which surprised me. Unfortunately, on the other hand, the measurements and model could’ve been better.
The tube was too wide, which allowed for cards to flip or rotate when they were dropped in. The ramp was not steep enough, meaning cards didn’t slide down to the output slot; which was too low, meaning cards got stuck. As much as I was dreading it, I needed to edit the model and print a new one.
And then I procrastinated and jeopardized the quality of my game. This was quite literally the last picture I took, because I never finished. I printed a few of the final pieces with a marble textured filament, and the frames with holographic filament. I started printing my new tower, which with some tweaking, I was able to shave the print time to 10 hours; except I started too late. I quite literally fumbled the bag, and I had no good excuse.
I learned A LOT from this project. I learned how to use a 3D printer, general maintenance as well as how to load/unload filament; I learned about models, their innerworkings, and several methods of saving time by cutting corners; I learned about the concept of tolerance/clearance, and I was reminded that millimeters exist; I used spray paint for the first time, and set a record for the longest I’ve ever stayed up for a school project; There was probably a lot more that I’m struggling to recall on 3 hours of sleep. I wish I could say this experience taught me not to procrastinate, but I can’t imagine myself ever changing.
Game Idea
Elemental Battle
Game Overview: Players use cards representing the four classical elements—Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—to battle against each other. Each element has strengths and weaknesses, and players must strategically play their cards to defeat their opponent’s cards. The goal is to win the most rounds by having the stronger element in play.
2 to 4 players
Objective – To win the most rounds by defeating your opponents’ cards using elemental strengths and weaknesses.
Card Types
Fire: Beats Earth and Air, but loses to Water.
Water: Beats Fire and Earth, but loses to Air.
Earth: Beats Air and Water, but loses to Fire.
Air: Beats Fire and Water, but loses to Earth.
*Each deck contains an equal number of cards for each element.*
Setup
1. Each player receives a deck of 12 cards (3 Fire, 3 Water, 3 Earth, 3 Air).
2. Shuffle the decks.
3. Decide who goes first by drawing a random card (highest value goes first).
Gameplay
1. Each player draws three cards from their deck to form their hand.
2. On each turn, players simultaneously choose one card from their hand and place it face down.
3. Both players reveal their cards at the same time.
4. The winner of the round is determined based on elemental strengths and weaknesses:
– Fire beats Earth and Air, loses to Water.
– Water beats Fire and Earth, loses to Air.
– Earth beats Air and Water, loses to Fire.
– Air beats Water and Fire, loses to Earth.
5. The winner collects both cards, and a new round begins.
6. After each round, players draw a new card to replace the one they played.
7. If both players play the same element, it’s a tie, and both cards are discarded.
Winning the Game
The game ends when all cards have been played. The player who has the most cards collected is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the highest total number of Fire cards collected wins.
Variations
Power Cards : Add special power cards, such as “Double Attack” or “Shield”, to make the game more complex.
Elemental Combinations: Create dual-element cards “Water + Air” that can attack with the strengths of both elements but can be vulnerable to a wider range of weaknesses.
Play Test #3
Participants: 4 friends who have a more advanced music taste.
Setting: Dorm
What Happened:
- They loved debating which song truly fit the vibe.
- Got competitive and creative, sometimes creating mashups or improvising lyrics.
- Requested a way to “steal” or swap song cards during play.
What I Learned:
- Some advanced players wanted more strategy and interaction.
- The idea of card trades or game twists added energy.
- They wanted deeper scenario prompts “You walk into a dystopian rave run by robots”).
Changes to Consider:
- Introduce special action cards like “Swap a card,” “Steal a win,” or “Play two songs.
- Consider a “Wildcard” card that lets a player pull a random song from a shared playlist.
Play test #2
Participants: Parents (mid-50s), younger brother (17) , Me , Older brother (23)
Setting: Family game night
What Happened:
- Some family members didn’t know newer songs.
- Lots of laughter but also some frustration due to generational gaps in song knowledge.
What I Learned:
- There needs to be a balance between old and new songs.
- Including more universal or well-known tracks would help bridge age differences.
- Having a quick way to play a song snippet (YouTube or Spotify) helped a lot.
Changes to Consider:
- Add QR codes or song snippets in a companion app so players can sample songs they don’t know.
- Make a “Family-Friendly” version with more PG scenarios and songs.
Create genre-based decks ( Classic Rock, Pop Hits, Kids’ Favorites) that players can choose based on group type.
Play test #1
Participants: 5 friends, ages 18-21
Setting: Dorm
What Happened:
- Everyone quickly understood the rules.
- Song choices sparked laughter and discussion.
- People leaned into humor, often choosing ironic or unexpected songs for a breakup scenario like a victory type song .
What I Learned:
- Players enjoyed making ironic or funny choices more than sincere ones.
- Some song cards weren’t recognizable to everyone, which slowed the game down.
- Players wanted a way to “argue” for their song pick or explain why it fits.
Changes to Consider:
- Add an optional 15-second pitch/explanation round where players can defend their choice.
- Create themed expansion decks “Throwbacks” “TikTok Hits” “Love Songs”.
- Add symbols or genres to song cards to help people unfamiliar with a track
- Someone had an idea where you have category scenario cards so they could pick a love, hype, or chill scenario.
It’s A Vibe Rules Set
Objective:
Play the best song to match a scenario. The player with the most points at the end wins!
Setup:
- Shuffle the Song Cards deck and deal 5 cards to each player.
- Place the Scenario Cards deck face down in the center.
- Choose the oldest player to start as the first Vibe Judge.
How to Play a Round:
- Vibe Judge draws the top Scenario Card and reads it aloud.
Example: “You are driving with the windows down on a beautiful summer day” - All other players choose one Song Card from their hand that best matches the scenario and place it face down.
- The Vibe Judge shuffles the submitted cards, then flips them over and reads each song aloud.
- The Vibe Judge selects the song that best matches the vibe. The winning player earns 1 point and becomes the next Vibe Judge.
- Each player draws a new Song Card to maintain 5 in their hand.
Winning the Game:
Play until someone has 7 vibes cards. Or just play for fun with no final score!
Created by: Brady Erdos
Left Behind Final Presentation
Aether Core – Final Project
This Story Based RPG is a wild adventure throughout unknown lands, in which our main protagonist, Osiris, is tasked with finding parts for his crew’s fallen airship, which has found itself crash landed on a plethora of floating islands. Throughout the story, we learn about a race of mechanical beings called the Custodians, who are referred by the townspeople as mecha-men. These mechanical beings have been living underground for centuries, only coming to the surface for maintenance and repairs on the town’s infostructure. For years there has been peace between Mecha-Men and humans; however, ever since the islands split apart from an unknown mysterious reason, the mecha-men have been rising to the surface far more frequently, and far more upset at the humans. However, none of the townspeople truly know why this is, and after listening to their leader, Chancellor Topaz, everyone starts to believe that the mecha-men are just a crazy and violent race of people. After 20 years have passed since the splitting of the islands, tension has gained between the Mecha-Men and the humans; and with the Chancellor still in office, hysteria towards the Mecha-Men has only grown. It is around this time that we find our protagonist stranded on one of the islands from his fallen ship, and when he attempts to find parts, he is also told by townspeople to “take care of” some of the Custodians. After hearing how bad of a race of beings they are, Osiris decides to battle a few Mecha-Men, which inevitably leads him to one of their underground dungeons. Here he discovers the truth. Mecha-Men are suffering now worse than ever, mainly due to the fact that the energy they received from the original island’s core for centuries, is now fragmented into 7 pieces, which in turn makes them weaker. And to make matters worse, we now know that the reason for the core’s splitting, was not a freak occurrence, but rather a deliberate attack taken out on the mecha-men by the Chancellor in an attempt to harness the core’s energy for himself. Now Osiris has a new goal; protect the custodians and fight back against the evil government that has been spreading lies to its people for decades.
After the first playtest, I had to learn how to balance out the difficulty level of the battles, as they were either far too easy or far too hard to win when encountering one. After going into RPG Maker MZ I made tweaks to this aspect of the game’s mechanics, as well as making adjustments on minor details such as character face images which play out for the important characters, as well as adjustments on the map layouts, soundtrack, and dialogue, to make things seem more navigable for the player.
The message I wanted to portray in this game is to never judge others based on another person’s perception of them. We see this heavily in today’s society with politicians spewing lies about entire races of people, labeling them as murderers and rapists, when in reality, life without these said people could make life for everyone else far harder. Overall finding the truth in every situation and having humility for other people, and not judging them before you get to know the entire story is a life lesson that I think everyone should learn.
My next steps with this game is to truly flesh everything out, and have more events such as mini games and especially a boss battle between the crew and the Chancellor. During the final boss battle, I want the chancellor to exhibit his full range of magical powers, as well as morph into a monstrous demon of some sort. Once we defeat the chancellor, Mecha-Men return to their peaceful custodian state of being in which they help out the humans now that the townspeople have learned the truth about the Mecha-Men as a whole, rather than listening to lies spewed by their evil leader.
one of my videos wouldn’t upload but I showed it in class still :/