Tag: Marked

Rule Set 1 

Rule Set 2 

The changes that I made from the first version to this version include:

• adding the pesticide cards as a tangible form to get rid of the bugs
• Making good bug cards worth more since they are so rare in the deck as well as adding more
• Adding a Golden Watering Can card that gives the first player to reach 5 objective cards more points
• Making it 5 cards to trigger the final round instead of 7
• Clarifying some areas of the rules, particularly with discarding cards, the amount of plants you can plant in your garden per turn, and what plant is eaten by a bug
• Adding the option to dig up the plants in your garden 
• Action reminder cards that you can refer to throughout the game
• Incorporated a game board into the rules that would have specific places for the cards so that it doesn’t get confusing 

Future Changes

• Actually design the game board with the different spots for the cards, making the setup easier and adding to the game’s aesthetics
• Maybe add a spot for the bug cards on the player mats
• Get rid of the two face-up bug cards, as it makes it too easy to sabotage and get exactly the bug card you want
• Clarify and simplify the rules further. For instance, clarifying the pesticide rules and that the order you lay down your cards on the player mat doesn’t matter. 
• Design my cards myself, by hand, instead of the placeholder AI generated art (most likely a stippling style, undecided if I would do color or not)
• Add names on the backs of the cards so that the stacks of cards are more easily identifiable or adding the name on the game board itself 
• Add more instructions on the cards themselves (like what happens with a bug card or pesticide card)
• Add point values onto the good bug cards so players don’t just need to refer to the rules
• Maybe have a way to protect certain plants/flowers in your garden
• Maybe rename the plant cards to be flower cards?

Thoughts and Lessons Learned From Playtesting

• I learned a lot from playtesting this game. I realized that there is a need to clarify and simplify some the rules more. I thought I had a pretty solid set of rules until it was playtested and the group didn’t really understand it. 
• Along with that, I also learned that I really needed to distill some of the information for players since the game is complicated with the amount of actions you can take on each turn. This is why I created the action reminder cards.
• I thought that the players generally seemed to have a pretty good time playing this game. The player’s interaction with sabotaging others’ gardens with bugs was a mechanic that players really seemed to like. 
• I would like to continue refining this game at some point, but I likely will do that in the future, but not too much more during this class. I think that it is a pretty solid game idea and I have a lot of the rules and mechanics worked out to the way I want them to be, but I feel as though this isn’t the most original idea for a game. However, I think this game has a lot of potential for the design aspect of it, and I am really really into drawing bugs and plants lately. 

Details and Photos of the Game:

Rules/Photos:

Game when setup

Piece Details

Simple design Iterations

• Prototyping made with cardstock and printer paper. Vibrant colors appeal more to the eye, setting the light-hearted tone of the game. Simple but gets the point across.

Overview of Changes made

• One of the most important changes I made in the game was the implementation of blueprints. Without the blueprints, players would make sloppy pirate ships that did not fit the standard of the instructions. With blueprints, players could align the building materials within the grids of a 3×3 sectioned mat.
• The next change was subtle, but more significant than I thought… I increased the amount of info cards everybody gets, from 1 to 3 (total). With one info card, people had to take turns passing around a single card with small information. Now, players can feel free to keep their own card to themselves for reference.
• Lastly, I added the “captain” role, which allows a separate player from the crew to judge which boat suffices. The captain compares the instructions to the final build and determines which boat wins. This role is niche and not required, but necessary in establishing order, preventing petty arguments.

Overview of Changes to make

• I’d say if I kept the game going, I would decorate/fix up the building instructions, because some things aren’t exactly clear. Additionally, I would have to make the same arrangements with the game rules.
• More pieces. More things to build upon the ship to make the game more challenging. Potential things such as a cannon, barrel, or even a treasure chest could make way into the playing experience.
• Some people said that my game was easy. Something that crossed my mind was amping up the difficulty, but I wouldn’t want to make the game ridiculously hard. I have to find a way to maybe implement a sabotage method which would raise the stakes.

Thoughts and Lessons Learned from Playtesting

• One lesson learned during the playtesting phase was maintaining a sense of equality in my game. When I’m designing a playing experience, I must make the game mechanics manageable for everyone to pick up, rather than being a tight skill margin. I’ve noticed that Buccaneer Builders is more for the quick-of-hand, so appealing to everyone’s skill would make for a more successful game.
• Frankly, I must take into consideration that the instructions aren’t what people think they are. To me, everything makes sense in my own wording, but from another viewpoint, something might not add up. This revolves around my game rules, which need to deliver a message neater and quicker.

Alana Tush

Was it fun?

Yes this game was fun, I think it was a little awkward in a classroom setting though, but i think it would thrive at a calm friend gathering.

What were the player interactions?

Accusing each other of being the art robber

How long did it take to learn?

This game was easy to learn, it was very quick

Would you play it again?

I would play this again outside of the classroom setting

Alana Tush

Was it fun?

Yes this game was fun!

What were the player interactions?

The player interactions were reading the riddles to each other and occasionally switching places with another player.

How long did it take to learn?

This game was fairly easy to learn. I was just confused on when you took a chance card, and when you got a riddle card.

Would you play it again?

Yes I would play this again.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The collaborative parts were reading the riddles to eachother, and the competitive parts were making it to the end of the map where the troll is first.

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

I loved the troll guy and the game board was very nice. It matched the rolls vibe perfectly.

Alana Tush

Was it fun?

Yes I really enjoyed this game, you don’t have to think much, so it is a nice game to play while catching up with friends.

What were the player interactions?

I enjoyed when you land on an exclamation mark, you have to challenge one of you opponents by rolling a higher number on the dice or lose a life.

How long did it take to learn?

This game was easy to learn so it didn’t take much time

Would you play it again?

Yes I would play this again!

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

You collaborate with your team member to collect all of the items need for making a birds nest, to a beaver dam. The competitive aspects are challenging your opponents when you land on an exclamation mark, and making it back to the home base to drop off your collected items to build your house.

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

I liked the little game pieces we had to move throughout the game. Maybe in a more developed version, you can make the items than need collecting a more functional piece instead of paper.

I changed the number you have to roll to be successful. Originally you must roll a sum of 1-6; I changed it to 1-8. I also changed the strictness of when you have to drop your treasure and keep diving. I let players choose to stop rolling but stay on their bubble.

I think this game has a fun metaphor that could be fun for a kids game but the mechanics need some work. I think their are a couple of options to do this. Perhaps players must complete 2-3 objectives from their dives. I should also clarify that objectives are not fulfilled until the treasure is brought to the surface. Something to consider could be changing the success of dives depending on the depth of the water. Example. from bubbles 1 to 3, you are successful if you roll a sum of 10. from bubbles 4-6, you are successful if you roll a 1-8… This way, we continue the metaphor and increase the feeling of productivity. I should alter the rules to let divers choose to stop on bubble and end their turn. If they lose a roll, they must swim up and NOT drop their treasure. Perhaps only the treasure from the last “checkpoint” can be brought up? Sorting out these mechanics would need further game tests.

Overall, the game would make a cute kids game that incorporates risk mechanics. However, the mechanics definitely need the most work out of all of my game prototypes.