Since group never got the chance to playtest out game in class. I printed out the game board that Alana made and the players cards made by Lauren, and I had a few Co-workers play it. Here are the notes I took during the game:
What questions did your players have?
- How do Reward Tokens work exactly? Some players were unsure about when and how to best use the tokens.
- What happens if we run out of Survivor Tokens? There were questions about what teams could do if they lost all their players early in the game.
- Can we contest the other team’s answers? Some players wanted the option to challenge the opposing team’s answers or question choices.
How quickly did they learn how to play?
- Players generally picked up the game fairly quickly, especially the basic mechanics of answering questions, using tokens, and moving along the board. It took only a few rounds for them to understand the flow of the game and how the strategic elements (like the checkpoints and Survivor Tokens) worked.
What kinds of interactions did the players have?
- Team collaboration: Players worked closely with their teammates, discussing answers and strategizing about when to use Reward Tokens or how to handle the elimination process.
- Friendly competition: There were a lot of fun moments where teams tried to outwit each other, especially around the checkpoint rewards and when players started targeting weaknesses in the other team’s knowledge.
What confused the players?
- Timer pressure: Some players were confused about whether the timer was mandatory and how much time they really had to answer. It led to some rushed decisions.
- Reviving players: Some players weren’t clear on how to revive eliminated teammates using the Reward Tokens and when the best time to do so would be.
- Elimination rules: There was some uncertainty about how teams should handle the loss of Survivor Tokens and whether there were any comeback mechanics once a player was eliminated.
What made players excited?
- Checkpoint rewards: Players were excited by the opportunity to land on checkpoints and get additional rewards, especially when it allowed them to revive a teammate or take an extra turn.
- Comebacks: The ability to revive a player or skip a tough question generated excitement and kept the game feeling dynamic.
- Strategic moments: Players enjoyed moments where they could use Reward Tokens strategically to outsmart the other team, especially when they were behind.
What did your players enjoy doing?
- Discussing answers: Players loved the chance to collaborate and think through the questions together, especially when the answers were tricky.
- Using Reward Tokens: Using the tokens to revive teammates, skip questions, or move extra spaces added a strategic layer that players really enjoyed.
- Advancing on the board: Moving forward and reaching new spaces, especially checkpoints, was a source of excitement and motivation.
Did any aspect of the game frustrate players?
- Elimination process: Losing a Survivor Token and being forced to eliminate a player frustrated some, especially if it happened early in the game. It felt like the game could be over too soon for one team.
- Timer: The timer caused some stress, as players felt rushed to come up with answers, which led to frustration and sometimes poor decisions.
- Imbalance in trivia difficulty: Some players felt that certain trivia questions were either too easy or too difficult, leading to some uneven moments in the game.