Recent Post – Page 2

Group Noodle(Board Game Blog Post)

Developing the Idea

After the international student BBQ event, out of blue we decided to go Knights Move Café to play some board games. Cloud and Ralph (Ding) wanted to join us too.

Since we arrived earlier than 3 pm, we had to waste some time, We went to a bar and get some beers while we talk about the Ding’s game and Cloud’s ideas.

When we get into the café, we started with settlers of catan, since its very popular and none of us haven’t played it yet. Luckily, we found the game of thrones themed one and start with that. The North Remembers.

It took 45 minutes to start the game…

And Haowei was hungry.

Finally, we started playing and after 2 turns we understand what to do and not to. We found that the trading system was so interesting and well designed. Ding wanted to implement it in his merchants themed game. (maybe)

Our design ideas were floating around, therefore we did not observe the game experience as inspiration process. We just wanted to have fun since we wanted to create a game that people don’t compete, just have fun.

Next game was Secret Hitler. We picked that cause Sercan recommended it while Fey was pitching his idea. We found that it’s hard to set up the game and game experience drastically changes when you play more than 6 people. We were 5 at the time and some game elements was locked to us. We did not like that, specially Haowei hated it since she was very hungry.

We like the undercovered identities and bluffing. Verbal interactions were fun and at the same time complex. But even though rulebooks say at least 5 people to play the game, we did not agree since game time shortens and bluffing can be obvious some time.

We wanted to try some other games but Haowei’s stomach was making funny noises we had to leave to dinner.

TLDR;

The verbal communication on Secret Hitler was addictive, but how could we convert that experience into writing?

In Secret hitler, whole doesn’t unlock when you play small number of players. Since we hated that, we decided on our game would be at least 4 to start.

Turn times can be so long in Settlers of Catan, and can be boring. We decided that we could use a hourglass for every turn, it would alter the creativity and the other players couldn’t plan what they would write on their turn. Everything has to be random and unique as possible.

Crumbles of Prototype

After a long Sunday night of re-writing abstract for our research project (in both classes we formed the same group) we were ready to play some other board games and develop our ideas. We started with Forbidden Island. And this time, we had lunch with Haowei, just to in case the hungry situation happen again.

Since everyone cooperating to escape the island, everyone needs learn what other roles capable of. Since our game will be cooperative, the experience was helpful and interesting. We enjoyed the game very much but in the end we couldn’t survive. WE WERE SO CLOSE OK!

Before we give the keys to Christopher we had a limited time. So we could try a small game. Coup. It has some same aspects of Secret Hitler but the rulebook was so much easy to understand. Even though Coup has more characters to roleplay, it wasn’t hard to understand.

Fey got the idea of ‘’instead of making people write songs, how about we make them write a story on turn based game?’’

Liu and Haowei said that ‘’And players could roleplay as a authors, like Bukowski, Isaac Asimov.’’

We loved the idea and immediately started the research. Our first stop was Dead Poet Society.

“When you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks, consider what you think.”

This quote inspired us. Since we make players roleplay as a authors, they have to think of themselves in author’s body.

And as Oscar Wilde said ‘’“Give a man a mask and he will show you his true face.”

Confabula Rasa

We told our idea to GSND senior student Jack, and he reached out his pocket and recommended Confabula Rasa to us.

In this game, you randomly attach cards to each other and make made up or real words to explain how you died. We tried with 8 people and it really created unique experience.

We decided to put authors stand out from every genre.

Author Lists

Science Fiction – Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Guin 0

Simplicity – Ernest Hemingway -1

Searching for Identity – Paul Auster +1

Philosophy – Pascal mercier

Detective, Crime – Agatha Cristy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Critize, Feminism – Virginia Wolf

Playwriter – Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare

Lao She – dramatist

SECOND IDEA

After the Chris’s and Sercan’s thoughts about the how rules define the whole game design and experience. We think that;

How about we design the game around the one of the best rules ever written in humankind history?

Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Map – 2-4-6-6-4-2, 24 tiles we start with 12 tiles

– map has resources, to complete challenges players has to spend resources total of theirs

– 3 objectives/challenges on the map

– 4 center tiles has to be clear in order to settlement

– 2-4 players

– we need to create ‘chance’ cards for each rule
– ig. If they complete the challenge and changed second rule, every player has to draw 1 chance card after every turn.

Setting:

Place the board and shuffle Patch Notes cards

Object:

4 Character

6 Robots for each character
15 Foods for each character

Resource:

Fuel – black
Metal – gray
Uranium – yellow
Water – light blue

Decision Board

– Players can stay on desired level as long as they want to.
– Players can only choose 2 squares on a level. (they can move blue to red or vice versa)
– After players unlock 2 squares on a level, they have to move on to the next level’s waiting room.
– After moving the END GAME TILE, players can’t use their cards.

Roles

In order the complete their winning conditions, every player needs to reach ‘end game’ first.

Captain (Human): Make sure all humans reach the end game.

A.I (Machine): Make sure no one completes their win conditions.

Survivor (Human): Have four food left when game end

Will Smith (Human): Kill A.I before end game or at the end game.

Set up

Every player gets 15 food cards and 1 decision card (+2 food or +1 robots) and Vote Cards.
After shuffling the Roles cards, every player draws one, never show or say your Role before the all game ends.

Every players starts with 6 robots.
– After role cards distributed, everyone draws 2 cards from ‘’Patch Notes’’ deck.

Rules:

At the begin of the game, players rolls the dice and the biggest goes first to draw the card, the rest follows clockwise.
Player has option to use the card before the start of any turn (except last turn)
Each player consumes 1 food/turn in 1st level, 2 food/turn for 2nd level, and at 3rd level, player rolls d6 dice to see how many food they will consume. Uranium source only available after they reach Level 2.
– Every player can gather Uranium resource twice. If one player would like to Uranium place, they can’t gather resource but they roll the death dice.
Each turn players can chose to move to an adjacent pile. Players can not choose to ‘not to move’.
To gather resources, players need to stay in the same pile. After everyone set up their robots and pawns, every players gets the resource card they have been sitting on. Do not forget that resources are not personal.
Gathered resources are shared but players has do vote to what to do with them.(unlock decision pile, repair robots, etc.) If there is a stalemate in voting, two opposite side rolls, bigger roll wins.
Every turn, only 2 votes can be initiated, if both get rejected, players have to move on to the next turn.
– Players have an option to vote openly, or secretly. If one player wants to vote in discrete all players should respect the decision and vote with their ‘vote’ cards.
Everytime in uranium pile, 2 robots gets broken, players get ill. If players want to heal, the payment is decided by sign on the dice:

If the sign is broken bone, 2 food

If the sign is illness, 1 food

If the sign is death, 3 food

Players can repair broken robots by spending one metal source if other players agree.
Players needs to pay certain amount of resources to unlock ‘decision board’ tiles.
If you players does not have requirements to unlock next decision pile, they have to spend more turn(s) to gather them.
Only food and robot resource is personal.
– Players have to leave one robot to dash(insert robot) tiles, if other player wants to occupy the same tile, player has to put 2 robots to conquer. Previous owners robot(s) gets broken.
– The core of the planet benefit can be used once for every player.
– Players can’t share their personal resources to keep someone alive or help their goal. Or any other instances.
– Player can only hold 3 cards.

Goal:
Try to complete the winning condition challenge on your Role Card.
– Players die if they lose all food or all robots get broken.
Every player needs to reach the ‘end game’ in the decision tree to win

End Game

– Player(Will Smith or AI) who has most robots can choose to kill a player or just skip. Player(any role) who has the most food can choose the save themselves or someone, or skip. Both Killing and Saving targets must chosen secretly, probably written in a paper and reveal at the same time.
(if player with the most food wants to save himself, player doesn’t spend food but if player decided to save another player, they have to spend all their food)

– Reveal the role cards and decide the winner(s), depending on the winning conditions.

First Feedback!

– rules are a little bit difficult (or long) to understand, since they prefer to get explanation directly from designer.
– need to write resource type on card
– need to explain the roles b4 the game starts
– set food as resources / reduce the amount of food
– change the level 2 cards
– balance level 2 decision (4 resources is too much)
– add content in map centre
– set a rule of discussing to choose to save a player or not
– change the rule to 2 water to convert 1 food
– increase the number of “dice” chance cards
– balance the roles and increase the amount of roles, e.g. A.I. is difficult to win, add the number or neutral roles

– for the whole game, the process of gathering resources is not as interesting as the final stage

– players should be encouraged to talk with each other
– some of the decision board combinations are too powerful!
– we need to write cards in order to make people communicate
– Iris did not like the voting system, she said ‘’i do not like the open vote, people can figure out my role depending on which side I’m voting on’’ – she has a point.
– Ralph mentioned that, at the start game did not interest me at all but when we reach level 2, game suddenly became so interesting and fun.
-All players mentioned that, carrying robots on the map with them is pointless!

Second Feedback

– Add in the rules: immune only works for illness and broken bone

– Add in the rules: make it clear that whether chance cards and “+ 2 robots/ foods” can use the effect from decision board.

– Add in the rules: make it clear whether double can be used for center effect

– Add in the rules: make it clear whether everyone does or doesn’t necessarily draw card from each level and how to balance

– Add in the rules: make it clear whether no robot means death

– Add in the rules: make it clear A.I is not human and can it survive without food

– Add in the rules: order of saving and killing people

we may change the amount of food that loses in dice-rolling

– In decision board, need some items to mark “just for once”, otherwise it will be confusing whether the player had used it or not.

– Win conditions should be listed separately since players may forget other characters’ conditions while playing – like Coupe table list

– Redraw decision board

– Players didn’t make full use of center effect

Tips for roles:

Captain: Observe people. Use your cards or influence in votes to prevent other players to stack too much food or robot. At the end game, you want to have the most robots or most food in order to complete your goal.

A.I: If someone getting low on personal resources, use your cards to make that player die quicker or use on other players to bluff your role. Try to spot who is Will Smith and Survivor. With your cards, steal food from Survivor and make sure Will Smith do not stack more robots than you.

Survivor: Depending on your cards draws, you can choose stack robots or food. Try to obtain dash(insert robot) tiles to get extra food or robot. Try to not share your food. Observe other players food resources and try to get highest one at end in order to choose ‘save yourself’ option to complete your goal.

Will Smith: From the beginning, just try to spot who is A.I. Use your cards to make him go low on his personal resources. Or try to get most robots, and convince other ‘human’ players to spend metal to fix YOUR robots.

Cards:

Repair 1 robot for free
Choose one player, both roll the dice and if your result bigger than the player you choose, steal 1 robot
Everyone lose 2 food.(play immediately and draw another card)
The player who has the highest food number, loses 2 food.
Gain 2 food
In Uranium Field, you lose 1 less robot(only for once)
Choose a player make him lose one food or broke one robot
Not lose food for one turn
If you roll death or illness or broken bone, you can choose a person pay the food
Use as much as you want metal to repair robots without voting
Cancel the one of the other players card action.
-1 shared resources(play immediately and draw another card)
If you roll death, illness, broken bone, choose a player to pay double food
Everyone brokes one robot(play immediately and draw another card)
Steal one card from other player
If you have the most broken robot number, repair two robots for free.
Everyone gets 2 food.
Shared resources +1 (play immediately, draw another)
Everyone, Not lose food for one turn
You Draw 2 card, discard one of yours.
Block one players -insert robot- pile benefits for once.
Gain other one of the other players -insert robot- pile benefit for once.
Remove the one of the other players robot from -insert robot- pile. (robot do not gets broken)
Swap all your card(s) with other player. Other player have to discard this.
Make other player discard a card
Choose one player, both roll the dice and if your result bigger than the other player, you steal 2 food

Feedback 3:

A.I. is a little bit difficult to win.
Everyone should get the endpoint on the decision board to win.
Survivor is ez to win.
Players can give food to any other player
Rules needs to be more clear like dividing them into different phrase

We have got the third chance to playtest and get some feedback in Thursday’s class. Every group including the teacher gave us valuable feedback and finally we feel that our game is close to finish.

Since for some of the players it’s the first time to play this game, they don’t understand the rule entirely and Dan gave us the feedback that he didn’t know that to win this game everyone should work together to make it to the final point in the decision board. He got the A.I so he thought his goal is just let everybody die. Indeed we should make the rule more clearly at this point. Besides, some players also mention that maybe it’s too easy for the survivor to win and too difficult for A.I. However, we think that we shouldn’t make every role entirely equal, since we want to give players different experience when they play different roles. So they slightly unbalanced is acceptable, and we feel like definitely we should add more roles to increase the diversity of this game.

In order the complete their winning conditions, every player needs to reach ‘end game’ first.

Captain (Human): Make sure three people alive

A.I (Machine): Make sure no one completes their win conditions.

Survivor (Human): Have four food left when game end

Will Smith (Human): Kill A.I before end game or at the end game.

New roles idea:

Mate (Human): Make sure Captain win

Detective(Human): Identify all the non-human role

Semi-Robot (Machine): Two Human die

Transformer (Machine) : Kill a Human role and let others believe you are that human role

According to the new roles, I think that we may let them discuss each others’ role at the end of the game.

Group Members:

Mustafa Feyyaz Sonbudak

Haowei Yu

Yuxuan Liu

Rules: (also in attached files)

Setting:

Place the board and shuffle Patch Notes cards

Object:

4 Character

6 Robots for each character
15 Foods for each character

Resource:

Fuel – black
Metal – gray
Uranium – yellow
Water – light blue

A.I (Machine): Make sure no one completes their win conditions.

Survivor (Human): Have at least 4 food left when game end.

Will Smith (Human): Kill A.I before end game or at the end game.

Set up

Every player gets 15 food cards and 1 decision card (+2 food or +1 robots) and Vote Cards.
After shuffling the Roles cards, every player draws one, never show or say your Role before the all game ends.

Every players starts with 6 robots.
– After role cards distributed, everyone draws 2 cards from ‘’Patch Notes’’ deck.

Rules:

At the begin of the game, players rolls the dice and the biggest goes first to draw the card, the rest follows clockwise.
Player has option to use the card before the start of any turn (except last turn)
Each player consumes 1 food/turn in 1st level, 2 food/turn for 2nd level, and at 3rd level, player rolls d6 dice to see how many food they will consume. Uranium source only available after they reach Level 2.
– Every player can gather Uranium resource twice. If one player would like to Uranium place, they can’t gather resource but they roll the death dice.
Each turn players can chose to move to an adjacent pile. Players can not choose to ‘not to move’.
To gather resources, players need to stay in the same pile. After everyone set up their robots and pawns, every players gets the resource card they have been sitting on. Do not forget that resources are not personal.
Gathered resources are shared but players has do vote to what to do with them.(unlock decision pile, repair robots, etc.) If there is a stalemate in voting, two opposite side rolls, bigger roll wins.
Every turn, only 2 votes can be initiated, if both get rejected, players have to move on to the next turn.
– Players have an option to vote openly, or secretly. If one player wants to vote in discrete all players should respect the decision and vote with their ‘vote’ cards.
Everytime in uranium pile, 2 robots gets broken, players get ill. If players want to heal, the payment is decided by sign on the dice:

If the sign is broken bone, 2 food

If the sign is illness, 1 food

If the sign is death, 3 food

Players can repair broken robots by spending one metal source if other players agree.
Players needs to pay certain amount of resources to unlock ‘decision board’ tiles.
If you players does not have requirements to unlock next decision pile, they have to spend more turn(s) to gather them.
Only food and robot resource is personal.
– Players have to leave one robot to dash(insert robot) tiles, if other player wants to occupy the same tile, player has to put 2 robots to conquer. Previous owners robot(s) gets broken.
– The core of the planet benefit can be used once for every player.
– Players can’t share their personal resources to keep someone alive or help their goal. Or any other instances.
– Player can only hold 3 cards.

Goal:
Try to complete the winning condition challenge on your Role Card.
– Players die if they lose all food or all robots get broken.
Every player needs to reach the ‘end game’ in the decision tree to win

Yuxuan Liu

Full-Stack Software Engineer && Game Engineer

Group Noodle(Board Game Blog Post)