Back in July of 2009 I had posted this to Game Design Concepts Forum for the game design course I was taking at the time.
We had to take an older video game and translate the rules to be a board game. I didn’t post it here as it is a very simple game. It could also be done with laying tiles into a gridded board.
What has caused me to revisit it though was the new Tron movie and some other games that people have made with light cycles. Using the diecast lightcycles as models and acetate sheets as the trails, this makes it much more visibly interesting. I’m going to have to look at this again with that in mind.
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SNAFU
From INTELLIVISON
Players: 1 or 2
There were 2 main versions of the games (trap or bite) with 16 variations of these on the cartridge. You (and up to 1 other) could control a head that would either create a trail that you would use to block your opponent’s trail to force them into a collision [very similar to the lightcycles in Tron] or in the bite version would try and nibble away at the opponent’s tail. In addition to the two trails that could be player-controlled, there were also an optional two trails that were computer controlled.
I will do the trap version.
The game board is 37 squares across by 21 squares down. In the prototype this is very easily drawn out on a piece of paper and photocopied for the trap games.
In trap games, the trails are represented by marking in the squares with colored pens (crayons/markers) in the variants where the trails remain after a collision. In the variants were the trails disappear after collisions, you could use erasable pencils (or marking in letters for the different-colored trails and erasing the appropriate ones.) Alternatively, you can draw the grid on a dry-erase board and use dry-erase markers for the trails.
You would also need a 6-sided dice.
Game:
The four starting spots are as follows:
The green trail starts 19 in and 5 down. This is optional and game controlled.
The red trail starts 6 in and 11 down. This can be a player controlled trail.
The blue trail starts 32 in and 11 down. This can be a player controlled trail.
The yellow trail starts 19 in and 33 down. This is optional and game controlled.
The basic rules:
1. Each turn fill in a new square attached to the end of your line. (You may not wrap around off end side to the other).
2. If there are no squares for you to add to the end of your line you have a collision and your game ends.
3. If two trails want to enter the same square – both trails roll a dice – with the higher roll getting to add that square first. A tie would mean that both trails have a collision with each other.
4. The last trail still able to play wins.
The game controlled lines always move in a straight line if possible. If doing so would cause a collision, then they move to a random non-colliding space. If they have no valid spaces in which to move, then they have a collision.
The starting direction is decided by rolling d6. If diagonal lines are allowed, then a second roll is needed - 1-3 diagonal, 4-6 non-diagonal. If diagonal then roll again - 1 up left, 2 up right, 3 down right, 4 down left, 5-6 roll again. If non-diagonal then roll again - 1 up, 2 right, 3 down, 4 left, 5-6 roll again.
The variant rules:
Players – the red and blue lines are always in play. The variant would allow all four lines to play. [In a board game version – all 4 lines could be player-controlled.]
Movement – all lines only move to adjacent horizontal or vertical spaces. The variant would allow diagonal moves.
Trails – normally the trails remain after collisions. The variant causes the trails to be erased after the trail has a collision.
Obstacles – Obstacles are 2x2 square boxes that are placed on the board. Trails may not move through obstacles. Normally there are no obstacles on the board. The variant allows 5-8 [4+1/2(d6)] obstacles to be placed on the board.
Showing posts with label game design course. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game design course. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Friday, September 4, 2009
Prêt? Allez!
Prêt? Allez!
This game simulates a fencing bout with foils.
Players
2
Components
1 board – representing the piste (or mat on which the bout takes place) and scoring towers.
2 fencer counters – 1 for each player
2 score counters – 1 for each player
1 priority counter [for foil and sabre bouts]
2 decks for each weapon – 1 for each player
Each Foil deck has the following cards:
14 Atack
12 Parry
4 Advance
4 Retreat
4 Lunge
2 Balestra
2 Stop Hit
4 Riposte
2 Beat Attack
2 Feint
Setup
Place the board within reach of both players. Each player takes a fencer counter and places it on the pieste in the third square from their end (the fencers start at opposite ends of the pieste). Each player takes a score counter. Each player takes one of the decks and shuffles it. Each player takes five cards from their deck to form their staring hand. The older player starts with priority and takes the first turn - place the priority counter on the on the board on their side. Decide to how many hits you are playing – 1 to 5. (3 is standard, 5 makes for a long game, 1 is a quick game but gives the advantage to the player starting with priority)
To Win
When a player scores a hit and has reached the number of hits agreed upon at the start of the game, they win.
Rules
At the start of your turn, draw a card from your deck and place it in your hand. Then play a card from your hand. Some cards will allow you to play additional cards as well. There is no limit on the number of cards that you can hold in your hand.
As long as a player has at least 1 card in their hand they may use the ADVANCE or RETREAT card printed on the board instead of playing a card from their hand. Note that the board versions of these cards differ from the actual card versions.
If there are no more cards in your deck to draw you can still play cards from your hand. If you have no more cards in your deck and hand, the only thing you may do is pass – if you have priority you lose it to your opponent. If both players have no cards in both their decks and hands then see Corps-a-corps.
Certain cards (ADVANCE, LUNGE, BALESTRA) allow you to move forward. You may not move on to the same space as your opponent. If you are already adjacent to your opponent, you may not move forward so you may not play an ADVANCE card – including the board ADVANCE card.
If you are at the last space you are unable to retreat off the end of the board without your opponent scoring a hit. You may play a RETREAT card from your hand but you are unable to play the board RETREAT card while on the last space.
If your opponent had played an attack card last turn and you are unable to play a PARRY or RETREAT (including the board RETREAT) then your opponent scores a hit. They may place their hit counter on the board in the bottom spot if it is not on the board yet. If their hit counter is already on the board then they may move it up one spot. Most bouts are usually played until the first player scores three hits although the game may be played to any agreed upon limit between one and five.
If a hit is scored but the agreed upon limit hasn’t been reached, then both players replace their fencer counters to their starting positions. The priority counter goes to the player that was just hit. Both players shuffle their hand, discard pile, and deck together to form their new deck and draw five cards. The player with priority gets to start the new round. Play proceeds as before until someone scores a hit or corps-a-corps is reached.
Corps-a-corps is reached when the bout is at a standstill. Both fencers need to reset. Each player shuffles their discard pile to form their new deck and draw five cards. Priority remains with the player who already has it. The fencing counters need to be moved to be two spaces apart as follows:
a) If the counters are two spaces apart, they remain where they are.
b) If the counters are more than two spaces apart, the counter that is farther from the center is moved forward until it is two spaces away from the other counter.
c) If the counters are one space apart, the counter that is closer to the center is moved back one space.
d) If the counters are adjacent, and neither counter is on the last space, then both counters are moved back one space.
e) If the counters are adjacent, and one counter is on the last space, then the other counter is moved back two spaces.
Cards
The cards all have a quick reference printed on them. A more detailed set of rules is listed below.
The board ADVANCE card – “Move 1 space forward. Discard two cards from your hand and draw two cards.”
You must have at least 1 card in your hand in order to use the board ADVANCE card. If you only have 1 card in your hand you must discard it and draw two cards. If you only have 1 card in your deck you only draw it instead. If you have no cards left in your deck, you do not draw any cards. If you are already adjacent to your opponent, you are unable to play the board ADVANCE card.
The board RETREAT card – “Move 1 space back. Discard your hand and draw 5 cards. Lose priority.”
You must have at least 1 card in your hand in order to use the board RETREAT card. If you are unable to draw the entire 5 cards from your deck, draw as many as you are able. If you have priority you lose it. If your opponent played an attack on their turn, this card avoids that attack. If you are at the last space you may not play the board RETREAT card.
ADVANCE – “Move 1 space forward. Discard 1 to 3 cards and draw the same number to replace them.”
If you already adjacent to your opponent, you may not play ADVANCE. If you are not able to discard at least 1 card from your hand, you are not able to play ADVANCE.
ATTACK – “You must be adjacent to your opponent and have priority to play.”
If you are not adjacent to your opponent, you may not play this card unless another card allows you to play it. If your opponent is unable to avoid this attack then you score a hit. Unless allowed by another card, you must have priority to play an ATTACK card.
BALESTRA – “You may move forward 1 space and play an ATTACK card. Your opponent may not RETREAT from this ATTACK and you may not RETREAT from their ATTACK. You need priority to play.”
You may only play this card if you are 1 space away from or adjacent to your opponent. If you are 1 space away from your opponent, move your fencer counter forward 1 space. You need to play an ATTACK card with BALESTRA in order to play this card. You must have priority in order to play a BALESTRA card. Your opponent may not play a RETREAT or board RETREAT to avoid your attack. If they are able to ATTACK back in response to your attack (by using a RIPOSTE) you are not able to play a RETREAT or board RETREAT to avoid their ATTACK.
BEAT ATTACK – “If your opponent is adjacent and has priority but did not ATTACK, you gain priority and play an ATTACK.”
You may only play this card if you are adjacent to your opponent and they have priority but did not play an ATTACK or FEINT on their last turn. You need to play an ATTACK card with BEAT ATTACK in order to play this card. You gain priority.
FEINT – “Play in place of an ATTACK. This is not a scoring ATTACK.”
If you are adjacent to your opponent and have priority, you play this card. If your opponent is unable to avoid this attack then you do not score a hit. If another card requires you to play an ATTACK card, you may play a FEINT instead.
LUNGE – “You may move forward 1 space. Play an ATTACK card. You need priority to play.”
You may only play this card if you are 1 space away from or adjacent to your opponent. If you are 1 space away from your opponent, move your fencer counter forward 1 space. You need to be able to play an ATTACK card in order to play this card. You must have priority in order to play a LUNGE card.
PARRY – “This card avoids the ATTACK.”
If your opponent played an ATTACK card you may play a PARRY card. You may not play a PARRY card if your opponent did not play an ATTACK (or FEINT) card. This prevents the ATTACK from scoring a hit.
RETREAT – “Move 1 space back. Discard 3 cards and draw to replace them. Lose priority”
If you are unable to discard 3 cards from your hand you may not play this card. If you are unable to draw the entire 3 cards from your deck, draw as many as you are able. If you have priority you lose it. If your opponent played an attack on their turn, this card avoids that attack. If you are at the last space you may still play the RETREAT card but your opponent will score a hit.
RIPOSTE – “Play with a PARRY to gain priority. Play an ATTACK.”
You may only play this card if your opponent played an ATTACK last turn. You need to be adjacent to your opponent in order to play this card. In order to play this card you must also have played a PARRY card this turn and you need to play an ATTACK card with RIPOSTE in order to play this card. You gain priority.
STOP HIT – “If your opponent has priority and moved adjacent but did not ATTACK, play an ATTACK.”
You may not play this card if you have priority. On their last turn, your opponent must have moved adjacent to you and did not play an ATTACK card in order for you to be able to play STOP HIT. You need to play an ATTACK card with STOP HIT in order to play this card. You do not gain priority.
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1 board – representing the piste (or mat on which the bout takes place). The board is in landscape format – 18” wide and 9” high. On each side is the player’s scoring track. The name is on the top of the board, below is the track for the fencing counters. Below this is the indicator for priority. At the bottom is the information on the two movements always available to players without playing a card – Advance and Retreat. The scoring tracks have 5 spaces. The piste is 9 spaces long – with a mark in the third space from each end to denote the starting space (e.g. 1 – 2 – A start – 4 – 5- 6- B start – 8 – 9).
2 fencer counters – 1 for each player. These will be 1.5" square cardboard counters with a picture of a fencer on them. (The deluxe version would have wooden counters that have a fencer printed on both sides)
2 score counters – 1 for each player. These will be 3/4" by 1" cardboard counters. (The deluxe version would have wooden counters)
1 priority counter. This would be a 3/4" by 2" cardboard counter with the word "PRIORITY" superimpsed over a faded foil. (The deluxe version would have a wooden counter with the same printing)
2 decks for each weapon – 1 for each player. These would be standard bridge sized cards in portrait format. The name of the card (ATTACK, PARRY, RIPOSTE, etc) would be in large print across the top one-fifths of the card. The rules for the card would be in the bottom two-fifths of the card. A picture of a fencer performing the action would be in the two-fifths between these. At the bottom of each deck in small print would be a line giving deck to which the card belongs. (eg A - FOIL)
This game simulates a fencing bout with foils.
Players
2
Components
1 board – representing the piste (or mat on which the bout takes place) and scoring towers.
2 fencer counters – 1 for each player
2 score counters – 1 for each player
1 priority counter [for foil and sabre bouts]
2 decks for each weapon – 1 for each player
Each Foil deck has the following cards:
14 Atack
12 Parry
4 Advance
4 Retreat
4 Lunge
2 Balestra
2 Stop Hit
4 Riposte
2 Beat Attack
2 Feint
Setup
Place the board within reach of both players. Each player takes a fencer counter and places it on the pieste in the third square from their end (the fencers start at opposite ends of the pieste). Each player takes a score counter. Each player takes one of the decks and shuffles it. Each player takes five cards from their deck to form their staring hand. The older player starts with priority and takes the first turn - place the priority counter on the on the board on their side. Decide to how many hits you are playing – 1 to 5. (3 is standard, 5 makes for a long game, 1 is a quick game but gives the advantage to the player starting with priority)
To Win
When a player scores a hit and has reached the number of hits agreed upon at the start of the game, they win.
Rules
At the start of your turn, draw a card from your deck and place it in your hand. Then play a card from your hand. Some cards will allow you to play additional cards as well. There is no limit on the number of cards that you can hold in your hand.
As long as a player has at least 1 card in their hand they may use the ADVANCE or RETREAT card printed on the board instead of playing a card from their hand. Note that the board versions of these cards differ from the actual card versions.
If there are no more cards in your deck to draw you can still play cards from your hand. If you have no more cards in your deck and hand, the only thing you may do is pass – if you have priority you lose it to your opponent. If both players have no cards in both their decks and hands then see Corps-a-corps.
Certain cards (ADVANCE, LUNGE, BALESTRA) allow you to move forward. You may not move on to the same space as your opponent. If you are already adjacent to your opponent, you may not move forward so you may not play an ADVANCE card – including the board ADVANCE card.
If you are at the last space you are unable to retreat off the end of the board without your opponent scoring a hit. You may play a RETREAT card from your hand but you are unable to play the board RETREAT card while on the last space.
If your opponent had played an attack card last turn and you are unable to play a PARRY or RETREAT (including the board RETREAT) then your opponent scores a hit. They may place their hit counter on the board in the bottom spot if it is not on the board yet. If their hit counter is already on the board then they may move it up one spot. Most bouts are usually played until the first player scores three hits although the game may be played to any agreed upon limit between one and five.
If a hit is scored but the agreed upon limit hasn’t been reached, then both players replace their fencer counters to their starting positions. The priority counter goes to the player that was just hit. Both players shuffle their hand, discard pile, and deck together to form their new deck and draw five cards. The player with priority gets to start the new round. Play proceeds as before until someone scores a hit or corps-a-corps is reached.
Corps-a-corps is reached when the bout is at a standstill. Both fencers need to reset. Each player shuffles their discard pile to form their new deck and draw five cards. Priority remains with the player who already has it. The fencing counters need to be moved to be two spaces apart as follows:
a) If the counters are two spaces apart, they remain where they are.
b) If the counters are more than two spaces apart, the counter that is farther from the center is moved forward until it is two spaces away from the other counter.
c) If the counters are one space apart, the counter that is closer to the center is moved back one space.
d) If the counters are adjacent, and neither counter is on the last space, then both counters are moved back one space.
e) If the counters are adjacent, and one counter is on the last space, then the other counter is moved back two spaces.
Cards
The cards all have a quick reference printed on them. A more detailed set of rules is listed below.
The board ADVANCE card – “Move 1 space forward. Discard two cards from your hand and draw two cards.”
You must have at least 1 card in your hand in order to use the board ADVANCE card. If you only have 1 card in your hand you must discard it and draw two cards. If you only have 1 card in your deck you only draw it instead. If you have no cards left in your deck, you do not draw any cards. If you are already adjacent to your opponent, you are unable to play the board ADVANCE card.
The board RETREAT card – “Move 1 space back. Discard your hand and draw 5 cards. Lose priority.”
You must have at least 1 card in your hand in order to use the board RETREAT card. If you are unable to draw the entire 5 cards from your deck, draw as many as you are able. If you have priority you lose it. If your opponent played an attack on their turn, this card avoids that attack. If you are at the last space you may not play the board RETREAT card.
ADVANCE – “Move 1 space forward. Discard 1 to 3 cards and draw the same number to replace them.”
If you already adjacent to your opponent, you may not play ADVANCE. If you are not able to discard at least 1 card from your hand, you are not able to play ADVANCE.
ATTACK – “You must be adjacent to your opponent and have priority to play.”
If you are not adjacent to your opponent, you may not play this card unless another card allows you to play it. If your opponent is unable to avoid this attack then you score a hit. Unless allowed by another card, you must have priority to play an ATTACK card.
BALESTRA – “You may move forward 1 space and play an ATTACK card. Your opponent may not RETREAT from this ATTACK and you may not RETREAT from their ATTACK. You need priority to play.”
You may only play this card if you are 1 space away from or adjacent to your opponent. If you are 1 space away from your opponent, move your fencer counter forward 1 space. You need to play an ATTACK card with BALESTRA in order to play this card. You must have priority in order to play a BALESTRA card. Your opponent may not play a RETREAT or board RETREAT to avoid your attack. If they are able to ATTACK back in response to your attack (by using a RIPOSTE) you are not able to play a RETREAT or board RETREAT to avoid their ATTACK.
BEAT ATTACK – “If your opponent is adjacent and has priority but did not ATTACK, you gain priority and play an ATTACK.”
You may only play this card if you are adjacent to your opponent and they have priority but did not play an ATTACK or FEINT on their last turn. You need to play an ATTACK card with BEAT ATTACK in order to play this card. You gain priority.
FEINT – “Play in place of an ATTACK. This is not a scoring ATTACK.”
If you are adjacent to your opponent and have priority, you play this card. If your opponent is unable to avoid this attack then you do not score a hit. If another card requires you to play an ATTACK card, you may play a FEINT instead.
LUNGE – “You may move forward 1 space. Play an ATTACK card. You need priority to play.”
You may only play this card if you are 1 space away from or adjacent to your opponent. If you are 1 space away from your opponent, move your fencer counter forward 1 space. You need to be able to play an ATTACK card in order to play this card. You must have priority in order to play a LUNGE card.
PARRY – “This card avoids the ATTACK.”
If your opponent played an ATTACK card you may play a PARRY card. You may not play a PARRY card if your opponent did not play an ATTACK (or FEINT) card. This prevents the ATTACK from scoring a hit.
RETREAT – “Move 1 space back. Discard 3 cards and draw to replace them. Lose priority”
If you are unable to discard 3 cards from your hand you may not play this card. If you are unable to draw the entire 3 cards from your deck, draw as many as you are able. If you have priority you lose it. If your opponent played an attack on their turn, this card avoids that attack. If you are at the last space you may still play the RETREAT card but your opponent will score a hit.
RIPOSTE – “Play with a PARRY to gain priority. Play an ATTACK.”
You may only play this card if your opponent played an ATTACK last turn. You need to be adjacent to your opponent in order to play this card. In order to play this card you must also have played a PARRY card this turn and you need to play an ATTACK card with RIPOSTE in order to play this card. You gain priority.
STOP HIT – “If your opponent has priority and moved adjacent but did not ATTACK, play an ATTACK.”
You may not play this card if you have priority. On their last turn, your opponent must have moved adjacent to you and did not play an ATTACK card in order for you to be able to play STOP HIT. You need to play an ATTACK card with STOP HIT in order to play this card. You do not gain priority.
- - - -
1 board – representing the piste (or mat on which the bout takes place). The board is in landscape format – 18” wide and 9” high. On each side is the player’s scoring track. The name is on the top of the board, below is the track for the fencing counters. Below this is the indicator for priority. At the bottom is the information on the two movements always available to players without playing a card – Advance and Retreat. The scoring tracks have 5 spaces. The piste is 9 spaces long – with a mark in the third space from each end to denote the starting space (e.g. 1 – 2 – A start – 4 – 5- 6- B start – 8 – 9).
2 fencer counters – 1 for each player. These will be 1.5" square cardboard counters with a picture of a fencer on them. (The deluxe version would have wooden counters that have a fencer printed on both sides)
2 score counters – 1 for each player. These will be 3/4" by 1" cardboard counters. (The deluxe version would have wooden counters)
1 priority counter. This would be a 3/4" by 2" cardboard counter with the word "PRIORITY" superimpsed over a faded foil. (The deluxe version would have a wooden counter with the same printing)
2 decks for each weapon – 1 for each player. These would be standard bridge sized cards in portrait format. The name of the card (ATTACK, PARRY, RIPOSTE, etc) would be in large print across the top one-fifths of the card. The rules for the card would be in the bottom two-fifths of the card. A picture of a fencer performing the action would be in the two-fifths between these. At the bottom of each deck in small print would be a line giving deck to which the card belongs. (eg A - FOIL)
Prêt? Allez! - notes
My game is Prêt? Allez! – which is the standard phrase to restart a bout (basically it means ‘Ready? Go!’)
My game simulates a fencing bout with foils. I had planned to create the rules for all three fencing weapons (foil, sabre, epee) but only managed to get the rules for foils down enough in the time frame. I will continue to work away at the differences for the other two. Since foil is the main weapon most people start with, I decided to pursue the rules for that one first and use that as a basis for the other two. The small target and priority rules do help to translate well to the game format.
I did know about the game En Garde but haven’t played it. I am very familiar with the Highlander CCG though – having been the Canadian National Director for several years. With later expansions to that game though it moved away from actual swordplay and most games became more about the Events and Situations as well as deckbuilding. I wasn’t sure if I could come up with a game that is distinct enough from those two but I feel I was able to achieve this.
I am a big fan of swashbuckling films from when I was a child. Having actually taken fencing, I wanted to make sure the game simulated both the footwork as well as the flurry of attacks and counter-attacks. I also wanted to help expose people to some of the fencing terms from the sport. Of the three weapons, foil is actually my least favorite – with epee being my favorite and sabre as a close second.
My game simulates a fencing bout with foils. I had planned to create the rules for all three fencing weapons (foil, sabre, epee) but only managed to get the rules for foils down enough in the time frame. I will continue to work away at the differences for the other two. Since foil is the main weapon most people start with, I decided to pursue the rules for that one first and use that as a basis for the other two. The small target and priority rules do help to translate well to the game format.
I did know about the game En Garde but haven’t played it. I am very familiar with the Highlander CCG though – having been the Canadian National Director for several years. With later expansions to that game though it moved away from actual swordplay and most games became more about the Events and Situations as well as deckbuilding. I wasn’t sure if I could come up with a game that is distinct enough from those two but I feel I was able to achieve this.
I am a big fan of swashbuckling films from when I was a child. Having actually taken fencing, I wanted to make sure the game simulated both the footwork as well as the flurry of attacks and counter-attacks. I also wanted to help expose people to some of the fencing terms from the sport. Of the three weapons, foil is actually my least favorite – with epee being my favorite and sabre as a close second.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Have at thee!
So our final project is to fully design a game. The challenge part was to not have a roll-and-move mechanic.
My three main ideas to pursue were:
- a spaceship race game - giving energy each turn to speed/shields/weapons. This would involve a board or set of tiles to make various boards. Each player (2-6/8) would control a craft. They would have a control panel that they would have to adjust each turn that would affect how much they could move. They could also assign points to either front or back shields or weapons to try and damage the other crafts.
- a giant robot battle board game (having read a bit of MechWarrior and Battletech - plus being a RoboJox fan). The giant robot game (2 – 4 players) would be a very simple version with the robots having various weapon types and being able to damage each other. Enough damage would render the various weapons inoperable and finally destroy the robot.
- a gladiator-type board game. The Gladiator game (2 – 6 players) would allow you to equip with various weapons that could do different damage. Armor would be minimal. There would also be the capacity to be pitted against animals – lions, tigers, boars, bulls, wolves.
The giant robot and the gladiator are based around similar concepts. With a board for the arena and the players controlling 1 or 2 figures. I was thinking I could use the battle mechanics as a test bed for my Jugger game rules.
I had also toyed with a western gunfight card game (which seemed to play too fast) or a fencing/swordfighting game (but would have to make different from En Garde or Highlander).
After further thought, I decided to pursue the fencing game. It would involve a board for the piste, markers for the fencers, and cards for the target moves. Being forced off the end of the piste would score as would an attack to an area that the opponent couldn’t defend. The various weapons – epee, foil, saber would all have different target areas.
I have solidified the rules, and had a few test games to ensure it works. The game has the flow I was hoping to achieve as well as capturing some of the unique terms (balestra, riposte, etc).
I have focused solely on Foil fencing to start. After the course I will come back to it and finish sabre and epee.
I have arranged some blind testing - I just have to get the rules from my head to fully realized on paper before that can happen though.
My three main ideas to pursue were:
- a spaceship race game - giving energy each turn to speed/shields/weapons. This would involve a board or set of tiles to make various boards. Each player (2-6/8) would control a craft. They would have a control panel that they would have to adjust each turn that would affect how much they could move. They could also assign points to either front or back shields or weapons to try and damage the other crafts.
- a giant robot battle board game (having read a bit of MechWarrior and Battletech - plus being a RoboJox fan). The giant robot game (2 – 4 players) would be a very simple version with the robots having various weapon types and being able to damage each other. Enough damage would render the various weapons inoperable and finally destroy the robot.
- a gladiator-type board game. The Gladiator game (2 – 6 players) would allow you to equip with various weapons that could do different damage. Armor would be minimal. There would also be the capacity to be pitted against animals – lions, tigers, boars, bulls, wolves.
The giant robot and the gladiator are based around similar concepts. With a board for the arena and the players controlling 1 or 2 figures. I was thinking I could use the battle mechanics as a test bed for my Jugger game rules.
I had also toyed with a western gunfight card game (which seemed to play too fast) or a fencing/swordfighting game (but would have to make different from En Garde or Highlander).
After further thought, I decided to pursue the fencing game. It would involve a board for the piste, markers for the fencers, and cards for the target moves. Being forced off the end of the piste would score as would an attack to an area that the opponent couldn’t defend. The various weapons – epee, foil, saber would all have different target areas.
I have solidified the rules, and had a few test games to ensure it works. The game has the flow I was hoping to achieve as well as capturing some of the unique terms (balestra, riposte, etc).
I have focused solely on Foil fencing to start. After the course I will come back to it and finish sabre and epee.
I have arranged some blind testing - I just have to get the rules from my head to fully realized on paper before that can happen though.
Monday, July 20, 2009
My Pet card game
So, for challenge 6 we had a few options of which to do. I went back on forth on which one to do. One was to take the game Risk and modify the rules to advocate world peace. I toyed with this one for a while but couldn’t come up with a set of rules that would still maintain the fun of the game.
I ended up doing the option to create a game that introduces the concept of grief to children. I came up with the following:
For dealing with grief I have designed a card game to deal with the life, and ultimately the death, of a pet. While the deck presented below is set up as a ‘dog’ deck, it would be easy to modify for other pets – cats, fish, hamsters, etc (for shorter lived pets the age cards would be months instead of years).
This can be played as a solo game or as with other children. Each child would have their own deck and take turns playing as below. The decks don’t mix.
The 50 card deck consists of the following cards:
1 Young Pet card – depicting a puppy. Text: ”Young Pet. Start with this card in play.”
1 Adult Pet card – depicting the adult dog. Text: “Adult Pet”
1 Passing/death/better place card – depicting a pleasant afterwards (example – tree on a hill, empty field, sunny day, rainbow, etc). Text: “Passing”
20 age cards – depicting a birthday cake. Text: “Age”
10 play cards – depicting a ball or a stick/Frisbee being thrown. Text: “Play. 1 point”
10 training cards – depicting a leash or a whistle. Text “Training”
1 simple trick card – depicting a begging dog. Text: “Simple Trick: Beg. Needs 1 Training. 2 points”
1 simple trick card – depicting a dog barking. Text: “Simple Trick: Speak. Needs 1 Training. 2 points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog running with a stick in its mouth. Text: “Trick: Fetch. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog walking behind legs. Text: “Trick: Heel. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog lying down. Text: “Trick: Play Dead. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog sitting. Text: “Trick: Stay. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog rolling over. Text: “Trick: Roll Over. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
Rules (for younger children):
Remove the Young Pet, Adult Pet, and Passing cards from the deck and place aside. Shuffle the remaining cards and place the deck face down. Place the Young Pet in front of you and draw 3 cards to start.
The turn sequence:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- You may play one Age card.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- Once you have 10 Age cards in play, change your Pet card to the Adult Pet.
- Once you have 20 Age cards in play, change your Pet card to the Passing card. Add up your Play and Trick cards to see what kind of life your pet had.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
Rules (for older children):
Remove the Young Pet and Adult Pet from the deck and place aside. Shuffle the remaining cards (including the Passing card) and place the deck face down. Place the Young Pet in front of you and draw 5 cards to start.
While the Young Pet is in play:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- You may play one Age card.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- If you draw the Passing card, change your Pet card to the Adult Pet. Place the Passing card in the discard pile, and reshuffle the discards and the remaining cards in the deck together and place the deck face down.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
While the Adult Pet is in play:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- Play any Age cards in your hand.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- If you draw the Passing card, the game ends. Add up your Play and Trick cards to see what kind of life your pet had.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
I ended up doing the option to create a game that introduces the concept of grief to children. I came up with the following:
For dealing with grief I have designed a card game to deal with the life, and ultimately the death, of a pet. While the deck presented below is set up as a ‘dog’ deck, it would be easy to modify for other pets – cats, fish, hamsters, etc (for shorter lived pets the age cards would be months instead of years).
This can be played as a solo game or as with other children. Each child would have their own deck and take turns playing as below. The decks don’t mix.
The 50 card deck consists of the following cards:
1 Young Pet card – depicting a puppy. Text: ”Young Pet. Start with this card in play.”
1 Adult Pet card – depicting the adult dog. Text: “Adult Pet”
1 Passing/death/better place card – depicting a pleasant afterwards (example – tree on a hill, empty field, sunny day, rainbow, etc). Text: “Passing”
20 age cards – depicting a birthday cake. Text: “Age”
10 play cards – depicting a ball or a stick/Frisbee being thrown. Text: “Play. 1 point”
10 training cards – depicting a leash or a whistle. Text “Training”
1 simple trick card – depicting a begging dog. Text: “Simple Trick: Beg. Needs 1 Training. 2 points”
1 simple trick card – depicting a dog barking. Text: “Simple Trick: Speak. Needs 1 Training. 2 points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog running with a stick in its mouth. Text: “Trick: Fetch. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog walking behind legs. Text: “Trick: Heel. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog lying down. Text: “Trick: Play Dead. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog sitting. Text: “Trick: Stay. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
1 trick card – depicting a dog rolling over. Text: “Trick: Roll Over. Needs 2 Training. 3 Points”
Rules (for younger children):
Remove the Young Pet, Adult Pet, and Passing cards from the deck and place aside. Shuffle the remaining cards and place the deck face down. Place the Young Pet in front of you and draw 3 cards to start.
The turn sequence:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- You may play one Age card.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- Once you have 10 Age cards in play, change your Pet card to the Adult Pet.
- Once you have 20 Age cards in play, change your Pet card to the Passing card. Add up your Play and Trick cards to see what kind of life your pet had.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
Rules (for older children):
Remove the Young Pet and Adult Pet from the deck and place aside. Shuffle the remaining cards (including the Passing card) and place the deck face down. Place the Young Pet in front of you and draw 5 cards to start.
While the Young Pet is in play:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- You may play one Age card.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- If you draw the Passing card, change your Pet card to the Adult Pet. Place the Passing card in the discard pile, and reshuffle the discards and the remaining cards in the deck together and place the deck face down.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
While the Adult Pet is in play:
- Draw a card to start your turn.
- Play any Age cards in your hand.
- You may also play one of the following cards. Note that you may not have more scoring cards in play than Age cards.
- Play a Play card.
- Play a Training card.
- If you have enough Training cards in play you may play a Trick card. Discard the needed amount of Training cards from play as are on the Trick card.
- If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard a card. You may not discard an Age card.
- If you draw the Passing card, the game ends. Add up your Play and Trick cards to see what kind of life your pet had.
- The next player may now take a turn or go back to start of the turn if you are playing by yourself.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Amazon - Chapters
So, the book I needed for the Game Design course wasn't in any of the local stores or even the library. I was tempted to order it from Amazon but ended up ordering it from Chapters. I had some concern - as they had a 2-3 week lead time but it came very fast. I had ordered it on June 30 and it had shipped on July 3 and I picked it up on July 10.
I was very impressed with the turn-around time. It had been listed as a hardcover but came in a softcover. The price wasn't too much more that what it would have cost from Amazon after shipping.
Plus Erin was at the counter when I picked it up and she's a real sweetie.
I'm probably going to give them another try for the Sky Galleons of Mars book. I can't find any good deals on ebay with shipping that would be much cheaper than what I could get it for from Chapters.
I was very impressed with the turn-around time. It had been listed as a hardcover but came in a softcover. The price wasn't too much more that what it would have cost from Amazon after shipping.
Plus Erin was at the counter when I picked it up and she's a real sweetie.
I'm probably going to give them another try for the Sky Galleons of Mars book. I can't find any good deals on ebay with shipping that would be much cheaper than what I could get it for from Chapters.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Air Superiority
I'm enjoying the game design course I signed up for.
The first real assignment was to design a World War I game where the primary objective of the players could not be territorial control, or capture/destroy.
Since that would leave out most of the trench warfare, and with my exposure and research I had done for Canvas Eagles, I made an airplane technology game.
Even with the standard caveats, it hasn't been tested enough; it needs more detail; I was rushed - I'm still pretty happy with the mechanics. It expresses the concepts I was trying to get across. Give it a try if you get a chance.
AIR SUPERIORITY
by DKWD
In World War I the ground battle had quickly settled into a locked battle of the trenches. In the air however, the war quickly drove research into the new technology of air warfare.
Goal:
In this two-player game, you have to try and move your technology along in aircraft development while preventing your opponent from doing the same.
Contents:
these rules,
the Technology Chart,
17 counters (9 for each player, and 1 timeline marker),
and some 6-sided dice (up to 10).
Set up:
Decide which side the players Place a counter on the Timeline on Fall 1914. Each player places a counter on their Resource track on the 10 and a counter on the Technology track on the first box.
Game play:
Each turn represents the development in 6 months of the war. Both players’ turns take place simultaneously for each step.
Assign Resources:
Each player’s Resource track will have a marker showing the current value of your country’s resources that they can allot to air superiority.
You can use the resources to buy planes at any of the current levels available to you (at applicable costs) – just move the Plane markers up one for each purchase. Some planes will allow you to make Resource attacks or Dogfights. The starting planes will only allow you to make Resource attacks.
You can also use the remaining resources to purchase rolls on the Research Track. Rolls are purchased at 1 roll per resource – move the Research marker up one per purchase.
Once all your purchases are made, reset your Resource track counter to 10 for the next turn. You can’t save resources from one turn to the next.
Research Roll:
The counter on your Research track indicates the amount of dice to roll to see if you can develop the next level of technology.
If you roll a 6 on any of the dice, you may advance your marker on the Technology track to the next level. You may only advance once per turn regardless of how many 6s you roll.
Once you have rolled all the dice allowed, reset your Research track marker back to 0.
Resource Attacks:
Decide which planes which have the capability to make Resource attacks will be doing so this turn. These planes will not be available for Dogfights this turn.
Starting at Technology level 1, roll for those planes making Resource attacks – the value needed to roll is on the Technology Chart. If you roll the value needed, your opponent has to move his marker on his Resource track down one. If you roll a one your plane is lost – move your plane marker on that Technology level down one.
If you lose a plane of a Technology level higher than your opponent has achieved then they may increase their Research marker by one.
Dogfights:
The remaining planes that are capable of Dogfights and did not make a Resource attack now participate in Dogfights.
Starting at Technology level 1, roll for those planes making Dogfight – the value needed to roll is on the Technology Chart. If you roll the value needed, your opponent has to move one of his plane markers on one of his Technology tracks down one (he must decrease one plane if possible – even if that plane type didn’t participate in Dogfights).
If you roll a one your plane is lost – move your plane marker on that Technology level down one.
If you lose a plane of a Technology level higher than your opponent has achieved then they may increase their Research marker by one.
Advance Timeline:
Advance the marker on the Timeline one level.
When the marker gets moved to Armistice, the game is over. The player who has the highest technological level is the winner. If both players are tied at the same technological level, then the player with the most planes built in the highest technological level would win. (1 level 3 plane would beat 4 level 2 planes).
If it is still tied then the player with the higher Resource level would win a minor victory.
If Armistice is not reached, return to the Assign Resources step.
[The format on these are a bit wonky in this medium - leave enough space between the numbers to use counters]
GERMANY
Resources: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Research: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Technology: Planes
Type 1: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Basic planes – no guns Resource attacks only (6) Cost - 1
Type 2: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Stable planes – no guns Resource attacks only (5-6) Cost - 2
Type 3: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Mounted guns Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (6) Cost - 2
Type 4: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
May shoot through props Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (5-6) Cost - 3
Type 5: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Fighter planes Dogfights only (4-6) Cost - 3
Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Armistice
1914 - 1915 - - 1915 - 1916 - - 1916 - 1917 - - 1917 - 1918 - - 1918 -
BRITAIN
Resources: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Research: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Technology: Planes
Type 1: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Basic planes – no guns Resource attacks only (6) Cost - 1
Type 2: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Stable planes – no guns Resource attacks only (5-6) Cost - 2
Type 3: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Mounted guns Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (6) Cost - 2
Type 4: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
May shoot through props Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (5-6) Cost - 3
Type 5: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Fighter planes Dogfights only (4-6) Cost - 3
The first real assignment was to design a World War I game where the primary objective of the players could not be territorial control, or capture/destroy.
Since that would leave out most of the trench warfare, and with my exposure and research I had done for Canvas Eagles, I made an airplane technology game.
Even with the standard caveats, it hasn't been tested enough; it needs more detail; I was rushed - I'm still pretty happy with the mechanics. It expresses the concepts I was trying to get across. Give it a try if you get a chance.
AIR SUPERIORITY
by DKWD
In World War I the ground battle had quickly settled into a locked battle of the trenches. In the air however, the war quickly drove research into the new technology of air warfare.
Goal:
In this two-player game, you have to try and move your technology along in aircraft development while preventing your opponent from doing the same.
Contents:
these rules,
the Technology Chart,
17 counters (9 for each player, and 1 timeline marker),
and some 6-sided dice (up to 10).
Set up:
Decide which side the players Place a counter on the Timeline on Fall 1914. Each player places a counter on their Resource track on the 10 and a counter on the Technology track on the first box.
Game play:
Each turn represents the development in 6 months of the war. Both players’ turns take place simultaneously for each step.
Assign Resources:
Each player’s Resource track will have a marker showing the current value of your country’s resources that they can allot to air superiority.
You can use the resources to buy planes at any of the current levels available to you (at applicable costs) – just move the Plane markers up one for each purchase. Some planes will allow you to make Resource attacks or Dogfights. The starting planes will only allow you to make Resource attacks.
You can also use the remaining resources to purchase rolls on the Research Track. Rolls are purchased at 1 roll per resource – move the Research marker up one per purchase.
Once all your purchases are made, reset your Resource track counter to 10 for the next turn. You can’t save resources from one turn to the next.
Research Roll:
The counter on your Research track indicates the amount of dice to roll to see if you can develop the next level of technology.
If you roll a 6 on any of the dice, you may advance your marker on the Technology track to the next level. You may only advance once per turn regardless of how many 6s you roll.
Once you have rolled all the dice allowed, reset your Research track marker back to 0.
Resource Attacks:
Decide which planes which have the capability to make Resource attacks will be doing so this turn. These planes will not be available for Dogfights this turn.
Starting at Technology level 1, roll for those planes making Resource attacks – the value needed to roll is on the Technology Chart. If you roll the value needed, your opponent has to move his marker on his Resource track down one. If you roll a one your plane is lost – move your plane marker on that Technology level down one.
If you lose a plane of a Technology level higher than your opponent has achieved then they may increase their Research marker by one.
Dogfights:
The remaining planes that are capable of Dogfights and did not make a Resource attack now participate in Dogfights.
Starting at Technology level 1, roll for those planes making Dogfight – the value needed to roll is on the Technology Chart. If you roll the value needed, your opponent has to move one of his plane markers on one of his Technology tracks down one (he must decrease one plane if possible – even if that plane type didn’t participate in Dogfights).
If you roll a one your plane is lost – move your plane marker on that Technology level down one.
If you lose a plane of a Technology level higher than your opponent has achieved then they may increase their Research marker by one.
Advance Timeline:
Advance the marker on the Timeline one level.
When the marker gets moved to Armistice, the game is over. The player who has the highest technological level is the winner. If both players are tied at the same technological level, then the player with the most planes built in the highest technological level would win. (1 level 3 plane would beat 4 level 2 planes).
If it is still tied then the player with the higher Resource level would win a minor victory.
If Armistice is not reached, return to the Assign Resources step.
[The format on these are a bit wonky in this medium - leave enough space between the numbers to use counters]
GERMANY
Resources: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Research: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Technology: Planes
Type 1: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Basic planes – no guns Resource attacks only (6) Cost - 1
Type 2: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Stable planes – no guns Resource attacks only (5-6) Cost - 2
Type 3: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Mounted guns Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (6) Cost - 2
Type 4: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
May shoot through props Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (5-6) Cost - 3
Type 5: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Fighter planes Dogfights only (4-6) Cost - 3
Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Spring - Fall - Armistice
1914 - 1915 - - 1915 - 1916 - - 1916 - 1917 - - 1917 - 1918 - - 1918 -
BRITAIN
Resources: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Research: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Technology: Planes
Type 1: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Basic planes – no guns Resource attacks only (6) Cost - 1
Type 2: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Stable planes – no guns Resource attacks only (5-6) Cost - 2
Type 3: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Mounted guns Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (6) Cost - 2
Type 4: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
May shoot through props Resource attacks (6) Dogfights (5-6) Cost - 3
Type 5: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10
Fighter planes Dogfights only (4-6) Cost - 3
Friday, June 26, 2009
Summer School for gamers?
Sorry for the late notice - but I just heard about this from Steve Jackson Games.
Game Design Concepts
This is going to be an online course covering the process of making a game from idea generation to prototyping to playtesting. The instructor is Ian Schreiber, who wrote Challenges for Game Designers , and has been teaching game design at Ohio University for a couple years.
The course has no registration fees except for the required text, but classes start on Monday, June 29. Go to the site above and send them an email that you are joining in. If you are intruiged, but don't have the time to commit or don't have the required text, then you can follow along with the lectures on the blog.
Having designed a few small games already, it sounds like it should be pretty interesting. Plus, the book looks like a good buy. I'll let you know when it arrives.
Game Design Concepts
This is going to be an online course covering the process of making a game from idea generation to prototyping to playtesting. The instructor is Ian Schreiber, who wrote Challenges for Game Designers , and has been teaching game design at Ohio University for a couple years.
The course has no registration fees except for the required text, but classes start on Monday, June 29. Go to the site above and send them an email that you are joining in. If you are intruiged, but don't have the time to commit or don't have the required text, then you can follow along with the lectures on the blog.
Having designed a few small games already, it sounds like it should be pretty interesting. Plus, the book looks like a good buy. I'll let you know when it arrives.
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