24/11/11 Board Game Playtest Notes

This is a compilation of notes from the 24/11 Board Game test, unedited. These were taken during play.

BATTLE GLADIATORS FIGHTERS
- Long startup time-- had to create character, lots of rules
- Table was awkward to read
- "Complicated as fuck."
- Combat is poorly explained
- Character create balance needs work- 10 hustle, 10 moves!  (( Turns out the rules were not read thoroughly))

+ Imaginative
+  Love the weapons
+ Lots of personality
+ Quite fun once you get going
+ Combat is balanced


THAIJAN
- Somewhat murky on how to begin and early game
- Doesn't explain movement very well- somewhat imbalanced
- Overlord's action points somewhat murky. Move each player's turn or each Overlord's turn?
- All camps defeated, does the Overlord drop onto the board?

+ Exceptional presentation!
+ Overlord battle works well once figured out
+ Fun combat -- intense dice rolling action!
+ Generally good fun!
+ Intense!


TIME GAME
- Poor organisation
- Poor writing in rules
- Missing content: No enemies?
- What governs the enemies? Stat tables?
- Combat is complex

+ Rules are explanatory, if wordy and somewhat confusing
+ Boards are well-designed
+ Good raw story text
+ Interesting concept

>> Unplayable

Game Layout Chart -- Bejeweled Live Main Menu

A Game Layout Chart is the first proper step in getting a sense of style and identity for your proposed game. This is an example of one, for the first few seconds of what you'll see before jumping into a game of Bejeweled Live on your phone, detailing the main menu interface and the different options and screens the player can go through.

A Layout Chart isn't just for the menus-- flowcharts can be used for many aspects of the game and are an easy way to lay things out, so they're clear to read and understand.

19/10/11 GAME SPACES Concept -- WAKE -- First room rough script

[Wake up]
[Look around]

You wake in a murky room. The floor beneath you is soft, but smells sour and is greasy against your face. You try to move your arms, but you can't-- tight material holds your arms wrapped around your body and you--

[PANIC] [PANIC] [PANIC]

....

...........

......................... ....... ............. ... .............

........... ..... ....

...... .... ..

...

You wake in a murky room. The floor beneath you is soft, but smells sour and is greasy against your face. You try to move your arms, but you can't-- tight material holds your arms wrapped around your body. You take as deep breaths as you can, coming back around. With a grunt, you manage to sit up and observe your surroundings, head throbbing. It's a padded cell. How in the world did you end up here? What... is even your name?

..... ?

You don't remember.

You are in a padded room. It is murky, with a single [LIGHTBULB] swinging overhead-- it is close to going out. There is a closed [DOOR], about three metres away. A [PORTHOLE] is behind you-- you tilt your head back to see it.

What do you do?

[DOOR] [PORTHOLE] [LIGHTBULB]

Door:
>Look >Open >Talk
 L: It's a door.
 O: It opens.
 T: "Really, now, talking to the scenery?"

Porthole:
>Look >Open >Talk
 L: Dim light is filtering in, seemingly from floodlights above. It's too dark to see much more, but rain is beating the circular window. It is bolted tightly into place.
 O: You cannot open it, it is bolted tight.
 T: "Hmm... Even if you could open it, you surely couldn't fit."

Lightbulb:
>Look >Touch >Talk
 L: A single, sparse lightbulb. It sways, like a flickering pendulum.
 T: It is far too high to reach. You can't move your arms... what in the..?
 T: ". . ."

>>The door is now open.

12/10/11 Playtest -- Overview

Gangs of Manhattan

+ Good choice of setting.
+ Good concept- liked the setup of gangs and context.
+ Building territory, good strategy element. Offence/Defence mechanic.

- Startup was slow- how does the game begin? Rules were very unclear and incomplete. Lots of assumptions had to be made as play went on.
- Lots of number crunching. Focus on money, not enough money to make full amount. Numbers didn't add up, not possible to make 1mil in 30 turns.
- Map and Rules were poorly optimised. Lots of place names were missing, required knowledge of the setting in order to make sense of the map and how one moved.


Hunt
+ Engrossing, engaging and damn good fun. Built good sense of friendly competition.
+ Well-paced.
+ Clear goals to gun for.

- Could have done with a list of animals. Dolphin and shark in forest? Is it a rabbit, squirrel, chameleon or a wolf?
- Trap system was poorly-worded.
- Coordinates were confusing. Why was a d6 used when a d8 or d10 could have been used? One side of the board had all the traps.


Who Let the Dogs Out ... Of Hell?
+ Interesting, original concept.
+ That it can be over in several rolls makes for fast pace.
+ High pressure on the escapee builds an atmosphere of urgency.

- Ridiculously unorganised. Missing game pieces (1d6, arrow die) and rules. Had to make a lot of assumptions and take liberties with rules.
- Turned into a 'cheating game'. Who could out-cheat who, in order to win?
- A board game so unfairly skewed in favour of one character/class is unbalanced and unfair. Why play a game you cannot win? No skill is involved, just random numbers, making playing the escapee highly frustrating.

ASTEROIDS -- An Analysis

Never played this classic? Give it a shot over here!

So, what is there to say about it? On the surface and at first glance, there isn't really too much to say, right? 'Alex!', I hear you cry. 'It's just a load of white lines and 'boopboopboopboop' music, some pew pew pew and stuff blowing up!' You're not entirely wrong, but damn it, there's more to it than meets the eye!

What is a Game? What is Play?

GAME

• An activity with rules
• Structured
• Involves defined rules and a goal
• Decision-Making

PLAY

• Not-so-structured
  
• Free
• Spontaneous
• For its own sake