I fixed it “real good”, the last play-test was a disaster. I felt sorry for the play-testers who suffered through this last version of this game. I made a few last minute changes which streamlined the rules, but the precariously balanced energy economy took a turn for the worst. One player, just couldn’t get his engine (his Web) going well enough to accomplish anything. The other player slipped into a state of economic decline which was impossible to climb out of. I had to call it quits early to relieve them of their suffering. That was just one of the problems.
Aside from the broken economy, one of the underlying premises of the game was simply wrong. The game was intended to induce great economic swings, pushing a player between feast and famine which triggered certain automatic events, resulting in even more changes to the economic state . This boomerang effect rarely happened, and when the players actually wanted feast or famine, it was very hard to accomplish intentionally. This resulted in a boring game where players were often financially struggling, and would occasionally get beat up by the game. The few rewards the game gave out seemed random and the players didn’t have enough decisions which drove the game forward. Looking back, this was just a bad idea. What was I thinking?
If you were very familiar with the subtle economics of the game and played it a certain way, it could be fun. In real life, however, the game would likely end up in the trash can or be pitched off a roof long before anybody mastered the games many quirks. It’s time to dump the see-saw, semi-automatic, and often abusive economic system. Players just want to build webs and do what spiders do.
One thematic disconnect which the play-testers didn’t really complain about, but I had issues with was the baiting of the webs. Spiders aren’t fishing, they don’t put bait out to attract bugs. They go where the bugs are and try to snare them in their webs. The new version resolves this, and eliminates the awkward and fiddly mechanism of placing out bait tiles as well. The bug-hit areas are now distributed around the board, and the spiders have to expand their webs to to surround them. These special areas constantly accumulate bugs, enticing the spiders to compete over them.
One play-tester was not happy with the energy economy in any form. He was expecting more of a tile-laying puzzle, which is implied by the use of spider webs in the game. I think he might have been dissuaded more by the perceived scarcity of energy than the economy itself. Perceived scarcity, consumes much of a player’s cognitive bandwidth and can cause players to subconsciously fixate on the scarce item. This can result in overlooked opportunities, poor decisions and feeling that you don’t have enough player agency. Giving everyone more opportunities to overcome periodic scarcity and providing more potential abundance should overcome the extreme scarcity issues. This is addressed in the latest version.
As far as the game having an economic element goes, I believe that this accurately portrays a spiders life. Spinning a web, patiently waiting for bugs, and trying to capture enough food to make it another day is basically an exercise in energy economics. In times of abundance spiders will procreate. In times of famine, they conserve energy and try to make it to the next meal. It’s tough being a spider.
One feature that I’ve been wanting to implement is the greater use of different spider personas. Players can now decide which spider they will be at the beginning of the game and add additional spiders to their web with unique abilities. Asymmetry is always a nice feature to have in a game.
In this latest version (8d) I have eliminated the tight economic constraints, eliminated some of the awkward mechanics, and given the players more choices which drive the game forward. In other words, I’ve let go of the reins. Hopefully the game will stay on track and not end up in a heap on the side of the road. Fingers crossed.
Feel free to check out the latest virtual prototype in Tabletop Simulator. If it works out, I will start working on a proper set of rules. Drop me a line if you want me to guide you through it or play a game with you.
Comments are always welcome, whether it’s a shout-out, a compliment on my ingenious insights, or a even a crack about me being completely bonkers. I would love to hear any feedback.
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