Tag: Game Design

Chaos Reigns in Arachnid Land

2022-04-04 / / 0 Comments
Arachnid Board Game v18 by RogerDogerGames

I’ve always enjoyed a little chaos in my games, and I also like simultaneous play. These two things are tricky to pull off in a board game, but I think I’ve done it. The new action selection board for Arachnid is shown above, and it seems to work well in initial testing. I guess I should start at the beginning.

The earlier designs of Arachnid (Versions 16 and 17) had been switched to cooperative mode which eliminated many of the problems of politics and the boring “tit for tat” play of the competitive mode. This, however, introduced a whole set of new problems specific to co-op games. Certain bits of the game were fun but the game lacked an overall purpose and cohesive theme. I was at a loss for words when a game developer asked what the hook was. Just being a spider wasn’t enough and the game was going nowhere fast unless I could pull it all together. I finally came up with a juicy theme and a “Raison D’Etre” for the game, with a little help from my wife who likes to vacuum up spiders and bugs.

Arachnid is about a group of spiders living in a nuclear missile silo. Through being exposed to radiation, they have gained intelligence and are working together to expand their web and gather the keys to the “Red Beacon” (Launch Button). This will bring on Armageddon and the new age of Arachnid. Meanwhile, there are a number of “Critters” constantly invading the web in ever increasing numbers. An ominous whirring is getting louder and louder as well, which is Molly the cleaning lady vacuuming up the dust and cob-webs in the silo. Will the spiders gather the keys and hit the launch button before molly sucks up the spiders in a in a horrible “Hoover-geddon”? You’ll have to try the game and see for yourself.

The spiders must perform various spider actions like building the web, reinforcing it to capture food, gathering the food and fending off the “Critters”. This was originally done with cards placed on an action conveyor, which is explained in an earlier post. This puzzle didn’t mesh well with the action on the main board and severely detracted from the theme. It also failed miserably with 4 players. It had to be discarded from this game and replaced with something more streamlined so players can concentrate on the gameplay on the main board. There were a few conditions that had to be satisfied with this new mechanism:

  • It had to be streamlined and simple
  • It had to be expandable and flexible
  • Players had to have well defined roles
  • Player roles needed to be customizable
  • Players needed a clear direction to avoid confusion
  • It would be great if simultaneous play were possible.

I decided on a shared action pool. Players each have their own colored actions which are played on their own cards. There were also some shared tokens and shared actions which provided some flexibility. Players can also purchase more action tokens or action cards which enhance their abilities. The pool has a default order of actions which can be overridden when necessary by the players when certain actions have to be played in a specific order. This may sound a little wishy washy but it actually worked. In fact, the last playtest resulted in the players playing simultaneously in the second half of the game. It happened naturally and it appears that the game may even go faster with more players that with just two. I have no idea how to write rules for this player behavior which seemed to organically come about during gameplay. I hope it wasn’t just a fluke, and that this chaotic behavior will remain a big part of my game. Only time and more playtesting will tell.

A cool Mechanism in Search for a Game

2022-03-30 / / 1 Comment
Arachnid version 17 Cooperative

This is a super cool card based, action selection mechanism. Cards are selected by players (or drawn from a deck) and placed on a conveyor. They each represent a action that a player can perform by placing their pawn on them. Each card represents an action with three different variations which increase in strength from left to right. The position on the conveyor will determine which specific action variant can be activated, as indicated by the arrows above the card. After an action is performed by a player, the card is removed from the conveyor, the remaining cards slide down to fill the empty spots, and new cards are added to the conveyor.

In the version shown above, there is an alternate action indicated by the circle in the centre of the card, which can be chosen instead of the main card action. The topmost positions can be activated but they will require two player tokens as well as additional resources in the top-most space.

In a Cooperative game, this makes for an interesting puzzle where the cards get cheaper to use and gain in power as they stay on the conveyor. Players can plan ahead by placing cards they might need on a later turn, but may have to pay a high price or perform a weaker action if they have to use the cards earlier than expected. I’ve also tried a simpler version of this in a competitive game which worked but didn’t quite fit with the game. Below is an image of the single player board.

Arachnid version 12 Player Board

Unfortunately, this mechanism just didn’t work with the Arachnid game. The main game is a tile laying and tactical skirmish game but the card conveyor impedes the game play more than it challenges the players. The two different puzzles just don’t seem to mesh. I had to remove this mechanism and replace it with an action point system with upgradable and expandable action spaces. This simple action efficiency system should help the game flow much smoother.

The mechanism isn’t lost forever because it is way too cool to throw away. I’m sure I can use this in a future game where it might fit just right. If you know of a game where a system like this is used, or you would like to use this in your own game, I would love to hear more about it. Comments are welcome.

Arachnid gets a Reboot

2021-08-17 / / 0 Comments

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I thought I was at the tweaking stage of this game, but when one of the playtesters’ most positive comments is “Well….I didn’t hate it…..” it’s time to take a good look under the hood and start yanking out the bad parts of the game. I know there are really fun bits in this game, but they are currently buried somewhere under  the convoluted, redundant and totally unnecessary mechanisms which should be chucked to the curb like a useless old tire.

I added a programming mechanism to the game, simply because I love programmed actions and I thought that the occasional time that you out-guessed your opponent would be really cool. This hampered the players actions and the structured turns required for the programming, revealing and execution of the actions slowed the game to a snail’s pace. It did much more harm than good…..Into the trash bin it goes!

I have this awful habit of trying to control the players behavior with more rules and constraints. These often go against the natural flow of the game and tend to handcuff the players so they can’t do what they really want to do. I have to remember that, if the game is designed right, it will keep itself on track and often control the players indirectly.

One example of this was the limited abilities of the action cards in this game. One let you “spin” or create a web space, and the other reinforced the frail web spaces to protect them from occasional weather events. I limited these actions to one or two spaces. This handcuffed the players and made them feel that they couldn’t build their webs fast enough. The tight energy economy and the physical limitations of expanding adjacent to the player’s spiders already limited the actions, so the explicit limits were unnecessary. I removed these limits on the cards so the players are free to expand as fast as they want. The limited resources and physical limitations are enough to keep the game in check.

The convoluted turn procedure of placing, programming, and revealing the cards is gone. The players simply play a card and perform an action. This will greatly speed up the game and let the players concentrate on the area control and engine building mechanisms of the game. One of my worst ideas to date was a randomized turn order for each turn. It was supposed to balance out the first player advantage, but all it did was confuse and irritate the players. This was abandoned at the beginning of the play test and replaced with a first player pawn which was passed forward with each turn.

The individual spiders each had a unique ability, but it was unclear exactly when to use it in relation to the action turn order. I eliminated these and moved these abilities to the action cards. This way, each spider has their own small unique set of action cards. This simplifies the rules and enhances the asymmetry of the various spiders.

The expansion of the webs was very slow. Players played cautiously and slowly without taking too many chances. This ended up causing a slow moving and boring experience. One of my playtesters “Bert” suggested providing “bait” spaces on the board, rather than letting the players place the bug baits wherever they wanted. This would incentivise players to expand faster and compete for critical areas. Thanks “Bert”, I have implemented something like this in the latest version.

Last of all, I’ve made a few graphic design improvements to clarify game play and create a more intuitive and cohesive look. All told, I think I’ve increased the play speed of this game at least twofold. This was necessary, in order to make the push-your-luck elements of the game really stand out. They were almost nonexistent in the last version because it was such a slog.

It’s now updated and ready for the next playtest. I hope it goes much smoother and is not just broken in a new and different way. LOL . Fingers crossed, I’ll see you on Tabletop Simulator.

Feel free to comment or just say Hi.

Arachnid Main Page

The Fate Delusion

2021-06-23 / / 1 Comment

“Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”. This is one of the more important quotes that has guided me in life in my later years. We have all heard stories of a single chance meeting or unusual occurrence which has started a chain of events, putting a person on a path which eventually leads to success. Our propensity to eliminate noise makes us see this unbroken path as absolute, rather than a single branch among the scores of possible choices heading off in all directions. Our confirmation bias ensures us that this path was the only path to the ultimate goal. Last but not least, we overlook the mental “Priming” effect which brings this singular event to our attention, and inspires us to act on it. In short, we tend to subscribe to the popular delusion that success is based on fate.

Under closer examination of these success stories, there doesn’t appear to be any consistency in the number of attempts it takes to succeed. Some people have succeeded on what appears to be the first try, while others have only succeeded after a string of failures. This would imply that random events could be what starts a person on the path for success, but in the essence of true randomness, this could take any number of tries, or experiments. We also overlook the years of hard work which is often involved in becoming an “Overnight Success”. I believe that all these stories have one thing in common, a firm focus on success. This mental priming is the key factor.

It is fine to delude ourselves when we are in the safe environment of a Board Game, in fact it is often an important factor, contributing to the fun. The fate delusion is a welcome addition to the “Magic Circle” of the game group. The challenge to game designers, however, is how to employ this to the best effect.

It is critical to “prime” a player in the early part of a game so that they can start off on their path and head in a chosen direction. This can be done with unique character profiles or abilities, proper graphic design clues, a clear game theme, reduced choices in the beginning which expand afterwards, a story-line to follow, and anything else which can create a clear starting point in the players mind and one or more clear directions to head. Once a player is primed to look for certain specific opportunities, and has a clear direction to follow, the designer needs to introduce some choices.

Uncertainty could be introduced by other players actions, causing a player to make a choice and react a certain way. Another common way to induce choice is by introducing random events with cards or dice. However it is done, the players must receive a constant input of decisions to be made, so that they can lay down their path of action. As this decision path becomes more firmly anchored in a player’s mind, the player will be able to peer into the possible future and develop strategies. In the end, the player should be able to see a clear path of action from the beginning to the end of the game. Whether they attribute their victory or loss to fate or skill is completely up to the player and, of course, part of the fun.

Disclaimer…..

I am not an expert, nor am I  successful in publishing games. (Yet!) I am just trying to figure things out and hope you enjoy my occasional rant. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree, or even if you just want to say hi.

Roger Meloche

Sacred Places

2021-06-03 / / 1 Comment
A Peek inside my Game Design Library

This is a list of the most important books in my Game Design library and the reason why they are so important to me. Everybody has their own unique approach to game design and may have their own favorite tomes which they rely on. This is a peek at my personal library.

We’ll start out with the nuts and bolts of game design:

The art of Game design, A book of lenses, by Jesse Schell

This will cover just about everything related to game design. It is a pricey book, but it covers every aspect of design and is well worth it. This is basically the foundation of my game design library and I couldn’t imagine being without it. (3 Squirrels)

Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design, An encyclopedia of Mechanisms by Geoffrey Englestein and Isaac Shalev.

This is a catalog of every common game mechanism used in modern games. A very thorough listing of game mechanisms, which I consider to be the gold standard. Whenever I dream up some hairbrained mechanism, I check in this book to see if somebody has already done it, or something like it. It is also a good reference for when you really need a cool mechanism, or it can be used as a Thesaurus to inspire new ideas which build on earlier practices. (5 Squirrels)

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

This may sound like some type of boring product design book, but in reality it’s about the psychology of design. It covers many topics, like the principles of human interaction, cognition and emotion. It sheds light on how the human mind interacts with the products we design as well as how it processes information and interprets what we encounter as we engage with the devices and systems around us. It also discusses how errors and misinterpretations can occur and how to avoid them. This is a must read for anybody designing anything! (3 Squirrels)

Uncertainty in Games (Playful Thinking) by Greg Costikyan

This book explains how every game requires some type of uncertainty. The uncertainty in chess, for example, lies in the inability to predict exactly how your opponent is going to move. Every game has its own type of uncertainty which is explored in this book. This uncertainty comes in many forms that you may not realize until it’s pointed out to you. (2 Squirrels)

Writing to be understood, What works and why  by Anne Janzer

This is an enlightening guide to writing non-fiction. It has really helped me understand my target audience when writing rules for games. I highly recommend this. (1 Squirrel)

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

This is a fascinating look into how we interpret the world around us. The basic premise is that our thought processes are split between a primitive but necessary automatic level and a more deliberate but much slower conscious and deliberate level. It explains the strengths and shortcomings of each level, and uses these to explain our quirks and behaviors like loss aversion, imprinting, and many other facets of our thinking. If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on inside a game player’s mind, this book can help you find out. (3 Squirrels)

Nudge, By Richard H. Thaler

A compelling look at what drives us to do what we we do. How people, our environment and social pressures guide our decisions. We can use these tools to guide players on a fascinating journey within our games. (3 Squirrels)

The following books are less essential to my design library, but still important. They delve deeper into some topics and provide interesting perspectives. I am glad to have them.

Board Game Design Advice, from the best in the world. By Gabe Barrett

This book asks the same questions to a hundred or so of the top board game designers world wide. It is basically a feel good book. It is nice to know that you aren’t the only one going through the problems you encounter when designing a game. It is also nice to know that there may not be one right answer to a given question. There are many different approaches and many common problems encountered when designing games. It’s nice to hear so many unique perspectives. (2 Squirrels)

Influence by Robert B Cialdini

Have you ever wondered what compels us to do things? This book will explain what drives us to do the things we do for better or worse. It is an expose’ on the influence peddlers, fast talking salespeople, compelling ads and media tricksters which control and exploit us. It is both a safety manual and a “how to guide” on influencing human behavior. This is a must read for people who want to manipulate others for fun… (by Designing Games) (4 Squirrels)

Scarcity, by Sendhil Mullainathan

This book deals with scarcity of resources and how it can have very strong effects on an individual. This is a very powerful effect which can be utilized in board games in many ways. (3 Squirrels)

Predictably Irrational by Dr. Dan Ariely

Another psychology book about how we are such irrational beings. This will also provide insight into game players’ odd and sometimes bizarre behaviors. (3 Squirrels)

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

A peek under the hood of our subconscious mind. It shows how we often make decisions on a subconscious level, then consciously convince ourselves that we were very clever. (Confirmation Bias) It is a guide to the care and feeding and the function of our subconscious mind. It sheds some light on the decisions we make when playing games. (2 Squirrels)

GameTek by Geoffrey Englestein

No library is complete without a few words from Geoff Englestein. This is a collection of his most fascinating topics discussed on the GameTek segment of the Ludology podcast, distilled into one book. A fascinating and informative read. (4 Squirrels)

The Kobold guide to Board Game Design by Mike Seliker

A collection of insights and anecdotes from game designers like Richard Garfeild, Steve Jackson, James Ernest and many more. It’s really fascinating and fun read. (2 Squirrels)

Your Move by Joan Moriarty and Johnathan Kay

A game scholar and a game guru from “Snakes and Lattes board game café in Toronto, team up to discuss the social implications of modern board games. They tackle some controversial topics like colonialism, cultural appropriation and people behaving badly; as well as lighter topics like “That Stupid Free Parking Rule” in monopoly. I really enjoyed this book. (2 Squirrels)

The Game inventors Guidebook by Brian Tinsman

Game design in a nutshell. This is a great beginner’s primer on game design, and was the first book in my game design library. It’s a little outdated, but provides a good overall picture of the game making process. (2 Squirrels)

Winning the Brain Game by Mathew May

A fascinating look at how to overcome the roadblocks to truly creative thinking. A must read for any game designer. (2 Squirrels)

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I would love to hear about the cherished members of your own design library. Please leave a comment to recommend a book or tell me how absolutely right or wrong I am about my current selections.

What’s with all the Squirrels ?