The play-testing last version of “La Famiglia” went well, but something interesting came up. We were trying to decide exactly which market I was trying to appeal to, and it turned out to be nobody. It’s like that song “Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am…..Stuck in the middle with you….”.
It was much too complicated to appeal to the mass market crowd that plays games like Euchre and Uno, but it didn’t have enough depth for a Hobby Gamer to sink their teeth into. It is very likely to languish in that No-Sale limbo that designers and retailers dread. My choices were to simplify it to the point where it might appeal to the mass market, or ramp up the complexity and player decisions enough to appeal to hobby gamer. I’m afraid I can’t have my cake and eat it too……Or can I ?
I decided to do both. I added more interesting decisions by giving some of the cards special abilities. I also tweaked the “Situation” deck a bit to make it more interesting. This might be enough for the hobby gamer to enjoy.
As far as the mass market gamer goes, the game will be introduced in stages. The base rules will not include the special card abilities. It might be interesting enough for a casual gameer. If the players wish, they can incorporate the special abilities of the cards. If they want to push it to the limit, they can use the situation deck. I’m hoping this multi-layer approach will work. Only time and more play-testing will tell.
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