Games Assignment 4: Game Design and Dvorak

Due Tuesday, March 2

Part I: Questions about Assigned Playing

Complex games often need to introduce their mechanics gradually in order to avoid overwhelming players. List 3 ways in which Star Control II's story mode limits the complexity of the full game at the beginning.
Both Star Control II and Today I Die are sometimes unclear about what the player should do next. Choose an example of such ambiguity from each game, and argue in each case whether the lack of guidance is a strength or a weakness.

Part II: Dvorak Deck Design and Analysis

Decks can be designed and created as a team of two, though the questions should be answered separately by each team member.

Design a Dvorak deck. Dvorak starts with simple rules: start with a hand of 5 cards, and on your turn, draw a card, then play an Action (which goes to the discard pile) and/or a Thing (which stays in front of you). But, like Magic, Cosmic Encounter, Fluxx, or the game Nomic, the beauty of the game is in the fact that each card's instructions can change the rules of the game.

Come up with a theme for your game, and title your game and cards appropriately.

Here is a list of sample names and functions of cards to get you thinking:

(Action) "Cogitate" Draw two cards.
(Action) "Antagonize" Player of your choice must discard two cards.
(Thing) "Library" Draw an extra card each turn.
(Thing) "Cookie Monster" Win the game if you have the Cookies Thing in play.
(Action) "Research" Look through the deck for a Thing, and put it in your hand.
(Action) "Fork" Choose an Action in your hand. Play it twice, then put it in the discard pile.
(Thing) "Monument" This card is worth 6 points. If any player has 30 points, that player wins.
(Action) "Destroy" Move a Thing in play to the discard pile.
(Action) "Reanimate" Take a Thing from the discard pile and put it into play.
(Thing) "Eternal Life" If a card would go to the discard pile, put it into your hand instead.
(Thing) "X-Ray Glasses" You may look at other players' hands.
(Thing) "Battery"
(Thing) "Killer Robot" You may only play this card if you have 3 batteries in play. Each turn, you may send a Thing in play to the discard pile.
(Thing) "Tune Moon" Every time a player speaks instead of sings, that player must discard a Thing in play.
(Thing) "Democratic paralysis" Every time a card is played, if there are at least 3 people in the room, call a vote to determine whether the card has any effect. If it does not win a majority of the votes, it goes to the discard pile.

Rather than including all of these, you might consider concentrating on just a few mechanics that make your cards have more synergy with each other and/or better fit the central theme of your game. For example, if your deck is about the Hundred Years' War, you could have all cards marked Lancaster or York, and make each of these types of cards do nasty things to each other. If your deck uses a mechanic similar to the "Killer Robot" above, consider putting lots of Batteries in the deck and lots of things that require varying numbers of them.

If you decide your game needs any additional rules to start, put them on a card marked the Starting Card. In particular, notice that there's no predefined way to win Dvorak -- that might be a good thing to put on there.

You can also design an asymmetric game with two decks, and have the players draw and discard from them separately.

Please mark each card in your deck with some symbol in a consistent place so that different teams' decks can be told apart. Also consider putting important card information in the upper right corner of each card.

Please turn in your answers to the following questions:

Describe any mechanics or cards you have included in your deck to prevent "blowout games" where one person is winning for most or all of the game.
Report on the results of a playtest session, in which two or more people who were not involved in the design play your game using only your starting card and an explanation of the basic rules of Dvorak. In particular, report on whether they thought the game was fun, balanced (most cards have similar power levels), and accessible (the rules are easy to understand). Report on any changes to the the design you make or plan to make in response to playtesting.
Which card is the most fun, and why? Does it appeal to Timmy, Johnny, Spike, or some other kind of player?
Which card is the most powerful, and why? Does it appeal to Timmy, Johnny, Spike, or some other kind of player?
How does your game present meaningful strategic choices to the player?

You may discuss these questions with your teammate, if you have one, but please write up your answers separately.

For practical purposes, 3x5 cards or decks of normal playing cards work well for making game prototypes; CVS will have both. Grades will be determined by the thoughtfulness of your design and analysis, the originality of your game, and the overall polish and presentation, in roughly that order of importance.

E-mail your answers to the questions for parts I and II to kgold@wellesley.edu, and turn in your deck in class on March 2.

Have fun!