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Digging in the Dirt

Notebook 6-12-12

Adventurers have to dig around a bit before finding what they are looking for and game design, at least for me, is about the same. I'm ok with a long season in the field: good things take time.

I do have a theme: it's a little bit "Forbidden Island", a dash of J.J. Abrams, and a little bit of "The Goonies." No specifics yet especially as the mischievous backstabbing of "Munchkin" has decided to show itself. I'm also playing around with including Indiana Jones knapsack in the game.

It's a little messy.

The one thing I'm immediately confronting is the the strategy vs. luck issue. My first, extremely rough, try at a few rounds of the game showed that the player is controlled by the cards. The current scenario is for players to guide their pawns to objects and get out. Two random characters move and can intercept your character causing 'damage' while card decks provide other traps and boosts to game performance. At the moment it's a bit boring.

But that's ok. I've got some rough mechanics and now I need to think hard about how to add a good amount of backstabbing/collaborative strategy to the mix. Maybe I'll loose the two intercepting characters (currently envisioned as extremely glitchy robots) or maybe I'll rethink the card deck.

I'm going to roll up my sleeves, grab a good beer, and set up at the dinner table this evening. Markers and index cards will litter the floor and a host of die will surround a hand drawn game board.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

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blog | by Dr. Radut