So lately I've been thinking about how some classic games with *gimmicky* mechanics could be used for something more thematic-possibly borrowing from an already established theme or game system. One example can be found in a forum topic I posted about using the 'Jumpin' Monkeys' mechanic for an area control game. I never really fleshed the idea out but hopefully you get the idea. http://www.bgdf.com/node/7705
Anyway, this morning I had the idea of taking the game 'Kerplunk' and using it for a Cthulhu themed game. Basically the tube represents the portal that the forces of darkness are using to enter our world. The marbles represent the minions trying to gain entrance and the sticks holding them back are the magic barriers keeping them out. I'm not sure what would prompt for the sticks to be removed whether someone plays the bad guy or a random event generator. Some other ideas I have are that when the minions (i.e. the marbles) trickle though they must be dealt with or else they will somehow accelerate the deterioration of the barrior (i.e. more sticks will be pulled out). Since the barrior will eventually be broken and the world will be filled with minions (I'm thinking it wouldn't work too well to try and push the sticks back through to restore the barrior) the game could be done in two phases: one for preparation of the invasion and when after the invasion happens. That's all I've got at the moment but I think that would be a good launching point for something interesting to be created.
I'm also trying to figure out what to do with the game 'Topple'. Maybe a dungeon crawl...
Comments
Kerplunk as dice tower? Jenga
Kerplunk as dice tower?
Jenga for resource collection? Each block would be a resource, and when the tower fell there would be a significant penalty. You would take the block out when you collected it and put it back in when you spent it. Brings a whole new meaning to game balance :P
Here's an idea for Jenga
The setting is a tower seige. The defensive player needs to build fortifications but his only resource are the stones from the tower itself (the Jenga tower). Each block is numbered 1-6 and the defensive player must roll a 6d to partially determine which block to pull out. If the block is pulled out and the tower still stands he uses it to build a defensive wall. The winning condition for the offensive player (haven't worked out his full role yet) is if the tower falls. Not sure what the winning condition of the defensive player is yet. Perhaps both players are both offensive and defensive with their own towers.
Now I want to find a couple of used Jenga sets and play around with this.
I've always wanted to see
I've always wanted to see someone rehabilitate mousetrap: maybe you could set up a jekyll/hyde scenario, where you where each player was trying to make the machine into something different: increased modularity of the parts would definitely help with this.
Hungry hungry hippos could easily be used as a resource auction: you could have red and blue balls which cancelled out, so there would be more strategy.
You could turn Battling Tops (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4934/battling-tops) into a collectible game with tradable elements and market it through a tv show... nope, they already did that.