The smell of deep heat and tiger balm will flow through this video and out through your speakers.....
Another recap and more indepth look at gameplay as Pocket Sports Rugby (version 3) has been sent to the factory for production!
I'd love it if you could subscribe to the channel too :)
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Comments
Added Layer of Complexity
Hey Hamish,
I did take a quick look at the video. Being American, I unfortunately don't really understand rugby too much. Don't really understand the terminology and so on.
I have been quite interesting in seeing the progression of Pocket Sports. The initial versions you had seemed simpler and it looks like with further versions you are adding some interesting complexity and building off of the dice by adding other dimensions.
For example, with this new rugby version you are looking at the value on the dice and comparing it with team card stats to see if certain actions can be done.
If I understand the video correctly, are there any choices involved? It looks like you can choose to roll a defensive die?
The reason I ask is that a lot of the pocket sports is purely random -- there is really no decisions made. Now this is ok if you are going for certain audiences, kids or really laid back drinking folks (the target audience I think you are aiming for).
However, in this version it seems like there has been an added layer of complexity to add depth. Now if you are adding this extra depth, it seems such a version would scream for some interesting choices to be made by players.
--DarkDream
Hi DarkDream - thanks for
Hi DarkDream - thanks for following the progress and we have been making changes to each and every reprint or new game we publish. We moved from just dice in a pouch to now all games having team card inserts with modifying abilities. Rugby now has the choice for Defense to roll one of two die, depending on the attacking 'intensity' value.
So too decisions for kicking, starting a maul, trying to injury an opponent etc. All of these still require a dice roll to succeed, but for casual gamers, it adds extra flavour and depth to what is a simple dice rolling game.
According to all my data, males 34 - 55 are the biggest market, and most of that would be casual gamers or just fans of a particular sport.
Simplicity and some minor decision making has been and continues to be the best approach for our light sports dice games. As long as the theme is strong, hooks and actions in the game reflect what happens in the real game, then the creeping evolution that is happening (cards, skill checks, modifiers, more decisions) can gently deepen the gameplay.
I'll never quite please the hardened gamers that have plenty of excellent boardgames to get their strategic fill from...but as a gateway game for people that "don't play boardgames" but like sport, we an fill that niche! This current production run takes us over 40,000 games produced to date. With this in mind, appealing to the casual gamer market has it's advantages :)
I would also certainly be open to and welcoming of any suggestions from other designers or the group in ways to implement further decisions and choice for added complexity :)