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Hacker: Rules Review, Please

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let-off studios
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Hello all--

I'm hoping some folks can read and critique the ruleset for my game called HACKER: The Game of Cracking Computer Networks. It's a solo dice- and card game where players do their best to infiltrate a network of linked data stores. There's constant pressure to finish your work quickly, but a few Apps up your sleeve to help make your work a little easier.

If you've the time to review the ruleset, please download it and have a look here:

http://www.let-off.com/bgames/hacker/instructions%20-%20hacker.pdf

Here are the Print & Play cards (on A4 paper for those overseas):

http://www.let-off.com/bgames/hacker/pnp-a4.pdf

For those who are seriously interested, I can ship out a copy of the game to you at no cost, in an effort to acquire some blind playtesting feedback.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

firstcultural
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Joined: 09/11/2014
There seem to be a large

There seem to be a large number of steps, and it's a bit hard to follow. Can you separate the setup portion of the rules from the subsequent turns?

A few thoughts on adding thematic flavor:
- write the rules like BASIC code, so for example, rule 5 becomes 50 and rule 4 might say GOTO 50.

- changes "apps" to "appz"

let-off studios
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firstcultural - feedback

Thanks for the heads-up on separating the Setup from the Gameplay. I do need to do that.

It's funny you mentioned the BASIC format... I have some play aids printed on cards, and I went that route (the full deck has 36 cards and I used the extras for quick-starts and play aids). I was wondering if anyone else would pick up on the reference...! :)

As for using "1337 speak," the thought of it kinda makes me throw up in my mouth a little but I suppose if I want to go with the theme I ought to go big or go home, eh?

Again, thanks for the feedback! :D

kos
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Placement of Code cards

Overall, it looks like a nice little game. My first thought is that this is something that people would be more likely to play on a tablet/phone. Of course the key is to make it a great game first, then you can choose the medium to publish it. On the plus side for a physical game, at only 36 cards plus 10 dice this game would be inexpensive to print and easy to carry around.

The placement of the code cards looks a little iffy.

Even in the tightest grouping there can be at most 1 Code card inaccessible at the start of the game, and after turn 2 it is highly likely that all the cards will be accessible, so this whole rule has minimal effect.

There does not seem to be any restriction on how to place the Code cards. Wouldn't the best arrangement be simply a 5x2 block, so that they are all accessible with maximum connections between them?

Maybe if the access restriction was a little more restrictive (e.g. the access point must have at least 2 open sides) the placement of the Code cards would be more important.

Another way to approach the placement would be to make it part of a push-your-luck element -- if tight groupings make the game harder, then give bonus points for connections between cards. So the player can select their difficulty level via the placement.

Regarding the 1337 speak: Make a game that you want to play. You are your game's first and most important customer.

Regards,
kos

let-off studios
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Thanks for the feedback,

Thanks for the feedback, kos!

I appreciate your remarks on card placement. My initial release of these rules is that this is the "basic" game. When a player has a grasp of these initial rules and setup, then they can move on to the variants.

I have "marathon" mode planned, for example, which includes all 24 cards. There's also a "foreign network" where a player must choose the direction to go based on their green indicators, not completed cards. Finally, there's a "drop out" mode I've been toying with that removes completed cards from the network, making it more challenging in general to complete the game. "High Alert" leaves all the cards face-up, but also forces a security check for all face-up cards (it's also a mode that awards extra points for completed cards as well, since it can be brutal).

If anyone else has feedback on this basic ruleset, please share!

Thanks again to kos and firstcultural for your input! :D

let-off studios
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Update: 17 Nov 2014

Just a heads-up for the interested: rules sheet updated to better delineate the setup from the gameplay. Hopefully it's easier to digest now. I'll be adding examples of the Code Cards and Apps so readers have an idea of what to expect.

I'll work on adding the different variants and layouts to the instructions. For now, consider this the "basic" game. More variants and modifications to difficulty will be available later.

Thanks once again for feedback, folks!

Beggarking
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Did a quick readthru. Looks

Did a quick readthru. Looks fun, two comments:

It might be helpful to put definitions (what a set is, nid, tick, etc) outside of the how-to-play steps.

In Scoring - where is step 16?

Cheers!
--Thomas

let-off studios
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Oh, bloody hell.When I

Oh, bloody hell.

When I updated the Setup/gameplay sections, I neglected to update the scoring section. I will fix post-haste.

Thanks for the keen eye, Beggarking!

EDIT: Ruleset last updated 19 November 2014. Added P&P cards:

http://www.let-off.com/bgames/hacker/pnp-a4.pdf

let-off studios
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Rules Revision: 28 Nov 2014

Thanks to feedback - primarily from BGDF forum member kos (many thanks!) - I've streamlined the game and added more gravity to decisions so there are worthwhile choices to be made even up to the endgame. Please have a look if you're able and available, and let me know what you think:

http://www.let-off.com/bgames/hacker/instructions%20-%20hacker.pdf

THANKS!

firstcultural
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Just tried out the new rules

Just tried out the new rules - good work! I'm getting the feeling that this game really wants to be a competitive game, where 2 or more hackers, each with a limited supply of Apps, are racing to crack as much code before all the Code cards run out. This would have players pondering whether to use an App and crack a high value code now, or try to roll for it normally, but risk someone else getting it first.

Other thoughts:
Is there ever a reason to lose a die instead of locking it?
What gameplay mechanics do the green arrows have?

let-off studios
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Thanks for the feedback,

Thanks for the feedback, firstcultural! I'll provide some responses for your comments here.

firstcultural wrote:
Just tried out the new rules - good work! I'm getting the feeling that this game really wants to be a competitive game, where 2 or more hackers, each with a limited supply of Apps, are racing to crack as much code before all the Code cards run out.
I do think there's potential in multiplayer for this title, and in fact a potential publisher might insist on it. But this game came about - long story short - at a time when I had a lot of "alone time" during breaks from a work assignment, with few people around and I had sporadic Internet access. Creating a solo game seemed like the most accessible thing to do.

To sum up, I'll pursue multiplayer later. The Apps cards would be the most likely way to provide intense player interaction.

Other thoughts:

firstcultural wrote:
Is there ever a reason to lose a die instead of locking it?
Good question. Locking the die is likely the most preferable choice in all scenarios. The only reason it may NOT be preferable is if: - The player hadn't rolled any numbers for the remaining code cards on the table - The above, plus the player is willing to sacrifice a low-point card to keep dice in their dice pool

Of the options available, "locking" a die is the most desirable, but it isn't always available.

firstcultural wrote:
What gameplay mechanics do the green arrows have?
The green arrows indicate where new CODE Cards can be added to the game: either when first starting, or when choosing to add cards as a reward. If a player flips over a card and the sides of the card with green arrows are already occupied by other cards, then the reward option to add more CODE Cards at that location is not available. For a time I was debating on whether or not to let players see the back of the card before choosing their reward (as in, not knowing if the card has any available openings to add more cards), but that seems a bit off-putting.

Like the penalty for locking dice, adding cards to the game seems a most obvious choice. There's a tension, however, about whether or not they increase the options for placing dice, or increasing their chances of a favorable roll/result with additional dice or Apps cards.

Meanwhile, I'm intent on subtly revising some of the Apps Cards. I'll have more about this in a later update.

Thanks again for your feedback, firstcultural!

Pajuman
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Joined: 11/28/2014
Simple understandable rules

Hello,
the rules seem to me as well written (read it twice before unerstanding it completely). The language is easy even for people from non-english speaking countries.

let-off studios
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Pajuman wrote:Hello, the

Pajuman wrote:
Hello,
the rules seem to me as well written (read it twice before unerstanding it completely). The language is easy even for people from non-english speaking countries.

That's great news to hear, Pajuman! Thanks for your input.

I have a blind playtesting session coming up this Friday with a design group, and I'm eager to see how the rules are received at the table. Your feedback gives me more confidence. :)

let-off studios
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Feedback Survey

For those of you who have played a game or two, I'd appreciate some additional feedback. Here's a link to a SurveyMonkey survey I put together for HACKER:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JFRGZTS

Please check it out and provide me with some answers to share your thoughts on HACKER. Thanks!

let-off studios
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Rules Update: 9 Feb 2015

The game has received a significant overhaul in recent months, and now has a different ruleset. All available materials and info are available here:

http://www.let-off.com/hacker

I should have a revised PnP version available soon (my previous A4 version is out of date now), but for now the PDF files are available detailing everything about the game.

Please review and let me know if you find any grievous grammatical, composition, or spelling errors.

THANKS!

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