Skip to Content
 

Adventures in Babymaking

Now that I have your attention with the stupidest title ever: Welcome!
(I mean, my games are my babies, and I feel like I'm on an adventure making them...so...)

Thanks for reading what I hope will be a series of regular blog posts about the development of my original games. I've got one card game in friendly play testing - aka play testing with my friends - and four more board/card games in the queue. I might also throw in a recent experience playing a new game or reflection on a particular game or game mechanic.

A little background on me: I grew up playing card and board games of all kinds. Mostly, I was envious of the complicated strategy board games my older cousins were always playing that would last for hours and hours on summer vacations. I was impressed by the way my Uncles could count cards in a trump game and deduce my entire hand before I even knew which card to play.

I was hooked from a very young age.

The most important thing with my family about games was always having fun...with strategy being a close second.

Fast forward a few decades and we are pretty much up to the same stuff, but I'm a lot better that I was at ten years old, and now I want to make my own games.

So, without any more exposition, here goes!

----

My first horrible attempt to playtest the simplest aspect of Continuum: a Spacetime Card Game with my non-game-enthusiast fiancé

The basic premise of my original game Continuum is like Uno...but with multi-dimensional sequence...and some astronomical and quantum physics references. Think blackholes, quantum entanglement, curved space, - each having a specific impact on the game play - that kind of stuff. At given points 1,2,3 (past, present, future) can become 3,2,1, or the sequence doesn't matter at all anymore, just what preceded it. Or it's your responsibility to remove a card from the "continuum" without breaking it's continuity. Although we have been struggling a lot, Topology and I are still on speaking terms.

The goal of Continuum is to get rid of your cards AND have the most cards played within the various "continuums" - the playing field. "Time cards" impact continuity, allow you to play out your hand, and can only be played in a particular sequence determined by the previously played card. "Space cards" are worth more points when played, but don't help you get rid of your cards as they almost always make you, and your opponents, draw more cards into your hand.

A round ends when a player plays or discards their entire hand. If that same player also has the most points in the continuum(s) - they win! If not, play continues!...somehow!...

I haven't figured it all out yet.

So anyway. The only sucker I could convince to playtest the core aspect of Continuum - the time-cards - was my beautiful wife-to-be.

She...well...she...doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm for board and card games I do...so she was very very kind to help me.

For your reading pleasure, here are some carefully selected notes from the play testing a few nights ago. All quotes are from my lovely betrothed at the conclusion of the game. Each new game was tweaked slightly or a new card was added.

Game one: "Wasn't that just Uno, but worse?"

Game two: ***no words, I honestly think she may have taken a power nap***

Game three: "Your rules are too nice, we need to draw more cards.”

Game four: “Ok, I was confused this time...that probably means it’s getting closer to what you want, right?"

And that, my new friends at BGDF, was the end of the first four rounds of play testing for Continuum!

--------

If you've made it this far into my post, first of all, thanks for reading! I already have plans to playtest with some more friends on Saturday, so, if there's interest, I'll try to check in again and post some of those results. I always welcome any and all feedback about what little I've mentioned about Continuum so far.

So goodbye! and don't forget - making babies is an adventure, so bring your best gear!

Syndicate content


blog | by Dr. Radut