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Card game on space and time travels - input appreciated

LSС Card_LAYOUT_Mar1_2016.jpg

CARD GAME “HELL-OF-AN-EXPERIENCE TRAVEL AGENCY”

INTRODUCTION
Hell-Of-An-Experience Travel Agency (HTA) can send you on a tourist tour to any real or fantasy world. For that HTA needs to transfer your consciousness into a body of a creature from this world. For example, into a dwarf if you want to visit Middle-earth. The only problem is that HTA technology is unreliable, as often as not your consciousness (as well as the new body carrying it) ends up in a wrong world – so, don’t be surprised if instead of an extra-terrestrial spaceship you find yourself in medieval Venice…in a body of intelligent octopus or plant. Some tourists love this, others - hate. But all HTA clients agree – these tours offer one hell of an experience.

TARGET AUDIENCE: 18 yo + ; 3-5 players
APPROXIMATE PLAY TIME: Players can decide on winning conditions, which for example may be collecting a certain number of rewards. This determines game duration

GAME - OVERVIEW
Cards used in the game:
- Deck of Player Form Cards (FC). This is a one-sided card. FC determines your physical form for the turn. These forms range from dwarf or zombie to walking teapot or gay bigfoot
- Deck of Location&Scenario Cards (LSC). These are two-sided cards. ILS contains information on player’s identity chosen for a specific tour, the world where he ends up, and performance or trivia assignment that must be completed to return back (and even get a reward). SEE ATTACHED “LSC Card LAYOUT” FOR DETAILS. HTA tours may take players to different worlds and locations including fantasy world, sci-fi world, and remarkable moments in human past such as encounters with historical figures. LSC also contains modifiers to avoid vote-stacking and tied voting problems. Each LSC has different modifiers. SEE “VOTING - MODIFIERS” SECTION FOR DETAILS.
- Deck of Fridge Magnet Cards (FMC). These are identical one-sided cards that look like fridge magnets that people bring from tourist tours. FMC is a reward that players receive for completing LSC. The number of FMCs for a successfully completed assignment is provided on each LSC.

GAMEPLAY
Each player represents a tourist that goes on an HTA tour. Players take turns, moving clockwise:
1) The active player draws one FC and one LSC, reads out the FC which is his identity for the turn; reads out the LSC (text, performance/trivia assignment) and attempts to complete it the LSC assignment. To successfully complete a trivia assignment, player must correctly answer one or several trivia questions. To successfully complete a performance assignment, player must perform a task specified on the LSC, such as dancing or drawing. Player must complete both performance and trivia assignments “impersonating” the identity listed on the drawn FC. For example, he must sing, talk and/or move like a Gollum. SEE ATTACHED LSC CARD EXAMPLES FOR DETAILS
2) Other players vote if they like or dislike how the active player performed his task. This is an individual open voting in which each player’s vote is known. For each “like” the active player gets one FMC (takes a card from the FMC deck), for each “dislike” – loses (returns one card to the FMC deck).
3) The active player may use modifiers if he is unsatisfied with the voting results. For that he needs to roll the dice. SEE “VOTING - MODIFIERS” SECTION FOR DETAILS.
4) Some LSC assignments, such as finding a hidden object or remaining motionless in an awkward position for X seconds, do not require voting – if completed successfully the active player gets a reward specified on the LSC (FMC, etc.). Players can’t use modifiers for non-voting assignments
5) Some LSC assignments require players’ input. For example, each time the active player uses a certain word in his “impersonating” speech, other players must jump. At the end of this assignment the active player gets votes (if this was a voting assignment) and other participating players are rewarded or fined based on their performance (ex. missed a jump – lose one FMC)
6) Turn goes to the next player
7) The player who first collects a certain number of FMCs or collects the highest number of FMCs in a given time – wins (players can decide on exact winning conditions)

VOTING - MODIFIERS
Modifiers are used to randomize voting outcomes to avoid stacked, tied and biased votes; and also to make the gameplay more entertaining. Modifiers are several options that the active player selects based on the dice roll. Sample modifiers:
- If you “disliked” the performance, give 2 FMCs to the active player
- If you “disliked” the performance, you can repeat any LSC assignment that you unsuccessfully attempted earlier in the game
- If you “liked” the performance, miss a turn
- If you “liked” the performance, your reward next turn doubles

Comments

I'm not yet finished with the OP ... but

I had an idea. Instead of Trivia or Performance, why not make it a:

  "Guess where I am?"
Or
  "What I am there are?"

Both the FC and LSC cards are hidden from players. The LSC card contains the information about guessing. Like say you use a 30 second Sand Timer.

Make it a BUNCH of QUESTIONS about that "Location" and each question has a series of words you CANNOT use.

Example: (Rabbit) Furry, pointy ears, lucky foot (can't say Easter, Bunny or Hare)...

Each player that guesses gets 1 point and YOU get 1 point for all the correct answers...

And you need to guess the FC identity (as a bonus: player scores +2 points and so do you... because you did a good job).

Again just some ideas... Nothing firm. Guessing implies that the more you play the game, the more likely you are to know the answers. Your performance IDEA has VALUE.

Like as you try to get people to GUESS the LSC items (relevant to the scene), as a bonus you need to "act out" the FC you are and see if anyone can GUESS what/who you are...

les404

Hey Les,

I really like the theme of the game, you had me at gay bigfoot :). For me the concept feels a little torn between the performances and the trivia. Most games are either trivia games or performance/charades types of games. The performance things I see from your link are really light-hearted, and the trivia seems a little tough haha. Nothing wrong with thinking, but the overall theme seems too light for serious trivia questions. I think playing off of the absurdity performances would be the strength of the game. If you wanted trivia I would ask multiple choice questions of absurd facts from different world locations. Like where is it illegal to wear purple on a Friday and then people have to choose one of the answers. This would still keep with the travel theme as the questions would relate to a real place, but the questions would also be silly and meld with the silly performances etc. Personally, I would avoid the bipolar nature of fun interactions and serious questions. That's what I'm seeing, but hopefully this helps in some way.

Best,
-Jonathan Flike

A few comments

Hi Les. I finally had a chance to take a look. Sorry it took so long.

I have to admit that all the three letter abbreviations make the text a bit hard for me to read. FC, LSC, etc, all just has me thinking that just using words would be less confusing. The initialisms also make the game look a lot more like a nerdy game than the fun party game it seems to be intended to be.

I'm not sure about the trivia aspects of the game. Partly it's because I'm just not a fan of that sort of thing. But in the context of this game, you have an issue in that there are thematic trappings as you visit the various worlds, so if your questions don't fit with those worlds, it would make the theme seem worse than if it was totally absent. For instance (and I appreciate this is just an example), in your example card, why would a fake Dalek be asking you about British geography or Charles Dickens?

The same points apply to the action card with the song/dance, but in this case, your example seems to fit the setting OK.

The song/dance seems to be something that the other players decide if it is good enough, which could easily be abused, but in the right group, could be fun. And you might be able to figure out a mechanism that means that votes go both ways.

I see you are considering "miss a turn" mechanisms. Please don't do this; there are few things that are less fun than missing turns.

Overall, though, I like the idea of having a party game with this world-hopping theme. If you can create good mini-games/challenges that link well with their worlds, you could have something that is a lot of fun.

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