I've decided that the game will now be called "CAPTCHA Chaos". That is exactly what it is. Chaos.
From the playtesting tonight, they suggested it be called, "F.T.W.". Not, "For The Win!", but "Fuck That Word!"
That's what a lot of the playtesters were saying.
I've completed my second playtest during Warmachine night at my store. My game was played 2 times and I recorded the second game. I wanted to upload it straight up but some bug inherent in all android phones said the file was too big. It's a good thing too. Honestly, you can't get the full enjoyment we were having by watching the video raw. I went home and edited the hell out of it for maximum enjoyment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9uG2mMakE
This group:
Didn't like picking new words out of the box.
Wanted to do away with the timer completely.
Suggested each player pre-select 6 words and place them face down. First to finish, wins.
Another suggested 6 words. 2 easy, 2 medium, and 2 hard. Color code them. 1, 3, and 5 points respectively.
There was mention of finishing your 6 words, ending the round, then everyone picks new words of their choosing. (example: I keep the word I'm working on plus the 2 I didn't finish, then I decide to select 3 medium words. Round begins again.) This way, some strategy is implemented.
Suggested: Round ends when all 6 words completed.
Suggested: Bonus points for finishing all 6 words.
One player had a hard time finding H's.
Some wanted the tiles to be left flipped over, regardless of it helping other players.
No mention was made of NOT being able to shuffle the tiles when everyone is searching. All agreed "douchebag shuffling" made the game even better.
I really like the idea of the 2-of-each-difficulty words. This allowed for removal of the timer and the end of the round is signified by completing 6 words. How many rounds though? Removing the timer runs into the problem the first playtesters had... checking people's work. Checking work penalizes a single player. Stopping time after every completed word is the only solution. This way, everyone knows where everyone stands in completing all 6 words for the round. This type of scoring significantly changes what words I use in the game. What criteria do I use to label a word "easy" or "hard"? more consonants? longer words? same consonants? As it stands, I have 3 of each consonant. Should I add a 4th? Would adding a 4th allow for a 5th player?
