I was wanting to make my game 3-6 but i am having trouble making a map to support that is 3-5 to restrictive and should i make up another set of rules like Risk has for 2 player. if 3-5 is to restrictive i will have to just keep brainstorm the map till it works. I am going for historical accuracy here so it is a little rough.
Number of players. How important is it?
Fri, 05/04/2012 - 08:51
Fri, 05/04/2012 - 09:35
#1
Similar situation
I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts as well. I took the approach that it was important, and created 3 scenarios using existing components in the game to accomodate 1 or 2 person play. I am focusing on playtesting and balancing the 3-5 person scenario, but I made the unsupported assumption that players would be interested in seeing that "1-5 players" on the box enough to spend some time designing additional scenarios.
Sat, 05/05/2012 - 10:59
#2
It's very important!
For each
It's very important!
For each player you add, you have an additional turn that a player can make a move. If you have that, that can double or triple the amount of points generated/damage taken/resources gathered. Assuming you have a lot of interaction, a person might end up with much more than a two player game would allow. In a combat-style game, you need to be aware that a player ganged-up early will keep him from being involved if all of his pieces are removed.
Think about your game-time, too. My game, Stomping Grounds, the game time shot up from a 20-40 minute game all the way to 60-90 minutes. Unless the game end is dependent on a limited pool or there each player takes their turn at the same time like 7 Wonders, you might consider alternate rules that shorten your game up. It requires some playtesting.
Thanks!
James Rex
Sun, 05/06/2012 - 08:09
#3
How Good Is It for 2
You have probably seen the posts in the recommendation section of boardgamegeek that say something like "looking for a game that is good with 4 for game night, but is also good with 2 when it's just me and my wife" You want your game to meet that need. So, yes, making it work for 2 players is valuable, though not a deal breaker (Catan for example has no 2-player). On the other hand, if your 2-player game is worse than your 3-6 player game, then you risk people playing the 2-player version, hating it, and tell all their friends how awful your game is, even if your 3-6 player game is great. Don't promise what you cannot deliver.
I am have figured out a way to work out 2 player. We are going to test basic mechanics this week. So hopefully it will work.