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Making a Beeline!

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modernmyth
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Joined: 09/12/2009
Beehex prototype

Hello all.

I have an idea for a child's game and would like some feedback.

Objective: To create a path using bee counters and get to the beehive while collecting honey pots along the way. The first player to reach the hive and and have the most honey pots wins.

Mechanics: Rather than use dice or a spinner, the player creates a beeline using movement cards. The board is based on a hex map and each player has movement cards in hand (how many cards is yet to be determined after some play testing.) The movement cards have path shapes, akin to the shapes in tetris, and the player must create the shape on the game board using bee counters and reason the best way to create a pathway to the hive and collect honey counters. The movement cards have anywhere from a single bee to 6 bees in various shapes.

Certain game spaces may also require players to draw "chance" cards that may positively or negatively affect game play i.e. subtract bee counters or take another turn.

Players beeline paths may also be blocked by other players beeline pathways, and the player must adjust their movement and create new pathways to the hive without touching another players beeline.

Basic for now and I would love to hear some comments to help me along my process.

genericm
genericm's picture
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Joined: 08/11/2009
Thought

The game may end in a stalemate if a player inadvertantly (or intentionally) Uses his path or beeline to block access to the Hive.

Also I would have an ingame mechanic set a dead line for getting to the hive. Otherwise players might avoid going to the hive until all the honey is collected. That would make the hive objective useless, the game would simply be the first to collect the most honey.

Unless I dont understand your Rules

Eric

scifiantihero
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Joined: 07/08/2009
Perhaps . . .

. . . you could eliminate the objective of reaching the hive.

You could then focus on some special hexes on the board. Maybe after a few initial cards, the only way to get more is to put a bee on a hex that draws a couple cards. Most of the cards would be movement cards, but a few could be special ones like you wanted. Other spaces would have honey. Players would have to balance getting Honey with getting more cards to get more honey (in the case that they have some big, odd shapes that will force them to choose sometimes!). So it might add a small push-your-luck element (What if I use my last card to go get more cards and they're both bad!). And it would be a sort of area management game, you'd want to expand out to block your opponent, but not so fast that you cut yourself off from playing weird shapes later on (Kinda like Blokus)

Just ideas.

Oh and on a side note-- why on this beautiful green earth do people insist on using bees in their games? Ugh! I hate bees. So much.

Heh.

:)

Traz
Traz's picture
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Joined: 04/06/2009
nice, that

This sounds like a wonderful idea, but it seems you've got a 'TRON lock' problem if other 'beelines' can block each other.

Dude - you've got a great idea for a kids game. Don't go there.

If 'crossing lines' is a problem, include 'hop' cards [DROP POLLEN BOYS!], or perhaps use up 'x' amount of bees to get over the top of competing beelines by discarding cards containing 'x' number of bees.

Just sayin'...

magic_user
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Joined: 07/28/2008
Prototype?

Interesting. I have made a couple of games using rectangular tetris-like shapes, but hadn't thought about hex shapes. Have you made a prototype yet? This idea has really started me thinking....

BTW, during my design process, I looked at keeping a path (like Tron) but ended up just worrying about the destination point. I found the blocked path caused too many limitations / special rules for my purposes. I also had to worry about balancing how to use cards (1 at a time, or as many as you want) versus replenishing cards (buy, trade, redraw at end of turn). I can't wait to see how your game solves it!

Keep plugging away. Don't be afraid to try different approaches. And by all means, let us know how it's going.

Thanks.
Jim

modernmyth
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Joined: 09/12/2009
Thank you all for your input.

Thank you all for your input. I have been thinking of the "tron lock" problem.

I do like the idea of being able to hop lines ..that is a great idea. My thought is to get over the line, one must use a card of bees equal to or greater to the shape card layed down by the previous player, and the beeline can start at the difference between the to cards. So, if my line is blocked, and the previous player placed two bees in his last move, I have a 4 bee card, I can hop up and over and restart my line 2 spaces past his previous line. There are some varying factors of course. Say, I am already two spaces BEFORE his line and I am trying to get over, I have to figure out my moves.

I was at Target yesterday I ran into a game called Blokus (didn't even know it existed) that essentially has same game shapes (tetris like shapes) as solid shapes. The game objective is to get rid of all of your pieces on a grid board. the pieces may only touch on a corner and it does create a pathway of sorts. The game mechanic with the shapes is very similar to mine, however my game is not about getting rid of all of your pieces, but to get the quickest pathway to a destination using those type of shapes. Of course the event type of cards vary the game play.

My second thought was about the game board. To make the game board non static, before the players start the game, they take turns and lay down larger tiles that contain the smaller hex tiles on a recessed board.

modernmyth
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Joined: 09/12/2009
trying to figure out a way to

trying to figure out a way to imbed a picture file here...LOL. Always fun.

Well, only way I found to attach an image was to the original post. Comments are welcome. Again, it is a basic idea for the hex bees. Hope you enjoy

scifiantihero
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Joined: 07/08/2009
I think . . .

. . . they probably have more than four legs.

*edited for: It is cute, though. Looks like an odd colored sheep. I'm glad there's no stinger. They are why I hate bees*

;)

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