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Pocket Basketball - seeking feedback please

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HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
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Hello BGDF'ers

I'm looking towards our next release for Pocket Sports, and Basketball is the game I'm working on. It's similar to our other games, dice based, luck involved, short fun games that simulate a game of basketball.

IF YOU WANT DEEP STRATEGY - stop now

The game is supposed to be light and played heads up, with a friend.

The game will have custom engraved dice with the words/actions on them, so referring to the table in the picture is only for the beta test. It may feel a little clunky but as you get to know the game, it will speed up quickly.

So if you'd like to help me out with some constructive critique/ideas/feedback....I would be most appreciative and it''l help me publish our 5th game!

POCKET BASKETBALL QUICK RULES

5 min quarters - or decide on how long you wish to play.

Pocket Basketball - 5 dice for each position, 1 die for Def, 1 die Referee and 1 die for shot accuracy

Tip off - both players roll the D6 with the highest roll winning possession.

EVERY play begins with the PG being rolled first. He will either PASS to a team mate, SHOOT for 3pts or DRIBBLE

PASSING from the PG will be to the team mate shown by a letter. You can pass as many times before the SHOT CLOCK times out.
Each other player has a PASS option which they can CHOOSE which player to pass the ball to. The CENTRE and SMALL FORWARD have a special ability after they pass, however, it can only be used if the receiving player takes a shot on his next action.
*CENTER - Pass/tip in - if the player that receives this shoots and misses, the player can roll again to try and meet the DEF level as a tip in attempt
*SMALL FORWARD - Pass/rebound - if the player that receives this shoots and misses, the player can roll again with the SF die as the rebound was made
If either of these two pass, and the receiving player also passes, the tip off/rebound are no longer able to be used.

SHOOTING - when a type of shot is shown on a player's dice, this indicates he is attempting to score. Your opponent will then roll the DEFENSE die to set his defense.
Depending on the DEFENSE level, the SHOOTER must roll equvilent or above to score a basket. Refer to the SCORING D6 table

Example - My PG passes to C. My CENTRE rolls 'Hook Shot 2pts'. My opponent rolls 'Cover'. I need to roll a 5 or 6 to make the Hook shot score 2pts. If it's below, then I miss the shot and my opponent rebounds and starts play again with his PG.

DRIBBLE - just reroll the same dice again. If you roll DRIBBLE 3 times before you take a shot, the shot clock has timed out and it's a turnover to your opponent's PG

UNCONTESTED SHOT - except for your PG, all 4 other team mates have a special shot indicated in white letters. The DEFENSE can not roll and the Shooter only needs to roll a 3 or better to score.

DRAW - when rolled on the DEFENSE, means a FOUL has occurred on the shot. If the shot is good, the player will go to the free throw line for an extra point chance.
If the shot misses, the player then goes to the line for either 2 or 3 FREE THROW attempts.

FOUL - when rolled on the DEFENSE, your opponent will roll the REFEREE dice to determine the infringement. Travel/Dbl dribble/Charge are all Offensive fouls and result in a TURNOVER to your opponent's PG.
Personal/Flagrant foul results in a a stop in play and restart by the OFFENSIVE player's PG - see ADVANCED RULES on the website for further play options
Ball up - both players roll their D^ to see who gains possession from the jump

The ADVANCED RULES are yet to be decided. They would be based on FOULS and imposing penalties on your opponents player. Possibly 2 Flagrant fouls and your team loses the UNCONTESTED SHOT ability.....or something like that.

My sincere thanks for those that can assist. Feel free to ask any q's

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
I'd appreciate some feedback

As with any new game it's best to have fresh eyes look at it and share advice.....in the past I have been contacted and asked to share my details on dice production which I happily did...it'd be nice to get some ffedback in return on this new game ;)

donut2099
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Joined: 01/09/2014
But you told us to 'Stop now'

But you told us to 'Stop now' at the top of your post ;)

The game seemed well thought out, I don't think it would appeal to me because I'm not much on basketball anyway, but I'd probably give it a try if someone asked me to play.

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
Touche

Well I can't believe everyone STOPPED there ?! ;)

The game is exactly that....a light, dice game that is played between 2 people.

rene.shible
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Joined: 01/30/2014
Maybe some Push-your-luck?

I know you mentioned that the game was luck-based, but wow you weren't kidding! I actually really like the idea of a basketball-themed board game/dice game, and I think you have the makings of a really cool one here. I really feel like AT A GLANCE, you've managed to express a fast, fun game of basketball. Without any meaningful decision-making though, it's hard to get really get jazzed about it!

I am going to be playing this game with one of my buddies, hopefully tomorrow night, and will gladly provide you with any feedback. I have to admit though, wow, I had to re-read the rules a few times, and I'm still not sure I totally understand everything. You did mention though that the rules will be clunky at first. I get that.

I will mention this though - some really fun dice-based games, like Zombie Dice or Dungeon Roll, do feature push your luck mechanisms that really add to the tension and to the experience as a whole. I feel like the shot clock is a great theme-based feature for a push your luck mechanism! You could probably use that effectively, but not without allowing the player to make some choices outside of rolling dice. Goal tending too, on the defensive side. Just penalizing the player somehow for pushing their luck too hard or getting too aggressive. Just a thought! I do look forward to trying this out though! :D

Oh, also, I wanted to post all of this earlier, but I didn't want this to be construed in a negative light! Your subsequent post reminded me though that some feedback is better than no feedback at all. Honestly, I thought more people would comment on this thread...

~R

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
That's great. Just the kind

That's great. Just the kind of stuff I'm looking for.

Our games are more for the merchandise market. Beer in one hand, dice in the other.

Thanks for your valuable input. I'd love to hear back from you after you've played with your friend.

rene.shible
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Joined: 01/30/2014
just completed a playtest and...

Damn, I just lost all of my post! I typed everything up and then accidentally closed the window.... okay I'm going to try to type everything up all over again, hahaha.

So I played this game with my buddy Grygier and right off the bat we both REALLY enjoyed the pace of the gameplay and the back and forth of possession. Rolling for defense and for your shots, while very basic, was somehow a lot more fun than I expected!

These elements will be a great hit with your target audience, I think.

Without expressing any of my own concerns though, Grygier also mentioned that there was a lack of decision making - that one element that just kept us from becoming very invested!

After reading your blog post, I'm confident that you have a clear idea of your target audience and how to best appeal to them. Bearing this in mind, we did have some suggestions on how you can introduce some very basic decision making to add a bit of tension and just push this game to the next level.

1 - Passing - This one comes from Grygier, as I thought that passing between players in the way that you designed it right now worked really well. Grygier felt though that you should be able to choose which position to pass to from the point guard. I might have agreed if there were clearer advantages or disadvantages to passing to certain players. As it was, I really enjoyed this element.

2 - Dribbling/Shot Clock Violations - Here I think you have a really good opportunity to add some tension without messing around with your core game too much! If the dice each featured more, and more varied numbers of 'dribble' results, then the player has a greater chance of running the shot clock. In addition to this, if the player could choose for themselves when to pass from positions other than PG, then you have a quick and easy push-your-luck mechanism. This will be especially true if each player die varied from each other more greatly. This could even be expanded on by giving the opponent a chance to steal after a second dribble (maybe on a 5 or 6 or something). Now I'm just brainstorming though, it's up to you how seriously you'd like to take these suggestions, hahaha.

With a couple of changes to involve the player just a LITTLE more, I can absolutely see this as being micro filler game that I would buy and play with my gaming group. In truth, if the game was expanded on greatly to include more choices and maybe even a small board, I can see this being a fleshed out board game that I would love to play (expansions = different teams). Maybe THAT market is too niche though to be viable, hahaha. I feel like I had more thoughts... I'm trying to remember everything I typed before I killed my post by accident :(

Well, I'll post again if I remember ;)

~R

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
A Free game in thanks

I want to thank you for your honest feedback and comments, also for your friend. It's exactly what I was after.

Nice to know the core game in it's simple form is FUN (I believe this is the most important factor for our market) and the flow of the game works & entertains.

Something I can look at are the optional rules for those, like yourself, that may want a little more player decision.

PASSING from PG - originally I did have this option, however, I felt for people playing the game for the first time and getting the to the flow/pace of the game, it was a solid starting point that moved onto the next dice roll. There would be no reason for players like Grygier to play house rules and allow that.

By having the PG as the starting point creates the loop.

The attempted STEAL on a DRIBBLE is a good suggestion.

A CONFIDENCE meter is another one I've been toying with. With this, I can go back and ponder some more on how to improve it even more.

Once again...thanks for taking the time to have a playtest. If you haven't seen our other games, check out our website. I'd be happy to send you a FREE COPY OF THE GAME when we release it!

rene.shible
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Joined: 01/30/2014
Wow, that's super generous! I

Wow, that's super generous! I will definitely take you up on that and share your work with my gaming buddies :) Just shoot me a message whenever you're able to! I'll be sure to check out your website and other games as well!

~R

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
My pleasure

Not a problem at all

www.pocketsports.com.au

Thanks again

HPS74
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Joined: 01/06/2009
What a difference tweak makes (not twerk)

As I'm waiting until next for Pocket Basketball dice to arrive, finalizing the rules and getting ready to send for print is on the agenda.

I found feedback for scoring in the game was tough and lower than a regular game of Basketball would be.....

But as designers know....there are lightbulb moments......and it came while editing the rules. I managed to fit in a subtle tweak which fixed the issue and addressed the issue!

It was as they say.....a slam dunk :)

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