Week 3

Game Design

Please note, this game is in development, anything listed here is subject to massive change. It will also most likely replace and/or merge with our existing race-to-the-end game.

Our territorial acquisition game teeters on the edge of plagiarism, because it’s virtually impossible to base such a game on a concept or narrative that hasn’t been exploited before. Nevertheless, we went ahead and built a working board game with a medieval style conquest theme. Players fight on randomly generated points (this game is better suited to a computer GUI format) on the board for control of recourse points. The player controlling all points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

The rules are quite simple, yet make for interesting gameplay:

-          Players roll a die to move, and can move up or down the board.

o   Cannot backtrack (move over spaces you have already in this turn)

o   Cannot move diagonally

o   Players need to roll exact numbers to land on recourse control points

-          If a player lands on a recourse control point, they place one of their tokens on it. It is now theirs

-          If a player lands on another player’s claimed control point, both players roll a die

o   Highest role wins over the control point

o   Equal scores results in a re-throw

-          Opposing players can recontest control of the point for a maximum of 1 turn after being initially defeated

o   If victorious, the control of the point shifts to the opposing player

o   If defeated again, their next turn must be a move, and not a recontest

-          Players cannot move over their territories as part of their move

-          The player to first control all of the recourse points is declared the winner

Simple, but a frustratingly fun game. This subtle frustration is part of the conflict between players as they fight for victory. It forces them to think strategically about which points they aim to claim first. This game is designed to randomly (within reason) generate recourse points all over the map, so no two games should ever be identical.

We also discussed the possibility of effects in the form of chance cards/zones, randomly generated just like the recourse points:

-          Players need to roll exact numbers to land on chance zones (just like recourse control points)

-          The effect on the zone cannot be saved for later use, it must take effect immediately

The games interface might include a distinct grid over a map of the playing field so as to easier distinguish control points from regular ground. For example, the mine could be out in the open, but the wood recourse could look like a forest, and the water recourse could look like a stream/well/pond.

This will add a bit more realism and aesthetic appeal to potential players, who we expect will be somewhere within our age range, young adults. A game of this nature requires a certain level of maturity to appreciate and accept as a challenge.