Sunday, November 27, 2016
Cryptid Catchers Commercial
A short 15-second commercial for my 90s-themed all-girl cryptid hunting board game, Cryptid Catchers! The Print-and-Play version is available for download here: http://bit.ly/2fVizlK
Special thanks to Katie Aschman for playing Saga in the commercial and to Brianna Gibson for voice acting!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
PNP: Playtest #1
I had the opportunity to have some people playtest the rough version of my Print and Play game over the past week, and while I didn't get any pictures, here are some thoughts I came away with:
1. Clarify directions. On the Hazard Cards specifically, some confusion came up because of the wording. The card is meant to be played against an opponent, "casting" its effects on the other player, but since they were worded in "you" form, some players mistakenly assumed when they picked it up that the effects were meant to apply to them. A simple restructure of wording will fix this.
2. Balancing character abilities. Probably because of some of the Hazard Card confusion, the cards weren't put into play as often as I expected, making the characters whose abilities were defense against Hazard Cards less useful than the character whose ability adds to your Hunt Roll. I plan on tweaking this to even it out.
3. Involving Hazard Cards more. During my first playtest session, players almost entirely ignored the Hazard Card mechanic, so for the second session I made collecting Hazard Cards obligatory in the game mechanics (whenever you roll a 1, you must draw a Hazard Card.)
1. Clarify directions. On the Hazard Cards specifically, some confusion came up because of the wording. The card is meant to be played against an opponent, "casting" its effects on the other player, but since they were worded in "you" form, some players mistakenly assumed when they picked it up that the effects were meant to apply to them. A simple restructure of wording will fix this.
2. Balancing character abilities. Probably because of some of the Hazard Card confusion, the cards weren't put into play as often as I expected, making the characters whose abilities were defense against Hazard Cards less useful than the character whose ability adds to your Hunt Roll. I plan on tweaking this to even it out.
3. Involving Hazard Cards more. During my first playtest session, players almost entirely ignored the Hazard Card mechanic, so for the second session I made collecting Hazard Cards obligatory in the game mechanics (whenever you roll a 1, you must draw a Hazard Card.)
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Board Game Mashup
In my Game Design class this week, my friend Niara and I were tasked with using components of two separate board games (Betrayal at House on the Hill and Pass The Pigs)
to create a mashup resulting in an entirely new game. I'll have to
admit it was a bit of a challenge at first, especially considering the
huge difference between our games (one was a very complex horror game
and the other was a very simple, light-hearted game,) but once we got
past the initial hump and into the brainstorming phase, the ideas really
started to flow and the contrast between the games in complexity and
theme really turned into a fun advantage! We ended up having a lot of
fun, and I thought it was really neat that we were able to come up with a
pretty functional, entertaining game in such a short time and with such
strange constraints. Sometimes it takes limiting yourself to bring out
your best ideas. Written up below are the rules for our game Pig Hunt, in which you play as a pig trying to be the first to escape a huge mansion before you become someone's dinner!
MATERIALS:
6 Enemy Tokens
2-4 Player Tokens
23 Room Cards
1 Mystic Elevator Room Card
1 Operating Laboratory Room Card
1 rectangular Entrance Hall Card
20 Item/Event Cards (5 Item, 15 Event)
2 dice numbered 0-2
SETUP:
Find and set aside the Mystic Elevator Room Card and the Operating Laboratory Room Card. Shuffle the remaining Room Cards. Put the Elevator Card back into the pile in an arbitrary place, then lay out the cards face-down in a 5x5 grid, making sure to place the Laboratory Card in the center. Place the Entrance Hall Card somewhere beside the main grid. Place the Event and Item cards to the side in separate stacks, face down. Place the player tokens (pig figurines) on the center card and roll to determine who goes first (higher number wins.)
PLAY:
Player One rolls two dice numbered 0-2 to determine how many rooms they can move through. They can move in any cardinal direction they wish, and can change direction in the middle of their turn. Any time a player moves into an undiscovered room, flip over the Room Card and roll one die to check for enemies before moving on. If the die lands on 0, place an Enemy token on the Room Card. If you encounter an Enemy, it ends your turn and any movement left over is denied. At the end of your turn, draw either an Item or an Event card and keep it.
ENEMIES:
You must deal with Enemies when confronted with them. You can do this in one of two ways: by employing an Item or Event card to get rid of the threat permanently, or by attempting to flee without aid.
If you choose to flee, roll the dice as if you were taking a normal turn. You can move in any direction you wish, but the Enemy chases after you, always moving half of however many spaces you move (round down) until they are either dealt with or they encounter another player. If you roll a total of 0, you must stay in the room and it is considered an attack-- put your pig on its side to signify that you've been attacked once. If you remain in the same room as the Enemy for another turn, your pig gets turned on its back and you die, signifying a loss.
Item and Event cards will distract or harm the Enemy so you can get away for good. Employ them before your movement roll to ensure that you are not followed.
If you deal with an enemy through a Card, take the Enemy token off the board to be put back into play again at a later time. If there are no Enemy Tokens available to put into play, ignore the result of your Enemy Check roll.
WINNING:
If you discover the Elevator Card, treat it as a normal room and roll to check for Enemies as you enter. If you are on the Elevator Card, you can move in any cardinal direction or choose to move into the Grand Staircase Space of the Entrance Hall. Each Room in the Entrance Hall is treated normally, with Enemies chasing you through the Elevator and down the Hall. The only room that is treated differently is the last room in the Entrance Hall. You must not have an Enemy in the room in order to escape and win the game. If you roll an Enemy Check and discover an Enemy, you must deal with them before being able to escape.
If you roll a number that takes you past the last space in the Entrance Hall, congratulations, you've escaped!
ITEMS & EVENTS:
Refer to the list below for Item and Event effects:
Pickpocket's Gloves: Steal a card at random from another player.
Medical Kit: Employ this to counter one Enemy attack, allowing you to survive for one turn longer.
Armor: Employ this to counter one Enemy attack, allowing you to survive for one turn longer.
Secret Passageway: Choose another Room Card on the same floor to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Secret Stairs: Choose another Room Card on the floor above or below you to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Revolving Wall: Choose another Room Card on the same floor to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Mystic Slide: The floor falls out from under you; move down one space. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Closet Door: You hide from the Enemy successfully; they get bored and leave. Remove them from the board.
Burning Man: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Debris: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Webs: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Smoke: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.Spider: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Dynamite: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Footsteps: Check if there is an enemy in an adjacent room before you choose to enter.
Night View: Check if there is an enemy in an adjacent room before you choose to enter.
Something Hidden: Draw an extra Item Card at the end of your turn.
Adrenaline Shot: Move an extra space in any direction.
A Moment of Hope: Sneak a peek at one of the cards on the table. Replace it face down.
It Is Meant To Be: Sneak a peek at one of the cards on the table. Replace it face down.
MATERIALS:
6 Enemy Tokens
2-4 Player Tokens
23 Room Cards
1 Mystic Elevator Room Card
1 Operating Laboratory Room Card
1 rectangular Entrance Hall Card
20 Item/Event Cards (5 Item, 15 Event)
2 dice numbered 0-2
SETUP:
Find and set aside the Mystic Elevator Room Card and the Operating Laboratory Room Card. Shuffle the remaining Room Cards. Put the Elevator Card back into the pile in an arbitrary place, then lay out the cards face-down in a 5x5 grid, making sure to place the Laboratory Card in the center. Place the Entrance Hall Card somewhere beside the main grid. Place the Event and Item cards to the side in separate stacks, face down. Place the player tokens (pig figurines) on the center card and roll to determine who goes first (higher number wins.)
PLAY:
Player One rolls two dice numbered 0-2 to determine how many rooms they can move through. They can move in any cardinal direction they wish, and can change direction in the middle of their turn. Any time a player moves into an undiscovered room, flip over the Room Card and roll one die to check for enemies before moving on. If the die lands on 0, place an Enemy token on the Room Card. If you encounter an Enemy, it ends your turn and any movement left over is denied. At the end of your turn, draw either an Item or an Event card and keep it.
ENEMIES:
You must deal with Enemies when confronted with them. You can do this in one of two ways: by employing an Item or Event card to get rid of the threat permanently, or by attempting to flee without aid.
If you choose to flee, roll the dice as if you were taking a normal turn. You can move in any direction you wish, but the Enemy chases after you, always moving half of however many spaces you move (round down) until they are either dealt with or they encounter another player. If you roll a total of 0, you must stay in the room and it is considered an attack-- put your pig on its side to signify that you've been attacked once. If you remain in the same room as the Enemy for another turn, your pig gets turned on its back and you die, signifying a loss.
Item and Event cards will distract or harm the Enemy so you can get away for good. Employ them before your movement roll to ensure that you are not followed.
If you deal with an enemy through a Card, take the Enemy token off the board to be put back into play again at a later time. If there are no Enemy Tokens available to put into play, ignore the result of your Enemy Check roll.
WINNING:
If you discover the Elevator Card, treat it as a normal room and roll to check for Enemies as you enter. If you are on the Elevator Card, you can move in any cardinal direction or choose to move into the Grand Staircase Space of the Entrance Hall. Each Room in the Entrance Hall is treated normally, with Enemies chasing you through the Elevator and down the Hall. The only room that is treated differently is the last room in the Entrance Hall. You must not have an Enemy in the room in order to escape and win the game. If you roll an Enemy Check and discover an Enemy, you must deal with them before being able to escape.
If you roll a number that takes you past the last space in the Entrance Hall, congratulations, you've escaped!
ITEMS & EVENTS:
Refer to the list below for Item and Event effects:
Pickpocket's Gloves: Steal a card at random from another player.
Medical Kit: Employ this to counter one Enemy attack, allowing you to survive for one turn longer.
Armor: Employ this to counter one Enemy attack, allowing you to survive for one turn longer.
Secret Passageway: Choose another Room Card on the same floor to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Secret Stairs: Choose another Room Card on the floor above or below you to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Revolving Wall: Choose another Room Card on the same floor to travel to. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Mystic Slide: The floor falls out from under you; move down one space. All Enemies following you lose your trail, remove them from the board.
Closet Door: You hide from the Enemy successfully; they get bored and leave. Remove them from the board.
Burning Man: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Debris: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Webs: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Smoke: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.Spider: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Dynamite: The Enemy is distracted and you get away, remove them from the board.
Footsteps: Check if there is an enemy in an adjacent room before you choose to enter.
Night View: Check if there is an enemy in an adjacent room before you choose to enter.
Something Hidden: Draw an extra Item Card at the end of your turn.
Adrenaline Shot: Move an extra space in any direction.
A Moment of Hope: Sneak a peek at one of the cards on the table. Replace it face down.
It Is Meant To Be: Sneak a peek at one of the cards on the table. Replace it face down.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
PNP: Game Theme
In preparation for creating my own Print and Play game, I've been giving a lot of thought to the overall "feel" of the game. I hope to delineate some of those thoughts here in order to have a reference I can look at to make sure every component of the game fits cohesively with the desired end result, which is key to having a memorable experience. Click here to check out my previous post on the subject, where I brainstormed concepts for the game.
CRYPTID CATCHERS
Concept Statement: "The truth is out there... and it's up to you to find it."
The game is centered around the many urban myths and legends that have sprung up over time and become part of American culture, including Bigfoot, Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, and not to mention UFOs--just to name a few. These legends are often well-known in the communities surrounding them, but it's a very interesting side of our culture that many are unfamiliar with. Although a lot of sightings and evidence over the years have been proven fake, there is undeniably something enticing about the ubiquity of these myths and the old saying that every lie has its roots in some truth... Could these monsters really exist? There's only one way to find out.
Setting:
Inspired in part by The X Files, I really want Cryptid Catchers to retain some of that 90s-era nostalgia that makes the aforementioned show such a delight to watch even twenty years later. The game is set in the continental United States, primarily in rural areas, where players must travel across the country to find convincing evidence of these elusive beings.
Art Style/Mood:
Ideally, Cryptid Catchers will have definitively eerie visuals without crossing the line into flat-out horror, with emphasis on maintaining an air of adventurousness and mystery. I essentially want to echo an experience I had in January of last year, when me and a couple of friends took flashlights and mapmaking tools and explored the sprawling network of drainage pipes underneath our neighborhood. It was a little scary as we encountered broken glass, cockroaches, and deep water, but the overall memory is one of excitement and camaraderie. Much of the "hunting" focuses on isolated nature settings or occasionally gritty urban exploration. Dim lighting and visual effects like fog and deep shadows will be used to convey the element of the unknown. A few reference images for mood can be found below, as well as a pair of possible color palettes (one is a bit lighter in order to take ease of printing into consideration.)
CRYPTID CATCHERS
Concept Statement: "The truth is out there... and it's up to you to find it."
The game is centered around the many urban myths and legends that have sprung up over time and become part of American culture, including Bigfoot, Chupacabra, the Jersey Devil, and not to mention UFOs--just to name a few. These legends are often well-known in the communities surrounding them, but it's a very interesting side of our culture that many are unfamiliar with. Although a lot of sightings and evidence over the years have been proven fake, there is undeniably something enticing about the ubiquity of these myths and the old saying that every lie has its roots in some truth... Could these monsters really exist? There's only one way to find out.
Setting:
Inspired in part by The X Files, I really want Cryptid Catchers to retain some of that 90s-era nostalgia that makes the aforementioned show such a delight to watch even twenty years later. The game is set in the continental United States, primarily in rural areas, where players must travel across the country to find convincing evidence of these elusive beings.
Art Style/Mood:
Ideally, Cryptid Catchers will have definitively eerie visuals without crossing the line into flat-out horror, with emphasis on maintaining an air of adventurousness and mystery. I essentially want to echo an experience I had in January of last year, when me and a couple of friends took flashlights and mapmaking tools and explored the sprawling network of drainage pipes underneath our neighborhood. It was a little scary as we encountered broken glass, cockroaches, and deep water, but the overall memory is one of excitement and camaraderie. Much of the "hunting" focuses on isolated nature settings or occasionally gritty urban exploration. Dim lighting and visual effects like fog and deep shadows will be used to convey the element of the unknown. A few reference images for mood can be found below, as well as a pair of possible color palettes (one is a bit lighter in order to take ease of printing into consideration.)
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