RESEARCH
WHAT
Playing Board Games In Groups
WHEN
10/09/2018
SOURCE
Primary Research:
Betrayal At House On The Hill is an adventure horror game for 3-6 players that involves building the board as you explore. The set up was minimal, although actually understanding the contents of the game was not easy given it was our first time playing. It takes a long time to get going, and the flow of game play was often interrupted by lack of understanding the different cards, items and omens; which often lead to frustration and acceptance of whatever was happening, regardless of knowing why. Each character has certain stats and they are affected by the events in game. The game then shifts with the event of a 'haunt' thus making the previous tokens and rooms more relevant. A player becomes the traitor with the event of the 'haunt', which changes the gameplay from cooperative to competitive as you race to survive or win. Due to time constraints, we were unable to actually explore the 'haunt' further.
Secondary Research:
Betrayal At House On The Hill Won the 2004 Gamers' Choice Award for Best Board Game.1 The game was very well received, with people appreciating the replay value in the many scenarios the game provides. Combining the story with these random mechanics that are fleshed out nicely, the general flaw which was pointed out was that the player starting with the highest 'might' stat has an advantage over the others. It was given a 4/5 by this reviewer and the general consensus by people who've played it is that it is a good board game.2
WHAT
Compare & Contrast
WHEN
12/09/2018
SOURCE
The game Werewolf (also known as Mafia) involves a group of people assigned different roles; towns-people, witch, werewolf, cupid, lovers, little girl and hunter. The object of the game is for the werewolves to kill everyone, without arising suspicion as to their identity. The witch can revive and poison one person a night. Cupid chooses the lovers, who both die if one of them is killed. The little girl can peak during the night and the hunter gets a free kill if they're killed.
It is similar to Betrayal because of the mystical elements and the use of different stats that aid the gameplay. They both have fantasy/supernatural themes and are games of survival. The statistics are presented differently, with Betrayal having them on the character cards and Werewolf including them as a game rule. Strategy becomes more important in both games as it progresses, especially in Betrayal after the 'haunt'.
The statistics change throughout Betrayal, as the different cards and rooms affect the character, unlike Werewolf. Despite both being random, with the scenarios changing each new time the game is played, Werewolf is far more linear than Betrayal. There are so many options in Betrayal through the rooms, cards and Haunt book, that it is complex and is more substantial than Werewolf.
Werewolf in contrast is a game of deception, with the gameplay relying on the interaction of the players. It is less conventional in the sense of a board game, as there is no actual board. It is quick to set up and easy to learn, lacking the complex rules and themes of Betrayal. The strategy is limited to the reactions of the people you're playing with; lying or writing down who's who is only beneficial as long as you're alive. There are no new elements that are added to the game as you play, and it can range from relatively short to lengthy conversations.
Betrayal is suited to people who desire a narrative driven experience and at least an hour of gameplay. It is random every time, meaning it doesn't get repetitive and that makes it enjoyable for every session. The themes and elements of the game are designed to be scary, which further enhances the experience of playing. Loosing yourself in the narrative as you play with a smaller group of players makes the game fun.
Werewolf is good for a medium to large group of people. It's fun if you're close friends as I think knowing the people would make casting the suspicions more interesting. It's fun if you're one of the Class cards; being a towns-person is a fairly limiting experience. However, it does get increasingly intense as more people are killed.
Games such as Noughts & Crosses and Squares which, relative to the games discussed above, are very simple, display the start of strategy games. Although basic in their design and presentation, understanding the fundamentals for these games provides a learning for strategy at a young age. Noughts & Crosses is easy to master, and this takes away an element of fun for older players. Squares is slightly more difficult, as depending on the size of the playing area the strategy is harder to plan ahead for.
Game Theory is the process of modelling the strategic interaction between two or more players in a situation containing set rules and outcomes. This interdependence between players makes strategies very hard to predict.
Prisoner's Dilemma
Two members of a criminal gang are arrested and imprisoned. Each prisoner is put in solitary confinement so they can't communicate with each other. There isn't enough evidence for a conviction on the principle charge, but they have enough to convict them on a lesser charge. The prisoners are given a choice: betray (shown as Cooperation in the chart) the other by testifying that the other committed the crime, or to cooperate (shown as Defection in the chart) with the other by remaining silent.
If A and B betray each other, each of them serve two years in prison.
If A betrays B but B remains silent, A will be set free and B will serve ten years in prison (and vice versa)
If A and B both remain silent, both of them will only serve five years in prison.
From any perspective, the best option for the prisoners is to choose to confess as this provides the minimum amount of time spent in jail, no matter the choice of the other prisoner.
Nash Equilibrium is a situation occurring within a game hen each players chosen strategy maximises pay-offs given the other players choice, so that no player has an incentive to alter behaviour.
Pure and Mixed Strategy
A pure strategy is one that provides maximum profit or the best outcome to players. In a mixed strategy players adopt different strategies to get the best possible outcome.
Dominant Strategy
Is a situation in game theory where a player's best strategy is independent of those chosen by others
Maximin Strategy
In which a player maximises the probability of minimum profit so that the degree of risk can be reduced.
Minimax Strategy
In which the main objective of a player is to minimise the loss and maximise the profit.
Cluedo
The strategy for this game depends on your willingness to pay attention and deduce. The best thing to do is try to eliminate one possibility with every turn, reveal nothing you learn to other players and spend as much time as possible in the rooms in your hand. This is an example of mixed strategy.
Noughts and Crosses
People usually have a specific strategy they stick to, e.g. going for the middle first. There's a mathematical equation for winning every time, however when people are playing casually together the result is usually a tie until one player gets too comfortable and makes a mistake. This is an example of dominant strategy.
Werewolf
The strategy here is to lie, unless you're a towns person. From there it is a deduction of who is more suspicious. Often a good strategy is to remain quiet and let everyone else throw accusations at each other. This game is usually influenced by bias, however, with people targeting certain friends for comedic affect, which makes having a strategy irrelevant. This is an example of pure strategy.
Connect 4
Although simple in concept, there are many strategies in Connect 4. Besides the obvious objective, the best thing to do is try to set up more than one option with each counter. You have to play it out until the other player is forced to put a counter in a position that is advantageous to you. Also it's key not to be so focused on your own plan, that you miss the opponent doing the same. This is an example of maximin strategy.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
The first game is entirely random, you don't know what either person is going to do. After that, each person begins calculating the probabilities of the next move. The idea is to be aware of them psychoanalysing you whilst trying to predict why they'll do next. This is an example of minimax strategy.
Splendor Rule Book
Nice and clearly labeled, this booklet includes images to complement the text.
Like:
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Colourful
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Clear headers
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Pictures & text
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It looks like it fits the theme of the game
Dislike:
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Big chunks of text
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Mixed ways of displaying information
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Colour choice is a bit bland
A booklet is a great way to display the rules and would allow me to incorporate my character cards. I don't like how it's laid out though, and the colour scheme would have to be changed to be more fitting.
I've decided to look at the box art of one of the most successful board games ever made.
Everything from the font to the colour scheme has been thought through, and having a logo that is easily recognizable makes your game more likely to succeed. These factors all contribute to the appeal for customers - at the end of the day people who have never seen the game before have to have a reason to want to pick it up.
Key points to consider based on what I see here:
Colour scheme that fits the theme
Logo/Name
Having a tag line
The age range and number of players displayed clearly
Brief description of the gameplay on the back
Use of text and and images.
The shape of the box is also important, as you have to make sure all the pieces fit but look aesthetically pleasing. I had been considering a coffin shaped box; however, due to the board being round and the coffin being slightly more morbid than probably necessary, I have decided to choose a rectangular box.
I wanted the box art to be dark, so the elements that are in colour stand out more. I used 'Grave Mistakes' for the name of my game because I love puns. Having the board and pieces on the front is an easy way to show what the gist of the game is, although I blurred the board so the surprise isn't ruined for playing. The front is clearly labelled with the age rating and number of players, which is important when releasing a game so that consumers know immediately if this is a game suitable for them.
The back has a brief description of the game play and hopefully aids in selling the game to customers. I made the text look ethereal because it conforms to my theme of death. Here the text is a lot more jovial, linking to the tag line on the front of the box because it's not a serious horror board game. There's a danger label that's silly and I included it because I wanted to enforce the idea of making a game that makes fun of itself. It also has a list of the box contents and again reiterates the age range.
I got the fonts from: dafont.com & 1001fonts.com
If I were to remake the box art I would change the font for the main text as it may be difficult to read for some people and I may need something simpler.
Different ways to get my game published:
Kickstarter:
Websites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter would allow me to gather the funds to make a prototype properly and produce my game on a larger scale. Kickstarter is great because it gets people excited about your product and lets you know if you’ll need to make more than the minimum quantity. These require the backing of ordinary people, so I would have to ensure that their support is worth their while. Many people do this by giving the top sponsors special bonuses such as their name in the credits or sending them special editions.
This is in some ways the easiest method of funding because you set up the goal by yourself, it's all controlled by you; depending on how worthy you think your game is you could quite easily go all the way. On the other hand, it also requires getting people's support in the first place and making sure they don't feel ripped off or let down by the end product.
Pitching to a company:
Lots of companies allow you to send in submissions for new games, such as LymGame or Hasbro. Choosing the right company to submit to is an important decision, there's no point pitching an adults game to a company that is associated with children's games. This means your idea is taken in by the larger company, and they manufacture the game. Unfortunately hundreds of submissions are made everyday, so there is the possibility of your idea not being approved. Doing this means you'll only get 4-5% of the royalties, so if you think your idea is really great this isn't the way to go. However, if a well known company sells your game, it is more likely to be played and be successful.
Self funded:
If you're lucky enough to have a starting sum of money, you can skip the entire Kickstarter process and go straight to a manufacturer to make your game. This is the most risky method, as you have the possibility of losing a lot of money. Most manufacturers have a minimum produce amount, which could leave you with hundreds of useless pieces of your game and no profit. On the other hand, if you manage to market your game successfully, all of the profit will go back to you.
Out of these options, I think that using a funding site would be the most applicable to me. By doing so, you can get people hyped about the game and on the internet news spreads quickly. It's a great way to market the game to lots of people at once, and gives you a connection to who the players of your game will be. It is also the most cost effective, as it require a minimal amount of initial investment.