Test your board game with friends/relatives WEEK 9

So I was able to get my family to help me out with a playtest which consisted of my dad, my stepmom, sister, and stepsister. At first they were a little bit confused so the first round I explained any rules they didn't understand (we went over how to play and the rules before we started). For the second play through I put in a few barriers (or rules if you will) that made them think more effectively of how to use their battle points, for example, instead of being able to use all 25 of their battle points, they were limited to 15 and couldn't use special cards. I noticed it made them think more tactically about the game when we switched back to regular rules. Overall the feedback was really good, they liked the concept of the game but made sure to note that some of the rules needed to be clearer for better understanding and better gameplay since there were some things that weren't addressed, like what happens when you run out of battle points and a certain consequence card that was unclear.

WEEK 8 Exercises 9.4, 9.5, and 9.3

9.4 Script

Today we are conducting  a playtest for our game. As you begin to play please keep in mind that we would like you to answer some questions. Firstly let us know if you can understand the rules clearly and if any questions or concerns come to mind. Next think about if your objective for the game is clear. You will have to make a few choices as you play so let us know if you see what they are. Is the game fun for you to play or is it difficult on any level. With those basic questions in mind go ahead and open up the game, set up and start.

9.5 Playtest Analysis and Results

So we were able to get a group of four people who hadn’t played our game yet to help us out with a playtest. First we just had them play a single round with no special setbacks or anything. They were able to understand the majority of the rules clearly although there was one rule that caused a loophole which we actually forgot to include. The players thought they staked claim on a entire section of territory but in actuality no one really owns a whole section and each player starts off equally. Once that was cleared up there wasn’t many problems to report. The players seemed to enjoy what they were doing and made some fairly easy choices when they played. After the first round we went and randomly placed everyone’s battle point representatives on all of the territories and gave them a limited amount of battle points and we asked each of them what they would do when given a certain amount of battle points against a certain player who may have had more or less of them to see what types of situations would effect their decisions to buy a unoccupied territory and when wagering against other players. One player pointed out if he had to wager and then had a choice to buy the next round, it would depend on if he won or lost the wager and how many battle points he ended with and of course he would have to factor in if he pulled a consequence or special card and him and another player agreed that it was slightly due to chance.

9.3 Recruiting Playtesters

So the playtesters we got together were in a age range from 19-24 which is our game's main target demographic. They weren't doing anything at the time when we asked them so they were more than happy to help out right when we asked, which we weren't expecting so we were slightly nervous jumping right into the playtest session. 

Brainstorming session for board game

Our brainstorming session process for our board game idea was sort of on the wire. We were sort of slow coming up with ideas but we managed to get a general idea for our game idea and started to get it fleshed out. I think what we took from the session is to moreover tackle one thing at a time rather than so many parts at once because we end up not saying much because we are trying to think of too much at once.

Week One-Your Life as a Game

Area one-Driving
This would probably be the most obvious part of my life that could possibly be a game. I drive to and from school on a day to day basis plus any errands that I run throughout the week. It would probably be structured like Need for Speed with free world roam basics and you would also be able to take on missions, like running projects to school or having to go get something from somewhere in town. You can gain experience by completing task or missions on time (since I'm in school it would be sensible to have time limits on certain missions) and you can get penalized for ruining items for delivery or getting pulled over

Area Two-Cooking
I don't cook often but it would be another area I could imagine in my life as a game. You would probably start each level with certain given ingredients and have to make a certain amount of each food the game instructs you to make to make a meal in the end. You would have to make sure nothing gets burnt or undercooked and you can level up with each successful meal. There could also be speed rounds where you have to make a certain number of a certain food without under/overcooking and you get your score based on how well you do.

Area Three-Music
I usually listen to music on a daily basis so music would be an area I would turn into a game. You could start out the game in either free music mode or concert mode. Free music mode would let you choose what songs you can go through and you can do one at a time to gain experience and score points. Concert mode would have you choose a lineup of songs and you can have friends join you on instruments and each person would have to work collectively to gain a certain score by the end of the concert. You can open up new cities and places to play when you reach certain levels and you can use score points to go buy new abilities to help you be better in the game

Area Four-Shopping
I don't really shop for clothes as much as I do art supplies but I used to work at a retail store with my first job. You would be put into a certain area of a store and have to help customers get what they need. It could be a diner dash set up where you have people in dressing rooms and they ask for certain clothing items to try on and you have to go find them and bring them back before they get mad and leave. Each successful helped customer would add to your experience and you have to meet a quota by the end of your shift in story mode or just go as long as you can in free mode.

Area Five-Drawing
The last area I would think I could make a game would be my drawing. I do it just about every day so it would make sense if it were an important game for my life. There could be a few modes, for example one you can go in and just draw freely and be able to save your works in a gallery to look at later. There could be a story mode where you have to either make or sell certain items at things such as markets, which you would start out at, and work your way up to conferences and really big art shows when you get your name out there by doing commissions for people and taking on jobs as an assistant to an artist.