User Testing & Refining (12/2-12/8)
This week I aimed to finish printing out the latest version of my cards and testing them with various people. I’m not sure how many people I can get due to it being a busy time of the semester and because of the topic. I also want to begin writing and refining the rules.
The Cards
Version 1
These are the cards I want to user test with this week. So far there are 175 cards in total. This sounds like a lot, but in reality the stack isn’t that tall. However, I imagine the deck will be taller for the final result due to thicker paper.
5 environments
6 acceptances
18 monsters
12 creatures
26 events
36 tools
36 materials
36 food
Initial Notes:
More environment cards - with only 5 environment cards, I think the gameplay will be very stagnant. I want to create more variety. Maybe I’ll aim for 12 environments.
Balance creatures and monsters (18 of each)
Are there too many item cards? (36 tools, 36 materials, 36 food) - It may be beneficial to get rid of some items
version 2
The edits I made for this version are the following:
Balanced creatures and monsters (18 of each)
Less item cards overall
18 materials
18 tools
24 food
There are less items and less repeats because it’ll enforce players to trade with each other and see which combination of cards will be most beneficial
More environment/habitat cards (12 cards instead of 6)
I also revised some of the wording on some of the cards to clarify what actions players actually partake in
The Rules
Version 1
How to Play
Everyone starts with 4 items of their choice. They can choose from food, materials, and tools. Then, shuffle the deck and place down to begin. Players begin with no cards. Youngest player goes first.
Each turn, players draw and immediately place the cards in front of them - this counts as 1 move. Trading with other players also counts as 1 move.
Food, materials, and tools items are placed down in front of the player and are now in the player’s possession.
If an acceptance card is drawn, place the card next to the deck, face up. This becomes the goal for the game. When all the items are collected as a team, they gain an exit off of Grief Island and win the game. At any point when a new acceptance card is drawn, it automatically becomes the new goal. If the goals are met on the new card, everyone wins. Return the previous acceptance card to the bottom of the deck.
If an environment card is drawn, place the card next to the deck and acceptance card, face up. This tells players which part of Grief Island they are currently on. It dictates how many moves players can take and how many items they can hold. When a new environment card is drawn, the effects go immediately into play for all players. Return any previous environment cards to the bottom of the deck.
If a monster card is drawn, players must work together to conquer it and end their turn after defeating it. When a monster is defeated, it is placed in front of the player and now in their possession. The monster is only fully defeated when the correct items are discarded in the discard pile and the question is answered. If players are unable to defeat the monster, the card returns the bottom of the deck. Once a monster is defeated and in possession of a player, it cannot be discarded.
If a creature card is drawn, players must engage in the question prompt before proceeding. Once the question has been answered, the card returns to the bottom of the deck.
Initial Notes:
I need to focus on consistent wording
Consider using color in the rules to help explain how the game works
Version 2
The edits I made for this version are the following:
Added an introduction to the rules to set context and revised some of the wording
Introduction
Welcome to Grief Island.
Many of us have stumble upon Grief Island without any notice, some of us may have been preparing to visit. No matter the circumstance, we’re here now - together.
In order to find a safe path off of Grief Island, you and your teammates must find Acceptance to grant you a safe journey. But Acceptance will only help your team if everyone proves their travels on Grief Island. She understands there are scary, hurtful monsters that may hurt us along the way, but she also knows there are kind creatures that may guide us. If you and your team collaborate, there may be a way to navigate through Grief Island together.
You may visit Grief Island again in the future, but with every visit, it may get a bit easier to navigate. You may have to face scary monsters again, but with experience, it may get less daunting.
User Testing
Notes
12/02/19
Creature of Hope wording = confusing
Do all players view the top 3 cards and decide to shuffle? Why or why not?
More environment cards
Cards are hard to shuffle
Due to regular printer paper quality and sheer amount
12/03/19
“What if I’m uncomfortable with answering the question?”
It’s possible they aren’t the target audience for this game
Is there a way to create alternative ways to defeat monsters?
The set up gets messier as the game play continues
Is there a possibility of creating a board/box/container that will make it easier to manage all the cards?
12/03/19
Very well thought out game and relates back to grief nicely
Gameplay for 2 players vs. 4 players
In a 2 player game, it’s much harder to reach the goal because of the lack of supplies
The deck should be edited for different amounts of players
When turns get skipped in 2 player games, the momentum gets slowed down - “fizzling effect”
Length of the game
Gameplay drastically changes depending on how in-depth conversations are
Event cards
When a card states something about 1 player having to do something, is there an alternative that states “half the party” needs to do something? But how would that change with 3 players?
Cards that make players give resources away to other players
Creatures
Add a creature of memory to ask “what would you ask your past self?”
Reflection
The gameplay went much smoother than initial runs. I was right about balancing the number of certain cards. Additionally, the wording on some cards ended up being confusing so those needed to be revised. I felt pretty stuck in the middle of this process of creating a game board but now I’m happy with where this project is and excited to see how it will evolve.
Next Steps
My prototype is almost where I want it to be. I’m very eager to have it almost done because I think working on visuals and the digital component will be very exciting. I’m considering how to present the demo of this game because of how personal the gameplay can get. I’m going to explore if I can use keynote animations to clearly show the gameplay.