G UILDS OF OLD...G A ME D E SC R I P T I ON Guilds of A game about winning by any means necessary....

BRANDON WILLIS -

GUILDS OF GOLD-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brandon Willis - 1

Guilds of Gold- 1

Table Of Contents 2

Game Description 4

All v All 4

Number of Players 4

GRATIS Outline 4

Flowcharts 7

Meaningful Action Analysis (MAA) 8

Card Game Table Layout Diagram - 10

Component Pieces 11

this games comes a deck of 41 cards containing 11

8 base fire cards 11

8 base wind cards 11

8 base water cards 11

8 base earth cards 11

1 ultra void card 11

4 rare champion cards of each element 11

4 rare king cards of each element 11

1 notepad 11

1 pencil 11

Detailed Design & testing – Assignment 3 12

Play Testers For Test 1 12

Playtest 1 Results 12





Detailed Rules for Players 17





Week 3 Playtest Reflection 26


New Mechanic 28




Play test 7 Results 30







Week 4 Tests Reflection 35

Final Reflection 37

GAME DESCRIPTION

Guilds of A game about winning by any means necessary. Using strategy to outwit your opponent(s), destroying the Guild, or depleting their resources, and claiming victory.

All v All

I used the All v All module because it fit the nature of how my game is played while even having a trading mechanic it’s still a highly competitive game. Set collection is the main mechanic of this game with players looking to complete sets for points. The second mechanic of this game and equally important is Action selection used to create strategy in this game and force players to think about the actions they take and how they can affect the events that follow.

Number of Players

● 2-4 players ● Ages 12 +

GRATIS Outline

Goals

● Be the first player to deplete the opposing players Guild Chest ● Be the last player with a guild of cards remaining ● Defeat all opposing Guild mercenaries ● Survive the guild assault ● Defeat all opposing players

Rules

● Mana in GoG is called Plunder. Plunder comes in forms from Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum, and Diamonds. Plunder is used to pay mercenaries to do your bidding, fight your battles, kidnap, and destroy your enemies.

● There are 5 main races in GoG, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs, and Goblins. Each race offers unique benefits when hired and each race requires different plunder to do their jobs. Each individual of these races wants a different amount as well, so be sure to keep the cash flowing.

● Each race in GOG (guilds of Gold) has there own unique play style ● Each faction of each race has its own unique abilities associated with that faction ● Elves are known for being tacticians in battle and their playstyle is all about assault and magic ● Dwarves are known for being robust and stubborn. Their playstyle is all about defense and

countering

● Humans are like goblins in that they rely on numbers to get the job done. Yet, unlike goblins Humans are not as weak and rally and bolster one another.

● Orcs are a dreaded race in GOG. They rely on brute force to win battles and dark magic to return fallen foes to battle.

● Goblins like humans are a numbers based race. Weak in comparison to the other races, goblins rely on enginuity and numbers to win fights. A little magic also gets them a long way.

● Other expansion races to be added after this point

● Rules of play ● The game starts with each player drawing 5 cards. ● Each player will then decide if they like the cards they drew and either except or redraw cards

removing how many they draw by one each turn. ● Once both players have decided they like the hands they have the players will decide who goes

first with a dice roll. The higher number chooses. ● If the players tie the first to roll the number is the winner. ● After the players choose to go first the game is then broken down into phases. ● In GOG there are a few things that create order in this game. ● First is turns, which are used to decide when both players have taken a round and is when the

game is decided if it should continue or not based on the criteria in which needs to be met to end the game.

● Second is rounds, used to describe the turn a player singularly takes in phase order as the active player. There are two rounds taken in a turn, one for each player and after which the turn is over.

● Phases a term used to describe the flow of a round for a player. This teaches the player how the round should be conducted and during what part of a round things can be done.

● There are 7 phases in a round. From start to end we have Start Phase, Draw Phase, Event Phase 1, Action Phase, Event Phase II, Resolution Phase, and End Phase.

● Start Phase- usually the start phase is skipped unless players have a card that activates in this phase. If so they follow the cards directions or skip this phase.

● Draw phase is the time in which each player draws a single card on their round from the Guild ( deck). Also this is the time in which each player is allowed to play a plunder card from the active players hand onto the field.

● (active player) - is a term that refers to which player round it is and when certain actions can be taken in game.

● Event Phase - is the time for when mercs can be summoned from call ( your hand is what is called the call) and when certain effects of the game can take place.

● Action Phase - is when attacks and defense for both players are decided and resolved. This is also when action cards can be played in game unless said otherwise by the card to be played or another card in play.

● Event Phase II - is when some event cards take place. Most events would go into effect before the action phase but sometimes they are only in effect after. This is also the phase in which most extra things can happen like, a merc being played if not during the draw phase, an event card being played, effects taken, etc.

● Resolution Phase - is the phase in which all things that are still in effect resolve or are resolved until the start phase of the opposing players turn or your next start phase.

● End Phase - is simple in game to mark when one player round end and another begins. This phase will only not lead to another player's start phase when the conditions for victory or defeat is met by one of the players.

● Glossary Terminology in Game ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Bulwark - is a term used to describe an ability given to a Mercenary. This ability prevents the

mercenary from being able to attack.

● Vanguard - ability gives said mercenary the ability to both attack and defend. Unlike most mercs that must have a cool down after attacking ( due to them having to lose the Heat ( police) after committing whatever said crime).

● Counter - is the ability a merc has to reduce damage taken from an attack and refund the difference to the attacker. This is a very talent heavy skill and not many mercs are now to have it.

● Airborne - is the talent some mercs have to defy gravity when completing missions. ● Blind Eye - usually a talent of Goblins, prevents said merc from being targeted for event cards.

This is do to the said merc being either a master of wordplay or a stealthy character. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Mercenary Races ● There are many races in the world of Bohrmir, all of which come with their own troubles,

histories, talents, and more. The five most common races in Bohrmir are known as the pillars of the world. They are not the only races that exist but are the most common of all races. The five pillars spoken of are...

● Elves ● Dwarves ● Humans ● Orcs ● Goblins ● Bohrmir ( bore Mire) - does also have other races of smaller numbers within its continent. These

lesser races also come with many advantages and disadvantages as the main ones but with lesser in numbers as well as fame and history. Some are powerful races of legend while others are mere races people only know rumors of. Here are some of the lesser races of Bohrmir:

● Lizardmen - ● Half Bloods - are the offspring of two or more races of Bohrmir. Commonly found when two of

the main races mix but can also happen between a pillar race and lesser race, two lesser races, or other mixed combinations.

● ● Race Factions

● Each race consists of 5 well known factions of that race. Each faction benefits said race with a certain upbringing that advances each race's talents in different ways from others of that same race. These abilities usually set each race apart and sometimes comes with advantages and disadvantages when combined with other races or factions. Only the Pillar races are known to be splintered off into factions. This is because of the sheer size of these races. Lesser races usually are only as big as one faction of the pillar races and don’t have the power or need to split like these.

● Human Factions: ● Men of Pike’s peak - ● Mystics - ● Great Nation - ● Brandonians - ● Lost men ( bandits) -

● Goblin Factions : ● Red ones - ● Night raid - ● The Horde - ● The Greys - ● Mean green -

● Orcanians (orcs): ● Tribal - ● Pit - ● Orcanians of the BlackHand - ● Blood orcs - ● Bone orcs -

● Elves: ● Woodland ● Riverside ● Royal ● Highland ● Ethereal

● Dwarves: ● Mountain ● Hill ● Canyon ● Mine ● Cave

● Card types ● There are four main card types in GOG. These are Plunder Cards, Mercenary Cards, Action cards,

and Event Cards. ● Plunder cards - are the resource cards used to pay for everything in game. Nothing happens for

free and everything comes at a cost. Plunder cards help cover those expenses. Every turn a

Guildmasters wealth grows randomly based on Guild Tax. This is simulated by the random drawing and placement on the field of plunder cards. The usage of Plunder cards is represented by tapping and untapping the cards. This simulates if the resource is in use or not. When untapped it is free to use and when tapped it is being used to pay for a service (services are what we call anything that costs plunder in game. Services can be events, actions, and the hiring of mercs).

● Event Cards - are best described as the cards that describe all the shady things that happen in game. From accidental death, murders, assination attempts, political scandals, and more. Events are the cards that allow for things to happen in game and do not necessarily require a mercenary to do it. You could be bribing a law officer, blackmailing a Politician, etc. Like all things in GOG events cost plunder as well and once the event is paid for those resources are freed up on the next round for that play during the Start Phase. Event cards can not affect another Guild Masters Guild directly.

● Action Cards - are like events in being that they do not always require mercenaries. Unlike events, action cards can be called upon during any player's turn as long as the resources exist. Like event cards they have a range of uses and can be anything from buffin and debuffing mercs to attacking the guild master directly. What action cards can not do that event cards can is they can not affect the Guild of another Guild Master.

● Mercenary Cards - cards are the backbone of GOG they are the band of misfits that belong to your Guild and do your biddings. They run your quest and are who you call upon when things are in need of their talents. Like every other card in GOG, mercenaries require plunder in order to take on jobs. Different mercas have different requirements based on the legends of their names and the skill level in which they have earned meaning better mercs require more money.

● Rules of Play ● All Guild Master’s Guild Halls Start with 50 Health. This is because all Guild Halls are assumed to

be in pristine order and Legitimate businesses. If a Guild Hall is to Reach a health of Zero or lower that Guild Hall is considered to be bankrupt and all associated parties abandon it in search of work elsewhere.

● Rules of Deck Building

●

● Discarding - when a mercenary ( merc) dies and when the effects of an action card or event card ends that card is to be discarded to the Graveyard. Never should a card that is not in effect remain inplay on the field.

● ● Graveyard - is the location discord cards are placed. Mercs that die and effects and actions no

longer active are placed here along with destroyed plunder. ● Guild - is what the players deck is referred to as. The Guild ( deck) is composed of the 50 cards(+)

that a player has chosen as the cards they want to play with. Decks can not have more than 3

mercs cards of the same name ( literally the same name) and can not have more than 4 cards of the same name for events and action cards.

● Brig is the location for cards that have been placed outside of the game but not specifically in the graveyard. These cards usually can be brought back into play once certain conditions are made but are otherwise treated as if in the graveyard unless a condition stated on a card inplay or the card in the brig says otherwise.

● Hall of Plunder is the location in play where players place plunder cards needed to buy the services of mercs. This is the only place in which plunder can be played unless a card states otherwise.

● At the end of a round players will then decide based on the rules of the conditions stated below if the game is over or to be continued. If the conditions are not met then the game continues onto a new round with the next players phase starting in the start phase. If the conditions are met then a winner and loser can be determined and the game ends

● Conditions for winning ● Guild Master (player) is the last one with cards remaining in the guild. ● Guild Master is the last player with remaining Guild Health. ● Guild Master has killed all monsters on the field and the opposing Guild Master has no

remaining cards in guild. ● Conditions for losing ● Guild Master Surrenders the match ● Guild Master no longer has cards to draw from the guild and no longer has mercs to attack and

defend with on field. ● Guild Master’s Guild Health has been depleted to Zero or lower (unless card states otherwise). ● Once a player has made a choice in any part of the game, that choice is final. So if a player plays

a card and removes their hand from the card then it is permanent to the field of play and can not be undone by the player unless using events, actions, or attacks to destroy or change the state of that card.

● In matches ( a series of games) or a single game in which there are multiple players, the turns go in counterclockwise order starting with the dice player with the highest number. See rule on starting game above.

● During each opposing player's round each opposing player ( the one who’s round it is not) can store one card as a safety deposit card. When doing so this one card can not be spied on by the opposing player. All other cards are fair game.

● Action cards ● ⁃ provide bonuses to character(s) already in play and sometimes can even

summon characters into play. Action cards never last beyond the resolve phase of round the player is currently on and unlike event cards action cards can be played outside of your turn as well.

● ⁃ Action cards can provide buffs and debuffs to the guild master who’s round it is, the opposing guild master, and mercenaries.

● ⁃ Action cards can never affect the treasury, library, graveyard, or brigade. ● ⁃ Action cards that can be active during the opposing player's turn are called Bait

action cards. ● ⁃ Some Bait cards come with an activation on them that allows the player to

switch the intended target of an event card. These cards are called Bait & Switch Actions. They are powerful cards that have not only a cost to play but a limit to their ability specified by the number that is marked on that card. The number marked tells at what cost it can switch and how.

● Event cards ● ⁃ allow for things to happen during a players turn in game. Ranging from bribery,

kidnapping, assassinations, and more. ● ⁃ Unlike actions cards event cards have a type of event cards that can effect the

graveyard, library, brigade, and Event cards also have a type of card that last more than one of a given players round. These are called revolving event cards. Revolving event cards can take multiple rounds to complete and can be destroyed before reaching completion by other cards that target them.

● ⁃ Like action cards even cards can buff debuff both the guild master who summoned mercenaries as well as the opposing players' mercenaries.

● ⁃ Event cards can not however Target the opposing player directly. ● ⁃ Event cards can only be played during the event phases of the round for which

the player who has the card is on. They can not be played during the opposing players round. ● Here is where more rules will be added as needed. ● All starter decks are designed with a single tactic in mind. Starter Decks are not the pinnacle of

what a player can do and are only to help players understand the basics of how to play and strategies in this game. Advanced players will build their decks composed of 50(+) cards to compete with. In order to have a deck considered valid players will need to console with the deck Guideline rules listed below.

● DECK GUIDELINE RULES ● First Decks must have at least 50 cards. Any number over this is accepted but not recommended

as the percentage chance of drawing that card drops with the increase of card beyond 50 for mercs and 60 for events and action cards.

● Decks can not contain more than 3 mercs of the same exact name or 4 event and action cards of the same name.

● Folklore - mercs with this brand do not play well together. When a Guild Master summons multiple mercs the stronger one will kill the weaker even when on the same side. This is due to Folklore mercs wanting to uphold the tales associated with their names and with them being ruthless mercenaries in the first place. If a player plays a second merc then the first must be removed to the graveyard unless the second is stronger or they are of equal strength ( then they both die). If the merc has an ability or perk that states otherwise then always follow the cards rules.

● Mercs, effects, and action cards cost plunder so no Guild is complete unless they have the right balance of plunder within. Usually in a balanced 50 card Guild there would be between 15-20 plunder cards of the make up ( 33%). This is not a rule but a suggestion. The Guild Master decides what the appropriate balance of plunder is and uses that.

● Each Mercenary, Effect, and Action card has an associated cost and that cost determines how much plunder is needed for them to go into play. Mercenaries are greedy beings and no cash equals no service. A player must activate the right number of plunder available in order to call up the services of a merc, effect, or action card.

● Plunder is only active if not in the tapped position. The tapped position is a position that requires a card be placed face up and turned horizontally with the longest side of the card in landscape mode to the player. Untapped position is a vertical position of the card in portrait mode to the player ( longest side vertical).

●

Actions

● Shuffle the cards ● player cuts the cards ● dealer deals the cards evenly ● If there are 3 players remove the 41rst card and continue the rules as follows (but not the void

card). ● remaining cards that make the game uneven go to the discard pile face up ● youngest player starts game ● make a blind trade with an opponent or not ● choose to play a set or hold on for the next round ● choose to inspire or desire ● discard a card ● next player's turn ● tally points ● slap sandwiches and stacks

Transitions

● Game starts once each player has been dealt cards and the youngest player goes first ● player turn ends when player discards a card ● round ends when a player runs out of cards in hand ●

Items

● a deck of 50(+) cards ● Scoreboard (notepad and pencil) ● Dice D3-D100 ● Two players

Setup

● Both players shuffle their respective Guilds ● Once they both finish shuffling they swap Guilds and cut the other players card to prevent

cheating ● After both players have had their guilds cut they return the guilds to the owner and draw 5 cards ● Once both players have hands they are happy with 5 or less cards the player each rolls a D20

die. The highest player goes first. ● Both players then place the Guild in the correct location of play and the starting player goes

first. ● Somewhere outside of the game players will either keep a calculator each or notepad to keep

track of guild Health

Flowcharts

Meaningful Action Analysis (MAA)

● Drawing a Card Drawing Cards is how players can have more possibilities in winning the game. Also this is how players fairly progress the game forward. Being that players only start with a very small percentage of the Guild at start of the game it is a way to fairly and moderately give each player access to the rest of the guild cards over the course of the game. All drawn cards are pulled from the Guild.

● Discarding a Card Is how we keep the game organized and fair as well. Discarding removes any cards no longer part of the active game and keeps the field from getting cluttered and confusing. This is also a method to prevent players from cheating by reusing cards that were already used before. Discarding happens when players hold more than 7 cards in hand at the resolution of each round or when the effects of a card expires. Sometimes players could as the result of a card be forced to discard a random or targeted card to the graveyard as well. All discarded cards are placed in the graveyard.

● Playing a resource Card This is the single most important aspect of the game and the main way to ensure fair play. The playing and utilization of resource cards is how players determine if they can or can not play a card onto the field and is also how players determine what and how many cards can be played that round. If the cost requires specific resources or a certain number beyond what the player has then that card can not be played. If the resources exist but are already tapped for use by another card then that player again is in a situation where the card can not be used. This is the main balancing mechanic of the game and what dictates how players play and build the Guilds they will use in play.

● Tapping cards Like Mentioned above. Tapping resource cards helps the players determine what of the current resource cards they have been used and helps prevent players from cheating.

● Mercenaries are tapped to determine if they can be used or not.Usually when a mercenary first enters the field it is in preparation mode and can not attack the first turn played ( unless the card says otherwise. During this mode the card is tapped. Also when a mercenary attacks or activates an active ability ( not passive one) it taps that mercenary preventing further use of it that round. Tapping mercenaries is an organization tool and a way to help both players keep track of what is happening in game.

● Like shuffling cutting is a part of the game that helps prevent cheating by having a player that did not shuffle cut the cards

● Next player’s turn this action allows each player to have a fair chance at winning the

game during each round of play.

● Tallying points - this action allows players to keep track of the points scored or lost by them and helps determine the winner of the game. It is not the only determining factor of wins and losses but is the quickest way to a win or loss generally.

● Hiring mercenaries Utilization of resources to hire a mercenary is determined by the cost requirement of

said mercenary in the top left corner and the color of that number. This helps the player know the cost of said card and what resources are needed to pay said cost.

This is important because hiring mercenaries is the main way to defeat an opposing player in a game. Without mercenaries it will be very difficult to defend and attack an opposing player. Variant Actions ● Card removal - this function of the game is to make having an uneven

amount of players workable within the game’s base mechanic. By removing a single card other than the void card it makes the cards able to be evenly split between 3 players giving each of the 13 cards in hand and the extra to the discard pile. The removed card is also added to the discard pile under the last card.

● Even dealing - this action goes hand in hand with the card removal action

and also with the regular part of the game ensuring each player has an even amount of cards so that everyone has an even chance of winning each round and eventually the game.

● Next player’s turn - is an action that is the result of the current player discarding a card and signalling the end of that player's turn and the start of the next.

● Tally points - is the action done at the end of each round of play and is used

to keep track of points each player has for reference to when a player is close to reaching the score point goal.

● Attacks and defense - this action allows players to deal damage and prevent the dealing of damage to the mercenaries they have or the guild health .

Card Game Table Layout Diagram -

Component Pieces

This game comes with a starter set of 50 cards containing a themed Guild of cards.

Depending on the Themed starter deck chosen, a player will have all that is

needed to play a game against an opponent also containing either a starter deck or

one of their own creation. Starter decks usually contain these things below

● 15-20 Resource cards cards

● Event cards cards

● Action Cards cards

● Mercenary cards cards

● 1 Legendary card

● 4 rare cards

● 4 unique cards

● 1 set of dice

● 1 placement mat

DETAILED DESIGN & TESTING – ASSIGNMENT 3

Play Testers For Test 1

Play testers: Me: 30’s Blue shirt Heekyung: my wife: Asian lady in pink Hoodie Marty: 18, black long sleeve “the arm”

.

Playtest 1 Results

During play test 1 my cards got bent out of shape during the first hand and due to limited time i had to use playing cards to finish the test. Outside of having to use cards that are not mine, I learned that the first play through of my game takes a while due to players learning the phases of each turn and grasping the concept of the game. You will first test your game using the rules from the GRATIS. This section records your tests – their purpose and the results of your test.

● The big change to the Gratis in this step was that i learned when playing more than 2 players the score made the game take way longer than needed. So i had to add to the score limit to make it differ depending on the number of players. This was so because each player would have less cards each time you add a player so each round would finish with lower point totals.

●

● Do to me knowing the rules I never needed to refer to them but, I had to clarify rules a few times when I noticed my rules did explain but not thorough enough for players to picture what I mean. An example of this is when players must discard after picking up the top card of the discard pile as that player’s Desire action. Players had a hard time grasping that after picking up a card they must replace it with one of their own and after that phase is finished discard a card to end that players turn.

● As I stated before I learned during this play test that the learning curve caused the game to run at a slower pace do to most players learning it as they go over hearing or reading the rules. This had the side effect of games that would normally run for 15 minutes taking around an hour.


Play Testers: Reggie: Red shirt - 28 years old Gabbie : blue short sleeve - 20 years old

Playtest 2 Results

New rule : point score for 3 or more players added at 150 points.

● The changes to the point total and the new cards where made

● I noticed once players understood the rules they actually were impressed by just how fun the game is. In the picture below you can see Gabbie realized she made a mistake in her choices during her previous turn (by not playing a poker face when she received the cards she needed for points) and it came back to bite her when Reggie took his turn and decided to desire a card from her hand. This made Gabbie realize the dangers of body language in this game being that no player truly knows what the others have and must strategize from beginning to end to achieve victory.

● ● This time i noticed when a player realized they made a mistake they would always ask for

clarification of the rules not because they did not understand them but because they wanted them to change for personal benefit in that situation.

There was two major changes added and changed in this play through.

● the first was that I had to add clarification to the rules on what happens when players play out a phase and not allowing players to undo the moves made. This was big because players would play something and realize they made a mistake and want to change it after the fact. This can not be allowed in my game because it breaks the foundation of the games design.

● The second thing changed this time was I added another rule and effect to the void card. I noticed that if a player had the void card as the last card in that players hand as they discarded to have zero cards in hand, there was no effect to the cause of this. Reggie the player in red

suggested after the game that I make the void card worth 50 points if you can safely get rid of the card on the turn you discard to end the round.


Erika (black shirt ponytail) 36 Reggie (red shirt) 28 Gabbie ( blue shirt short sleeves) 20

Playtest 3 Results

No new rules added

● Do to Reggies suggestion I played around with the void card Idea and changed the void card to forcing players to pick up the discard pile if it is discarded but allowing players to get an extra turn to play any sets they have as well. This was a better modification than simply giving players points for it because it gave the discard pile more use in my game and it added a positive and negative effect to the void card.

● The two sides to discarding the void card where one on a positive note to picking up the discard pile you got to play any sets you now had in your hand. The negative was that you just added a lot of cards to your hand and can only discard one from your hand afterwards. So any none set cards remained in the player’s hand and they not only removed the void from play but, are now at risk of losing many points for taking the risk.

● As shown in the blurry picture Reggie and Erika are laughing at the expense of Erika’s schemes to attempt to discard her hand before Reggie so that she would be the one to mount a comeback on the scoreboard against him. This caused everyone watching including me to laugh as her plan backfired against her.

● ● No questions from the old players, But Erika the new player had many only during the first two

rounds as she got used to how the phases and turns worked. I think my game’s system works but it takes a few playthroughs to get the hang of the game and will require player’s to reference the rule book until the third or so round of play.

Previous changes added to the level of fun in the game

DETAILED RULES FOR PLAYERS

Phase 1 ● During Phase 1 players will decide to trade blindly with an opponent or skip this step. If a player

chooses to trade then that player and the one player they choose to trade with each picks a single card from their hands to trade face down with the opponent. Each player may only pick up the card traded to them once both players have played a card face down to trade. After this

action the player whose turn it is is now in in phase 2

Phase 2 ● During Phase 2 the player (whose turn it is) decides what set to play from their hand if they

choose to play a set at all. The player may also hit themselves for extending a set they played before with a card of sequence from theri hand.

● They may not hit other players during this phase ● players can only play sets during this phase ● a sequence consist of 3 or more card with either similar signs or similar color. A counting

sequence in this game must have the same color and must not skip a number when counting up or down. (example) having 3 blue cards of 1, 2 and 5 is not a sequence while having cards 6,7,8 is a sequence as long as they are the same color. Having 3 or 4 7s of different colors is also a sequence.

● ● once a player chooses to either play a set or not this phase ends and player is now in phase 3

Phase 3 ● In Phase 3 a player is forced to either Admire or Desire. Depending on if the player has played a

set or not depics the outcome of which choice they have. ● If a player played a set then they must take the desire route choosing if to desire or not and

what to desire from. ● If a player did not play a set then the player must take the admire route choosing if they want to

or not. ● If a player chooses to inspire that player may now hit another player's set with a sequence card

they control in their hand. one one set may be hit during this choice and phase. ● if the player chooses Desire another set of choices is to be made. ● If the player chooses to desire from the discard pile that player may take the top card of the

discard pile in trade for a card in that player’s hand.

● if the player chooses to desire a card from a opponent's hand that player (whose turn it is) may

blindly choose a card from the opponent's hand and afterwards give that opponent a card from their hand that the player chooses (the player whose turn it is makes all the chooses in the

desire)

● after the Inspire or desire has been chosen and played out the player moves to phase 4.

Phase 4 ● after the Inspire or desire has been chosen and played out the player moves to phase 4. ● in Phase 4 the player discards a card. and normally ends that player’s turn now allowing

the player to the left to go next. ● if a player plays all cards in hand and had no card to discard with during the discard

phase then that player turn ends and the game continues to next person, that player is considered floating.

● if a player is the last player with cards in hand and plays hand and all other players are floating then the round ends and all players tally the points they made.

● If a player is to discard the void card durin that player’s phase 4 then the void card works as follows

● If the void card is discarded during phase 4 then the player who discards it must place it in the discard pile and grab all cards under it from the discard pile

● that player may now play any sets they have as a bonus phase and must discard a card afterwards if they have one

Other Rules: ●

● after the player whose turn it is discarded a card any player may slap the discard pile to take the sets visible as sandwiches and stacks and play them on their side of the field.

● Stacks and sandwiches - are defined as cards that lay on top of each other and are the same and sandwiches are cards that are only separated by a single card but are otherwise like stacks. An example of this would be a blue 8 laying on a red 8 are considered a stack. An example of a sandwich would be a blue 8 laying on a green 4 which also lays on another 8 of any color. Do to the 8’s only being separated by a single card they are considered sandwiched while the 8’s laying on each other are considered stacked.

● The void card is worth no points and if you have it in your hand you lose 50 points at end of the round

● Phases only work in sequence players can not take phase out of order. they can only be skip. Like skipping phase 1 and 2 and going straight to three and ending your turn. you can not Skip to phase 3 get a card you need for a set and go back to phase 2.

● once a player has made a choice in any apart of the game, that choice is final. ● turns move in a counterclockwise direction or always to the left. So player left of current

player is next to take a turn

● Last Rule Have Fun


Bridget 28 Female Jacob 34 male

Playtest 4 Results

● a sequence consist of 3 or more card with either similar signs or similar color. A counting

sequence in this game must have the same color and must not skip a number when counting up or down. (example) having 3 blue cards of 1,2, and 5 is not a sequence while having cards 4,5,6 is a sequence as long as they are the same color. Having 4 6s of different colors is also a sequence.

● No the extra rule that worked well in 3-4 players did not work well for 2 players

●

● Jacob was the first to ask me a question during this testing and that question involved him being confused on the extra rule surrounding the void card. I believe personally that the conplexity of

the game alone is more than enough and not only did the void card not work well in 2 player games. the void card made the game less balanced and fun.

○ With thout fail. Every player that plays this game feels intimidated by the rules of my game and this time Jacob pointed out that no one ever plays uno with a complete new group of people that never played. It is always offered by a person or persons that have played before that walk you through the game. Which put some ease for me on how slow play is for new players of my game.

I noticed that I was missing clarity on a rule that stated players trade card with another player but, this rule and main part of the game did not state details. Like the fact that players get to only trade a card with a player so that there is no confusion on what number of cards or players is involved with this mechanic.


This Game was tested by: Erika (seen in picture above) 36 years old Heekyung (wife seen above) 32 years old Gabbie 20 years old (seen in picture above and my little brother AJ (arms in picture) 12 years old

Playtest 5 Results

The highlighted rule in test 4 is the rule added for test five to help clarify what a sequence is in a set and what is not.

● I learned that by removing the extra rule for void card that I originally did not have it made the game playable and more fun for all parties involved regardless of the number of players. What I also did was I made the void card a card you can not discard so that made the game more fun by making players get rid of the card in smart ways. Increasing the fun and speed of the game.

● Do to the new rule book being displayed by phase players are able to play the game completely

without instruction from me and enjoy the game.

● Player’s have only been having fun since play test two and my little brother pic’d up on the game quickly

● The void card can not be discarded was a new rule I added to replace the whole the old void rule left but, not making the game stale for 2 player games at the same time.

●

● player’s did not need me to clarify rules at all they simply referred to the section in 4 for the detailed rules laid out by phase. I kind of want to do a rule book with pictures to help explain visually for any future players that play my game what a set is and is not. Thanks to Erika being a tester before during 3 waves, my wife during wave 1 and Gabbie during a few waves. My brother at 12 years old was able to understand the game without explanation from me. I do believe that a complete new group would need pictures to help explain sets to them without any explanation from me. I believe this is a side effect of choosing set collection as a main part of my game.

○ thanks to the previous 4 rounds of test players no longer ask for any clarification or confusion in my game and are able to play a normal speed hand after 2 rounds of play. It takes 2 rounds of play do to the complexity and number of choices involved in each phase of a turn.

What I noticed is that with the void card running with a simple rule attached to it and not being a card you want in your hand the trade choices in my game and Desire choices become a more fun part of play making the nervousness of getting the card the centerpiece of fun. I think it was wise to dial back the suggestion I went with for the first three trials. At the same time though, I believe by adding the rule of not being able to dispose of the void card makes playing more intense as well adding to the level of fun being had much like playing hot potato ot tag as a child.

Week 3 Playtest Reflection

● Here are 4 issues and comments play testers had in my game: ○ The first comment /issue a player had was the lack of use for the discard pile outside

you having to get rid of cards in your hand. This made the cards that are discard out of the players reach do to them only being able to grab the top card during the desire phase of their turn.

○ My rules didn’t clarify what sequence was to players and caused them to be stagnant and confused. making players either argue or result in asking me for more clarification

○ Lack of versatility in the void card was a comment a player suggested and was good one to think about added another dynamic to the game.

○ Rules are out of order was what my wife noticed during test three and something I myself never caught.

○ I see all the comments as a positive on my game. the comments helped open my eyes to views i could not make and to notice things i overlooked. I think the feedback was extremely helpful mostly because I took a unbiased approach to how people viewed my game. Seeing the comments rather i used them or not as helpful instead of in a negative light. The prime example of this was the suggestion to make the desire visible to the player who’s choice it was to use it. That would have taken the mystery and intensity out of the game but, it was helpful because it allowed me to seek ways to improve the desire mechanic and to pay close attention to how well it worked in my game.

○ Analysis of the comments received: ■ Initially the comment and suggestion to change the void card to having a

heavier role in the discard pile was viewed as a great suggestion. When I researched my game for a way to implement and found one and tested it it worked well for 3 player and for player play. the issue arises when I did test for with 2 players and I saw how imbalanced and stale the rule made the game.

■ Most of the feedback I received I tried to not take it as is and instead apply a unique look or feel to each. Some feedback that was not possible with and I had to instead simply change based on what was heard like missing details in rules. So i guess you can say I parceled the feedback i received from just about everyone.

■ Most comments and suggestions received helped to balance and improve the level of fun my game had. The interest curve increased from the void rule but plummeted when two players tried playing the same game using the change.

■ I believe that the feedback i received was good and that I received a lot of marks from testers on the fun the game is. So yes i think that adding a lot of the suggestions I see as ways to improve the game even of only for testing purpose vs the old way as helpful and necessary.

There was 4 key issues i noticed about my game. ● The first was that my game lacked details from the beginning and when i performed the first test

I saw myself filling in blanks while explaining my game to the players that i initially didn’t see. ● The second i would say was a joint issue i spotted and was keyed to me by a player and that was

that the void card had a weak feel of play in my game. ● A lack of clarity for many rules was something i ran into many times during testing and even

while updating my game.

● The last big thing would be not defining a sequence. I think this is the hardest thing for people to understand in my game and even with great detail on this added between each test, people still have a hard time understanding it. I believe if i added pictures to the rules, phases, and setup that would help the players understand what I intended for the game on a greater scale and could even improve the learning curve of the game.

○ Analyzing the issues

■ I think the lack of detail is easy to understand but my phases again made sense to me but as a designer I realized that what’s in my head should mirror what i write so players can better understand.

■ the void card is a key pillar to my game yet it was a weak one. The issue was not having a strong purpose for this card other than not having it. It was also bad that players could simply discard it and that took away from the drama and intensity of the game.

■ I learned that a lot of my rules had not accounted for things that popped up in testing and that was a issue. holes in games make them either not fun, not fair, or both. Plugging them wasn't easy and taking more time to better understand and proof read them was needed

■ lastly the sequence issue like described above was something i could not simplify no matter what i tried to come up with. I believe i have made it much easier to play this game without my help but I think that with more testing and tuning i can solve this issue possibly with pictures.

■ I have addressed many of the problems that came up and if not i have come up with viable solution to help remedy the issues as stated above.

● Explaining the rules and the number of times in detail.

○ I had to explain the rules only during the first 2 test in a way. This was because there was either gaps in the rules or the rules not having enough detail for the player.

○ the only other time I can kind of say the game needed rules was when new players where confused on what a sequence was and that was pure lack of explanation after changing my rules when it existed before hand.

○ During test 4 when I had a few fathers from my daughter’s school come to play my game they understood all the rule great after reading my detailed refined rules but, got choked up during turn one when they reach phase two and needed clarification on what is a set. I initially said” it’s in the rules” but, came to find out that it was not. This was because I forgot to read add it when i made changes to the rules layout after test 3. that’s when I went back in to put all my rules in phase order for players to better understand and reference them. So i had to go back in to my rules and double check them for that rule and any others i needed and might have removed during the change.


New Mechanic

Instead of allowing players to choose between Admire and desire I forced players into the choice based on what the did in the previous phase. So if players chose to play a set then they lose the option to admire, while players that chose not to play a set or do not have sets to play still have the option to admire but lose the option to desire. I did this in hopes that it creates more strategy and forces players to deeply think out moves before making them and spicing up the game.


Heekyung (white) 32 Reggie (hoodie) 28 Gabbie (braided hair) 21

Playtest 6 Results

Players where given a tablet containing all the rules for the game. I would have printed them but currently in need of ink after reprinting my cards for the third time. Unlike in test 1-5 before test 6 I added pictures to help illustrate visually what i am saying in the rules.

● With the new Pictures added to the rules I saw that my wife was able to better understand the rules compared to even the explanation given before. I believe this is do to some people being visual learners or benefitting from visual aids.



Play test 7 Results

Do to the pictures not being enough I modified the pictures to contain additional visual directions to better illustrate what i mean visually. These modifications include arros, colors, words, and more to give visual examples of how certain parts of the game works that people are generally confused about or usually have questions on.

● More clarification was needed in the rules and was expected so i detailed the rules more. ● Not like they did in the original version of the game but, they are still having fun mostly.

● ● Rules needed more details and pictures need modifications this time to help with explanation.

After adding the second round of modifications I noticed that all players (even though it’s a old group) felt the pictures make it a needed addition to the game. My wife (Heekyung) said she believe the pictures make it so the text does not feel overwhelming and complicated when reading the rules.


Heekyung (white) 33 Reggie (hoodie) 28 Gabbie (braided hair) 21 Myself (tattooed arm) 32

Playtest 8 Results

No changes made this time

● The game play improved with players they are able to play faster with less downtime but, still not as fun as the original version.

● players have been having more fun that the previous test but still not the fun witnessed in the original game.

● ● I never needed to say anything in relation to answering question but to remind players when

they forget steps in the game.. I feel the comments and observations are more of the same coming down to the game not being as fun as before and the new mechanic causing people to forget the steps at times.



Playtest 9 Results

● In Phase 3 a player is forced to either Admire or Desire. Depending on if the player has played a set or not depics the outcome of which choice they have.

● If a player played a set then they must take the desire route choosing if to desire or not and what to desire from.

● If a player did not play a set then the player must take the admire route choosing if they want to or not.

● Players lose interest during other players turn when interactions don’t involve them. I noticed that this happens during the modification to the Admire and Desire step.

● They have fun mostly but lose interest during the step listed above. This did not happen in the old version of the game. Which leads me to believe it's the mechanic

● ● No, players only looked to me here when taking pictures. I believe this is because these players

have played the game many times.

More pictures are needed and player needed more interactions with another.


Meeka 35 light skinned woman Lemaar 53 oldest male Heekyung 33 asian woman Gabbie 20 Blue shirt

Playtest 10 Results

The new feature added to my game was during the discard phase of play. after the player whose turn it is discarded a card any player may slap the discard pile to take the sets visible as sandwiches and stacks and play them on their side of the field. This was added to the game to give the game more spice in light of the changed mechanic added to the game during week 4.

● The latest change increased the level of fun the players had but not as much as the original way the game was played. I know this because I had them play the way it was designed originally but with the new slap mechanic as well and they enjoyed it more than the new version.

● During other player’s turns i noticed player got somewhat bored halfway through.

●

● Players did need look to me to confirm things in the rules but, the understanding they had was what i intended in the writing. Is this because they feel unease about it or because i’m there and i made the game?

○ this is repeatedly the only time i interfere with the players. I noticed i did not explain what stacks and sandwiches are in my rules so i added the new rule while having my group play another round. Even after the other round of my group understanding the rule I figured adding a picture thats modified like before would help players as well so that would be a change added if additional testing was to be done. The new rules are as follows: Stacks and sandwiches - are defined as cards that lay on top of each other and are the same and sandwiches are cards that are only separated by a single card but are otherwise like stacks. An example of this would be a blue 8 laying on a red 8 are considered a stack. An example of a sandwich would be a blue 8 laying on a green 4 which also lays on another 8 of any color. Do to the 8’s only being separated by a single card they are considered sandwiched while the 8’s laying on each other are considered stacked.

Week 4 Tests Reflection

● The biggest expression of concern was with me making changes and forgetting to either add the details of the change to the rules or forgetting that as the designer the change is understandable because i made it but must be broken down for others without my help so that the rules clearly describe those changes for new players to understand.

○ I believe that me forgetting to added the details played a negative in the reading of the rules and why i was asked questions so much but, I also believe this is positive information because it clearly defines where the problem lies and I think that the problem lies in communication department and that for me would be in the rules needed to be either more detailed or carrying more pictures.

○ I believe if an issue does not cause action then it is not an issue and mine did. The first would be the issue of players even after reading and understanding the rules like in group 10 the new players still looked to my for confirmation on the rules. I believe that if they need to look to me to confirm then the rules need to be modified so new players feel comfortable enough to not look at me. Maybe because they know i made it that plays a role in the confirmation as well. I’m not sure with this one but, I believe with more testing and changes the answer can be discovered.

○ I tend to lean towards the parchal of information given from suggestions and comments over exactly as given. Mostly because i feel I have to make it my own with suggestions and in the end it’s a greater accomplishment than just taking it as is.

○ The suggestions affect future iterations of the game because it gives greater insight on what works and what does not. This allows me to change what does not and either highlight or improve what does.

● I noticed that Pictures and deep explanation is need for everything. Even if I put a player trades a card with another player that’s not detailed enough for some players to come out of that rule with confusion. So i would have to change it so say in specific that 1 player trades with 1 other player instead.

○ The main list of things I believe where issues are:

○ lack of detail in all areas of the rules causing for varying players to be confused or lack confidence in the rules read

○ The change in the mechanic not having the same level of fun the previous version had and even confusing old players do to the changes.

○ A simple picture of a detailed rule not being enough for players and them needing modified pictures to feel more confident.

○ These were the 3 major and only issues i saw derive from the changes to the game i created. I believe if more time was had I would discover more by having more groups of people of varying age groups play but, this was not possible do to time timeline and poor weather conditions.

○ For the most part testers all enjoyed my game but, I felt testers enjoyed the first version of my game more than the second version before adding in the slaps mechanic.

● My issues and where they fall are as follows ● confidence in the rules - detailed description and more pictures -Rules category ● game feeling a lack of fun or having boring points- Modifications to flow and mechanics -

Balancing ○ The best way as described above to deal with the largest issue is to add more pictured I

have modified to help explain the rules to players. By having at least one player that has played is helpful and being as detailed as possible when explaining rules in written form to players/readers. The other issues could be solved through more testing and tweaking.

○ Mostly my rules needing more detail to them and the game needing more balancing and testing for the new mechanic. The new mechanic was good in theory and works in the game but, does not have the same punch of balance and fun that the previous version of the game in week 3 had. Slaps helps mitigate this but more work is needed.

○ The lost of enjoyment as mentioned above stems from the game being slowed down do to the changes in the flow with players losing a choice and being force down a path instead base on what they did in the previous phase. For new and old players it made the game a bit to complicated and would need work to simplify it and bring more fun back.

● Looking back at my new mechanic. ○ I believe the new mechanic even though good in theory was a lost factor in the fun my

game had before. mostly because it added to much and took away from how simple the game was.

○ I believe i would revert back to the old way the game was but, I would keep the slaps mechanic I also added to the new version of the game because it added a dynamic of fun that players did enjoy with it. Allowing them something to do outside of the turns they took. So in a way by changing my game I discovered something that improved it even if it was not the original thing that changed it.

● The one key time I remember needed or even thinking about a rule that needed to be made up on the fly or explained was when i added a second mechanic called slaps. This was because I expected players to know it being that other card games have similar mechanic but, forgetting that all things must be explained to new and old players.

Final Reflection

a. My biggest take away from the game design document is the amount of changes and work that goes into it. I learned that no idea comes out the way it went in and even the designer take on the game changes throughout the process. designing a game regardless of how simple or complex is a lot of work and rather a success or failure is mostly dependent of the response to feedback the developer(s) put back into the game.

b. What I learned from the interactive design process is that you can get some amazing discoveries that rise from the blunders of your failures. I failed to change my game in a fun way. Even in my failure I discovered a way to increase fun even for the old way my game was played. This would not be possible if the interactions between developer and testers did not happen.

c. What I learned about playtesting is without it you do not have a game. I mean you have a theory but, no certainty that the theoried game will be successful. No idea of the bugs and holes that lie in the game. Most importantly the lack of understanding in what will make the game successful. Without playtesting we generally have nothing but an Idea.

BRANDON WILLIS -

GUILDS OF GOLD-

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brandon Willis - 1

Guilds of Gold- 1

Table Of Contents 2

Game Description 4

All v All 4

Number of Players 4

GRATIS Outline 4

Flowcharts 7

Meaningful Action Analysis (MAA) 8

Card Game Table Layout Diagram - 10

Component Pieces 11

this games comes a deck of 41 cards containing 11

8 base fire cards 11

8 base wind cards 11

8 base water cards 11

8 base earth cards 11

1 ultra void card 11

4 rare champion cards of each element 11

4 rare king cards of each element 11

1 notepad 11

1 pencil 11








Detailed Rules for Players 17





Week 3 Playtest Reflection 26


New Mechanic 28




Play test 7 Results 30







Week 4 Tests Reflection 35

Final Reflection 37

GAME DESCRIPTION

Guilds of A game about winning by any means necessary. Using strategy to outwit your opponent taking home the most points and claiming victory.

All v All

I used the All v All module because it fit the nature of how my game is played while even having a trading mechanic it’s still a highly competitive game. Set collection is the main mechanic of this game with player looking to complete sets for points. the second mechanic of this game and equally important is Action selection used to create strategy in this game and force players to think about the actions they take and how they can affect the events that follow.

Number of Players

● 2-4 players ● Ages 12 +

GRATIS Outline

Goals

● Score 300 points before the other player to win a 2 man game or teams game. ● If a 4 player game of all vs all you must score 150 to win. ● complete set with the cards you have. ● get rid of void card ● be the first to empty your hand.

Rules

● During Phase 1 players will decide to trade blindly with an opponent or skip this step. If a player chooses to trade then that player and the single player they choose to trade with each singular picked card from each of their hands to trade face down with the opponent. After this action the player whose turn it is is now in in phase 2

● During Phase 2 the player (whose turn it is) decides what set to play from their hand if they choose to play a set at all. The player may also hit themselves for extending a set they played before with a card of sequence from their hand.

● a sequence consist of 3 or more card with either similar signs or similar color. A counting sequence in this game must have the same color and must not skip a number when counting up or down. (example) having 3 blue cards of 1,2, and 5 is not a sequence while having cards 4,5,6 is a sequence as long as they are the same color. Having 4 6s of different colors is also a sequence.

● They may not hit other players during this phase ● players can only play sets during this phase ● once a player chooses to either play a set or not this phase ends and player is now in phase 3 ● In Phase 3 a player chooses to either Inspire or Desire. ● If a player chooses to inspire that player may now hit another player's set with a sequence card


discard pile in trade for a card in that player’s hand. ● if the player chooses to desire a card from a opponent's hand that player (whose turn it is) may

blindly choose a card from the opponent's hand and afterwards give that opponent a card from their hand that the player chooses (the player whose turn it is makes all the chooses in the desire)

● after the Inspire or desire has been chosen and played out the player moves to phase 4. ● in Phase 4 the player discards a card. and normally ends that player’s turn now allowing the

player to the left to go next. ● if a player plays all cards in hand and had no card to discard with during the discard phase then

that player turn ends and the game continues to next person, that player is considered floating. ● if a player is the last player with cards in hand and plays hand and all other players are floating

then the round ends and all players tally the points they made. ● when a round ends all players tally points and substrate points for remain cards in hand and the

deck is re dealt. ● If a player is to discard the void card durin that player’s phase 4 then the void card works as

follows ● The void card is worth no points and if you have it in your hand you lose 50 points at end of the

round ● The void card can not be discarded ● Phases only work in sequence players can not take phase out of order. they can only be skip.

Like skipping phase 1 and 2 and going straight to three and ending your turn. you can not Skip to phase 3 get a card you need for a set and go back to phase 2.

● once a player has made a choice in any apart of the game, that choice is final. ● turns move in a counterclockwise direction or always to the left. So player left of current player

is next to take a turn Actions

● Shuffle the cards ● player cuts the cards ● dealer deals the cards evenly ● If there are 3 players remove the 41rst card and continue the rules as follows (but not the void

card). ● remaining cards that make the game uneven go to the discard pile face up ● youngest player starts game ● make a blind trade with an opponent or not ● choose to play a set or hold on for the next round ● choose to inspire or desire ● discard a card ● next player's turn ● tally points

● slap sandwiches and stacks Transitions

● Game starts once each player has been dealt cards and the youngest player goes first ● player turn ends when player discards a card ● round ends when a player runs out of cards in hand ● game ends when a player reaches 300 points or 150 if playing more than 2 players are playing

Items

● a deck of 41 cards ● Scoreboard (notepad and pencil)

Setup

● oldest player is the dealer and shuffles the cards ● once cards are shuffled youngest player cuts the cards ● after cards are cut dealer deals card evenly amongst players placing left overs in discard pile in

center of play area ● once all cards have been dealt evenly the odd number of cards are placed face up in the center

of playing field as a discard pile. ● youngest player goes first ● somewhere outside of needed playspace places the scoreboard to keep track of points

Flowcharts

Meaningful Action Analysis (MAA)

● make a blind trade with an opponent or not To start the players turn they must choose rather to trade blindy with an opponent or not. In doing this players hands are altered in a random balanced way that would be the same if they drew a card from a deck. the plus side to this way is that a player has control over what is given but, chance in what is received.

● choose to play a set or hold on for the next round In choosing rather to play a set on hand or not is a choice that determines the amount of points you gain from the set played. A player can only play one set per turn so the bigger the set is the more points the player will receive in the end.

● choose to inspire or desire This is important because it can cause a player to go from winning to losing or vise versa. In choosing to desire the top card of the discard pile a player opens up to opposing players possible strategies and goals they have for a chance to complete a set. In choosing to Admire a player takes the chance to ride cards in their hand in trade for receiving less points which helps to avoid the chance of losing points at the end of the round.

● discard a card this action is important because it forces all players to be rid of a card in their hands each turn changing the strategy each turn and speeding the game along to other rounds.

● Shuffling is done to create variety and fairness within the game.

● Like shuffling cutting is a part of the game that helps prevent cheating by having a player that did not shuffle cut the cards

● Next player’s turn this action allows each player to have a fair chance at winning the

game during each round of play.

● Tallying points - this action allows players to keep track of the points cored or lost by them and helps determine the winner of the game.

Variant Actions

● Card removal - this function of the game is to make having an uneven amount of players workable within the game’s base mechanic. By removing a single card other than the void card it makes the cards able to be evenly split between 3 players giving each of the 13 cards in hand and the extra to the discard pile. The removed card is also added to the discard pile under the last card.

● Even dealing - this action goes hand in hand with the card removal action

and also with the regular part of the game insuring each player has an even amount of cards so that everyone has an even chance of winning each round and eventually the game.

● Next player’s turn - is an action that is the result of the current player discarding a card and signalling the end of that players turn and the start of the next.

● Tally points - is the action done at the end of each round of play and is used

to keep track of points each player has for reference to when a player is close to reaching the score point goal.

● Slaps - the new action that allows players to slap cards out of turn when

they see a stack or sandwich of cards in the discard pile. This new action causes players to pay more attention to not only the hand and field cards but to the discard pile for the possibility of gaining additional points.

Card Game Table Layout Diagram -

Component Pieces

this games comes a deck of 41 cards containing

● 8 base fire cards

● 8 base wind cards

● 8 base water cards

● 8 base earth cards

● 1 ultra void card

● 4 rare champion cards of each element

● 4 rare king cards of each element

● 1 notepad

● 1 pencil



Play testers: Me: 30’s Blue shirt Heekyung: my wife: Asian lady in pink Hoodie Marty: 18, black long sleeve “the arm”

.

Playtest 1 Results

During play test 1 my cards got bent out of shape during the first hand and due to limited time i had to use playing cards to finish the test. Outside of having to use cards that are not mine, I learned that the first play through of my game takes a while due to players learning the phases of each turn and grasping the concept of the game. You will first test your game using the rules from the GRATIS. This section records your tests – their purpose and the results of your test.

● The big change to the Gratis in this step was that i learned when playing more than 2 players the score made the game take way longer than needed. So i had to add to the score limit to make it differ depending on the number of players. This was so because each player would have less cards each time you add a player so each round would finish with lower point totals.

●

● Do to me knowing the rules I never needed to refer to them but, I had to clarify rules a few times when I noticed my rules did explain but not thorough enough for players to picture what I mean. An example of this is when players must discard after picking up the top card of the discard pile as that player’s Desire action. Players had a hard time grasping that after picking up a card they must replace it with one of their own and after that phase is finished discard a card to end that players turn.

● As I stated before I learned during this play test that the learning curve caused the game to run at a slower pace do to most players learning it as they go over hearing or reading the rules. This had the side effect of games that would normally run for 15 minutes taking around an hour.


Play Testers: Reggie: Red shirt - 28 years old Gabbie : blue short sleeve - 20 years old

Playtest 2 Results

New rule : point score for 3 or more players added at 150 points.

● The changes to the point total and the new cards where made

● I noticed once players understood the rules they actually were impressed by just how fun the game is. In the picture below you can see Gabbie realized she made a mistake in her choices during her previous turn (by not playing a poker face when she received the cards she needed for points) and it came back to bite her when Reggie took his turn and decided to desire a card from her hand. This made Gabbie realize the dangers of body language in this game being that no player truly knows what the others have and must strategize from beginning to end to achieve victory.

● ● This time i noticed when a player realized they made a mistake they would always ask for

clarification of the rules not because they did not understand them but because they wanted them to change for personal benefit in that situation.

There was two major changes added and changed in this play through.

● the first was that I had to add clarification to the rules on what happens when players play out a phase and not allowing players to undo the moves made. This was big because players would play something and realize they made a mistake and want to change it after the fact. This can not be allowed in my game because it breaks the foundation of the games design.

● The second thing changed this time was I added another rule and effect to the void card. I noticed that if a player had the void card as the last card in that players hand as they discarded to have zero cards in hand, there was no effect to the cause of this. Reggie the player in red

suggested after the game that I make the void card worth 50 points if you can safely get rid of the card on the turn you discard to end the round.


Erika (black shirt ponytail) 36 Reggie (red shirt) 28 Gabbie ( blue shirt short sleeves) 20

Playtest 3 Results

No new rules added

● Do to Reggies suggestion I played around with the void card Idea and changed the void card to forcing players to pick up the discard pile if it is discarded but allowing players to get an extra turn to play any sets they have as well. This was a better modification than simply giving players points for it because it gave the discard pile more use in my game and it added a positive and negative effect to the void card.

● The two sides to discarding the void card where one on a positive note to picking up the discard pile you got to play any sets you now had in your hand. The negative was that you just added a lot of cards to your hand and can only discard one from your hand afterwards. So any none set cards remained in the player’s hand and they not only removed the void from play but, are now at risk of losing many points for taking the risk.

● As shown in the blurry picture Reggie and Erika are laughing at the expense of Erika’s schemes to attempt to discard her hand before Reggie so that she would be the one to mount a comeback on the scoreboard against him. This caused everyone watching including me to laugh as her plan backfired against her.

● ● No questions from the old players, But Erika the new player had many only during the first two

rounds as she got used to how the phases and turns worked. I think my game’s system works but it takes a few playthroughs to get the hang of the game and will require player’s to reference the rule book until the third or so round of play.

Previous changes added to the level of fun in the game

DETAILED RULES FOR PLAYERS

Phase 1 ● During Phase 1 players will decide to trade blindly with an opponent or skip this step. If a player

chooses to trade then that player and the one player they choose to trade with each picks a single card from their hands to trade face down with the opponent. Each player may only pick up the card traded to them once both players have played a card face down to trade. After this

action the player whose turn it is is now in in phase 2

Phase 2 ● During Phase 2 the player (whose turn it is) decides what set to play from their hand if they

choose to play a set at all. The player may also hit themselves for extending a set they played before with a card of sequence from theri hand.

● They may not hit other players during this phase ● players can only play sets during this phase ● a sequence consist of 3 or more card with either similar signs or similar color. A counting

sequence in this game must have the same color and must not skip a number when counting up or down. (example) having 3 blue cards of 1, 2 and 5 is not a sequence while having cards 6,7,8 is a sequence as long as they are the same color. Having 3 or 4 7s of different colors is also a sequence.

● ● once a player chooses to either play a set or not this phase ends and player is now in phase 3

Phase 3 ● In Phase 3 a player is forced to either Admire or Desire. Depending on if the player has played a

set or not depics the outcome of which choice they have. ● If a player played a set then they must take the desire route choosing if to desire or not and

what to desire from. ● If a player did not play a set then the player must take the admire route choosing if they want to

or not. ● If a player chooses to inspire that player may now hit another player's set with a sequence card


discard pile in trade for a card in that player’s hand.