Project 2 - Make a Game

Yuchen Tong 11/4/18

Shapify

Summary:

This is a discovery game, where the players build up a story of their wild adventure as they play! Each player, on their turn, picks a card from their hand that has a plot-point on it. One word or phrase of the plot-point is highlighted, and on their turn, the player will use a variety of colored shape pieces to build this word or phrase, and get the other players to guess it. If they are successful, they get a point and their card gets added to the plotline. The guesser also gets a point, and play moves to a new player. Build and guess as many words or phrases as possible to get the most points, and create a crazy story of your team’s adventure as the game progresses. Read the whole story out at the end!

Objective:

Build and guess as many words or phrases as possible to get the most points. Create a crazy story of your team’s adventure as the game progresses, and read the whole story out at the end!

Set up:

• 3 or more players sit in circle, where they can reach a central surface

• The lid of the game box is set up in the center of the play surface as the build canvas, so everyone can reach

• The various shapes, which are used to build the plot points on the story cards, are placed near the canvas; they can remain in their boxes, or not

• Stacks of story cards are placed within easy reach of each player

• A 1-minute electronic timer is placed beside the canvas (not included)

• Each player is dealt, at random, 5 cards from among all the story cards. Do not show your cards to anyone!

Starting play:

• Play starts with the youngest player who has an Environment card in their hand; the first player must start with an Environment card to set the scene for the story

• The player whose turn it is, the “builder,” draws a card from their stack (whichever one they feel will make most sense to add to the developing story, or one they simply want to build), keeping it hidden from all other players, and sees what plot-point they have to build

• The builder identifies their card type for other players (ex: by saying “this is an Environment card”)

• The builder’s goal is to get the other players to guess the highlighted word(s) on their story card, by building that word or phrase, or clues to it, out of the shapes

  • The builder has 1 minute to build, starting from when they touch the shapes

  • The builder can use as many shapes as they need, but must keep their shapes on the ‘build canvas’—the box lid!

  • The builder can overlap shapes, and manipulate them to create movement

  • The builder may not create letters or numbers from the shapes

  • The builder may not speak, make sounds, or gesture, except as necessary to confirm the guesses of players (Optional rule: players may nod to encourage guesses on the right track)

• Players can guess at any point during the building, and there is no penalty for incorrect guesses; they cannot touch the shapes on the canvas, or otherwise help the builder

  • The player’s guess may not exactly match the words on the card; for example the card might read “fall in a pit” and a player might say, “You’re falling into a hole!” You will have to judge if the meaning of the phrase is sufficiently close. Consider whether the words used can be substituted for each other, or if there is a variation in meaning. For example, “you got shoved into a pit,” or, “you fell in a trap” have slightly different meanings from the phrase “fall in a pit,” because the first indicates malicious intention (shoving is rude!) and the second indicates that you are being hunted.

  • Some cards show alternative words that are acceptable guesses

• Once a player guesses correctly, the builder reads the story card aloud

• The builder then places the story card at one side of the play area, building up the plotline

• The builder draws a replacement card so they always have 5 in their hand

Version 1: Everyone-gets-a-turn

In this version, play moves around circle, and builders get more points than guessers

• Once a player guesses correctly, the builder takes 2 point tokens (the ones shaped like stars) and guesser takes one point token

• Play moves clockwise to the next person in the circle, once a build is correctly guessed

• If no player guesses the build correctly in the time limit, the builder places their story card facedown in the plotline

  • This facedown card counts toward the total number of plotline cards, but does not get read as part of the story

• The builder draws a new card so they continue to have 5 cards in their hand. No one gets a point, and play passes clockwise around the circle.

Version 2: Competitive play

In this version, play is more competitive, and the person who correctly guesses a build gets to go next, and the number of cards in your hand can decrease

• Once a player guesses correctly, the builder and guesser each take 1 point token

• The guesser is then the next person to pick a story card and get a chance to build

• If no player guesses the build correctly in the time limit, the builder places their story card facedown in the plotline

  • This facedown card counts toward the total number of plotline cards, but does not get read as part of the story

• The builder does not draw another card. For the rest of the game, they will have one less story card in their hand—after one failed guess, they will have 4 cards; after two failed guesses, they will only have 3 cards, and so on). A player may be reduced to 0 cards in their hand, at which point they have to guess a build correctly to win back a 1-card hand.

• No one gets a point, and play passes clockwise around the circle.

Disaster cards

• Some Disaster cards have a ‘solution’ written in mid-yellow on them. This is a bonus-build: if your disaster in red-orange is correctly guessed, you may announce you are also building a solution. You have one minute for the solution (do not add this minute to any remaining time from your first build). If guessed correctly, the builder gets two extra points, and the guesser gets one.

Winning:

Play stops when a certain number of story cards have been placed in the plotline—this total includes facedown cards. The number of cards per player varies depending on the number of players: for 3-5 players, 3 times the number of players; for 6-8 players, 2 times the number of players (card numbers can be increased for longer game play).

The player with the most points at the end is the winner.

Players Total Plotline Cards

3 9

4 12

5 15

6 12

7 14

8 16

Ideation

Our teach topics are "Affordance & Signifiers" and "Gestalt". These two concepts inform our design of using shapes to indicate objects.

Task - Yuchen Tong - 11/3/19

Process

We made a paper prototype for play testing on October 29th.

Playtest - Yuchen Tong - 10/29/18

After validating our game mechanics in play testing, we move forward to finalize the rules, visual design and make final prototype.

Story cards - Yuchen Tong - 11/3/18

Planning the shapes - Yuchen Tong - 11/3/19

Making shapes - Yuchen Tong - 11/3/19

Laser cutting the box - Yuchen Tong - 11/3/18

Reflection

Designing this game is fun. We brainstormed to settle down a game concept that can reflect both of our teach topics "Affordance & Signifiers" and "Gestalt". I think we succeed in showing these two topics. Working with my teammates is pleasant. After we validate our game in play test, we have clearly distributed the work, and each finished on time. Only if we had more time, we can test the game more, and polish our mechanics and prototype more. Now some rules are based on our short observation and assumption, without testing many times. Our game does not involves much intelligence, but a lot of imagination and hand-on exercise. It is a perfect game for kids to develop their imagination and cognition. And it is always simply fun for everyone.