game thought

When considering a game that I could modify to approach the partnership design problem, I immediately considered Race for the Galaxy (RftG). Primarily, I chose this game because I am very familiar with it as my game group plays it often. Additionally, it already meets two of the four criteria I laid out in my [...]

Partnership games are appealing to me. A lot of this can be attributed to the “high-five” factor; it’s more fun to succeed along with someone else.

However, for a partnership or team game to be successful, there needs to be the ability to cooperate without one person running the show.

I decided to submit the Giant Spiders, Flanking, and Stealthy to the contest. Given that they have already contacted the winners and that I was not contacted, I guess I didn’t win anything.

This was my final entry for the contest. I didn’t really like it in the end.

Our scouts from the north indicated that only a small number of enemy troops had gathered in that direction. As we prepared to defend the northern front, our scouts from the east arrived with a similar report. And then the same from the northwest. And southeast. Before we knew it, they were descending on us from every direction. Panic and chaos ensued; we were forced to retreat in the only direction we could.

Our burgeoning civilization started slowly, only laying claim to three regions. Thanks to our heros, we were able to concentrate most of our forces in one region. We were prepared to defend ourselves from any large scale attack. Suddenly, a great web descended on us, immobilizing our troops. We were ready for battle, but could expand our glorious civilization into further territories! Instead, we could only watch as the Giant Spiders spread their influence throughout the surrounding regions.

Sorry, no narrative intro for this one, yet…

Sure, the initial confrontation had shaken us. After all, they did out number us. We were not, however, prepared for the terrifying site of our fallen brethren reanimated, bloodthirsty, and turned against us. Who were these warriors, and what dark magic did they command?

It was quiet that night. Our scouts from the front lines reported no signs of activity from the enemy. After a day of traveling, we welcomed the cool wind that accompanied our warm dinners. It felt good to relax and actually enjoy each others’ company. What didn’t feel good was the Troll’s club coming down on my head. The last thing I remember thinking was, “How did they get past our front line?”

Has it really been four months?

Even though my recently busy schedule has prevented me from blogging, it has not prevented my mind from wandering into the realms of game design.