Playtest Quest III: Forging the Core
Session time: 2-3 hours
Ok now we get to proper game design. Remember that game design is akin to science. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. So for these sessions, there will be a plan for what to do when things don’t work.
For this session, if your core mechanic isn’t working after two sessions, you should move to more established design patterns. So if you are making a Construction, you’ll move to a Hack or a Mod. This can be hard. It can feel like you’re not making the game you want. But I can tell you, games never turn out the way you pictured in your head. Remember, finishing a game is more important than making the game that was in your head. The more steps in the process you go through, the better you’ll be at creating novel mechanics that work.
Now it’s time to get building. Imagine you are playtesting your game with a stranger. What will you need?
Decks: You’ll need a small group of cards to complete a single game.
Rules. Make sure you have the rules handy during gameplay. You don’t need to capture every single edge case. Any new rules that are different than established patterns are good ones to capture.
This will be enough for your Minimum Viable Product.
Create an ideal board state
It’s time to create the funnest board state you can think of for your game. Use your flavor and mechanics.
You can draw it on a sheet of paper or make some hand drawn cards. Do not make more cards than you need. I like to make some blank cards that go in my hand and deck. This helps you get started trying it faster and it allows you to design an interesting card as it’s needed.
Using a digital tool is fine here too, just don’t start making a lot of art or fancy card frames right now. Changes at this state should be easy and quick.
Put your self in multiple seats at the table, and think about it from that player’s perspective. Think about your player persona, and what they might think about this board. What if it’s their first time playing? What if it’s their 100th time playing?
Look for opportunities to make your cards simpler and more straightforward. Make a few cards that just have some base stats and not a lot of extra rules on them. The complexities in a TCG are more fun if they are an emergent pairing of two cards, instead of one really complex card.
Continually reference your goals, box back and personas. If this board state was from a full game, would it be on the way to achieving those goals?
The goal here is to get the core gameplay functioning.
The more you deviate from established patterns, the harder this exercise will be. If the gameplay doesn’t work, look for ways to simplify or use rules you know will work.
Once it does function, capture any rules that deviate from established patterns. You don’t have to worry about every edge case, you just need references for later.
Start to Introduce Other Cards
Now, start to introduce some new cards to be randomly drawn or in the players hands. This is a good time to try some riskier ideas you may have to see if they work. How far can you push the cost and power level of the cards? Try to include more of your card types.
To move on to the next session you’ll need
- 10-15 varied card designs
- New rules or mechanics captured
Remember, if you can’t find a core gameplay that works in this session, repeat the exercise later and try something closer to established game mechanics next time. It’s easy to get stuck on this part trying to create the most innovative game mechanics. Resist that urge so you can get something to the table to test.
Take the rest of the day off and come back later when your subconscious has had some time to process it.