Prototypes and Answering Questions

The following questions about prototypes are in the context of our proposed game, Chipped Out!

 

Question 1: Will new players pick up on the game quickly?

This is an important question because it will inform the complexity of the mechanics used for the game. We don’t want to make a game that is confusing and takes too long to get everyone comfortable with, especially with a large number of players. To answer this question, we can make a playable prototype that involves all of the proposed rules. I predict that players will pick up on the game quickly outside of some action cards, which may have the potential to confuse players.

 

Question 2: What is the optimal number of players for this game?

This is an important question because it will have a large effect on how much fun the game is to actually play. It’s difficult to intuit without playing the game. The prototype we can make to answer this question would be similar to that of question 1, just a playable prototype that involves all of the proposed rules (though the variety of involved action cards wouldn’t matter as much in this case). I predict that the game will be most fun with about 6 players.

 

Question 3: Which action cards work well for this game and which do not?

This is an important question because our game’s identity is defined by the set of available action cards. If some are unbalanced or overly complex and tedious, it could ruin the experience. On the other hand, individual action cards have the potential to provide exciting moments of gameplay. To answer this question, we can make a prototype with a wide variety of experimental action cards to observe what players would like. I predict that action cards that allow players to improve their hands at other players’ expense will be the most fun.

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