Here are some questions I hate that some various game prototypes might answer:
1. How does the Emperor gain Victory Points?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- It is important that players really want to be the Emperor, so the Emperor needs to gain more Victory Points than the Advisors. However, it is also important that the Emperor isn’t too powerful. Otherwise, a player who is never the Emperor may feel hopeless and disengage from the game.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- A few different Victory-Point-gaining methods will be created to answer this question. For example, the Emperor could gain Victory Points equal to the number of resources they hand out during that round, or they could gain Victory Points based on the intensity level of each of the emergencies the Emperor helps their Advisors complete during that round.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- Since the Emperor can see the intensity level of each emergency, I think that granting Victory Points equal to the sum of the intensity levels of each completed emergency will be the best way of granting the Emperor Victory Points. This also prevents the Emperor from distributing a large number of resources to the Advisor in last place to boost the Emperor’s score without also boosting up a potential competitor.
2. How can the Emperor prevent a deposition?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- It is important that the Emperor be deposed every so often, but it must not always be the most optimal move in a given round. Otherwise, players will not want to be the Emperor.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- The Emperor is deposed when they fail to fulfill at least one of their two objectives for that round, so Advisors can force a deposition by refusing to cooperate with the Emperor. To counteract this, a few prototypes could be made in which the Emperor may be able to pull a card which allows them to force an Advisor to cooperate with them. Alternatively, a mechanic can be tested in which the Emperor can guarantee that the next emergency an Advisor faces will be fulfilled first by the Emperor.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- I think we will find that giving the Emperor more bargaining power is the best way to deter a deposition. They will be able to use this bargaining power to persuade some Advisors into cooperating with them by giving them extra resources which in turn lead to additional Victory Points for that Advisor.
3. Should Victory Point amounts be public, private, or in between?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- Given the chaotic nature of the emergency system, players in last place may very well end up winning. However, players in last place who are aware of the fact that they are in last place may disengage and give up.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- We will playtest with all Victory Points being public and see how it feels. Additionally, we will playtest with all Victory Points being private and see how it feels. Finally, we will playtest with Victory Points gained from emergencies being public while Victory Points gained from personal objectives are private.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- I guess that all Victory Points being private will be the most fun experience for everyone. Potentially, Victory Points can be denoted using coins that look identical on one side. This way, everyone will see how many or few coins a player has, but they will be unable to know precisely how many Victory Points someone has.
4. How can a joint effort by some of the Advisors to depose the Emperor be a high risk and high reward mechanic?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- We don’t want the Emperor to be deposed every round. At the same time though, we want it to be incredibly rewarding for the Advisors when this does happen, so we need to strike a risk and reward balance.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- We will run a prototype in which Advisors who do not cooperate with the Emperor gain no Victory Points that round. We will also run a prototype in which the requirements for deposing of an Emperor are only known by the Emperor until the round concludes.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- I think a combination of these two mechanics will be a good risk and reward balance. If Advisors commit to deposing the Emperor and fail, they will not gain any Victory Points for that round. This along with the Emperor being able to essentially bribe Advisors into supporting them should make for a very fun system.
5. Should every player have a privacy screen, should only the Emperor have a privacy screen, or should no players have a privacy screen?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- This game revolves around persuading, deceiving, and manipulating the other players while they also attempt to do the same to you. As such, a privacy screen might enhance this experience. At the same time though, it is difficult for some information to be public and for some information to be private if a privacy screen is used.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- We will playtest with all players having a privacy screen, we will playtest with only the Emperor having a privacy screen, and we will playtest with no one having a privacy screen.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- I think that the Emperor will gain the most benefit from having a privacy screen, but I think the game as a whole will be most enjoyable when everyone has a privacy screen.
6. BONUS QUESTION: Should the player playing the Emperor wear a crown?
- Why this is an important question to answer:
- To crown or not to crown, that is the question. It is imperative that we determine whether or not wearing a crown in real life and passing it along to the next Emperor when the current one is deposed enhances the gameplay experience or distracts from it.
- What type of prototype will be made to answer this question:
- We will play the game with this crown mechanic, and we will play the game without this crown mechanic.
- What my guess is about how it will turn out:
- I think people will thoroughly enjoy wearing a crown when they are the Emperor, and I think people will love taking the crown from someone when they become the Emperor.
