For my competitive analysis, I chose to play the game Dancing Eggs by Roberto Fraga: a board game the revolves around obtaining holding eggs meant for 2-4 players ages 5 and up. I chose to play this game since the game I’m developing with my team (Duck, Duck, Goose Reducks) has similar properties–mainly the act of obtaining eggs while completing silly tasks with a focus on physical fun.
What we liked:
When we played, there was a lot of laughter as we held onto eggs with our necks and hobbled around to pick up dropped dice. Even though it’s not a “get-to-know-you” or a cooperative game, I think that this game works well as a social party game since it creates an environment of fellowship since you are all partaking in an extremely silly activity together. It’s a magic circle where you aren’t harshly mocked for doing these tasks because a) it’s a part of the gameplay and b) other people will be doing the same thing. Young children don’t have as much self-seriousness, but for older audiences like us college students, this is definitely an appeal of the game. Another appeal is the design of the eggs themselves, 9 of which are rubbery and bouncy and one of which is wooden and smooth. This adds a slight of an outwitting goal on top of the simple physical domination aspect of the game since you can choose what eggs (which rubber is worth 1 point and wood 2) to hold onto. This marries the enjoyment of strategy with the sensory pleasure of the eggs.
How our game will compare:
My game aims to replicate a similar magic circle where everyone is doing silly physical tasks (also suitable for young children). This will be done through our game’s mechanic of making everyone snatch an egg from the center and designating a goose chase every round for the game to progress. During our playtesting, this was a very fun and visceral experience for all players. Another mechanic is our revenge cards played by eliminated players. These will give the eliminated players agency and a bit of strategy as well as enhance the silliness of the goose chase. The silliness mileage per player may vary due to the fact that card effects and goose chases will not affect everyone equally, but watching others do tasks was also fun according to out players much like watching people struggle to hold eggs in Dancing Eggs. This is slightly the psychologic enjoyment you can get from games for avoiding punishment but in a very light-hearted moment.
What was an issue:
One of the issues we ran into with Dancing Eggs was that the game ended conditionally when a person drops an egg. During our gameplay, at most, we only had 4 to 5 eggs in play during a game. No one ever held more than 2 eggs at once, which is disappointing. I wish that we reached the maximum chaos of 10 eggs. I can see how this restricted the gameplay to only 2-4 players since it would feel very unrewarding for games with more players since it would be likely that you would not obtain many or any eggs by the time someone drops one. This game end condition also interfere with the intended egg stealing mechanic since you will likely not get to stealing since it’s likely you won’t have all eggs in play. It also incentivizes players to play less risky and therefore less fun for others to watch their gameplay.
How our game will avoid these issues:
Our game works on a last one standing basis, so the game won’t feel too short or frustrating. Also, this setup of elimination creates a dynamic where all active players are engaged during every turn (since you don’t know when you will be prompted to grab an egg) versus a more solitary collection. To avoid the typical boredom of eliminated players (that the game end condition of Dancing Eggs solves), we have revenge cards played by the eliminated players to affect the gameplay, which as the game progresses, there will be more per round. This will ensure greater levels of chaos. Through this setup, we can support a greater player count, and all of our core mechanics are ensured to be played then.
Conclusion
Both games focus on physical fun with props in a light-hearted environment where anyone can be the one performing silly tasks. Where my game will differ primarily is the game’s overall structure of last one standing, which enforces increasing silliness without the risk of the game ending suddenly. Since our game lasts longer and has chase elements, there is more opportunity for enjoyment from domination over other players. In conclusion, Duck, Duck, Goose Reducks serves a more structured and speed (physically and reaction-wise) based alternative to Dancing Eggs.
