What Do Prototypes Prototype?

Our game is a social deduction card game where chefs work together to build a dish based on a given recipe while a judge tries to guess the dish correctly. The twist is that hidden “traitor” chefs aim to sabotage the dish creation and mislead the judge. 

• Will the core mechanics of building a dish and deducing roles create engaging and balanced gameplay? 

1. This is a critical question to figure out early because the core mechanics are what will motivate players to keep on playing. Ensuring they are fun, fair, and strategically interesting is key to the game’s success. 
2. I would make a rough playable prototype (a simplified Role prototype) focused on just the core element, stripping out all other elements. Specifically, I would focus on the turn-by-turn mechanics of playing cards, building the dish, and making deductions.
3. The mechanics seem like they can be successful at creating deduction and bluffing dynamics. I believe that this prototype will likely reveal a need for methods on how to balance the information sharing and the power of different roles.

• What visual style for the cards and components will be the most appealing and intuitive to the target audience? 

1. The look of the game will be the players’ first impression and needs to stand out in a potentially crowded market while appealing directly to the intended audience (ages 13+).
2. I would create several mood boards (Look and Feel prototypes) collecting reference images and then quick visual mockups showing stylistic directions applied to key game elements. For example, for the cards, I would see which ingredient designs are the most easily recognizable.
3. I predict that a bold, stylized illustration style that leans into the quirky chef characters and exaggerated food art will test well among the intended audience.

• How can the game’s onboarding and rules explanation be streamlined for quick, easy learning?

1. Efficient onboarding is key to reducing frustration and barriers to entry, especially for a game with hidden roles and deception mechanics. 
2. I would develop a scripted introductory round (Role prototype) to be played with new players. There would be a focus on determining the minimum instructional steps needed to get to gameplay, with rules introduced on a need-to-know basis. 
3. From my personal experience, a sample round that immediately puts the rules into practice will probably work better than frontloading the explanations. Additionally, if we include bite-sized reminders on components, we could provide even more clarity to the players.

• What game duration and group size feel best for maintaining fun and minimizing downtime?

1. Pacing and group size for a relatively simple multiplayer game such as this recipe-based game are key variables that need to be optimized. If they are not, then players will quickly lose interest in the game as either (1) smaller groups will make the game proceed far too quickly and (2) larger groups will limit player engagement. 
2. I would create different “playtests” (Experience/Integration prototypes) of the game with different group sizes and number of rounds. I would log the duration of each of these types of games and each phase within these games (i.e. role choosing, recipe creation, judge guessing the recipe, judge guessing the traitor chef). 
3. The sweet spot for this style of game is likely in the 15 – 20 minute range, with 4 – 8 players. This is because there should be at least 3 chefs (including the traitor chef) creating the recipe and 1 judge, with more chefs allowing the players to use more complex recipes.