I don't know why, but i got this crazy idea the other day. the idea is to have a card game where everyone is dealt a "partner" card. this partner represents the players wife, husband, signifigant other ect. the idea is that each player's partner is cheating on them with another player of the game (i guess cards matching the partners dealt out will be dealt out secretly, only revealed to the receiving player so everyone knows who they are living a secret romance with). the object of the game would be to find out who your partner is cheating on your with, without letting anyone find out who you are secretly with. I don't really have any mechanics in mind, just this idea and some little things like; players can play lie, rumor, and evidence cards on other players, and other players will have to play alibi cards (or something) to dismiss the acusations. I can't really think of any games that use any kind of mechanic like this, if anyone has any suggestions or knows of any games using mechanics that would help me lemme know, thanks. oh and by the way is this too off the wall of a concept?
interesting game conept: adultery
I like this idea. It reminds me of the "lovers" rule in Werewolf. In in the begining of Werewolf when everyone has their eyes closed the narrator ask that the lovers open their eyes so they would know whom each other are.
Something like that could work.
I will try and think of more.
- Dwight
an interesting concept............
It does sound interesting, the idea of not knowing who it is.
Though perhapse it would be a better idea if it was something else instead of your "partner" that was cheating.
If you could change the idea so that it was something else.
For example,
instead of cheating on your partner then you could have someone out to get even with you and you had to find out who it was before they got to you and either silenced you (die), or settled the score with you somehow.
I dunno,
the concept or your partner and him/her cheating is a little bit edgy. If you wanted better sales then I would think that it would be better to try some other way of using the same idea.
OR if you really are set on the "romance" side of things, then each player could be given a ridicules character to take on. Like homer simpson or sonic or superman. So that way it could still have the "romance" side of things without being too much so.
Though, I reckon my first idea was better.
I know that for now it is only a way-out idea so sales isn't what your worried about at the moment.
Still I reckon same sorta concept but in a different way.
For example you could use my first idea and do it clue-do style.
Everyone is given a character, a person they are out to get and when they are going to do it. That could be measured in turns. For example the first person could have 6 turns on it.
The next 10 or something.
You could figure it out that way.
ne-way hope it helps
~sfictre
I dunno,
the concept or your partner and him/her cheating is a little bit edgy. If you wanted better sales then I would think that it would be better to try some other way of using the same idea.
Maybe another way out of this problem is to set the original relationships like arranged mariages or something, so that the "cheating" doesn't have such negative connotations. We are used to movies and books about the poor young lady forced to marry the mean old man to save her family or something, and we all feel great when the girl finds a prince charming and finds a way to fool the mean husband.
Humour might also help soften the negative implications of cheating a partner, as sfictre suggested with his Homer Simpson idea. (I mean his idea involving Homer Simpson, I'm not trying to insult him). ;-)
It's true that changing the parter cheating to something less personal might help, but it might also kill the interest of the idea itself. I would try to add some humour in the way the theme is presented.
Seo
It would be fun to add some sort of fantastical element into it to avoid the negative connotations a game about Adultery would bring.
My initial thought would be to set the game in some sort of Fairytale world. Think of Cinderella, or Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty... Even better, think of The Princess Bride...
Putting it into a more humorous setting would be fun, more casual.
Players could take a variety of roles - the Evil Husband King, the Good Hero Lover, even the Beautiful Princess. Hmm, haven't playe dmuch Werewolf, but it feels like it would be similar.
Not sure how it would work actually, but the idea of a game in the style of The Princess Bride turns me on ;)
Not sure how it would work actually, but the idea of a game in the style of The Princess Bride turns me on ;)
Ha!
Guys I think the negative connotations is the attraction. If done right I see the game as a couples dinner party game. Four to eight players. I think you should jump into it with two feet. While always being tasteful of course don’t water it down. Look how popular desperate housewives is.
- Dwight
Well i suppse it's up to you to decicide whether or not you want the negative connotations added in. Overall I mean.
I think that your "audience" for your game will be more limited in it has the negative connotations. It *will* be a "couples dinner party game".
How many couples will actaully play it??
Where as, if you had some humour side to it like Nestalawe was saying it would probably get better young adult market.
Better still.......don't have any negivite connatations at all.
Same idea.....differant theme
~sfictre
I think to tone it down a bit, open it to a high disposable income group, AND make it more fun, you should change the theme to teenage dating (or celebrity dating) and call it something like "Dumped". The object might be to build a relationship which gives you certain status points or something of that nature, secret relationships could play a part of this, and all or most relationships are bound to fail, and the person to come out on top is the one to dump the other one, not be the one who gets dumped.
Brad and Jen (sob) who ever thought it could end!?
I agree with Triktrak, dumbing it down to teenage love would be more fun, but i dont think thats where this game was suppose to go.
I also think that the married couple cheating on each other theme is a bit harsh, yeah desperate housewives is popular, but most people probably wouldnt want that going on in your house.
If it is for a couples dinner party, you *would* need an identifiable theme - thus the teen thing wouldnt score as big a response, but on the other hand the couples cheating... could end up with all the guys and girls being a bit moody if the game gets a bit over themed.
But, as for the general idea of a game involving Cheating couples- i think it'd rather funny, but only when done humorously in a board game or card game.
Role Playing it werewolf style would make it a bit too real perhaps.
i worked on a card game once, with amusing cards:
"I play busty blonde girlfriend''
''ahah! i counter your girlfriend with over-protective mother''
the only thing that stopped me from finishing it was the art invoice =(
If you are thinking about making this game *just for fun*, it could work. If you think your going to market it to the public. You might be sad to realize how many ppl will be turned off by the subject. You are already limiting your target consumer market by millions of ppl that truely follow their religions, beliefs and morals. Though times are changing, so maybe I am totally wrong, but again I think your audience if very small at this time.
Taking your general concept and using it in another setting could make for a good game, but I dont know many ppl that care to even joke about adultery.
Of course this is just my opinion, so good luck if you plan to go forward with the idea. Though I dont like the topic, I would love to see you prove me wrong and make a successful game.
now the only problems i need help with are the mechanics, how will this work? what game mechanics can i use?
That's the spirit! Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
Since the idea came from the crazy scene of college, here is a suggested mechanic (which depends on having lots of players):
You need a count-down and repeat timer that rings loudly every three minutes.
Create roster cards with four random classes and 2 favorite hangouts written on each. The roster shows times in two-hour increments: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 7pm. Classes are in the first three slots, hangouts are at any time except 9am.
Create a stack of cards labeled exactly the same to say "I wanna fool around". Have some blank "Hello, My name is" adhesive tags and markers. Have large, 8x10 placards with each class and hangout written on them. Prop these up around the house. (Privacy can enhance the theme, so put some placards in out of the way places.) Place some name tags and a marker at each "class" or hangout.
Shuffle the roster cards and deal them out. Next, give every player two "I wanna fool around" cards. These cards should be kept in a pocket or palmed so that no one can see how many you have. Start the timer.
Now, a round consists of going to a class or going to a hangout. Each player follows his or her roster card. Players have three minutes at each place to mingle, talk and try to "hook up". As soon as the timer rings, all players go to their next class or hangout.
What happens during the three minutes depends on the dynamics of the group:
1. two people can agree to hook up. Once they agree, they are considered to be dating and are off-limits unless they decide to "cheat". The hook up is accomplished by having each player wear a tag with the other's name on it.
2. If two players want to fool around, they must agree to meet at a mutual hang-out and surreptitiously hide a fool-around card near the hang-out. They must try not to get caught. When they get tired of the affair, they should attempt to retrieve their cards so as not to come up short if accused.
3. Anybody can accuse any other player of cheating. This includes a partner accusing her (his) partner. The only way to prove your innocence is to have two fool around cards in your possession.
There must be some kind of retribution for getting caught, as well as for false accusations.
That is as far as I can get with this. The "meeting to be cheating" is not easy to implement as I can't explain why you would leave the cards. You probably need to come up with something else.
I envision this being played at a really large gathering, with food and drink available at the "hangouts". The chaos should result in funny episodes, with "jealous" lovers trying to keep an eye on their partners, yet being unable to be with them 24/7. In addition, someone could "catch" two cheaters, but instead of accusing them, she could retrieve their cards and watch them "squirm"! In fairness, players can't go to any hangout that is not on their card.
Mitch
The seduction game I had tought about, which was targeted for girls, took place in a setting around 16-20 years old.
In the game, you have a girl card representing yourself which has some stats/abilities/attributes. You can buy equipement that can boost some stats. Here are some item examples:
Flashy Nails ( Bonus to seduction)
Heart shaped cell phone ( Bonus to resistance(your boyfriend))
Multicolored hair ( Gives attribute "weird")
Cool T-Shirt ( Gives attribute "cool")
Sexy Swim suit ( bonus for sleeping)
If you want, when you are making a action, you can borrow a sharable item from another player if he want(ex: a T-shirt, but not the nail). If you want to create a party at home, you must find players willing to come at your party. Going shopping with your friend can allow all participant to play an item card. As you can see, the objective is to make it a social game.
Now in the middle of the table there is a series of boys with different attributes. Some are easier to seduce, some are easier to sleep with, some give more prestige, some are less likely to stick with you for a long time, etc. You can try to seduce them to get a boyfriend. If you do, the boyfriend you have gives you prestige while you stick with him. Then you can try to sleep with him to gain even more prestige. Or you can "sleep" with any guy to gain prestige points, but they are not permanent.
It also mean that you can try to seduce other player's boyfriend, or you can try to sleep with other player's boyfriend. You can also try to convince some boys that their girl friend is not a girl for them. There is also various cards than can make you spread rumors, create parties, etc.
The goal is to gain a certain number of prestige points. As you can see, the mechanics is somewhat a fusion of Munchkin(items and levels), Cheez Geek(accumulate stuff that give points) and illuminati(control stuff).
First, since it was targetted for teenagers or young adult, I was not sure if I should have put the concept of "Sleeping" with your boyfriend. But then again, Since I am not using any explicit vocabulary, I think it should be OK for teenagers to play a game like this.
Larienna, the teen theme sounds awesome. one could even make it an eduational game by adding STDs drug addiction and teen pregnancy.
(ok, maybe not. it sounded a lot better when i was THINKING it.)
I want it to be an happy game (^_^). An educational game is interesting but the one you have described is too much dark.
these all sound like interesting ideas, but i still cant' seem to think of any sort of clue mechanic, that lets players atempt to figure out who their partners are cheating with. while allowing players to atempt to refute any evidence.
Ah-ha! the key word is "evidence". How about a Clue-like game, where everybody is a suspect, but there's only one cheating couple. Props could include lipsticks of obviously different shades, silk scarves, napkins with phoe numbers, etc.
Mitch
I don't have a complete answer for you, but a few ideas. Definitely need to keep the cheating angle intact, but within a framework of social consequences.
FRAMEWORK
Assume some kind of "status" or "reputation" measure. There are social penalties (loss of status points) for:
* breaking up a good relationship
* unfairly accusing others
* ignoring cheating that is happening under your nose
It is neutral to:
* explore how others feel about you
* break up with someone for good reason
* cheat in retaliation for a specific transgression
It is desireable (gain in status points) to:
* be in a committed relationship and keep it working
* confront a partner when cheating occurs
* match yourself with someone compatible without being a heel
* "hook up" with someone sexy
* uncover cheating on behalf of your buddy/girlfriend
By the end of the game, your goal could be to either:
Achieve the highest "social reputation"
- or -
maneuver yourself into a relationship with someone else who together will give you the greatest shared social reputation.
MECHANICS
I like the "clue" type genre for this game as others have pointed out. How do you partner up with someone, cheat on them, forge secret trysts, get caught, etc etc?
I think the best mechanic would be passing notes. Your game could come with pre-printed note pads that say things like:
From:
To:
{lines for note}
YES NO MAYBE
{lines for response}
The basic gist: each player's turn, she writes one or more notes which she passes to the other players. This is a perfect way to mask secret communications. To her partner, she could write "Hi honey! love ya!" To her secret flame, she could write "wanna make out after class?" to her girlfriend she could write "cover for me after class." To the guy she hooked up with three turns ago she could write "that was a mistake, leave me alone." Who knows, the point is it's free form. Each note must be answered by the receiver and passed back to the player.
Or, you could have "class breaks" where everyone can swap notes with anyone.
Going with the clue theme, you should have evidence. Each player could have a diary/planner with plastic holder pages for each other player (kinda like a CD wallet). This could hold the notes, plus evidence cards. When a player agrees to a hookup, he or she needs to place a bit of evidence in the correct player "page." They could make study dates, which would put a picture of books in there. Maybe a class project, or a group activity, or some other neutral task. But if they are fooling around, the evidence could be naughty.
You could have a cards that allow a player to:
* intercept a note being passed
* peek in their girlfriends/boyfriends diary to pick out one note/evidence card
* peek in their best friend's diary/planner
* force a player to accidentially drop a piece of collected evidence (put back into the pile)
*get rid of a piece of incriminating evidence
At any point, a player could make a formal accusation against another player. If he has enough evidence cards to back it up, he collects a certain number of social status points from the offending parties and adds it to his total. If he needs help making the bust, he can co-accuse by passing a note to another player, who will then split the loot 50-50.
Unfair accusations made will backfire. If another player can refute the accusation with evidence cards, she would get status points from the unfair accuser.
Players can also get status points from other players who fail to make accusations when cheating is going on.
Well, that's ill-formed, but maybe will give you some ideas.
First time poster :)
After reading through this thread, I'd like to suggest the following:
The game board is just a grid full of pictures (with names) of various guys/gals. These are the 'suspects.' Each of these has a corresponding card in the game's deck.
At the start of the game, the deck full of people is shuffled, and each player is dealt one card. The player cannot look at this card. It represents the person their spouse is cheating with. Once everyone has a card, they are propped up on stands so that each of the other players can see your card, but you cannot see your own.
On your turn, you get to either query or guess.
If you guess: Draw a card from the evidence deck. This has cards like 'Found pair of underwear' 'found someone elses hair' or 'Strange car next door.' Pick a player, and ask a question about the person your spouse is cheating with, appropriate to the evidence: "Does my spouses' lover wear a thong?" "Does my spouses lover have long brown hair" or "Does my spouses's lover drive a Moped?" - respectively
You can only ask 'yes or no' questions. Each of these is a trait identifiable by the picture on the card (and on the game board), either by the picture of the lover, or by some text underneath their photo. The player asked must answer honestly (the rest of the players are there to enforce it).
If you query: Say "I think my wife/husband is cheating on me with..." and say the name of the person (with the name from the board in front of you).
To win, simply be the first person to guess your spouse's cheater.
For a more risque version, just up the stakes on the types of evidence... "Found sex toy" "Partner has new favorite position" etc.
Dang...
Everybody cheats?
That's grim.
Otherwise, it's pretty good. I would put some blank cards in the mix. Maybe the cards could have halos and pitchforks. This would give you more leeway. For example, unless you want hot girl on girl action, you have to make sure the players only pick up cards of the opposite sex.
Mitch
Correct, which is why I suggested that it isn't the player who is cheating, but their spouse. That way, you avoid embarrassing people, but still have the possibility of "My wife is cheating on me with a woman?"
On the other hand, maybe the evidence doesn't always show what one would think... For example, if you found your spouse's lover wore g-string underwear, you might automatically think that the suspect is female... which isn't always the case. You could also have a masculine female subject who wears both lipstick and boxers.
well i never suggested the theme of the game, and i guess i should have. the idea came to when i was thinking about me and all my friends in college and how they get themselves into such crazily complicated situations. being with soandso whitout whoever finding out. and then it just came to me. its a game, already its a game, i should have never mensioned marrage, or called it adultery, cheating just wasn't specific enough. basically it is a completely humor based game, a bunch of crazy college kids hooking up almost at random (much like real life) and then ending up in complecated games of evidence, rumor, lies and alibi. the ironic part (atleast in my friends case) is they are all just college kids experementing and with no real comitment to eachother, and yet they do so much to hide the betreyal from eachother, when in reality none of them are commited and wouldn't really be hurt by it. I've talked to a bunch of people of all different ages, married, not single, take, and i can only think of one person who wasn't emidiately ecited about the idea and eager to play. now the only problems i need help with are the mechanics, how will this work? what game mechanics can i use?