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A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

14 replies [Last post]
Fri, 01/07/2005 - 14:21
Anonymous

I just had an idea for a game but absolutely nothing behind it. I was thinking that a game which be played with different colored shapes (like red cube, blue pyramid, orange stick, etc.) and basic mathematical symbols (+,-,/,*). The game could have a couple of different methods to be played, ie one person sets up a system of shapes and operations and writes down all of the patterns they set up in it. Then the other players write down all the patterns they see in it, and have scoring be based upon who is better at seeing the patterns. Or each player could go in turn and create a pattern and once everybody has done that, write down the patterns the person who has the mosty that are there wins or something like that.

now the key question: Is there ever a possibility to make a game like this fun to normal people (ie not math majors, logicians, etc). Or does a game like this only need to be semi-fun and be able to be sold on its educational merits in addition to the little bit of fun experienced?

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 14:34
#1
sedjtroll
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A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

This is a bit different then what you just said, but... Suppose you had cards laid out like in "Set", but the cards had numbers on them. Also suppose each player has a set of operations in front of them, like:

<br />
___ + ___ = ___<br />
___ - ___ = ___<br />
___ x ___ = ___<br />

So you look at the array of numbers and like Set you call or take one when you see it, but it has to fit your operations.

Further, the operations could be on cards, and you get dealt 3 cards. When you fulfill one you put the operation card and the three number cards together in a pile to be scored and you draw another operation card. This way not everyone is looking for the same groups of cards.

Replacing numbers in math operations with symbols like you suggest could be problematic, because you could have impossible situations like
A - B = C and
A / C = B
Through which you could prove that 1=2 if you want, but it's not really valid.

- Seth

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 14:44
#2
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

or there could be a large group of symbols maybe 5 different colors along with 3-5 shapes. while asigning a number to the shapes that makes sense. stick =1 triangle=2 sqaure=3 and you sue the operations to make any valid statement.

such as

orange stick + orange triangle = orange square

blue stick + red stick = green triangle

orange stick + orange triangle = Orange square + orange Sqaure

The problem is coming up with a system that would work.

Or maybe leave out the operations all together. But then I think I really am talking about SET.

Michael

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 14:51
#3
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I just had a flash of inspiration... you have six colors, operations, and 3 shapes.

The shapes have numbers like said before. stick=1 triangle =2 square =3

then you have the colors blue, yellow, red, green, purple, and orange

plus the operations.

to start the game a random selection of these will be used and then players take turns claiming pieces to use to make legal operations.

while the colors no operate like the color wheel so legal color operations would be

yellow + blue = green
purple - red = blue
green - blue + red =orange

-Michael

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 17:02
#4
sedjtroll
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A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I had come up with an idea about a year ago for what would probably be best done as a computer game. It was like a cross between Tetris (or Columns) and Set. The pieces that come down are shapes (each fit within a unit cube). The shapes have 3 attributes- shape, color, Solid/transparent/wireframe. You place them wherever you want in a 3D grid, and when 3 of them are in a row/column/L shape and those three make up a 'set' (for each attribute the three shapes are all the same or all different) then it disappears and scores.

There could be other scoring options, based on what types of sets you collect, like bonus scoring per set of sets (all attributes all the same, all attributes all different, etc) and stuff like that.

- Seth

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 18:07
#5
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I have made a prototype for this game now and I will try it out with Erin tonight. to start game operations with go as follows

1. choose a starting player
2. Deal cards equal to 2x number of players
3. players choose cards in a wheel type fashion A,B,C,D,D,C,B,A ; where player A is the first player
4- Do this until all players have 12 cards
5- make equations of any length using +,-, and = operations. Only one color or shape card can be used per equation.
6- Score points:
3 card equations = 1 point
4 card equations = 2 point
5 card equations = 4 points
6 card equations = 7 points
and equation that is true with both the colors and shapes is worth double points.

game can be played with 2-6 players. I will let you all know how it goes

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 18:48
#6
sedjtroll
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A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

So you rochester drawft number cards and then put them in the equation... are the operators also on the cards? What about the Equals signs? Or does each person get like 4 Equals sign cards at the start?

This could work pretty well.

- Seth

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 19:14
#7
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

everybody gets any number of operators they want

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Fri, 01/07/2005 - 21:50
#8
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I just played a couple of gamnes of this with my wife. the took very little time. and I have some things to report.

First: shapes were a little too abstract for addition and subtraction. Better to change it to numbers.

Second: some things that were thought of while playing orange-purple=blue for example. useful to know. My wife played the cards to be 1 + 4 = 5 = 2 +3 while having the colors match up. good to mention that and amount of -,+ and = can be used per setup

third: extra bonus possibilities have each card have a transparency value like seth was saying. if all cards used in the equation are the same or different, then the score will be double, or triple (if the colors and numbers match also)

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Sat, 01/08/2005 - 13:52
#9
Anonymous
Revised Version of rules

after the first playtesting the shapes on the cards which were correspoinding to numbers made the game very difficult to think about. My wife and I both had trouble figuring out what we wanted to do let alone what our opponent wanted to do (and hence what cards they want)

The objective is to get the most points by making equations. The equations have two different way to be true, by color and number. examples of valid statements in each will follow

3+1+2=6
Red+Yellow=Orange
Green-Blue+Red=Orange
4-1=3

So now the cards now have 3 different properties
1. Color
2. Number
3. Shape

game can be played with 2-6 players
game time : 15-30 minutes

Scoring

Scoring is based only on the number of cards used in a true equation with bonus multipliers available.

3 card equations = 1 point
4 card equations = 2 point
5 card equations = 4 points
6 card equations = 7 points

Bonus 2x multiplier for having the equation be true for the color and number. Also a 2x multiplier is added for having all cards in an equation be the same shape or all different shapes. This multipliers stack to a total of 4x.

example:
1 Blue Square + 2 Yellow Triangle = 3 Green Circle scores 1x2x2 points or 4.
1 Blue Sqaure + 4 Yellow Square = 5 Green Square = 2 Blue Square + 3 Yellow Square scores 4x2x2 points or 16

1. choose a starting player
2. Deal cards equal to 2x number of players
3. players choose cards in a wheel type fashion A,B,C,D,D,C,B,A ; where player A is the first player
4- Do this until all players have 12 cards
5- make equations of any length using +,-, and = operations. All players get any number of operators to use. (this restriction will be removed to test if it is necessary) Only one color or shape card can be used per equation.
6- Score points:

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Sat, 01/08/2005 - 15:02
#10
sedjtroll
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A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I told mayhem this privately, but I might as well post it here for posterity (nd future reference). Here's another way the game can go:

No limit to the number of cards in your hand or that you get over the course of the game. On your turn you draw a card or 2, probably from a face up pool. Then you can play cards down (like melding in rummy). You cannot meld until you have a valid equation (probably 3 cards min, 1 of which is an "="). There is an open supply of "=" cards which you can probably just take for free when you need them. The deck consists of Operators and Numbers, and the numbers have a Value and a Color (and maybe a shape) associated with them, as Michael described.

The game end is triggered when a player plays their 4th equation. Everyone else gets a turn (or just 'the round is finished') and there is a bonus for being the first to 4 eq's, and a smaller bonus for getting to 4 eq's also.

So the interaction is in te card drawing. If more is needed, it could be that you can (instead of putting down an eq) play a card on an existing eq, Either increasing the value of your own eq, or that of another player (and scoring some points as you play the card). MAYBE even REPLACING a card in play, which would score you no points, but might either make your eq better, or make someone else's worth less.

At no time is it legal to make an equation invalid.

What do you think of this idea?

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Mon, 01/10/2005 - 21:35
#11
Anonymous
A new game idea - Logic/Puzzle game

I don't know Seth. THat game has quite a distance to travel, and I have other things to worry about now.

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Sat, 01/29/2005 - 19:34
#12
Anonymous
Too many colors.

This is just my opinion, but I would never play your game more than once (and I might not even finish that game) due to the fact that I am color blind. I gather that your intent is to have some sort of color mixing going on in addition to the mathematical operands, but I don't think its necessary and if I understand it right its going away from your original goal. Remember, about 1 in 10 guys is marginally colorblind, and 1 in 20 is severely so.

/just sayin'

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Sat, 02/05/2005 - 19:50
#13
boardgamegeezer
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Colour blind

Hi all
How come then talking about people being colour blind how come Uno is the no. one selling card game-So they say. Lots of colours numbers shapes in that.
Just an observation.
Cheers
BGG
P.S I think the equation idea is good as equations of course a re a major part of knowledge of us little humans here on Earth.
Perhaps it could be simplified.
PPS. I will accept one percent royalties for that.

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Mon, 02/07/2005 - 00:43
#14
Anonymous
Re: Colour blind

boardgamegeezer wrote:
Hi all
How come then talking about people being colour blind how come Uno is the no. one selling card game-So they say. Lots of colours numbers shapes in that.
Just an observation.
Cheers
BGG
P.S I think the equation idea is good as equations of course a re a major part of knowledge of us little humans here on Earth.
Perhaps it could be simplified.
PPS. I will accept one percent royalties for that.

lets not be ridiculous. The Pokemon CCG is the best selling card game of all time, unless Magic has overcome Pokemon due to the falling out of favor that Pokemon has experienced.

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