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New game idea needs theme!

6 replies [Last post]
Sun, 10/09/2005 - 21:27
Anonymous

For about the 40th time... I'm back! I rarely visit anymore because I am too busy, but I just came up with a unique idea and wanted to see what everyone thought... and I wanted a theme for the game (lol)!

It's a card game for 3-5 people. There is a board with 7 boxes in one row (representing a week) in the center of the table. There are two decks of cards; a production deck and a resource deck.

To start the game, each person is dealt three production cards, each with certain resource requirements to be built (and a certain number of consecutive days on which they must be built, varying from 1 to 4 days). Of course, the ones that take more days to create will earn more points.

After those cards are dealt out, each person picks one of their production cards (that they are unlikely to be able to build) and passes it to the player on his left. Play then begins on the dealer's left. That person can either draw two resource cards, negotiate with another player to work on building the same card (which I will explain in a second), or draw one more production card. After any of these actions, a player can build a card if they have the required resources, by playing them on consecutive days of the week (so if you had a card that required 4 resources, there would need to be 4 consecutive spaces on the calendar week to be able to be played).

The negotiating in my mind is the only thing innovative about this game idea. Whenever a player wants to, he can choose to take his turn to show any other player one of his cards, offer him some of the point value of that card if he helps build the card, and then the player either accepts or rejects it.

But that's where I'm stuck. I need a theme for the game, I need some "flow" to the rules, especially this one question:
I'm thinking that each player should only be allowed to build one card each round (a game could last X number of rounds). By doing this, he either plays alone or negotiates with someone else to build up his score. How would building work? Would everyone "blindly bid" on the opportunity to build, reveal their choice, and play it out, or would it go by turns?

Help!!! LOL

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Sun, 10/09/2005 - 21:28
#1
Anonymous
New game idea needs theme!

Oops, when describing what you can do on a turn, that should read "draw 1 production card and discard one from your hand".

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Sun, 10/09/2005 - 23:32
#2
Challengers
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
New game idea needs theme!

Hi snipy3,

Your mechanics sound remarkably like those used in the May Game Design Showdown (Business as Usual). Check out entries #1 and #3 there. they may give you some ideas.

http://www.bgdf.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2538&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

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Mon, 10/10/2005 - 04:54
#3
cantos
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
New game idea needs theme!

How about some way for a player to contract out the other jobs by offering part of the pay-out to the player who completes it. Allow players to complete one contract as well as one job each turn. When it becomes our turn you again you can take back your contract offer if no one completed it (probably means you didn't give up enough of its points to get it done).

Just a thought that could fit nicely into some business / consulting sort of theme.

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Mon, 10/10/2005 - 20:09
#4
Anonymous
New game idea needs theme!

Thanks for the advice! As I said this is a brand new idea so I don't really have much at all written down, pretty much what you see here is what I have.

I will look into those ideas, I really think the contracting is a unique idea and it relates to what I had in mind, but I think the way you put it was well done.

What I'm getting from your idea is that on my turn I can lay one of my cards down, state that "I need X more of this resource to complete it. If anyone helps me complete it, I will give them Y points from the total value of the card." If nobody accepts my offer, I can leave it for another turn or take it back into my hand and place a new offer on the table.

I think this might actually be turning into a good idea for a game (I know, you're thinking Aaron actually has a decent idea? What is this world coming to? lol), thanks for the help!

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Tue, 10/11/2005 - 04:43
#5
cantos
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
New game idea needs theme!

snipy3 wrote:
"I need X more of this resource to complete it. If anyone helps me complete it, I will give them Y points from the total value of the card." If nobody accepts my offer, I can leave it for another turn or take it back into my hand and place a new offer on the table.

That's right. It will be tricky to design so that people will actively play both sides of the exchange. One way to do it is to have a conversion process happen; I give up money to entice you, but you gain credentials. Or a resource exchange some people have more time, some more money, and some more staff. Or maybe it's a short term vs long term thing --- you get immediate payout by completing contracts but no longer term growth, while the other side gives up near term resources to build long term potential.

Just more random ideas, I'm glad they're at least slightly helpful.

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Tue, 10/11/2005 - 18:17
#6
Sgraffite
Offline
Joined: 12/31/1969
New game idea needs theme!

The first idea that came to mind for me to help the rules flow together was pioneers building mining facilities or factories in space.

Quote:
To start the game, each person is dealt three production cards, each with certain resource requirements to be built (and a certain number of consecutive days on which they must be built, varying from 1 to 4 days). Of course, the ones that take more days to create will earn more points.

The reasoning behind this: To the benefit of a large corporation (yours or otherwise) you must build three facilities to get a corner on the market of a certain resource(s). Your workers would have to go to a planet and only have limited suply of food, air, materials, ect to build, so they would have to work consecutive days to complete the job with their limited time, otherwise the somewhat hostile environment may destroy the unfinished building.

If another player chooses to assist in the building process they could be entitled to a certain amount of the profits/resources produced by the facility. (IE their company would own a share of the factory or something).

Quote:
But that's where I'm stuck. I need a theme for the game, I need some "flow" to the rules, especially this one question:
I'm thinking that each player should only be allowed to build one card each round (a game could last X number of rounds). By doing this, he either plays alone or negotiates with someone else to build up his score. How would building work? Would everyone "blindly bid" on the opportunity to build, reveal their choice, and play it out, or would it go by turns?

For the bidding aspect you could have each player secretly show their bid to the person building the place, and that person could choose which offer to accept based on their needs. For instance (assume resources needed to build are air, titanium, food, water, plastic, ect.. for this scenario) player 1 is building a factory and others are bidding to help:

Player 2 bids 2 air, 1 titanium
Player 3 bids 4 water, 1 plastic

Even though player 3 bids more overall, player 2 wins the bid because player 1 has enough water already, but needs more air to complete the factory construction.

Bidding mechanics could work simultaneous or on a turn by turn basis. If you did simultaneous have everyone lay their bids face down in front of the builder and have him/her look at them individually. In turn by turn players could make offers on each of their turns if they wanted and the builder could accept/decline as he/she pleased. I think simultaneous would allow for less time spent bidding however.

Anyways, that's what came to mind when I read you problem, hope that helps!

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