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New game concept I had -- is it too similar to anything?

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mcobb83
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Joined: 06/07/2016

So, to preface this: there are too many board games for me to know them all. I had this great concept last night (it came into my head near fully formed! It was awesome!), but I don't know if it is too similar to anything out there, so I will pitch the question to the masses here. Read the concept I'm about to outline and let me know if its too similar to something already out there.

Its a co-op game. The players all find themselves in an old, spooky sort of castle. How they got there is irrelevant at this time (unique characters will be developed if/when I flesh this out). The players quickly discover that the castle is haunted by the malevolent Dullahan (headless horseman, but in this case with no horse). They must escape the castle, but they discover the front door is locked and they must find either a key or an alternate exit, all while being pursued by the Dullahan, who only wants to add heads to his collection.

Mechanically it will use Tile Placement and Card decks. The starting tile will be a larger, 8x8 tile representing the grand entrance. 4x4 Tiles are then laid face down around the grand entrance, each tile representing a new room or corridor. The tiles will all be marked on the back with the locations of entrances etc so that everything lines up when tiles are placed during setup.

Players move between rooms, exploring as they flee the Dullahan. There will be traps between rooms that either need to be disarmed or will hurt/maim/kill party members. There will also be encounters with other ghosts -- previous Dullahan victims, banshees announcing the imminent death of a party member, and the like. The game ends when the survivors escape the castle, or when they are all dead.

Because I hate player elimination (nothing is worse than starting a game and then having to wait for an hour while not playing after you've been killed!) I will add a player mechanic wherein the killed players may return as ghosts -- either to add to the haunting or to try and lead their friends to escape.

Searching rooms will yield tools that can be used to stall the Dullahan or remove ghosts. The Key(s) to escape will also be found this way.

So, what do you think? Is there anything similar to this out there? I don't know enough about this particular genre to say either way. Its primarily an escape co-op, with little emphasis on fighting. More a puzzle game, I think.

Soulfinger
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Joined: 01/06/2015
Betrayal at House on the

Betrayal at House on the Hill
Mansions of Madness

mcobb83
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Joined: 06/07/2016
Excellent! Thank you for the

Excellent! Thank you for the references. I will be doing some research tonight.

polyobsessive
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Joined: 12/11/2015
Just do it!

I'd say don't worry about it. Looking up the games Soulfinger mentioned is probably a good idea, but seriously, just make your game and see where it goes. It sounds like you have an idea burning its way through your head, so just give it a go and see if you can make it playable. It'll almost certainly have its own flavour, even if you do end up close to something that already exists.

alandor
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Interesting idea. I agree, go

Interesting idea. I agree, go on and develop the game as you envision it.

When I read through your description of avoiding player elimination by letting killed characters come back as ghosts a nice idea struck me. There could be an artifact in the castle which can set all the ghosts free if a surviving character leaves the castle with it. That way you could have floating allegiance between players. Players who died and became ghosts want the surviving players to escape with the artifact and will help them do that, but if the survivors try to just save their own skin and flee without it the ghosts will try to stop them. So it would a Co-op game but with certain restrictions. I just thought it seemed like a nice mechanic which I haven't seen before.

Rick L
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Joined: 08/22/2016
Here's a self-published game

Here's a self-published game that's similar:
https://boardgamegeek.com/article/22916050#22916050

Lovecraft theme, tile laying exploration of an otherworldly building, players can become monsters but can find a way to become human again. There's a link to the rule book several posts down on that page.

I'd still agree with others above tho- develop your unique version of the idea and see if it ends up better than what's out there.

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