So after a recent playtest I am seeking some inspiration in regards to co op games to better simplify and streamline the game.
I have played
Legendary
Sentinals of the multiverse
Decent
One deck dungeon
Imperial assault
Pandemic
Elder sign
Super dungeon explore
These all have co op themes but I am looking for a broader spectrum to get more ideas.
What if you describe, which part exactly you didn't like in that play test?
The problem was co-op. But on what mechanic/situation did it falter exactly?
It sounds like that complexity is the key problem here. It makes the game harder in all directions. The game-master, difficulty, number variance, etc. You need to cut down a lot.
What if you make a list of all the statistics/mechanics that you need for combat. And start by choosing only 2 or 3 that also can support co-op?
If you use multiple rolls in 1 combat. It is easier to have 1 die representing 1 result. Not 2 dice as you have mentioned. Or, these 2 can be rolled 1 by 1. I have 1 die per projectile that is rolled a number of times.
If you are looking for war games. Perhaps Axis and Allies is a good one in my oppinion.
It will be a lot of work. But you could start looking into this list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_board_wargames
It is very big. And I don't know which have co-op. IDK, Simply google them one by one and gather info?
I would suggest doing a search for 'co-op games dice tower'. Either go to their site or follow a link to youtube and view their channel. They do lists for all types of games and give great reasons why they like a game or don't like it. You may get good info by just watching/listening, or go check out something interesting. They even do videos about mechanics, dice games, etc. A great resource.
Here are the best blog posts I could find about co-op games:
 | Why a SpaceGame (part 2) (42) by X3M |
| Blank Poker Card Sale - Only 3 Cents Each! (0) by The Game Crafter |
| 2025 Unpub Mentorship Program (0) by The Game Crafter |
 | Prospector — I decided to have a dedicated BLOG for this "Expansion" (32) by questccg |
| Dead Steam - Post Apocalyptic train building card game (38) by Tbone |
| Board Game Blueprint - New Episode Every Wednesday (32) by The Game Crafter |
| Tabletop Game Jobs (0) by The Game Crafter |
| Protospiel Cleveland (0) by The Game Crafter |
| "Never Seven" - Playtest Rules - Suspended While the Game is Undergoing Modification (7) by Steve |
| New Board Game Pieces - Premium Mushroom & Premium Brown Mushroom (0) by The Game Crafter |
| Weight of sorting (4) by X3M |
| Placing cards (planets) in specific positions (orbits) (4) by Tbone |
| Designing from a personal pool of mechanism (36) by larienna |
| New Board Game Pieces - InFUNity Tiles (Hat Shape) (0) by The Game Crafter |
| New Auction: 1 Month of Advertising on FatherGeek.com (0) by The Game Crafter |
| DuelBotz: Sample New Card (19) by questccg |
| Comparing 2 new dice replace mechanics (2) by X3M |
| Happy New Year!!! (1) by questccg |
| How to design and balance a Rock-Paper-Scissor like mechanism (44) by X3M |
| Monster Keep — Retiring this Design (0) by questccg |
| Build your own [insert game genre here] (13) by larienna |
| Finalists Selected for the VHS Case Challenge (5) by larienna |
| 2025 New Year Sale at The Game Crafter (0) by The Game Crafter |
| Merry Christmas 2024! (0) by questccg |
| Winner Announced for "That Cool Stock Part Challenge" (0) by The Game Crafter |
The co op was fine the problem lied in combat with the following issues
To much information to track for players
A lot of info for players to digest
Difficulty curve very hard a the start and eases off and is then easy.
Game needs a game master to run game and remind people of stuff
To geared towards players with familiarity with card games
To much number variance.
These were the issues brought up in my game players roll dice to determine damage and defend usually 2 dice. I am looking for ways to improve h gameplay and possibly cut down on components hence wanting to look into other co op games.