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Requesting mechanics assistance please

5 replies [Last post]
Fri, 01/06/2012 - 15:12
JefferyB
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Joined: 11/22/2011

I am designing a fantasy racing boardgame. Each player chooses a Rider and a Mount. I want each Rider and each Mount to have different abilities, so that players feel they have something unique to play with. The racetrack will be 8"x8" gameboards that players assemble in any which way they choose. The boards will be gridded, to show squares for movement.

Whats an easy, yet not boring, way for movement to occur while still allowing players to feel that each Mount is special? (ex. Fast mounts get to roll 4d6 and choose highest roll to determine how many squares of movement that turn, or roll 1d6 and add movement bonus for that mount, or what?)

What are ways I can make the Riders and Mounts different? Faster yet more fragile Mounts vs. Not as fast but sturdier Mounts. High attack value but weak durability Riders vs. Low attack with high defense Riders. Should there be a number value to be rolled over to accomplish the mechanic (ex. a 4+ to attack or 3+ to defend), or perhaps an increased number of dice used (ex. high attack has 4d6 choose highest), or a number value added to the die roll (ex. attack is a 3, add to 1d6), or another idea perhaps?

Thanks for any assistance!

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Fri, 01/06/2012 - 15:42
#1
NomadArtisan
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Joined: 12/12/2011
You could remove dice rolling

You could remove dice rolling entirely and have different types of 'action' cards.
So for example...
Movement, Attack, Defense, and Special Action Cards.

Faster, more fragile mounts will get to draw more movement cards but less defense cards each turn. You could only play a certain number of cards each turn, but faster mounts will have more movement cards to choose from and so are more likely to draw ones with higher values.

I'd also Make the game board in a similar fashion to Formula De, which is the best racing game I've played. It's basically an offset grid that allows the track to curve without being aesthetically unappealing.

You could also add 'trap zones' to the track, so players have to avoid hazards to get past certain areas. This would also work well for balancing mounts. Your defensive mount can trudge through hazardous areas with little worry, but your faster mounts have to be more careful and then take full advantage of easy straightaways.

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Sat, 01/07/2012 - 14:44
#2
JefferyB
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Joined: 11/22/2011
The primary goal will be to

The primary goal will be to cross the finish line, lets say after 3 laps. I just would like to give players the opportunity to prevent or slow down other players from reaching that same goal by letting Riders and/or Mounts to 'attack' other Riders and/or Mounts via Special Abilities and/or cards they pick up. Imagine Mario Kart, but with a fantasy theme (elves, dwarves, etc. riding unicorns, raptors, etc.)

Originally I had anticipated giving all Riders hit points, and thus eventually a Rider could be removed completely from the race as attacks whittle away at their health before they even reach the 3rd lap. However, since I would like to cater the game towards a younger audience (lets say 8+ perhaps), I did away with hit points and I am leaning towards more 'slow down', 'miss a turn', and 'get knocked back or dismounted' type attacks.

I do not have a lot of experience with the broad range of boardgames out there that could help me in choosing various mechanics for my own game, which is why I'm reaching out to the boardgame community. I've got the theme all planned out, I know what I want the outcome to be similar to (ex. Mario Kart), but I just don't know the best way to get to that final product.

Thanks for the feedback!

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Sun, 08/11/2013 - 23:36
#3
JefferyB
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Joined: 11/22/2011
Fantasy Racing

I am coming back to my boardgame concept. Its a fantasy themed racing game for 2 or more players.

I am now debating whether to stick with players being a single mounted character versus a chariot team. After reading rules for Arena Maximus, Chariot Master (http://www.chariotmaster.de/Downloads/CMaster.PDF), and Warhammer Fantasy Chariot Races (http://home.deds.nl/~mordheim/chariotraces.pdf), I'm loving the hobbyist aspects of players making chariot models for the race. However, it is far easier for players to acquire a single mounted miniature. Perhaps rules for chariots AND derby-style racing.

I'm looking to streamline rules, remove as many extraneous counters and add-ons required to play, and leave the core rulebook and maybe some cards be the sole content of the game. Some cardstock counters representing riders/mounts and/or chariots could come with the game, but the option to create or purchase your own miniatures for the race will be encouraged just not required. So I'll need charts/tables listing modifiers to build your own rider/mount and/or chariot, with concepts such as size, speed, durability, etc. that affect stats for the player.

As for game mechanics, I am leaning more towards a tabletop wargame style. This will get rid of the need to include racetrack tiles/boards and allow players to customize a racetrack on whatever surface they want to play on. There would need to be rules for obstacles and terrain features, which players will divide along a length of track ('famous' tracks will be mentioned to give examples how to design predetermined races). Movement will be by ruler. Whipping grants a bonus to movement, dependent on mount-type. Attacks can come from mounts or riders/passengers of chariot.

Anyways, wanna see any responses from the community.

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Mon, 08/12/2013 - 13:43
#4
laperen
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Joined: 04/30/2013
maybe you can have "steps"

maybe you can have "steps" and "strides"

strides are how many squares a mount moves in one step

and steps represents how many steps can be take in one turn

i dont know your defensive and offensive options for your mounts and riders, im assuming both ahve a combined HP, and defense could be the chance of a hit when declared

all i can recommend is movement patterns for mounts, and abilites that affect the movement pattern, you could use chess pieces as a starting point if you choose to take my recommendation of movement pattern as a mechanic

*EDIT
i didnt know you were gonna go for ruler based measurements, didnt take note of the dates of your latest response and original post.

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Mon, 08/12/2013 - 19:54
#5
Squinshee
Squinshee's picture
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Joined: 10/17/2012
A game like this seems too

A game like this seems too simple for ruler-based movement. Building custom race tracks is neat, but this feels like a boxed game, board and all. It's more approachable that way too.

If you were to design a board and wanted variance in each race, there could be a stack of TRAP CARDS that are randomly placed one designated spaces on the board. Balancing it so certain traps are equally unfavorable to all racers may be tough, but that would change the dynamic of each and every race. You could print a second race track on the other side of the board too. It's not as customizable as homemade tracks though.

Every game I've tried to incorporate movement in has been a disaster. It's a challenging element (or rather a resource) to design, so I wish you the best.

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