Two evenings ago, I read a short story by author Joseph Payne Brennan called, "Canavan's Back Yard." To borrow from this recorded reading's description: "A tale of a piece of land that doesn't stay the same size, and of whispering grass that doesn't want you to leave."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9UZd7sxEaw
It served as inspiration for a card game idea, initially based on a classic deck of playing cards and its different suits. As you read this, should you have any suggestions or brainstormed ideas, please share.
I'd like to make a game that is a kind of solitaire version of Betrayal At The House On The Hill, or whatever it's called. The player explores this bewitched field/yard, gradually revealing the mystery of what haunts it. Once its true nature is known, they must work to stop it - changing tactics, if required - while the threat actively tries to stop them from succeeding. Furthermore, if a player hasn't prepared for the obstacles, they could become "lost" in the territory, and then lose the game.
The first objective that came to mind is that of rescuing Canavan or someone else the player holds dear. They know Canavan is lost somewhere in that field. Maybe they were kidnapped, maybe they wandered in, maybe they are also searching for something. The player doesn't know until they carry out their own search.
The player wanders the area themselves, searching for clues. Maybe they have a token and they move over different stacks of cards. Maybe its more abstracted and the player simply flips over cards from a single deck.
I'd like the player to have to make choices with the cards they uncover. Maybe they are trying to build sets with the cards, based on suit or number. To provide a choice to this, I'd like to limit the sets they can attempt to create during one outing. This can also be the mechanic required to escape the field before they become victims themselves.
Finally, the player takes the clues they've found (the sets they've successfully built) and uses them to research in the library. The player must learn the true nature of what's bewitched the field. In the short story, it was a tale about a witch that hinted at this. But I also wondered if there would be a way to add replayability and other interesting mechanics by having a different kind of threat represented by the different suits of cards.
So...questions for you:
- Have you ever played, seen, or heard about a game like this? If so, what is it / what are they?
- Can you suggest any specific ideas to explore within this framework? Something you think I should try to develop? A mechanic that seems worth connecting to the theme I've presented?
- What do you suggest I do in order to prevent this from turning into a solo puzzle instead of a solo game?
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for your suggestions...! :-D
Just dropping in a note here that I will be participating in the "Mapemounde" Game Jam event this weekend, with the hopes that I can come up with some sort of workable prototype within the month.
https://itch.io/jam/mapemounde2021
I am also hoping to use the Carta game design engine I noted in a recent discussion thread here to make this game. As such, it will be an exploration and journaling game, different from my typical stripe. It may be more achievable to maintain the horror atmosphere and a solo game experience.
Revisiting Dr. Lew's book, -Game Design From Start To Finish-, to apply some more structure and design goals into my process. I feel driven to create a workable prototype of this game and will do my best to see it to at least this first phase. I'll re-evaluate at that point and decide if it's worth pursuing or I should put it back in the drawer.