Want a published game? Of course you do. Check out this month's GDS and ask your questions here.
Good luck!
[GDS] DECEMBER 2014 "MSP-Games' Micro-game Challenge" Comments and Questions
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 14:28
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 17:45
#1
WOW!
This is an awesome opportunity! Thank you for sharing this with us!
A few questions:
-Is there a required/recommended player number? 2? 2-4?
-Nothing is said about other physical components besides the map and the "7 business cards". That means no dice, tokens, randomizers, etc. unless it fits into those 7 cards, correct?
-What are the dimensions of the cards? I'm curious because I want to determine what size of spaces are needed on the mat to accommodate them.
Thanks!
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 18:34
#2
Typical business card size
The typical American business card seems to be 2" by 3.5". I am not sure about the thickness, but I bet that 7 average business cards would be thicker than 2 credit cards.
At first blush, not a whole lot of room here, physically or temporally (2-5 minute play time). I'm looking forward to seeing what other guys can pull together for this challenge.
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 19:07
#3
Good Questions!
Thanks for starting things off with some great questions.
1) needs to be minimum of 2 player to be a social game (no solitaire games) but beyond that it is up to you. If you want to write-up a 4-player game or even a "party" game for the GDS, i'm all ears for any type of pitch.
(have to warn you, though, i'm not particularly excited about doing a group-game secret-identity-mechanic as a super-micro so i would suggest you stay away from that type&mechanic combo)
2) In short: No other components. To quote from the GDS challenge:
No Additional Components: Players must NOT be asked to use "other components" to complete the game (example: do not ask players to gather coins or paper scraps)
3) for design purposes, imagine the "business card" as 2-inch x 3-inch. This way, if you use a half-card it would be 1.5-inch x 2-inch.... a one-third would be 1-inch x 2-inch.
Regarding designing components for a play-mat, you may want to take a look at my other game, Micro Play-Break: Kingdoms, where we used a 10-inch square board with grid-spaces slightly larger than 1.5" square and we made the components 1.5" squares. In this case, the components still fit the size requirement because they were "smaller" than the maximum-size.
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 20:53
#4
Ah!
So, I can make things smaller than the previously-designated halves or thirds, as long as it's not too tiny (like sixths)?
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 21:33
#5
"reasonable" smaller sizes are welcome
smaller sizes are fine, like the 1.5 x 1.5 example, but i would not not want to go much smaller than that as it might get lost in the wallet-slot its meant to be stored in.
Tue, 12/02/2014 - 14:16
#6
Hey,
I am very excited to
Hey,
I am very excited to have the opportunity to show-off my idea for a micro-game. I have no doubt that all the applicants will be extremely talented and the decision is not going to be easy!
My question is: What level of detail are you looking for, for example, does all the mechanics need to be laid out bare or would you be ok with something in the more primordial stages?
Tue, 12/02/2014 - 16:11
#7
Thanks
Thank you, MP, for answering my questions. I look forward to the voting phase!
Tue, 12/02/2014 - 16:48
#8
Detail: Most possible is ideal
Garage Gamer:
Thank you for your interest in this contest, looking forward to seeing all the submissions!
Regarding detail, I am looking for the greatest possible detail you can come up with in the short development window and the allowed 750-word description.
Most important: the core mechanic, win conditions, and how players will interact with the required list of play components.
If you can also get some detail on how each turn plays out and more detailed mechanics, that would be nice extra detail.
Thu, 12/04/2014 - 07:29
#9
What a great contest this
What a great contest this month! I'll have to try to think of something n the weekend lol. If not, I definitely look forward to seeing what everyone can come up with.
Thu, 12/04/2014 - 13:32
#10
Submission Question
As if the deadline is not insane enough and I am a glutton for punishment... Can a person submit more than one game?
Thanks!
(Of course I'll have enough trouble with artwork but what the heck.)
Thu, 12/04/2014 - 16:22
#12
Fun!
This is a really fun design challenge. I like the practicality of designing a game that fits in your wallet, and takes a few minutes to play. I could totally see bringing it out at the bar.
Thu, 12/04/2014 - 16:58
#13
Love this challenge! I
Love this challenge! I suspect I know the answer, but I wanted to check just in case. For the playing board, instead of having one board up to 10"x10", could you split it into two 5"x10" boards?
Thu, 12/04/2014 - 18:50
#14
Two boards OK if identical
Hunter, i can accept the idea of two 5x10 boards IF they are identical (completely identical, the exact same board printed twice). If not identical, then see what you can do to make it work in a one 10x10
~mp
Sat, 12/06/2014 - 01:23
#15
I have to say, this is a
I have to say, this is a great challenge! Coming up with something within the restrictions, that is playable and fun, is a real test, but I am positive there will be some amazing entries. The sizing and the practicality of the wallet will likely be a big consideration when judging them for me. I imagine too many small and fiddly pieces could make the wallet difficult to pack up when you're done.
I am really looking forward to seeing the entries.
Sun, 12/07/2014 - 02:46
#16
Edit Submission
Obviously I'm a newbie to the forums... I submitted my entry and the page advised that I save the link to be able to edit. I just used that saved link and it is essentially the submission page. I had some edits but didn't want to disqualify myself for 2 entries... Basically, I have some changes that I want to add and am not sure I can. Thanks.
Sun, 12/07/2014 - 21:20
#17
You're spot on
Yes, the submission form will come up again with that link, but it will just overwrite your previous entry when you edit it.
Sun, 12/07/2014 - 23:50
#18
Thanks!!!
Yes, the submission form will come up again with that link, but it will just overwrite your previous entry when you edit it.
Thank you, sir.
Mon, 12/08/2014 - 17:55
#19
No worries
It's all good. Good luck this month! I have a feeling there will be a lot of competition :)
Reminder for others: the deadline for entry is midnight on the 9th, Eastern Standard Time!
Why EST? Tradition, really.
Mon, 12/08/2014 - 19:12
#20
Suspense
So very keen to see the entries. Good luck to everyone!
Tue, 12/09/2014 - 18:08
#21
To be clear
There was some confusion over which midnight the deadline is.
11:59 PM, Tuesday 9th December
Get those entries in today!
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 19:55
#22
Do the entrants need to vote
Do the entrants need to vote during each period to be eligible for the win and what happens with pyrite medals this time round?
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 20:07
#23
Yes, that's true
Yup!
Although really, let's focus on voting to find the good ideas, not on avoiding the negative points :) Please vote on each phase of the voting round.
Entrants are not the only ones that can vote, either. Any BGDF member can vote!
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 23:04
#24
Holy Cats!
Holy Cats -- 25 entries! Could you please give us an extra couple of days for evaluating and voting? I find they start to blur if I try to evaluate more than 4 or 5 at a time.
Thu, 12/11/2014 - 00:05
#25
Split voting
Sort of -
The entries are split into two groups this month (see main thread) to make it a bit easier to digest. Thing is, with the holidays upon us, i'd rather not take into Christmas to do it.
So you get 4 days to review half of them, then 4 more days for the other half, then 4 days for the final comparison.
Thu, 12/11/2014 - 07:22
#26
Wow!What a fantastic
Wow!
What a fantastic response! We all have some work ahead of us assessing 26 entries.
Thu, 12/11/2014 - 09:13
#27
Thank you! Great response!
I'm extremely impressed with the quality and variety I've seen from ALL who submitted entries this month...
Among the entries, I see so many creative ways everyone decided to work within the materials restrictions while creating individual games with extremely varied mechanics and themes.
I appreciate the effort put forth by all entrants, thank you!
~mp
Thu, 12/11/2014 - 12:35
#28
Making notes
I found making notes of the games as I go through them really helps to remember details about them. It's useful when picking my votes, and even more helpful when it's time to critique the games in a week or two.
Mon, 12/15/2014 - 02:56
#29
Round two vote delay
I'm flying the next 36 ish hours, and my layovers aren't cooperating with free wifi. I will try to update the voting form, but if I can't round two will be delayed for a day. I will post here when voting is ready.
Fri, 12/19/2014 - 12:24
#30
Round 3
The round 3 votes are 8-1 points, instead of gold silver and bronze. Was that on purpose? If so, how would the rule against voting for your own work? Would it have to be marked last place, or would that not apply in this kind of rank?
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Quoting from the Game Design Showdown official guidelines, you get only one entry.
As for artwork, there isn't any art during the GDS portion of the contest. Save that for if you win :)