Hi all,
I am a forty-something computer programmer from the UK who has a passion for well-designed board games.
I started looking at the less well-known board games to try and find something that would get my daughters away from the tv and to try and make them think a bit more than when they played "Snakes And Ladders". Some of my favourites are "Gulo Gulo", "Dixit", "Castle Panic", "Midnight Party" and "Apples To Apples".
Anyway, about 6 months ago I was looking for a family trivia game to play at Christmas and couldn't really find anything that fitted my requirements ... so I designed one.
At this point in time I know that I have a unique game mechanism that allows children and adults to compete on a level playing field and I know that the game always produces an exciting finish where anyone can win - trouble is, I've reached a dead end with the theme and parts design so it is gathering dust. I always thought the tough bit would be the game mechanism so it is very frustrating to be blocked at this stage.
I am really hoping to get some help from this community and resurrect my idea - I just know that it could be a popular family game. Please look out for some more specific questions from me in the other forums soon.
Also, I'm enjoying reading about everyone else's ideas so hopefully I can chip in a few useful comments on those threads too and give a bit back.
See you around!
You know what, this has made me think a lot (thanks!)
Do existing family trivia games have themes? Or do they just have unique hooks?
"Wits and Wagers" - win by betting on cleverer players.
"Smarty Party" - multiple answers and clever scoring system.
"You Must Be An Idiot!" - Sometimes players are answering incorrectly.
"Beat The Parents" - Can kids beat adults.
If trivia games just need unique hooks then I guess I'm in a good place as I think I have a number of things that make my game stand out.
1) A true level playing field. Officially this is a game for ages 8 and upwards but it will easily play much younger. The trivia part means that sometimes players need to make educated guesses at an answer and sometimes they may know the correct answer but won't be able to "play" it. There is a good balance of skill and luck here.
2) Players are always involved in each round.
3) Games are always close. All players can win right up until the end, they are never out of the competition. However players who performs best at the trivia part will win a suitable percentage of the time.
Maybe my desire to have a 3D scoring track and "big" finish (http://www.bgdf.com/node/16199) is driving my desire to link it all together in an exciting theme (http://www.bgdf.com/node/16198).
In my mind, themes in games help players to understand rules better as they can "hang" them on real-world experiences - also it can make them more memorable and easier to explain to other people. Because my game is aimed at parents playing with their young kids I guess I was also looking for something to give my game a wow factor.
I am going to try and strip the game back to its core hooks and see whether I can think of a suitable "look and feel" (and title) that works.
Maybe it is worth me creating a game blog and posting the full rules.