8 March 2014
Played a 2-player match, 19 hexes, and new spreading movement mechanic. I added terminology for "hubs" and "network."
HUB: a Claimed hex. It has a player's Claim Token in it.
NETWORK: any hex that has at least one player's Mole in it. If a player has a mole in a hex, that hex is considered "part of the network of tunnels" belonging to that player. A player does not need to have a Claim Token in a hex for it to be considered part of their network.
SESSION NOTES
- I like the new movement mechanics a lot. Players are rewarded for aggressiveness and expansion. There are times when a player will consider shoring up their own hexes to prevent intrusion, or they'll make aggressive forays into enemy territories on their own. particularly in the endgame when players share hexes with an opponent, choices become more meaningful and much more dramatic.
- Another interesting development is of the Hubs. These can be protected structures, and become very valuable - as well as vulnerable. A tendency in this early playtest is that an individual hub will be replenished and depleted during a turn. If an opponent seizes a hex next to that hub, it becomes much more fragile unless it's always replenished at the end of the claimant's turn or if there's a wall built to prevent encroachment on that side. Even 5- or 6-point hexes can become contested in this way. I like this development a lot.
- Along with the above, new "key" hubs can be created depending on the layout of the hexes. Players may aggressively strike out to reach a high-point hex just to secure it and use it as a "base camp" for future forays once a Claim Token is placed on it.
- A network can be crippled if players spread their pieces out too thinly without creating more hubs. A well-placed HAWK card can sever a link from an outlying hex to the rest of the network. This becomes a viable strategy to combat an opponent who is very aggressive and/or reaching out to high-point hexes early in the game.
- I also allowed for HAWK cards to be turned in just to RESUPPLY hexes. This allows players to rebuild even if they lack additional cards to play along with the HAWK. Last session's notes were put into effect in this case.
ENDGAME
The final score was Orange (first player) 32, Blue 45. Orange was played more conservatively, and may have been hurt because of that. However, the victor was not determined until the very end when Blue used all their Claim Tokens to end the game, and the Green Bonus chips were revealed.
Playtest Session 5 at the start of the game.
Playtest Session 5 endgame: Orange 32, Blue 45. Orange had built one Wall while on defense.
NEXT SESSION
- Another two-player session is needed. I want to see if there are any other weird happenings that come of the new movement rules. I think I also need to come up with at least a rudimentary rulesheet to explain how the game currently works. I'm presenting it at a game convention in a week and want to make sure things work out smoothly on paper without me needing to explain it in person (with the hopes a blind playtest can happen using the rulesheet).
- Is it time for a theme change? At least, how many viable themes can I come up to suggest for a potential publisher? The new terminology I've begun using leads me to believe the game has outgrown its meager rodent beginnings...
