Feb 10, 2006

Rules for Programmer

As noted in my last post:
This will also be the first full ruleset that I will have posted on this blog, so you guys can get an idea of my work as a game designer wannabe. Note that the rules you will see are no longer the current rules of the game. Major mechanical changes have been made since then. But it was the first game that I thought worthy of submission to publishers, so it is an important sample.
I tried futzing with the layout but it just wouldn't fit in this page, so I made a separate one. Enjoy.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:09 AM

    Without actually having played it, it seems like a cross between Robo-Rally and Hex-Hex. It looks good. From the event card abilities, your CCG background shows. :) I'm curious to see the current rules. Thanks for posting them!

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  2. I'm glad you like it. I honestly knew nothing of Robo-Rally when I began making this game. It was only far into development that I heard about it and investigated it. What is Hex-Hex?

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  3. Anonymous2:32 PM

    Hex Hex is a game where you push a "hex" around to other people using cards. Kind of like hot potato. If you can't move away from you, you lose points. Your game reminded me of it because of how you score based on a token that moves around the table.

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  4. Anonymous5:34 PM

    This sounds like a great game. Like Dan said, good work on the event cards. I also like how the words clearly defined the difference between the function and code areas. Now just like all great designers, I will give you some critiques about your game. Do you see this game being something people play on a competitive level or a filler game? If you plan on making this competitive then I would find another way of determining who goes first: maybe have everyone cut their deck and let the person with the highest (or lowest) bottom number be terminal 1. Also you need a name for the digit in the middle of the code cards and a name for the bottom number. That was one of the most confusing parts of the rulebook, trying to figure out which number you were referring to at any given time. The illustrations cleared that up, but having names for both would eliminate the cause of confusion.

    Also do you see this game being standalone or expandable? If you plan on expanding it there are some cards that seem to pigeonhole you and hamper design unless you’ve got a kickass plan for the game (which you probably do).

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  5. This was always meant to be a fun filler game. I don't think that the programming mechanic lends itself to serious competitive play. Good point about labelling the different numbers.

    It is meant to be sold as a standalone game. You get all 100+ cards in one box. However, I figured that in the hypothetical it could have expansions sold in the vein of Carcassone and Bang! Fixed sets that introduce new types of pieces that slightly increase the play complexity.

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