A downloadable assignment

CREATING A 3-v-1 ASYMMETRICAL COOPERATIVE BATTLE

Based on the foundation of the mechanics in BattleBattle, your team is producing a 3-player cooperative game against a "system-controlled" opponent. Your opponent(s) will take turns based on the rules and procedures you establish for them. It's almost like you're building an analog version of a turn-based videogame combat system or making card versions of tabletop roleplaying combat.

Design Goals

You should be able to articulate an experience goal for your players that's informed by the following design considertions.

Your goal is to balance a game such that:

  1.  the course of play takes about 10 minutes for experienced players
  2. the challenge should be weighted so that players would typically win 3 out of 4 games
  3. strategy can be used to balance the effects of randomness

In order to make this battle more interesting than just rolling dice and comparing numbers, your teams is also responsible for:

  1. Determining mechanics that encourage cooperation between players
  2. Designing variation for replayability
  3. Establishing a sub-objective that must be completed on the path to victory
  4. Producing five different player cards that work in any combination of three (consider different archetypes!)

You're also designing for variation over time. The decisions players make at the begining of the game should be different from the middle or the end. (Meaning, don't just make this a game about doing the same dice roll over and over.)

There's a twist though! Your game should be non-violent. You can't shoot guns or swing swords or throw daggers. Think of other systems of conflict!

The Opponent

Your opponent is represented by a card or series of cards for which you will write instructions as to how it should act (or re-act) to players. Here are some considerations:

  • Is there one enemy at a time? Or multiple out together?
  • Does the enemy attack after each player? Or only after all three?
  • How does the enemy choose which player to target? Or does it target all three?
  • Are there actions that trigger an enemy response out of turn?
  • How does the enemy change during the course of the game?
    • Is it one "boss" with multiple forms/phases?
    • A series of different enemies?

Deliverables

Your team will be responsible for delivering:

  1. A well-written, clear instruction sheet using our typical template
  2. Full-color, illustrated cards
  3. Cards should contain all character specific instructions.
    1. Opponent actions should be on its card but its behavior can be listed in the instructions.
  4. A "play mat" that helps visualize how the game is set up
    1. Instead of a "play mat" just create a diagram in the instructions
  5. A "balance report" that shows a record of playtests and the session outcomes (win/loss ratio, notes on how close victory/defeat was)
  6. Supporting material (like tokens, event cards, props, etc.)
  7. You do not need to give me your dice. But you should provide them for in-class play.


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