After being absent for a week, I came back without a group or a game. I had three possibilities. The first being to improve the game I already made from the same assignment in Gameplay. The second being to work with the game I made during the GameJam the previous weekend. The third being to join an already existing group, which I ended up doing. I joined the group that Espen, Ruben and Lars were already in.
When I joined, I instantly heard complaints from them that the game was boring, static and that it didn’t have as much interaction as they’d hope, which is where I started pushing the idea of resource management and more worker placement. We ended up stopping the playtest to take a look at two games in particular. We first started playing Agricola, which is a German game which makes you play a family, striving to expand their farm to a golden standard. The game takes a set amount of turns and after that, your score is summed up by the amount of farm animals, crops, worked tiles and people in your household.
The second game we played was one of my favourites, Lords of Waterdeep, based on the extensive world of Dungeons & Dragons. This game puts you as the head of one of the major organizations present in the City of Waterdeep. I, of course, went for the Silverstars, known for their knowledge and also elves. Contrasting Agricola, this game is much more simple and focused, letting for more dynamic and swift gameplay. Essentially, you tally up many of your scores as you go, which you gain from completing quest cards and buying buildings of which everyone can step on. Admittedly, I enjoy this game more than the more intricate Agricola, due to its dynamicity and fast-paced gameplay.
These two game inspired us as a group to improve the current game prototype we had. Moving away from randomized events by dice to stricter ‘this happens when you go here’ gameplay often seen in worker placement games, opened up for much more dynamicity and interaction in strategically placing your meeples and completing certain objectives to ensure your side’s victory. We are currently creating cards and the board, but when we’re done with that, we’ll hopefully be able to playtest it properly, and hope for a presentable product.