hello! ♡ halloween is coming up and I've always liked the magical theme. mona gives me that image of mystery and an attractive color palette, so I designed this template.
i hope you like it.
The next step in the development of a card game inspired by Dartmoor’s vibrant nature and mythology, integrating local legends, ancient history, and fantastical elements, culminating in a rich narrative experience. #cards #game #design #dartmoor #legend #development #research #history #spirits
I was able to host a full playtest outside of class, and get some really useful feedback. I realized that during the last playtest I accidentally mentioned that my game had a player and a character. This time, I wanted to say as little as possible before my tester played the game.
Before he began, he told me that the card shuffling was confusing; it made sense when I explained it, but I still need to find a good way to write it out still. Something that I also noted was that he felt that his game ended around the number 7 (a lot more prompts than I've tested before, and it did seem like the conclusion to the narrative he was writing) - I may suggest that players play with only odd or only even numbers to allow for more escalation. My player took a break halfway through, and during this time asked for clarification about the prompts that mention the "waking world." He said that he could tell there was a distinction with the use of the word "you," but whenever worlds or aspects of his life were mentioned he was unsure if he was supposed to use parts of his life. He suggested that I have some sort of note to the player during the rules that they may need to be prepared to write about themselves; I originally wanted the player to be caught off guard, but I think it's more important for them to interact with the main mechanic of the game. I'm probably going to also standardize how I refer to the different worlds (dreamscape vs. dreamer's world vs. your world). After he finished playing, the tester told me he wished that hearts and diamonds had more of a use as well. I think I am going to make those affect how the dreamer feels about the player during prompts (ex: if the dreamer has mostly interacted with the player's fears, they will be afraid of the player). I was also told that some prompts were a bit vague in what the actual action was, so I'm going to go through all of them and fix any that are unclear. I plan to try and run one more test after I make these changes, and then make the finished graphics for the game. I plan on drawing some trees, water, fog, etc. to put the words in.
My plan for this week was to make the rules fit the theme of the game, and rewrite all the prompts (catching up from last week). I also knew that I wanted to figure out how to end the game. I decided to save playtesting out of class for this week, as I decided the class playtest would likely be helpful enough as a benchmark. I decided that the player could still end the game whenever they would like, but the cards that they have drawn would affect how the game ended for the character. I added a system to have the character become more or less afraid of the dream depending on what cards were drawn. I also changed the drawing system so that the prompts go in escalating order. Here are the rewritten rules:
To navigate the dream, find a deck of cards. Separate them by suite. Sort each suite in number order. Shuffle them together, making sure they stay in the same order.
You need to understand the dreamer. The dreamer is not you. Write down two people that they love. Write down two people that they fear.
Write down two places they love. Write down two places they fear.
Decide their greatest fears and greatest loves. The dreamer is not you.
To further understand the dreamer and the dream, draw cards.
These will explain what the dreamer sees. You will see through their eyes.
If you draw a spade, the dreamer will become more afraid of the dream. If you draw a club, the dreamer will become more in love with the dream.
Keep track of this, adding one when they love or subtracting one when they fear, starting with zero.
If the dreamer has run out of characters or places of a certain type, their dream may always reveal more to you. Create new facts about the dreamer if needed.
You may choose to wake the dreamer at any time. You may choose to stay in the dream at any time.
If the dreamer’s score is positive, they will want to stay in the dream. If the dreamer’s score is negative, they will want to wake up. If their score is zero, they will listen to you.
I wanted to use this playtest to see how the character vs. player worked, and it went really well! My tester created a character and said they didn't think the game needed more or less direction in that area, and the prompts were clear when they called for the character vs. the player. The tester did say that keeping track of the points was complicated, and that it would be helpful to have a visual to keep track of. I will likely do something I saw in another game where you keep the cards in piles and use them as the counters. I plan to do another playtest soon, and hopefully of the full game because I only did a few prompts for time reasons. I was really happy with the way that the real life started to bleed into the game, and I want to see more of that. I want to try and add more interactions, maybe outside of the prompts, but I will run that by my out-of-class tester.
The dreamer meets a shadow that is familiar, yet a bit frightening. What traits does it share with a person who makes them uncomfortable? What do they do to it?
3 ♠
The ground opens up beneath the dreamer’s feet, and they fall through the world. When they land, they find themselves at the entrance to a world that looks like an unfamiliar one from the waking world. What do they see? Do they attempt to venture inside?
4 ♠
The world darkens until the dreamer cannot see anything. They hear voices whispering, saying things that frighten them. What are the voices saying?
5 ♠
A strange mirror seems to warp everything in sight, distorting everything. What everyday object near the dreamer takes on a new form? What fear does it instill in them? Add this to their list of fears.
6 ♠
The dreamer finds themself in a movie theater, watching a movie starring someone they love. The character begins to take on the actions and mannerisms of someone they fear - what does the character do? How does the dreamer react?
7 ♠
The dreamer finds a building that looks just like their childhood home, but the inside looks like an environment they are scared of. What relics of their home remain?
8 ♠
An entity that embodies one of the dreamer’s fears begins to chase them. What happens when they catch the dreamer?
9 ♠
A loved one approaches the dreamer, before telling the dreamer something they’d never shared and turning into a monster. What makes the dreamer afraid of them now? Change a friendly character to unfriendly.
10 ♠
The dreamer finds themself transported to a familiar environment, but something is wrong. What lurks in the shadows? What scary aspects have they never noticed before? Change a comforting environment to an unsettling one.
J ♠
The dreamer is suddenly attacked by monsters wearing the guise of something they love. How do they attack the dreamer? Change a comfort to a fear.
Q ♠
Something grabs the dreamer’s hand. It looks like someone they fear. It takes them to a place they dread. What does it want with them?
K ♠
Everything the dreamer sees morphs into something they fear. They cannot escape.
A ♠
A being of pure malice appears to the dreamer. It tells the dreamer that it wants their fear. Do they escape? If they don’t escape, what will happen to them? If they don’t escape, end the game with the dreamer stuck in the dream regardless of the number.
Diamonds:
2 ♢
While investigating a mysterious forest, the dreamer thinks they see something strange. It is something you are afraid of. Do you tell them to run? Do they listen to you? Can they hear you at all?
3 ♢
The dreamer finds a door that is not attached to anything. Opening it leads to a sprawling hallway of doors of all different types. One calls to the dreamer, but when they open it, they see a place they do not recognize. You do. You fear this place. Can you get the dreamer to close the door? Or do they venture within?
4 ♢
The dreamer sees someone standing off in the distance, and calls out to them. When this person turns around, their face is someone the dreamer does not recognize. It is someone you fear. What do they tell the dreamer? Does the dreamer fear them?
5 ♢
The dreamer finds a book and decides to read it; however, it tells them the dangers of something they’d never consider dangerous. It is something you are deeply afraid of. Add this to the dreamer’s fears. Do they sense you now?
6 ♢
A song plays from a distant source. As the dreamer follows its call, it distorts into something you are afraid of. What does it begin to sound like? What is producing the melody? How do you feel as the dreamer continues to run towards it?
7 ♢
The dreamer sees a beacon in the distance and follows it. As they follow it, the world distorts into a place you fear. Is the dreamer upset? Can they sense your fear?
8 ♢
The dreamer becomes lost, and receives guidance from a figure. When they find their bearings, you realize the figure is someone you fear. Where did they take you? The dreamer embraces them, yet begins to feel a creeping sense of discomfort. Why?
9 ♢
The dreamer finds something that comforts you. The dreamer is confused at first, but finds that they enjoy it and decide to stay there. They suddenly notice that many days have passed. What aspect of this kept them there, that they now fear? Create a new fear for the dreamer, based on something you find comforting. Is the dreamer relieved to be different from you?
10 ♢
The dreamer runs from something that they cannot comprehend into a space they don’t know, but you do. What knowledge does the pursuer have of this space that you don’t? How does the world seem terrifying to the dreamer? Create a new feared environment for the dreamer, based on one you love.
J ♢
While exploring an area the dreamer fears, they find you. They cry out and run away. What do you do? Add yourself as a person the dreamer fears.
Q ♢
The dreamer finds a box and opens it. Out springs everything you have ever feared. Does the dreamer delight in your suffering? Or are they just as scared as you?
K ♢
The dreamer finds themself in a maze, but every turn they make places them somewhere new that they fear. When do they accept that they can’t escape? Do they try to ask you for help?
A ♢
The dreamer finds someone claiming to be the ruler of this world. Whose face do they wear? What do they want from the dreamer? What will they have the dreamer do? Do they see you?
Clubs:
2 ♣
A small creature runs up to the dreamer’s feet. They don’t feel afraid; what similarities does it have with someone they love?
3 ♣
The world seems to melt away, and is replaced with a place the dreamer remembers and loves. What do they do while they are here? What is different from how they remember it?
4 ♣
A curtain draws around the dreamer, and when it raises they find themself surrounded by all sorts of familiar things. What do they do? How does the fantasy compare to the real thing?
5 ♣
A being from this world visits the dreamer and helps calm them. What does the being do? How will the dreamer attempt to replicate this in their travels? Add a new comfort.
6 ♣
Looking in the mirror, the dreamer’s reflection turns into that of a loved one. What happens when the dreamer reaches out to touch them?
7 ♣
The ground turns into water, and the dreamer is swept away through a familiar location. What new areas do they get to see as the water pulls them?
8 ♣
An entity appears, and yet the dreamer doesn’t feel afraid. What about it puts them at ease? What gift does it give them?
9 ♣
The dreamer becomes injured, and is helped by someone they are afraid of. What new side of themselves does this person show? Change an unfriendly character to a friendly one.
10 ♣
The dreamer wakes up within the dream. They are in a bed, but their surroundings are unfamiliar and frightening. As they snuggle under the blanket, they feel safe. What parts of the world look less frightening from their new vantage point? Change an unfamiliar environment to a comforting one.
J ♣
All of the lights shut out, and the only thing the dreamer can see is a fear of theirs off in the distance. They run to it - why? What aspect of it feels safe? Change a fear to a comfort.
Q ♣
The dreamer finds themself embraced by a loved one somewhere they feel safe. What is better about them here than in the real world? Do they want to go back?
K ♣
The dreamer is showered from above by every comfort they could possibly want. Do they feel satisfied?
A ♣
A being appears to the dreamer and tells them it will give them everything they want if you stay. If they want to stay, what happens to them? If they want to stay, end the game with the dreamer stuck in the dream regardless of the number.
Hearts:
2 ♡
The dreamer lays down to close their eyes for a minute, and visions seem to seep into their mind. What comforting aspects of the real world, your world, do they see? What do they see when they open their eyes? Do they take comfort in that which they do not understand?
3 ♡
The dreamer finds a town full of old buildings; behind one of the doors is an environment you know but the dreamer doesn’t. Do they go inside? Do they find it comforting? Do you wish you could take their place?
4 ♡
The dreamer sees someone off in the distance, and upon running up to them, finds that they appear to be someone you consider a friend in the waking world. They cannot speak here, but what do you want to tell them? What does the dreamer actually say? Can they feel your plea?
5 ♡
The dreamer decides to search for something kind in this world - what do they find? Do you agree with their comfort? Do they react to your judgement or agreement?
6 ♡
The dreamer is granted an ability related to one of your greatest comforts. What is it? Is the dreamer afraid of their new power? Or delighted by it? Give the dreamer a new comfort based off of something you find comforting.
7 ♡
The dreamer finds a key and a door. When they open the door, they see a world that looks like one you love. The dreamer refuses to go in. What do you do? What can you do?
8 ♡
The dreamer decides to sit down next to a grave. You realize it reads the name of one of your loved ones. What else does it say about them? The dreamer does not notice.
9 ♡
The dreamer finds a world filled with things that they are afraid of, but something helps them venture through. It was something that you know. The dreamer does not recognize it. What do they no longer fear? Replace a fear with something you find comforting.
10 ♡
While looking for an exit, The dreamer stumbles into a frightening world, finding themself holding a flashlight. The light illuminates a world that you find comforting. What does the dreamer find instead of an exit? Are they still afraid of this world?
J ♡
While looking for a friend, the dreamer instead finds someone they are afraid of. It is you. Are you afraid of them? Do you comfort them? If it makes sense, add yourself as a comforting character.
Q ♡
The dreamer decides to try and find the perfect comfort. What are they looking for that they can’t find in the real world? Why do they want it? What will they do when you find it? Will they let you join them?
K ♡
The dreamer wants to find somewhere to stay forever. What are they looking for that they can’t find in the real world? Will they ever want to leave? Would you stay with them? Would you be trapped with them?
A ♡
The dreamer wants to find someone to stay with forever here. What can’t they find in the real world to satisfy this desire? Can this person be real? Would it be you?
This week, I was delayed quite a bit in getting work done by outside factors. My plan was to figure out how to mix the player and the character, and rewrite all the prompts. I did not rewrite all the prompts, but I did come up with how I wanted to merge the character and player.
I want the player to create a character, but then have the prompts sometimes ask for the player and sometimes the character. I want some prompts to force you to interact with the character. I rewrote the initial character creation, and I plan to change the game itself. I decided I want the actual mechanics to be much simpler, as I found that in some of the lyric games that I looked at. Right now I have drawing cards for prompts, but I kind of want the prompts to escalate. I am thinking about just having the player read them in order, but I'm not sure if that is "not enough of a game." I'm not sure entirely how I want the game to end, but I think it should either be when all the prompts are read, or when the player decides to stop (this is likely something I will decide in out-of-class playtesting this week). Here are the rewritten rules:
