Brainstorming Analog Games

So, two weeks of school and things are in full swing. I didn't get home earlier than 10PM all last week (though to be fair I was socializing Friday night when I could have come home). Having a good-sized commute (45 minutes door-to-door) and a 9-9 school schedule leaves little room for homework, so assignments have, unfortunately, piled up for this weekend. With my communications background the writing assignments are a snap, and the subject matter make them a lot of fun to write. The coding and photoshop-related assignments, however, are languishing. I'll tackle those tomorrow at our campus.

I'm pleased to say that this ridiculously busy week transformed me into a full believer in the school. The instructors are largely very passionate about what they're doing, and we are being crammed full of knowledge. Better, that knowledge is immediately tested with practical assignments in class—group work, mostly—and then individual assignments due the evening before our next class. If you keep up with it and always aim to do a little bit more than what is asked, you'll learn a lot.

Let's talk about one of my first assignments. I was required to brainstorm 25-50 analog game concepts—high-level ideas for non-digital games based on an interesting theme, mechanic, or both. In a single train ride I powered through my first 10 with no trouble at all, with a couple of those being my faves of the bunch. The next ten were more challenging, and the last six (I settled on 26 quality ideas, rather than wrecking myself coming up with several throw-aways to meet my original goal of 30) were the toughest of all.

After our list was complete, we were expected to select five, one of which we will build—boards, pieces, instructions, and box—for the end of the term that is coming faster than we might think.

The process was pretty interesting, and got me thinking about different ways to play games. Almost all of my games were board games, with several card games, and only a couple of games that wouldn't really fit in either camp.

Here are some that I felt were interesting (but not my top five). The advice I have gotten from earlier intakes is that playtesting and scope management are the MOST important contributors to your game's success, so while I have some original ideas here, I left them out because I either have no idea to make them, or felt that their scope may be beyond my reach. I would rather create an extremely polished and fun twist on an idea that exists—a shiny portfolio piece—rather than have a neat but wonky original that I might be embarrassed to hide... time will tell.

Anyway, let me know what you think with a comment. Would you play any of these games? Got any ideas of your own?

1.      Forge is a board or card game where players gather ore, hire helpers, and stoke their fires to create the highest-quality weapons and armor required by heroes. Loan your wares to heroes and win (or lose) by their skill and deeds.

1.      In Guzzler you use liquid water in an analog puzzle game, where, at certain times, specified amounts of water are added to the playspace to raise puzzle pieces into place. Doing it wrong means the pieces are trapped and you lose.

1.      Old Folks Games is a board game where each player draws a cranky old codger as their avatar, and each has a unique goal that they are trying to reach. Unfortunately, the trappings of Pearly Gates Old Folks Home (and the forgetful/senile nature of the characters) make forward motion very difficult. Misplaced glasses, frequent bathroom breaks, and cats eagerly seeking warm laps stand in the way of your goal.

1.      Finger Climber is a vertical board game based on rock climbing where teams of two players need to plan their route and “climb” up the wall using the preset “hand” and “foot” holds (fingerholds). The non-climbing player acts as a belayer and spots holds for his straining partner.

1.      In Keys and Locks players unravel clues and gather various keys to unlock the treasure chest. There are multiple keys and locks. At the end of the game players see whether the keys they have gathered will open the chest.