Frustration Part IV

Today (Tuesday) we had our first play test with people outside of our group. I played along and took note on a game involving myself and four other game designers. The test could not have been better. The game played very similarly to the previous tests: the players were all very close and the winning player changed constantly. The players had a bit of trouble with the short cut and how to use it, but I was able to explain it so everyone did understand – but we now know to make sure and address it in our rules.

Some things I questioned during the testing were:
1. Does the “move back 5 spaces” card cause too much frustration?
2. Do the players feel the game progresses too slowly or too quickly?
3. How do the players feel about the close proximity of the players during most of the game?
4. What do the players think of the switching first place and last place cards?

The players had very positive feedback. They felt the “move back five spaces” card was a fun mechanic and agreed that 7 spaces would have been too much and the 5 fits well. All the players thought that the game progressed at a steady and even pace, and that it wasn’t too fast or too slow. Their feedback showed me that the progression of the game was frustrating in the way it was intended: your position in the game could change any minute, the players are each so close to each other, obstructions could have an enormous impact on the board, and a player’s fate isn’t always directly in his hand. The only change they said they would make involved the “switch first and last” cards. They felt experienced players could use the card to their advantage and strategically stay in last until the card is drawn, and they concluded that it would be unfair to new players to keep the cards. They also didn’t like the idea of the card not affecting the person who drew it, and that it was basically a “skip turn” card, which they found annoying.

The test concluded right around the hour mark, including set up, reflection, and instruction. I reported the good feedback to the rest of the group, and we decided to remedy the “switch first and last” card. These two cards would be replaced by two new cards: one had the player who draws the card switch places with the player in the lead, while the other had the drawer switch with the player furthest from the goal. As we found out in later testing, these new cards fit in great with the rest of the deck, and, most importantly, the players liked them.

Later on in the day we met again to begin designing the board, cards, and pieces, as well as write out the rules. We planned one more test before solidifying the game – this time, with non-gamers.

I’ll post the happenings in my next post.

Until then,
-Connor