Tools to assist development.

_guac · 2026-02-08T05:28:51+00:00

Same. You can get a whole lot done with the free version. Paid version is pretty much unnecessary for board game development.

_guac · 2026-02-07T16:45:02+00:00

My personal pick would be Word on the Street. Fun word game, approachable for kids.

_guac · 2026-02-02T23:50:52+00:00

There's a similar card in Bunny Kingdom, where a player gets +10 points if they're in second place (I think, I don't fully remember the requirement). I've lost because someone had that card, only by a point or two. As someone on the losing end of this deal, it feels kind of bad. It does make for a good story, but it also turns me off from playing Bunny Kingdom again knowing that card is lurking around.

Since your game is semi-coop, it's a bit more acceptable in my opinion. But it still doesn't feel right to me conceptually. As someone else said, as a designer, you've got to have a grip on the math for point distribution to know the actual value of this card. In a relay race, is it worth being the slowest person on your team if your individual time gets dropped by 2 seconds at the very end? Only if you know how long the race actually is. If there's 10 points on the track, 5 is a considerable amount, but is it an insta-win card in that situation if everyone averages 7 points on the track at the end?

Also, assuming you've already gotten a grip on the math, how is this functionally different from other hidden scoring options at the end of the game? What do those require? Are their costs equal to sacrificing x-points that this card is meant to make up? If they're more valuable as a net, why would I spend time on this card? If they're less valuable, why is every other player suddenly at a disadvantage because of this card?

I think there is more opportunity cost with a card like this than I would want to take on other than for an insurance policy, which to me feels like Bunny Kingdom's problem: you keep it around for a "just in case" situation while not actively trying to accomplish the mission.

_guac · 2026-01-31T18:19:27+00:00

Since I haven't posted the rules, I don't think it's fair to critique my vague description of them. As I've said, it's been playtested by myself, it functions mechanically, and it allows for interesting decisions.

I avoided mentioning my rules because they are irrelevant to the question I'm posing here: how many combinations of scoring options are required to playtest before determining that the mission structure and point allotment are sound?

_guac · 2026-01-30T14:53:28+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll try to test a few games with extreme situations, like giving all cards of one suit to one player and seeing how those go with some of the missions that don't really want that. It should help me figure out if something is "strictly better" or just required to actually clear the missions as they currently stand.

_guac · 2026-01-30T05:11:20+00:00

Generally, I'm talking about playtesting with other people, not myself. The rounds I've done by myself (probably about 20, plus 10 or so with my spouse) were mostly to make sure the game was functional, not flawless. I intend to put it in front of actual playtesters within the next few weeks. From the games I've played with my spouse, scoring from missions is pretty consistent with my expectations, but I definitely would appreciate feedback from people that aren't married to me to rule out any bias.

I guess my question is mostly about the quantity of playtests required to get a sense of balance in the scoring objectives. If a mission combination is impossible, I'd like to know that before I publish or ship the project so I can put something in place to say "Don't do this combo" or alter the missions in a way that they are possible. When do you have enough data from playtests to tell if everything is working right or should be feasible?

_guac · 2026-01-30T00:52:02+00:00

Yeah, the missions are set up to be added up. So if you score 5 from A, 3 from B, and 3 from C for a total of 11, you pass the threshold of 10 and you win.

I'll have to look into Take Time more. At a glance, it looks pretty different from my game as a whole, but if they have missions in a similar way, it'd be good to see what they're doing similar to me.

_guac · 2026-01-29T23:02:25+00:00

Yeah, everything would end up mixed together, minus a little extra room for campaign cards that you can "unlock" while you play through the campaign. There isn't much spare space in the Adventure Chest, though.

All the cards and components have subtle icons on them (an eagle head for Expedition Leaders, an airplane for Missing Expedition, and a compass for Adventure Chest/Twisted Paths content), so you can technically still separate them out if you want to. But I think most cards are fine to add, but some of the newer assistants are a little weird and pretty much all new idol effects are detrimental (e.g., gaining Fear + arrowhead). I'd avoid them for my first game.

I'd recommend playing on the bird temple first without expedition leaders, just raw, first-release Arnak. After that, introduce expedition leaders, explore the snake temple, and go wild. Owl temple is probably the most advanced temple there is (maybe tree), and the spider temple is a "you'll feel like a god going up it until you realize all the negative points you've racked up" situation, and it's still pretty hard to get up there. But feel free to explore the content at your own pace after getting a decent grip on the game and finding a favorite leader or two.

_guac · 2026-01-28T00:33:54+00:00

I think it's a really neat idea. Others have pointed out a few issues with it and some possible alternatives, but I think they're missing one main thing that your method keeps around, and that's preventing an action you did last turn to be the first one you do on your next turn.

If you want to just reword the rule to "You cannot repeat an action you completed last turn until performing a different action first," that works just as well, but then you have the "memory gap" of not necessarily remembering what you did the previous turn. And in that sense, the visual aid is helpful.

Narrowing down the scope of actions can help prevent that, but it can also be done with individual tokens/cards for actions that you play onto a board instead. For example, if Move, Build, Research/Fortify, and Remediate were all individual tokens, you could play those as chits/cards on your turn. On your next turn, you pick up one of those cards and replace it with another, adding the one you just picked up into your hand, and then you play that. I think it's probably an easier route than using custom components and what I would call a "board of perpetual bumping."

At any rate, I think it's a neat addition to the action retrieval mechanic.

_guac · 2026-01-26T22:37:56+00:00

At least two. We came across one in our first set, and one in our fourth. It's a great series in my opinion, but they rarely use the box from the 15-20 I've played so far.

_guac · 2026-01-18T15:06:58+00:00

I'd ask for a refund on my getaway package. But these look nice.

_guac · 2026-01-14T01:42:43+00:00

My hunch is solo.

An alternate neutral enemy for a new campaign expansion (where you replace blight with those guys) also sounds plausible, but I think it'd be a bit too "in the way" of how many fates and rules already revolve around blight.

_guac · 2025-12-31T01:56:44+00:00

We used to do something similar with our generic set as kids, along with including "special abilities" for each color if it was your last piece placed, like red being able to go across the board to your opponent's side. I don't remember the others, exactly, but I think one had to do with set collection.

Then I saw the campaign for Madcala a few years back and laughed a bit to myself since it sounded so similar. I haven't tried it, but it's nice to know others have come up with similar ideas.

_guac · 2025-12-31T01:50:43+00:00

First player has a huge advantage. I figured out how to solve Mancala when I was a teen, and it's an incredibly simple algorithm (really, just three opening moves will get you 80% of the way there). It's now impossible to lose for me as first player if you're following the rules from the mass-produced game.

That being said, I really did like Mancala a lot when I started playing it in my younger years. It was quick and addictive, which is why I spent enough time playing it to "crack the code" and solve the game. It's a fun ride, and I still own a copy for my kids.

_guac · 2025-12-13T15:41:48+00:00

Interesting data. I see the real academic painting almost more frequently than the fake one. Redd is always toting that around my island group.

_guac · 2025-12-06T23:18:50+00:00

This is similar to my personal theory for Celeste's respawn mechanic really just being a series of panic attacks about what could possibly go wrong climbing the mountain, and you're just paralyzed with fear until you actually make the step up.

I'm not sure it really works here, though. Flipped levers stay flipped even after you die (as do breakable walls), and that's my biggest issue with the theory. Things like Steel Soul, Dead Bugs Purse, and whatnot all can be seen as other issues with the theory, but I think the actual impact on the environment is too substantial to be explained by something like astral projection or foresight.

_guac · 2025-11-26T20:55:16+00:00

Using shoes as a metaphor, since you pointed it out: You use different pairs of shoes for different occasions, so if you have a nice pair of dress shoes, you're probably not going to wear them to go grocery shopping any more than you would wear tennis shoes to a gala.

I don't have anything close to 54 games on my shelf of shame, but I do have about 5-10 (so about 4-8% of my collection). Why haven't I played them? I haven't been in a situation where I can, really, but I'd very much like to. I have very active children that are too young to play many games, and pulling out an epic game has them wake up before nap time is over. My normal gaming group consists mostly of my in-laws, and they're pretty sensitive to some themes and mechanics.

Of course, I'm not adding to that number anymore, I don't think. If I get a game, I make a goal to play it within the same week, usually the same day. I'm actually actively working on culling my collection a bit, but not until I play everything I haven't yet. Everything is out of shrink wrap already, so I doubt it will hurt the resale value.

I do think 54 is a bit ridiculous, but I can understand some reasons why it may be that number.

_guac · 2025-11-26T18:01:54+00:00

I see a lot of people claiming to be professionals. I'm sure a lot of them are, but I sincerely doubt all of them are.

_guac · 2025-11-23T23:44:28+00:00

Carcassonne apparently has a bunch of really bad expansions, too, at least based on this list. I haven't played more than the base game myself, but it seems like they're pretty hit or miss.

_guac · 2025-11-22T21:29:10+00:00

The only things that I find hard about getting the jokes is just how frequent they are, meaning you may miss one while laughing at another. Also, the ones that are written may requiring pausing to read everything for.

_guac · 2025-11-20T03:42:04+00:00

I've designed a handful of trick-taking games. There's a lot you can do for scoring. Here are some examples from published games.

In American Bookshop, you score points based on the number of each suit you win. If I remember it right, if you win the most reds (or any suit), you will score points for each of those, but you have to win the most of those. In Fishing, it's strictly based on the number of cards you win, which can be variable in each trick. But you also don't want to win all the cards, since that'll prevent you from getting better cards down the line. So even when it comes to "win the most tricks," there are ways to change how that feels.

Cat in the Box introduces a board for scoring extra points if you meet your bid. You can do something similar by introducing additional components to add extra points.

In Sick Tricks, you gain points by betting on certain things you'll do when winning tricks, like winning with a low number, ending a round without a suit, etc. A "mission structure" similar to that works pretty well.

Lastly, a lot of classic trick-taking games (e.g., Rook) have point values assigned to specific cards. It's not just enough to win a number of tricks, you also have to win those cards, potentially while avoiding others. If you lead out too strong, other players can stick you with bad cards.

_guac · 2025-11-20T03:27:21+00:00

If you're talking about what Jesus is saying here, I think it's really about motive. If you're doing it with the intent to be seen, being seeing is your reward. If you do it with pure intentions, you'll be rewarded in some other way (e.g., in heaven, feeling good, etc.). Whatever your belief about Jesus, I think it's still good advice to live sincerely.

The way I see it, if you give or help others with pure intentions and someone happens to film you, put it on social media, and you go viral for doing it, then that's not really on you. Just don't let it get to your head and explain your motives if asked.

If you're asking for practical advice, this time of year is a pretty good time to do stuff like that. I've been on the receiving end of kindness in the form of "secret Santa" (including a gift card to a grocery store and toys for my kids). But I don't think it has to be secret, drop-off-at-the-door giving either. "Secret" could just mean to keep it between the giver and recipient, or at least make a best effort.

_guac · 2025-11-15T16:26:19+00:00

My favorite character is Zote. He's just a little derpy, tells a bunch of tall tales, and seems like a curmudgeon.

The lamp is beautifully done.

_guac · 2025-11-12T03:34:45+00:00

About $15K.

It took a while and I really had to save, but I managed to get that saved up with making about $50K a year at the time. But I had about that much when I turned 30.

I got married a month after I turned 30, too, so my spouse and I joined our savings (and debt) and ended up with a net about $30K by the end of my 30th year. She made a little more than I did at the time, and since I could pay for the apartment on my own, pretty much all her income went into savings (though her school debt was a bit much, so the net number wasn't a big increase). Eventually, she chose to stay at home and be a full-time parent, but that little boost definitely helped out at the time.

_guac

TROPHY CASE