Simple Versus Complex Games and Players Making Choices
- Details
- Category: RPI Kickstarters
- Created: Monday, 25 March 2019 04:50
- Published: Monday, 25 March 2019 04:50
- Written by Super User
- Hits: 2015
So when I first thought of Zombie Golf, I wanted it to be a simple game. A game that was fast and fun to play. What I forgot was simple does not preclude choices, which change the game and the way the players interact with the game. The balance is in creating choices and rules that make the game interesting and at the same time not too complex. Complexity in a game can excite some players and turn off others. Creating rules that giuve interesting choices for multiple reasons is the key. An ability that lets a player choose to play the game a different way, which also has story or changes how one can win the game; these are rules that draw loits of players in.
So when I started Zombie golf I designed rules light, fewer cards and choices for the players. It made for a fun game, but it became repetative and was not as fast as I had hoped it would be. Feedback from the players was its fun, but if there was some way to play a full 9 holes in 45 minutes or so. Zombie Golf is 2 games in one, a simple golf game and a zombie combat game. The dual nature of the players role manes rules for 2 games. How could I make interesting changes for the players, speed up the game and still keep the core of a simple game? The answer; increase player choice and random triggered events.
Players now draw cards or make rolls that change the nature of the golf game or the zombie horde. The first change I made was to split the players and their clubs; adding multiple swing types for the golf side and also giving the players abilities which can be used to speed up the Golf game.
Then I added cards to the zombie deck that changed the nature of the zombie and the Golf game. These cards increase the size of the horde, make zombies more powerful and numerous.
Then I changed rules to fatigue and wounds to have a specific effect and not simply a math based death spiral.
These changes combined did asll that I was hoping. The game got much faster, players were looking at the player cards and making choices, based on the golf game and the size of the zombie horde.
So I added a bit of complexity, more choices for the players and the AI of the zombie deck became a bit more random. Combining to make a fun game even more fun, without becoming a tactical war game.
So Zombie Golf Kickstarts on April 1st and we are going to have some serious fun killig zombies during the apocalyse.
