Sunday, September 29, 2013

Tabletop Game Process- "02 Deconstruction"



For the second part of the tabletop game process we had to choose a game and deconstruct it down to it's basic gaming formula ( not as completed as it may sound). I had decided to go with a game called Punch! and played it through a few times with a friend. The game is located here if you're curious- Punch! And here are my findings from the play-throughs:


  • Goal of the game: The goal of Punch! is to KO the other player's Boxer to win a round ( the game consists of playing 3 matches which are 3 rounds each). From there a player must then KO their opponent's Boxer for 3 matches to win the whole game.
  • Core Mechanic: Each round a player uses ten cards to use against their opponent until one of them is KOed. The stamina card for each players boxer may account as well. The player must KO their opponent by lowering their Stamina bar to 0.
     
  • Space of the game: The space within the game is a 2D. The cards always stay on the table and are situated accruing to if they're in use or not ( as in they're in a discard pile, are a part of the main draw deck, or are in the player's hand for active usage in a round). The space is also discrete as both players have an agreed set border for where they place their cards for when they're in use or not.
  • Objects, Attributes, and States: The main objects within the game are the 64 cards. Each player receives 32 cards. within each players deck are:
             - 5 Punch cards marked with 1. 
-Attributes: Punch opponent and take away 1 point of their stamina.
-States: Card color and points are static.

             - 5 Punch cards marked with 2. 
-Attributes: Punch opponent and take away 2 points of their stamina.
-States: Card color and points are static.

             - 5 Punch cards marked with 3. 
-Attributes: punch opponent and take away 3 points of their stamina.
-States: Card colors and points are static.

             - 5 Do Nothing cards marked with a 0. 
-Attributes: Player gains 1 stamina point if their opponent use any non-Punch card like Block, Do Nothing, or Dodge and Punch Back. 
-States: Card colors and actions are static.

             - 5 Block cards marked with an X. 
-Attributes: A player can block an opponent's Punch card of any power.
-States: Card colors and actions are static

             - 5 Dodge and Punch Back cards marked with -/*. 
-Attributes: A player can avoid an opponent's Punch card and can then inflict them with a punch of equal power. For example a player uses a punch of 3 so the other player with a Dodge and Punch Back card will punch back 3 powers.
-States: Card colors and actions are static.

             - 1 Boxer stamina measuring card.
-Attributes: The stamina card has 10 total points.
-States: Card color is static. Stamina points on card are dynamic as they are always change depending on if the player gets a hit.

             - 1 Blank cover Boxer card.
-Attributes: The cover card is primarily used to cover the stamina card as a player loses stamina points.
-States: Card color is static. Card placement is dynamic as it's always moving depending on how many stamina points a player loses. 

  • Operative Actions: The basic actions a player can make depend on which cards they choose to use which are:
          - Punch
          - Dodge
          - Punch Back
          - Do Nothing
          - Players also have the ability to choose their cards from their deck after shuffling an may look at them and choose which one to use for each round from there.
  • Resultant Actions: There are many resultant actions possible:
           - Both players may put down Do nothing cards and no stamina points are lost.
           - One player may earn a stamina point when they play a Do Nothing card as long as their opponent uses a Block or Do Nothing card.
           - Both players may place cards down with equal or unequal punch powers and end the round in a double KO. No one wins as a result.
           - A player may play a punch card with a high power and KO their opponent who may have a low stamina score in that turn.
          - Both players may place either place a Do Nothing, Block, or Dodge and Punch Back card at the same time and each doesn't lose stamina points that turn.
  • Notes for Rules: Each match consists of 3 rounds. There are 10 cards taken from each players main deck which will be used to play each round. After a match the cards are then reshuffled. 
         - The best 2 matches out of 3 wins the whole game!
  • Skills Learned: Players may learn how to tell bluffs as they watch their opponent before they put down a card.
          - Players may also learn how to strategize their move sets based on predictions for each round they play.

           
  • Role of Chance in game: Each players deck is shuffled before a round begins so the odds of picking a certain card are then up to chance. However, as a player can look at the ten cards they use for each round they put the fate of their draw upon themselves as they choose what card they want to put down. They don't however know what their opponent may place so that can also be seen as a form of chance as what card you choose to place may be a good or bad play when you see what your opponent put down. 
                       


Case in point. Here I drew a block card because I anticipated a punch card but my opponent ended up instead using a Dodge and Punch Back card.



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