My board game - “Frenemies” - has been scrutinized, broken down, stripped apart, re-engineered, and pieced back together again so many times, I now have a hard time remembering where it all began. I still have pictures of the original concept and prototype, but if not for the documentation I’d saved, even I myself, the original creator, wouldn’t remember how the game used to play or how we got to this point.
Would you believe me if I told you this project is now ten months into development? Would you believe me if I told you I have hardly rested or taken any time, even a single day off? Either I’m a low-IQ dunce, in over my head, and who bit off more than he was ever capable of chewing, or the process of building something like this was a far bigger task than I ever fully understood to begin with.
On June 5th we held yet another play-test in Jinan, China. The experience was a bit mixed. On the one hand, in the beginning the game ran quite well and fairly smooth. On the other hand, once we got into the later stages of the game, it slowed down and became more trouble that it was worth. It’s not a good sign when the guy who invented the game is tired of playing it…
The only respite at this point in time is knowing that most points of difficulty were easily solved after a little meditation on the most prominent issues. My original idea was to have several distinct factions. The peasants (a.k.a. “Proletariat”), bankers (“Capitalists”), and the politicians (“Bureaucrats”), each with distinct advantages and powers, facing off against each other in a battle for supremacy and control. In theory and on paper, the concept itself is quite solid. But as everyone who was there can tell you, actually putting it into practice quickly became more trouble than it was worth. The complexity these distinctions and separate factions create, proved debilitating for the game as a whole. We spent more time trying to figure out what should and should not be allowed, than actually enjoying the game.
For the past ten months, this pattern has repeated itself time and time again. Every play-test leaves me with mountains of data and new information. So much so that new ideas for how to improve the game, start popping up left and right. And I have repeatedly made the mistake of trying to incorporate every new idea before ironing out those we already have in place.
Not this time.
For the next play-test, scheduled on June 19th, 2017, nothing new will be added to the game. We are going to focus exclusively on cutting away fat, getting rid of excess, and minimizing complexity to the lowest possible level. Rather than adding new ideas and concepts to the game, we must focus entirely on re-engineering only what already exists into a fluid, intuitive, and generally smooth gameplay experience.
The good news is that we have enough to work with as is. The basic game is more than good enough. We don’t need more than what we have. Even without all the complexity, it already takes several hours to play through a full game. Before we explore and expand into new ideas, concepts, and territory, we must ensure the current foundation is rock solid and runs like clockwork every time the game is played.
We have yet to play a solid game, from start to finish...
The one bright spot, the only saving grace, is that the physical product doesn’t need to change. The actual pieces play well, look good, and also photograph quite nicely. That gives me the latitude to now begin marketing a basic level, which is really important for what’s to come.
The overall design of the physical product - the individual player pieces, strategic assets, and game boards - work and can remain as they are. That is a big deal and really does matter, because it means no more trips to Hong Kong are required. No more iterations of the prototype need to be improved upon and/or subsequently produced. It is an order of magnitude easier, cheaper, and less time consuming to change rules and mechanics, than it is to redesign, re-engineer, and reproduce prototypes.
We’re not home just yet, but I do think we’ve rounded 3rd base.
