1. 1. a game by Mad Mike Bonafede
2. 2. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades A clever person Horseshoes is a game where one must use good aim to score. Mitigating chances of failure are based on physics. Gravity, inertia, and resistance affect the horseshoe, so with each toss the player gets a better idea of how to make their next move. They only have two moves per round, so each shot must be learned from to make the next one. In order to make this game, I adopted this approach.
3. 3. Prototyped a dynamic game board Tarot cards to set up a 3x3 grid (shuffled) Each card had score value 0-3 Random objects for tokens (quarters, bottlecaps, picks)
4. 4. The Action: Toss a horseshoe at the pole The Translation: Place a token on the grid Team Quarter Vs. Team Random Stuff Through this simple translation, all of the dynamics of the game could be translated. This formed the core of the game. Later design and aesthetic choices complete the correlation.
5. 5. Played 1-2 rounds with basic rules When a token is placed, the card is revealed Place on opponents token to cancel theirs. When all tokens are placed, score for value. Add 2-3 features next round When token is placed, adjacent are revealed Add new card type that is negative Add extra row of 3 cards Repeat until satisfied
6. 6. 3x3 Grid 4 Card types (1, 2, 3, 0) Reveal card where placed Tokens dont move Adjacent cards dont matter Mostly luck based No risk/reward system 4x3 grid 5 Card types (1,2,3,?,X) Reveal nearby to placed Tokens can be moved Adjacent cards can score Skill is decreasing luck Risky and safe play is balanced AfterBefore
7. 7. Its almost horseshoes, with hand grenades Playtester quote After nailing down the concept with placeholder cards, it was time to create actual cards that had the aesthetics and visual cues to help the player understand the rules. Using the joke about horseshoes and hand grenades became the shell by which the player could compare to the physical game, with a humorous twist. Each card is an analogy to something in the game of horseshoes.
8. 8. Worth 3 points Analogy: ringer/pole Only 1 in the deck Rare objecitve The maximum score in a round of horseshoes is 6, and requires 2 ringers. Thus there is only one Horse card. This makes it enticing to go after when revealed.
9. 9. Worth 2 points Analogy: leaner/pole Two of them in the deck Uncommon objective Leaner shots are usually lucky. They are worth less because they are almost a ringer. Having 2 of these cards represents that luck when one is revealed and the other is not during play.
10. 10. Worth 1 point Analogy: Near pole Three in the deck Common objective Getting near the pole is the most common way that a player scores in horseshoes. Having three assures that the player has that fallback.
11. 11. Worth highest adjacent card Analogy: Measuring near pole Adjacent Grenade zeroes it Four in the deck Strategic objective Measuring the distance to the pole is captured here by checking adjacent cards to determine score. There is a risk of unrevealed adjacent cards being Grenades, however.
12. 12. Worth 0 points Analogy: Foul Two in the deck Cancel Blank scores Sabotage objective This card gives the player something to avoid or worry about on face down cards. They also add to the strategy of the blank cards, allowing for sabotaging ones opponent.
13. 13. I like how I can play offensively or defensively as needed. - Playtester quote In this game the player has to measure the risks of each move. Aiming skill has been translated to risk assessment over the course of the entire game. Each round, the player learns more about the strategy their opponent employs. This gives insight into when to go for a score for short term gain, or cancel theirs for the long term.
14. 14. Place token on any card on the grid. Reveal the four adjacent cards Pass your turn The opening move is blind, but the strategy is in positioning. Placing on a corner only reveals 2, but that token can never move. Placing in the middle will reveal 4, but leave you open to being sabotaged.
15. 15. Place token on a card next to another to move it The moved token will not reveal other cards. Moving a token can be offensive or defensive depending on whos is moved. In this case, Team Bottlecap placed theirs on the Almond to move Team Quarters token to the Grenade. This move was offensive.
16. 16. Tokens can be stacked on one card Opposing tokens cancel each other Canceling a token is ideal when the opponent claims a card and moving it will not work, or when the player can win the round. Here Team Quarter tries to take the Horse, but Team Bottlecap cancels it by stacking it on top.
17. 17. 1. Reveal all cards 2. Removed opposing stacked tokens 3. Remove tokens on Blanks next to Grenades 4. Score tokens on Horse/Shoe/Almond 5. Score Blank by checking highest adjacent card Following this order will determine the score for the round. Team Quarter scores 1 for an Almond, 2 for a Blank adjacent to a Shoe. Team Bottlecap scores 1 for an Almond, and 0 for a Grenade. The round score is 3-1 These are foam cards, created after a playtester looked through the paper during a game.
18. 18. Play until reaching the target score Suggested 21, but can be changed by players Winner must win by +2 points This prevents ties / makes close games intense Shuffle and reset the grid after a round
19. 19. Throw the grenade, or you wont be around to observe the damage, - Mad Mike A game will always be Almost done. After several compromises in design choice the goal is to get it to a playable state and let it go. Otherwise it blows up in your face. After completing the design, I had reflections on features that never got implemented and bugs that never got fixed.
20. 20. Some mechanics detracted from game Revealing cards when tokens moved; too fast No talking rule for team games; too strict Exact translation overcomplicated game Horse was originally Pole; scored for being near Shoe was originally Leaner; only movable token One mechanic was too powerful Ability to move token freely when placing another on top of it was abusable
21. 21. Quick rounds for fast demonstration Basic gameplay is easy to learn Players learn more the more advanced tactics over the course of a game Randomized grid makes no one strategy better, but each choice is still meaningful Opponents must evolve strategies based on observing each others play style The game can be easily created!
22. 22. Edge cases Two opposing players can claim a Horse with Blanks, which should not happen. Team Play Team play is not as interesting as in Horseshoes New Modes 4 Player free-for-all with larger grid Extra token modes
23. 23. Kids, DO try this at home! Responsible Adult