Themeing Whist - a board/card game design thought experiment
Hi all!
I started writing this post and it became a blog post, you can read it on my blog but I'm posting a summary here ^_^
I want to design a board or card game. Just for practice and lulz so I was looking for physical games that I do enjoy for inspiration. I do like the more complicated board games that are about but I recently had a LOT of fun playing whist, which is a trick-taking card game played with a standard 52 card deck.
Basically, whist is a 4 player game, everyone gets 13 cards dealt to them. A trump suite is chosen (let's say hearts but could be any suite). A player will put down a card they have, called the lead card. Each player then puts down a card of the same suite as the lead, preferably a higher number card as to beat it. Alternatively the player can play the trump suite (a 4 of hearts), which will always win and can only be beaten by another trump card (a 5 of hearts or higher) with higher value. After all 4 players have gone the winner gets the 'trick' and leads the next round. This goes on until no one has any cards.
I like that it is quick to play, easy to learn, and very fun to play. So this is the base on which I'd like to start designing a game.
But I've not really done this yet. I've not actually thought of any ideas on how to expand it, nor done much research on Whist-like games except that I don't think there is a game that are whist-like (not 100% sure, let me know if there is!)
But I did get distracted thinking of how this would be themed. I like the idea of each suite being warriors/soldiers/creatures of varying elemental based armies. (I'll, uhm, get to the game design stuff later, I want to do theming now). Though I do think that adding some theme or story to the game might help with thinking what mechanics would be interesting.
Via a few failed attempts (read blog post for details) I've kinda locked down that the important parts of whist (themeatically anyway) are:
But there is a bit of a mismatch from rules to theme. The first card played determines the terrain type and is hence quite redundant. So it's not ideal now, but maybe with more rules it will make more sense. Maybe we can have lots of terrains in a Settlers of Catan-like hex layout and the battle takes places. Maybe the 4 terrains can be placed in random orientations and you can only battle in the same or adjacent terrain as the last battle. Maybe you can place a water creature in the subterranean caverns and essentially force the next player to play their earth creatures. Maybe it's fun, maybe not... maybe there's a better way to fit the rules of whist whilst reinforcing our theme rather than introducing extra objects. But I can't think of any right now.
My point is that with a theme in place we can now think of the game mechanics in a different light and come up with different rules that reinforce the theme. We could make whist a cooking game about making the best cake. The sets could be different ingredients, the lead would be the key ingredient and the trump would be the cake judge who would prefer a certain ingredient regardless of the rest of the cake (disclaimer: I haven't thought it through 100% but you get the point).
But how would that game get expanded? I am no longer thinking of battle and territory, I'm thinking ingredients and coloured sprinkles as bonuses. I'm thinking of stacking up the cards to make a layers of an awesome cake and whoever has the 'best' ingredient gets credit from the cake judges. I'm thinking of specials to bride the cake judges. Maybe rules that will have certain effects if you mix two ingredients one after the other.
So in the end I guess I just find it interesting that framing a game in a different light nudges one to think about that game in different ways.
Yeah so if you read all of that have you all got any thoughts or ideas in this light.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not looking for specific feedback on anything, so feel free to spout any Whist related or theming related whatever-y and we can have a nice fat chat about it :p
DOUBLE DISCLAIMER: Or if no one wants to chat then I hope you enjoyed my rambles :p
I started writing this post and it became a blog post, you can read it on my blog but I'm posting a summary here ^_^
I want to design a board or card game. Just for practice and lulz so I was looking for physical games that I do enjoy for inspiration. I do like the more complicated board games that are about but I recently had a LOT of fun playing whist, which is a trick-taking card game played with a standard 52 card deck.
Basically, whist is a 4 player game, everyone gets 13 cards dealt to them. A trump suite is chosen (let's say hearts but could be any suite). A player will put down a card they have, called the lead card. Each player then puts down a card of the same suite as the lead, preferably a higher number card as to beat it. Alternatively the player can play the trump suite (a 4 of hearts), which will always win and can only be beaten by another trump card (a 5 of hearts or higher) with higher value. After all 4 players have gone the winner gets the 'trick' and leads the next round. This goes on until no one has any cards.
I like that it is quick to play, easy to learn, and very fun to play. So this is the base on which I'd like to start designing a game.
But I've not really done this yet. I've not actually thought of any ideas on how to expand it, nor done much research on Whist-like games except that I don't think there is a game that are whist-like (not 100% sure, let me know if there is!)
But I did get distracted thinking of how this would be themed. I like the idea of each suite being warriors/soldiers/creatures of varying elemental based armies. (I'll, uhm, get to the game design stuff later, I want to do theming now). Though I do think that adding some theme or story to the game might help with thinking what mechanics would be interesting.
Via a few failed attempts (read blog post for details) I've kinda locked down that the important parts of whist (themeatically anyway) are:
- We need distinct representations for each set of playing objects
- The thing representing trump set must give that set ultimate advantage (thematically) no matter the lead set
- The thing representing the lead set must be something that allows only that set to engage in the trick with any effect (whilst still allowing trumps to engage in the trick too and win that trick)
- Sets are creatures of differing types (Water, Flying , Subterranean, and Fire)
- Trump is a super buff that makes the creatures over-powered
- Lead is the terrain that disallows other creature types from engaging in battle
- Water / Heavy rain and flooding / Wetlands
- Flying / Earthquakes / High cliff faces
- Subterranean / Sinkholes / Subterranean caverns
- Fire / Magma Flows / Charred Wasteland
But there is a bit of a mismatch from rules to theme. The first card played determines the terrain type and is hence quite redundant. So it's not ideal now, but maybe with more rules it will make more sense. Maybe we can have lots of terrains in a Settlers of Catan-like hex layout and the battle takes places. Maybe the 4 terrains can be placed in random orientations and you can only battle in the same or adjacent terrain as the last battle. Maybe you can place a water creature in the subterranean caverns and essentially force the next player to play their earth creatures. Maybe it's fun, maybe not... maybe there's a better way to fit the rules of whist whilst reinforcing our theme rather than introducing extra objects. But I can't think of any right now.
My point is that with a theme in place we can now think of the game mechanics in a different light and come up with different rules that reinforce the theme. We could make whist a cooking game about making the best cake. The sets could be different ingredients, the lead would be the key ingredient and the trump would be the cake judge who would prefer a certain ingredient regardless of the rest of the cake (disclaimer: I haven't thought it through 100% but you get the point).
But how would that game get expanded? I am no longer thinking of battle and territory, I'm thinking ingredients and coloured sprinkles as bonuses. I'm thinking of stacking up the cards to make a layers of an awesome cake and whoever has the 'best' ingredient gets credit from the cake judges. I'm thinking of specials to bride the cake judges. Maybe rules that will have certain effects if you mix two ingredients one after the other.
So in the end I guess I just find it interesting that framing a game in a different light nudges one to think about that game in different ways.
Yeah so if you read all of that have you all got any thoughts or ideas in this light.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not looking for specific feedback on anything, so feel free to spout any Whist related or theming related whatever-y and we can have a nice fat chat about it :p
DOUBLE DISCLAIMER: Or if no one wants to chat then I hope you enjoyed my rambles :p
Thanked by 1mikethetike
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