Lab 2.2: Strategy and Decision-Making

Strategy

Create a game through rapid prototyping based on one of the following challenge levels. Deliver an artifact that describes the game, its strategic mechanic(s), and how it fits our formal definition of a game.

  1. Choose a strategic mechanic to use in your game.
  2. Choose a theme and a goal.
  3. Identify the conflict between players.
  4. Playtest, redesign, prototype. Repeat this cycle as many times as possible, improving the game with each iteration.
  5. Deliver an artifact that describes the game mechanics (rules), theme, and how your game fits our formal definition. Make sure you explain how your game includes random or unpredictable mechanics. Include diagrams or images if you have a board or other visual elements.
  6. IMPORTANT: don't forget Branshaw's Law: If you're collaborating remotely, make sure you design a game you can play remotely, like over video chat.

Easy Mode: Create a strategy game using only a standard deck of playing cards and one of each color of cube pieces from the drawer. It must have a short set-up time, simple rules, be non-confrontational, and have minimal downtime between player turns.
Normal Mode: As Easy Mode, but a full game should be able to be completed in under 15 minutes.
Hard Mode: Design a game of checkers with a 12 x 12 board and more than two players. You must have at least four different types of pieces (including normal and king).
Insanity Mode: Make a strategy game with the theme of Black Friday (meaning in this case the shopping definition of "Black Friday," not any of the other Black Fridays involving social unrest, disasters, economic crises, or World War II air offensives).