I thought of the most popular games, and my favourite games. I tried to come up with a few prototypes. I went quite far through one idea before giving up and moving on to a personal favourite. I remembered the quote which I am probably butchering right now "Rules are what make a game." Basically a game with no rules is a weak game. A game with many rules often drowns out fun. So I took both approaches. A game with strong, but simple rules. And this is why it as the best game to do.
I made BOXX a simple game, easy to learn, but difficult to master. It is simple enough for a new player to keep up, but has enough substance to make those who look deeper find there are many strategies to find, perfect and use. Every game will always hint at something else you could of done, and perhaps the discovery of new traps.
I knew for a fact this game can maintain a loyal fan base, from personal experience. When me and my friends played this game in class, hiding and faking it for work, we kept on coming back to it. It keeps people in, and those who are new and play against a expert will have instead of a swift defeat, have time to analyse and figure out what the opponent is doing and this process allows them to get better at a quicker pace then the experts. Losing a game isn't defeat. Defeat is when you learn nothing new.And this game and it's fan base knew this. Noobs quickly change from salty defeat to more of a wondering mindset when they try to discover what actually happened because games are slower and players take turns. And for most games making a new player do this is a feat, but my game, because it's rules are so simple and so grounded, the process to gain knowledge is accelerated and the player will feel engaged to learn more, because during a single game they already get a taste of high level play and it is just within their grasp, and as they play they see these traps being deployed against them, and can watch them while they work.
I knew for a fact this game can maintain a loyal fan base, from personal experience. When me and my friends played this game in class, hiding and faking it for work, we kept on coming back to it. It keeps people in, and those who are new and play against a expert will have instead of a swift defeat, have time to analyse and figure out what the opponent is doing and this process allows them to get better at a quicker pace then the experts. Losing a game isn't defeat. Defeat is when you learn nothing new.And this game and it's fan base knew this. Noobs quickly change from salty defeat to more of a wondering mindset when they try to discover what actually happened because games are slower and players take turns. And for most games making a new player do this is a feat, but my game, because it's rules are so simple and so grounded, the process to gain knowledge is accelerated and the player will feel engaged to learn more, because during a single game they already get a taste of high level play and it is just within their grasp, and as they play they see these traps being deployed against them, and can watch them while they work.
For long time players the game is really good at hooking them in. Once they figure out their strategies they can deploy and watch them go to work. it is a great feeling when you discover a trap and only you know about it, and use it for the first time. However with great power, comes great risk. Use a trap and you teach your opponent how the trap works, use turn switches too much and risk the enemy using them against you. Once you learn the basics and begin to dig into deeper strategies mind games come into play, watching your opponents eyes, where their hands drift, how they react to your lines. Once stakes become high you find yourself searching for anything to predict your opponents moves. And the amazing thing about this game is it can always surprise. Traps and turn switches can turn against you, and not just that, but you can always discover something new. I played a friend at my game, I used some strategies against them, and they began to pick it up. And by accident they discovered a new trap. A first time player helped me, who has played for few years, learn something I never knew about. It helped me understand the bare fundamentals and because of this knowledge I have started to try out fresh new strategies nobody has ever seen before.
But the game is never going to be too complex for anybody to master, and that can be a good or a bad thing. The entire list of rules only spans 3 bullet points! Some say a game which can never be mastered is a good game, and a testament to is design, while some say an easy game is better.
Personally a bit of both is the best type of game. A game where you learn more things is a game that keeps people coming back. My only regret is that since the rules are so simple, and the game so simple, that people who lack the curiosity to learn will grow bored (board ha!) of them game before they learn about more.
This game is a perfect game for small groups such as groups of friends and families, where the game is played multiple times against different opponents, but in a small enough group where information is easier to share and easier to find. This is why it worked so well with my friends. It was easy to find information since there was only a small group to search, and since the game was so quick to start playing, playing a game during a break was not a big deal. All you needed was 2 people, a pencil and a piece of paper. And if you couldn't find a experienced player, play someone new, and they can quickly pick it up after 1 game.
And if you begin to get bored of the basic game, add new rules, and even add more players to a single game, the game can take many forms, and by adding 1 extra rule, the game becomes something new. Old tricks won't work and new tricks will be made. Because of this, longevity becomes even more lengthened and the heights the game can reach is only limited by the players ability to imagine and create new twists on the game.
