And the designer said, “Let there be meaningful play,” and there was meaningful play. The designer saw that the meaningful play was good and he separated the inelegance from the rules. The designer called the meaningful play “game,” and the inelegance he called obtrusiveness. And there was board and there were bits--his first game.”
—The Genesis of a Game Designer
As I read this quotation two years ago, I gave a thought on "meaningful play"... Which property of a game makes it meaningful; random factors, strategic decisions, mathematical balance, theme, visuals, mechanics, easy rules... My criterion is how much fun I have. I have fun when I can decide my actions, take calculated risks, play with nice components with original game mechanics and most of all, interact with another players. During the design of Tayamat I considered all of these.Finally, 4th version of the game took shape. The major difference is in the modular game board. There are eight square district tiles containing four building groups in each and a castle tile. The distribution of the district cards around the castle differs in each game similar to Blue Moon City . The board is more compact and easy to follow.
Since the Tayamat is influenced from role playing games, the rules are not abstract. The rules are only three pages long without example rounds. In the rules the players learn how to control their prince, equipment, kismet cards and watch the board. During their rounds players choose two actions out of three.
The actions in the round can be played quickly so that the down time is reasonable. If a player is indecisive in the shopping or the bargain between players is harsh, the game may slow down a bit but players can plan their shopping during other players round and you can put a time limit for bargains. The fights are short and deadly, generally takes about 1 minute.
The players start with the same equipment and abilities but during the game the players gain different powers and take different routes. Besides, the players choose one of the four different princes who have a unique ability - mostly a defense.In Tayamat the players are not allowed to fight with each other but there other ways for player interaction. Kismet cards are the major player interaction tool. Players can target his prince, other princes and the board with these cards. Since area control is very important in the game, the players limit each other’s options as they capture (save) districts in the city. Also players can trade crystals and equipment. Trade is beneficial for both of the sides then selling the items to shops.
There are three card decks in the game; Kismet deck, monster deck and dragon deck. This seems like a lot of random factor involved but as players gain experience they will find ways to control their luck.
In each fight each side rolls their dice once the die roll is modified with the equipments, kismet and dragon cards. These modifications decrease randomness but not the tension of the fight.
I think every player will enjoy fighting the monsters and being the one who defeats the evil Dragon. Defeating the dragon is not the only option to win the game but it is the most attractive and satisfactory.
There are three ways to win the game. Two of them are the strategical options; either dominate the board or defeat the dragon. These two routes to victory are balanced and avoid the run-away leader problem. The third is unlikely; be last player standing. It is hard to pursue this strategy but with the right circumstances, if the players play their kismet cards wisely it can be succeeded.
From play tests, there are two important aspect of the game which the players tend to overlook; the players should always watch their life stones before each fight. If they loose the last one they are out of the game. Tayamat is also a risk taking game. You can push your luck to advance quickly in the game but if you are not so lucky you may leave the game early. On the other hand, sometimes players forget the importance of the ixirs in the game and the concentrate only on armor and weapons. You can cover your weak points or enhance your strong sides with portions and have a remarkable advantage – for a short time.
It was quite an adventure to design the game as well as producing the prototype. I'm not a graphic artist but I have some Photoshop skills to produce prototypes. I wish I can co-work with a professional graphic artist for the visuals of this game. I know the visuals are the last to be worked on but I think the designer of a game is also responsible of the components he/she uses. As he/she is the most experienced one, he/she knows the most practical shape of the board, general visual design, the size of the cards and number of pieces. The publishers and developers can work based on these experiences to add the game a commercial value.
Tayamat is a game of fight, management, risk taking and area control game in a mediaeval setting. Players are saving their city from the invasion of a dragon and his minions in an hour. Game play is fast, fun and tense. It supports 2 to 4 players.
Good gaming,
Tunc Iper
No comments:
Post a Comment