Super battle band (2016)

A board game that I created which allowed me to progress further into my studies in Game design, my task was to create a simple game that contained an easy learning curve. The course was called "Introduction To Game Design" from the California Institute of Arts (CalArts) during the early months of 2016. Super Battle band has a few similarities to another game I had helped create "Rage Against Hipsters". I had chosen this route because I felt that the theme was something I could continue exploring and address one of its biggest shortcomings; complexity. Players would have to use: cards, dice and a mobile application to play the game, creating a steep and complex learning curve which was not ideal.

The aim I set out to achieve with this project was to devise a better design strategy in making the game less difficult by narrowing down the amount of mechanics needed to learn and use.  

The objective of the game is simple, reach the band members performing on stage before they destroy the whole world! Sounds pretty bombastic right? The more dramatic it is, the more tension it creates in motivating the players in reaching the goal! Players will take control of an avatar and one (six sided) die. With these tools they must roll the die to advance towards the stage, but its not as simple as it seams. At certain intervals there will be bouncers blocking their way! To surpass them, the player will roll the die for themselves and the bouncer; the higher roll wins! As the player moves up, they can access short cuts (green arrows) to jump to certain places, however if they get that unlucky role they could end up going back instead (red arrows).

Genre: board game

Development Time: 3 weeks

Arrows

The objective of green and red arrows is to create a constant sense of tension between each roll of the dice. This mechanic is very well implemented in a popular board game called "snakes and ladders", obtaining fantastic dice rolls that catapult you to further regions is some of the most satisfying experiences a player could ever have. Which is unfortunately coupled with some of the worst sensations when an unlucky dice roll appears sending the player back long distances having them climb up all over again.

Progression

I thought it would be ideal for players (especially new comers) to have a slower start at the beginning which will then translate to more complex situations as they progress and get closer to the stage (end point). I tackled this be introducing tiers; the game board is split into 3 (tiers/areas) At the beginning (tier 1) bouncers apply the normal rules. As the player progresses and enters new areas bouncers will receive global perks in that region such as: +1 to each roll they get on the die (if its a 6, then it will remain a 6). This made the game more challenging and rewarding when players manage to get a string of good rolls in succession!

Multiplayer

Another aspect that I wanted to address was co-operational game-play. Allowing the player to play solo or with friends and family can add more enjoyable and memorable experiences. If the player decides to play with multiple people each player will have an avatar and roll a dice in turns to reach the stage of the band, all players must reach the stage to stop the band playing! The minimum and maximum amount of player recommended are from 1-4.