GAME STUDES - RULESET EXERCISE

20/5/26 - 29/5/26 (Week 5 - Week 6)

Lim Jia Xuan  0371026

GCD61504 Games Studies

Ruleset Exercise

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1. What game did you start with?

I started with a game named Piou Piou. 

Characters/ Cards in this game:

1. Hens

2. Rooster

3. Nest

4. Chick/Egg (Flip Over)

5. Fox

How to play & How to win?

How to Play?

To lay an egg

- Players need to have a combination of cards (1 hen + 1 rooster + 1 nest) to lay an egg. 

To give birth to a chick

- Players need to present 2 hens to give birth to a chick (by flipping over the egg).

To steal an egg from others

- Players need to present a fox card to steal eggs from other players.

To protect

- Players need to present 2 rooster cards to protect the steals from others.

*After presenting all the cards, players should draw the cards from the card deck and maintain the cards in their hands, always maintaining the number at  4 cards. (eg. present 2 cards, draw 2 cards; present 3 cards, draw 3 cards)

How to Win?

The first players who give birth to 3 chicks win the game!

2. What game or variation did you make out of it?

I have kept some game rules the same as the original game rules (To lay an egg, To give birth, To protect). But I made some changes to add the interaction between users.

While playing this game with its original rules, I feel that the rules/ play type for the game was to blend. As a player who loves to explore different skills in games, I added new rules by launching new combinations of cards for players to let them have a more unexpected play experience. 

New Rules:

- Not your egg

Player presents 1 rooster and 1 hen cards to send others(1 player) egg back to the hub, the egg back to the hub doesn't belong to any player.

- Exchange

Player presents 1 fox card and 1 nest card to change their eggs with another's chick.

- Steal your Egg

Players present 1 fox card and choose to flip a chick back to an egg or steal an egg from others.

3. The rule writing experience, how did it go, what surprised you?

While writing the rules, I was more focused on the way I write. For example, I gave all the rules an interesting name, as it reflects how the actions play with. 

I wrote the rules by this formula: Card number + Character = Action  

4. The playtest, how did it go, what surprised you?

Overall, the playtest was smooth, and the interactions between players were also fun.

Unexpected things happened during the playtest:

1. Play time was long

- Due to the variations of plays having been added much more than the original game, the playtime has been extended since that theres too many kinds of card combinations that can drag the playtime longer than what I expected earlier.

2. Unexpected Luck

- During the playtime, I have noticed that players have a high chance of getting 3 same card characters out of the 4 cards they have.

5. What you learn from it, What did you change?

From the playtest, I observe that the rules I added or changed might be considered as too much. Some actions weren't used by the players either. But I might revise it by removing some of the actions and adding a luck action to reward them.

6. What will you consider the next time you write rules?

I will consider the rules based on what game I would like to develop. If the game setting were like high interactions and long playtime, I might remain the same, just like what I have written for this game, which is various of actions provided to players.

However, if it's a short playtime game, I will consider minimising/simplifying all the actions. Not very high-level thinking is required for the players. Just make it simple but fun!