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GAME STUDIES - Project 2: Table Top Playtests

✩ 7/11/25 - 7/12/25 (Week 7 - Week 11)

✩ WONG MEI YEE 0367857

✩ Games Studies / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

✩ Project 2: Table Top Playtests


TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Lectures
  2. Instructions
  3. Project 2
  4. Reflection


    5. Lectures

    Game Studies - Lectures by angel


    Instructions

    Project 2

    Week 7

    Playtest 2 (New player group 1)





    Refinement after first playtest

    ✩ Too easy to guess certain meal card → When guessing other players' meals, player can only guess one time for the same person (can not guess the second time if they have guessed it right before)

    ✩ Too many Ingredient Cards compared to Action Cards (imbalance) can make players focus on collecting ingredients over using strategy → Reduce ingredient cards and add more action cards to make it balanced


    Week 8-11

    Playtest 3 (New player group 2)

    Date: 10/11/2025 (week8)

    Video: New Players Group 2 (10/11)  (click to view)

    File Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DQDs7-SE57gUzWj2JvrWN4G2aGsOk0jz/view?usp=drive_link



    Refinement: Clarifying One-Action-Per-Turn Rule


    Issue (Group 2 Feedback)

    • Players were confused by the one-action-per-turn rule
    • Compared the game to UNO, where multiple actions are allowed
    • New players needed time to understand the turn structure

    Refinement Made

    • Added a clear rule reminder:
    • “Only one action per turn”
    • Reinforced this rule during explanation and gameplay

    Refinement: Reinforcing Strategic Use of Action Cards

    Issue (Group 2 Feedback)

    • Gameplay would feel limited without Action Cards
    • Action Cards are essential for:
      • Sabotage
      • Delaying opponents
      • Creating tension

    Refinement Made

    • No mechanical removal or simplification of Action Cards
    • Decision made to retain and emphasise Action Cards as a core strategic element
    • Ensured Action Cards remain frequent enough to affect gameplay meaningfully

    Week 12-13

    Playtest 4 (Returning & New player)

    Date: 08/12/2025 (week12)

    Video: Returning & New Players (8/12).MOV  (click to view)

    File link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i1ImUFAZ5TGPFPyy9uo7OflI95p7wzTW/view?usp=drive_link


    Refinement: Improving Rule Understanding for New Players


    Issue

    • New players needed time to:
      • Understand rules
      • Learn action card effects
      • Some rules were difficult to memorise at once

    Refinement Made

    • No mechanical removal or simplification of Action Cards
    • Decision made to retain and emphasise Action Cards as a core strategic element
    • Ensured Action Cards remain frequent enough to affect gameplay meaningfully

    Refinement: Balancing the Final Win Condition (“Makan” Rule)

    Issue

    • Completing the final meal felt too fast
    • Quick wins reduced tension in late game

    Refinement Made

    • Rule change:
      • For the third (final) meal, players must collect
      • FOUR ingredients (“MAKAN”) instead of fewer
    • This prevents overly quick victories

    Mechanic Reviews

    Interactive Playtest Report

    Reflection

    Experience

    The final phase of development shifted my focus from "building" to "tuning." Conducting three distinct rounds of playtesting with both new and returning players was an intense exercise in user observation. It was challenging to watch players struggle with rules that seemed obvious to us, such as the "one action per turn" limit. However, repeatedly refining the game—from rebalancing the deck ratios in Week 7 to implementing the stricter "MAKAN" rule in Week 13—gave me a firsthand understanding of how small mechanical tweaks can drastically alter game flow. The process moved from solving logic problems to solving "human" problems, ensuring the game was accessible to beginners while remaining strategic for veterans.

    Observations

    I observed that players often bring "mental shortcuts" from other games into a new experience. For instance, because our game uses cards, players instinctively applied UNO rules, leading to confusion over our turn structure. This highlighted that our design needed to actively guide players away from their assumptions. I also noticed that "friction" is sometimes necessary for fun; initially, the final victory felt too easy and anti-climactic. By observing the lack of tension in the late game during Playtest 4, I realized that making the final goal harder to achieve (the 4-ingredient requirement) was essential to keep everyone engaged until the very last moment.

    Findings

    I learned that game balance is a delicate mix of mathematics and psychology. The issue in Week 7—where players focused too much on collecting ingredients—taught me that the probability of drawing a card directly dictates player strategy; we had to physically reduce Ingredient cards to force players to use Action cards. Furthermore, I discovered that a "fair" game isn't always a "fun" game unless the pacing is right. The introduction of the "MAKAN" rule proved that increasing difficulty towards the end creates a necessary narrative climax, ensuring the win feels earned rather than accidental.


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