Week 2

Right away when we got into class, we played a new game. The game was called “Cthulhu: Gloom”. It’s a turn-based card game that is meant to be played by three to five players. The way you win the game is by having the most negative points after someone or you kill your whole family. There are five different types of cards: characters, modifiers, events, story, and death. You are given a number of character cards varying on how many Y’all agree on. Modifiers can give you negative points or positive points and could possibly have an effect. Events can set off a special effect for you or another player that can either help you or ruin things for others. Story cards have requirements you need to fill before taking one. If you happen to get one, it can help you get more points or stop others from playing certain cards. Death cards only use are for killing your characters or other player’s characters.

The point system and being able to place modifiers, event, and death cards set the competitive aspect. Players stacking positive point cards and placing early death cards on you are challenges you have to overcome to win. There’s the possibility of you and other players teaming to stop whoever is in the lead from winning. These set the aesthetics of play.

The game can be really fun right away, being able to combo cards very well with others or maybe just from your hand. The effects can add a twist to the overall gameplay or maybe just for you. Although the game for me eventually became kind of stale. So I suggest quick games for better sessions.

Week 1

About midway through my first class in Intro to Game Design, we played our first game called Munchkin. Munchkin is a card game made by Steve Jackson Games. It was written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic. In the game you are dealt eight cards, four from the treasure pile and another four from the door pile. With those cards you can customize your character with armor, weapons, and classes. The goal for the game is to reach level 10, starting from level 1, by either killing monsters that all have different power levels, selling cards that are worth hundreds of gold, or by helping others. Each choice can gain you a level. Killing monsters can give you one or two levels, selling up to 1,000 Gold gives you one level and if you are an elf you can gain a level by helping others in fights.

The core aesthetics of the game are challenge, fantasy, fellowship, and competition. Challenges you have to overcome are the power difference between you and the monsters. Other players can also buff or nerf the monster or you to make things more challenging. Fantasy wise, you are able to become multiple classes and races. For, example you can be a warrior elf or a wizard half-ling. During combat you are able to ask for help from another player to defeat a monster or you are able to team up to buff a monster to defeat a player possibly stopping them from winning. Between the three to six players you are competing to reach level 10 first to win the game.

What I like about the game is the accessibility. It took us about five to ten minutes to understand the basics of the game such as the process of a player’s turn and what we can and can not do. The only thing left to learn is how to combo cards well to your advantage. After one session of playing the game, I cannot say what I dislike about it. Although there is always room for improvement.