Notes from Playtest One Hundred and Three

triple threes followed
by triple sixes

What we tried

• 24 plant & animal disks.
• 1 event per turn limit.
• If you kept an event disk don't get an explore cube.
• turn in 3 events for a goal, but not equipment.
• called shot gives a -1 penalty if you get it wrong.
• simplified Trader event doesn't change demand track.

Notes

This game had the craziest luck differential, as you can see from the photo, and it was reflected in the final score. What's changed though is that an unlucky player who died a bunch of times didn't win because of secret goals, so that's progress.

Play length was restored to an hour, but we still had time to upgrade equipment. Need to see what narrative arc is like with more players.

End Game

What's next?

Tree is unpopular, maybe it should let you look at 2 or 3 things?

Time to start scaling back experimental rules. Called shot makes poaching too powerful. Turning in event disks is fiddly and rarely done.

starting setup

Notes from Playtest One Hundred and Two

Game End
(paranoid yellow)

What we tried

New event Cornucopia replaces Bird. It's a collection of plants that can be gathered, worth 1 herb, 1 berry, and 1 nut.

Changed Mammoth to Sabertooth, a deadly animal worth 2 meat and 2 hide that has 5 life, which must be scored ASAP.

Trying arrows cost at 0, but you may only buy them if one of your characters has a bow.

Goal points lowered (quantities in parenthesis):
2 (4), 3 (4), 4 (3), 5 (3), variable (3).

Moved event disks at least 4 spaces from the village, they are better mid game.

Notes

Before starting the game there was concern that turning in 3 events for equipment (and probably goals too) encourages bad behavior. It hurts the game if people are just running around flipping events, not letting them do their job of mixing up the demand track when it gets stuck. Inspiration (the event that hands out goals) might be enough to get more goals out there.

Some ideas for restricting events:

• 1 event per turn limit.
• If kept an event disk don't get explore cube.
• turn in 3 events for a goal, not equipment.

Called shot should be -1 to your rolls if wrong.

Trader is too complex. Shouldn't change the demand track, maybe shouldn't even change amount you get for trades. That it doesn't change demand is significant. It works awesome with Cornucopia, an event that gives you one of each plant, because it doesn't move meat and hide to the top.

Here is the biggest problem right now: game length has gotten too long.

The events on the board and being able to trade in equipment, have added complexity. Games are lasting 90 minutes or more. In some ways that's good, it gives time for the luck variance to settle out. But it's also hurting the urgency of the game. The end always used to come just a little sooner than you'd expect, and I like that a lot. This playtest I called an early end to the playtest with 20% of the plant&animal disks undiscovered. I'd much rather the game take one hour or less, and leave players wanting to go again.

The reason I decided last fall to increase the length of play by adding 50% more plant&animal disks was to be sure there was time for the game to have a nice story arc, where characters start out weak and grow stronger through a series of adventures. I think with event disks and equipment trading this can be done in a tighter time frame.

Another problem with the longer game is that it actually limits the paths to victory. In a longer higher scoring game you basically need to get the better equipment, Bow or Atlatl, to compete. The cost is absorbed by having more time to use it. In a shorter game you have less time to recoup your investment, so a more frugal strategy could succeed.

board setup

What's Next?

• 24 plant&animal disks
• 1 event per turn limit.
• If you kept an event disk don't get explore cube.
• simplify Trader event
• turn in 3 events for a goal, not equipment.
• called shot gives a -1 penalty if you get it wrong.

Notes from Playtest One Hundred and One

Lester, Kris, and Ryan

What we tried

• 3 goal limit
• Goals are always draw 2 keep 1
• Players start with 5 points worth of equipment.
• Bow costs 6, Atlatl 5, Pouch 4.
• One spear has a trade value of 1.
• Events stay up, even animals
• Trader stays until the end of your next turn.
• Events that change village let you score one disk now.
• Turn in 3 disk for one equipment or to draw 2 goals and keep one.

Notes

Kris, red, killed a mammoth
Ryan, yellow, was paranoid
Myself, purple, eventual wolf master
Lester, green, scored herb in fall

Continued frustration with goals determining the winner, not skillful play. But the game play holds up, even with half the players behaving erratically. The end was exciting, with Lester grabbing the furthest space from the village and then lucking on an event that set the market up perfectly and allowed him to score.

What's next?

Change "hunger cube" to "explore cube", it's a more clear description of its purpose, and the obvious name in retrospect.

New event: Cornucopia replaces Bird. It's a collection of plants that can be gathered, worth 1 herb, 1 berry, and 1 nut.

Change Woolley Mammoth to Young Mammoth, an animal worth 2 meat and 2 hide that has 5 life.

Try arrows cost at 0, but you may only buy them if you have bow.

Goal points move down mostly 3-4. Speaker for dead should be 2 per other goal.

Move event disks further from the village, they are better mid game.

Notes from Playtest One Hundred

Left to right: Kris, Brandon,
Lester, Ryan, Jason

What we tried

• 3 goal limit
• Goals are always draw 2 keep 1
• Players start with 5 points worth of equipment.
• Bow costs 6, Atlatl 5, Pouch 4.

Notes and Suggestions for What's Next

Neutral events should have rewards for the person who found it.

The Trader event is broken, the way it stays around the rest of the game and acts as a better market. Maybe it should last until end of your next turn. Maybe sell 2 points of plants?

Event animals should stay face up (I don't remember why this was suggested).

Remove red berries from the herbs graphic in Photoshop.

The Master Scout goal is really fun now. Need to clarify if players put disks face up.

Is there a way to get more goals without dying?

Add an Event that gives you equipment.

Turn in events for equipment or goal.

Events that change village could let you score one disk now.

Event idea: draw goals = players and distribute them as you wish.

Notes from Ninety-ninth Playtest

What we tried

• 3 goal limit
• Goals are always draw 2 keep 1
• Players start with 5 points worth of equipment.
• Bow costs 6, Atlatl 5, Pouch 4.
• One spear has a trade value of 1.

What's next?

Tall tree should only kill you on a roll that's less than 6.

More events should move up meat and/ or hide.

Try writing rules with called shot mistake a -1 penalty. Balance the added complexity vs. gain.

Master Scout: 1 point per correctly named, no penalty for getting them wrong.