Even Simpler Hunting

In the last playtest we tried a version of hunting that is even easier to teach, which gets at one of the ultimate goals of game design: delivering the most play value with the easiest learning curve.

The rule is this: if you hit, you may roll again. The two shot limit was removed.

The game balance impact of this is to improve the Sling. It can kill deadly animals like Wolves and Bear that it could only previously fend off, or needed to be combined with another weapon.

Let's revisit the basics before looking at the odds behind each weapon. Here are the odds of rolling at least the given number on three six-sided dice:

#	Odds
7	91%
8	84%
9	74%
10	63%
11	50%
12	38%

These are the animals we're hunting, and the damage required to kill each.

Animal	Damage
Squirrel	1
Rabbit	1
Deer	2
Boar	3
Wolf	3
Bear	4

Now let's look at each weapon and weapon combo, how much damage they do, and the odds of hitting multiple times. Note that there's no need to hit more times than required to kill a bear, and weapon combinations assume hitting with both.

Weapon / Combo	Damage	Roll	Hit	x2 Hits	x3	x4
Sling	1	9	74%	55%	41%	30%
Bow	2	7	91%	83%
Spear	3	11	50%	25%
Atlatl	4	8	84%
Club	4	12	38%
Bow+Sling (+Sling)	3 (4)	7, 9 (9)	67%	50% (Sling x2)
Spear+Sling	4	11, 9	37%

Finally, the cost in points (players currently start with 5 points worth of equipment).

Weapon / Combo	Cost
Sling	2
Bow	6 (Arrows free)
Spear	2
Atlatl	5 (Spear required)
Club	1
Sling+Bow	8
Sling+Spear	4

Now, let's say I like how fun it is for someone wielding a Sling to be able to brave the odds and take on a deadly animal, or more hilariously for everyone else, attempt it and die trying. In that case the Spear and Club start looking a little sad by comparison. It doesn't make thematic sense to increase the price of the Sling. Let's try improving the Spear and Club. Conveniently, nothing is new set at a 10 (63%), so we can slide those both down by 1.

Weapon / Combo	Roll	Hit	x2 Hits	x3	x4
Sling	9	74%	55%	41%	30%
Bow	7	91%	83%
Spear	10	63%	40%
Atlatl	8	84%
Club	11	50%
Bow+Sling(+Sling)	7, 9 (9)	67%	50% (Sling x2)
Spear+Sling	10, 9	47%

Update: some other ideas that came up in conversation with playtester Kris Davidsohn. One is that the Atlatl may be slipping now, since the ammunition is so expensive. It could go down to 4. I'm also considering dropping the starting points down to 4. Another mechanism to play with for spears and arrows is only discarding them when you miss, or when you hit (missing is already really bad in this game, especially if you don't die).