Game Design 101, er 02 maybe 3 part 1

When the opportunity to write this came up I was unsure how to approach the topic. Do I pawn myself off as an expert and hand down my beliefs on stone tablets or do I stammer through hmmming and hawing. Finally I decided to just explain my thought process on a couple of games I have designed. One of the games, Flapjacks and Sasquatches, is produced and on game store shelves where as the other one is about to , hope hope, be produced.
First let me say I came at these games from different directions and in a round about way. I in my unnerving geekness had wanted to design a game for many years. I had tried out a few ideas in college, where I was the Vice President of my games club, I know I know but some how I still attracted my wife. Any way I had a few concepts and themes I explored. They ranged from rpg's centered on a condemned apocalyptic New York to farming on another planet, I know who would play a game about farming, crazy. All these ideas seemed to fall by the wayside. School demanded more time, my girlfriend became my fiancée, and life progressed ever forward. I continued to write short stories and plan out rpg campaigns that no one would ever play, but game design had dropped into the black hole of lost notebooks and dust covered game bins. I had two awesome kids (three now and all girls Yikes) and really started playing games again. I played Candyland and Shutes and Ladders with my kids and more complex games with friends. My friends and I started having a guys game weekend once a year and I made my return to Gencon. Having delved back into the world of my zit faced childhood I ventured back to game design.
I tried to come up with an original game concept. I looked at dice, cards, this new worker placement stuff I had heard about that all the kids were playing but everything I thought up seemed to just be a revamped something else. So I decided to go from the other side of games the all important Ameritrash concept of theme. I hoped to come up with an awesome theme and encapsulate it so well that everyone would rave about how it was really like farming on another planet. In looking for a theme I saw a messing with sasquatch commercial and thought I want to make a game that has a crazy Sasquatch in it, but where could Sasquatch roam free to cause havoc with the world. That is when it hit me. I don’t know if it was years of Monty Python or a childhood spent vacationing in a cabin in Brainard just miles away from Paul Bunyan Land. Yes all you non Minnesotans there is a Paul Bunyan Land where a 20ft tall Paul talks to you by name as you come through the gate. But either way Lumberjacks were the key.
I am a very visual thinker and so images started flowing into my head and being a gamer I needed to turn all the manliness that is lumberjacking into homophobic childish jokes. It started with an apprentice and me thinking hey how can they lure him away. Well flapjacks would be cool, wow there’s my title but it isn’t funny. I know a fat guy in a bikini standing in a pin up pose. From there I rolled with all the Sasquatch cards hoping to encapsulate the “Messing With Sasquatch” humor but in reverse. Notice in my infinite genius I still didn’t have a game mechanic. That is when I split from one deck to two and decided that I wanted dice rolls in the game. The decision to add dice was for one simple reason, this game is humorous, silly and a very spiteful game and I find dice are the ultimate spite shot to the groin. You can do everything right in a game and end up rolling the critical failure. With that I took it a step further. Yeah I need chops, and misses but how about I add salt to that groin kick and have a way to break your axe.
You may think man he must really like spite games and you would be absolutely right. I love teaching this game because it only takes one or two turns to see spouses turn on each other and kids to get mom and dad (mad gleeful cackle). I know there are those of you who think man this guy deserves to get ripped up on his own game well I did not win one game in the first 40-50 games I played, and my partner loves to tell all people playing the first time that if you play Tree Hugger on me in the first turn you will have good gaming luck the rest of the day.
Now I’d like to say I play tested the hell out of this game, and that I had focus groups and surveys to tell me how great it is. I’d like to but I was blissfully stupid on how to go about game design. The game clicked right away. I ripped it apart doubting myself as others said it was great. I changed more myself then anyone else wanted. Luckily it worked. Every game since this one has not just fallen into place. But I'll save those for part 2
So until next time keep geeking.

"I will NOT be defeated by two children and a handful of mythological bears!"

Okay, you asked for it (well, Ryan asked for it, anyway) so here it is: Rob's review of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears.

Yeah, that's right. Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. What's that? Something to say? Got some snarky comments to get off your chest? No? Good.

Gummi Bears began life in 1985 as one of three productions that marked the beginning of Walt Disney Animation Television (the other two being The Wuzzles, which debuted immediately before Gummi Bears on September 14, 1985 -- and which only lasted one season -- and The Fluppy Dogs, which never got past the aired pilot movie). It was created by Jymn Magnon and Art Vitello based on an idea by Michael Eisner (Eisner essentially just came up with the title, which occured to him when his son asked for some Gummy Bears candy). It ran on NBC until 1989, when it moved to ABC for it's final season, paired with Disney's The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was later rerun as part of the Disney Afternoon block of programming throughout the early '90's.

To quote Wikipedia :

The series focuses on the escapades of the eponymous "Gummi Bears," anthropomorphic bears who are the last remnants of a once-great civilization of Gummis that fled the land centuries ago when humans, jealous of the advancements and magical skills of the Gummi Bears, forced the species into exile. Now regarded by most of humankind as fairytales, the show's main cast of Gummi Bears (six in number at the outset of the series, increased to seven during the third season) live in the vast subterranean warren of Gummi Glen in the medieval kingdom of Dunwyn.

The Gummis' modern adventures begin when they are discovered by a human boy named Cavin who happens to have a Gummi Medallion, found by his grandfather many years earlier. After he accidentally enters the colony's underground home of Gummi Glen, they capture and interrogate the boy as to how he gained the medallion. During the questioning, Cavin escapes after Tummi inadvertently gives him Gummiberry Juice to drink, but refuses to cause any harm and attempts to befriend the reclusive bears. Impressed by this civilized behavior, they make him swear to keep their confidence and make him a privileged friend of the colony. The medallion magically unlocks the colony's Great Book of Gummi, an essential reference guide to the forgotten knowledge of the Gummi Bears. Inspired by its writings, the colony resolves to rediscover their heritage and help Dunwyn defend against evil. Later, another human from Dunwyn accidentally learns that the Gummi Bears are real: the young daughter of the king, Princess Calla. She also promises to keep the Gummis' existence a secret. In subsequent seasons the Gummis would befriend or be discovered by other friendly humans.

The main antagonist of both Dunwyn and the Gummis is Duke Sigmund Igthorn, a renegade noble with an army of ogres, from the neighboring province of Drekmore. Unfortunately, in stopping Igthorn's attempt to bombard his enemies with a grand catapult, the Gummi Bears alert him to their presence. Igthorn will stop at nothing to discover and exploit their secrets to become invincible and capture Dunwyn Castle. Chief among his primary goals is gaining a reliable supply of the Gummi Bears' vital strategic substance, Gummiberry Juice, a magic potion that endows Gummi Bears with bouncing abilities, but gifts humans or ogres with momentary super-strength as well as other numerous uses, including serving as fuel for machines.

In addition to combating Igthorn's ambition, the Gummis regularly encounter other evil humans and magical beings ranging from wizards to gods, all the while attempting to hide their existence from the world at large. One of the show's main recurring storylines outside the schemes of Igthorn is the mystery of the ancient Gummis, who are now scattered all across the world, but who have left advanced technology behind them

The first thing that stands out about Gummi Bears is it's look. The character designs are very attractive, rounded and expressive in the classic Disney sense. The animation quality is superb, especially for a tv cartoon in the mid '80's; the characters are sharply defined, the animation clean and fluid, no cel is reused (ala: He-Man or anything from the Filmation assembly-line), and the backgrounds are rich and detailed. Seriously, when watching this series, look at the backgrounds. REALLY look at them. It's remarkable the level of detail put into them.

For all the show's visual appeal, however, it was the mythology of the series that really hit home with me. A lost colony of an ancient, advanced race, scattered and hunted, rediscovering their past and trying to forge a future for themselves. In a kid's cartoon. From the '80's. Think about that for a second. It's a remarkably solid fantasy premise. Every season had a few episodes that touched upon the premise; one, during the very first season, is a gem called Zummi Makes it Hot. In this episode, the water at Gummi Glen has abruptly stopped, and the bears must, of course, fix it. One group elects to check the pipes for leaks, while another, using an ancient map found in their Great Book, goes to check for the source of their water. It's an effecting moment when, upon discovering the vast, sophisticated pumping station high in the mountains, the characters stare about themselves in awe, marvelling that their kind could ever have built such a thing. One character turns to another and says, with genuine heartbreak in her voice, "It's terrible what we've forgotten." Can you think of many other cartoons that would have tried to communicate that notion? That cultural achievements, cultural identity, can be lost, and it's terrible when it happens? Heady stuff, when you're 10. Or when you're 40.

Beyond this, the show's a great deal of fun, written with wit and charm (a whole lot of charm, really, which is sadly missing from a lot of cartoons, then and now) and, I've no doubt, a great deal of love on the part of those involved in it's production. The first three seasons are available on DVD from just about any outlet; the series lasted for, I believe, six seasons, so hopefully Disney will get around to releasing the rest of it, one of these days. Another interesting note: Gummi Bears was actually allowed to have an end. It didn't just abruptly stop when it went off the air, it had a multi-part storyline (King Igthorne, it was called) that resolved the various plot threads from throughout the series. How many times have you seen that happen?

Ultimately, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears is a darned fine 'toon, never anything less than entertaining. Run out and watch it, right now!

How to Train Your Dragon:  A gushing review.

Meet Hiccup, heir of the Viking chiefdom, but a boy with one very big problem: a hero he is not. "How to Train Your Dragon" is the riotous story of Hiccup's quest to hunt down and kill the fiercest and most mysterious of dragons, The Night Fury.  Instead, he ends up befriending the ornery dragon and names him Toothless! Thus begins the hi jinx of the world's most lovable, unlikely hero and a most unique "pet." Packed with energetic animations and plenty of action, this boisterous tale is just right for fantasy fans or anyone with a spirit of adventure.









Did you know this film was based on a childrens' book by Cressida Cowell.  A series of books, I know find myself compelled, nay, driven to obtain.

Let's get down to Brass tax.   I think this is perhaps one of the best films of the year, and certainly rides as my favorite of 2010.

I'll also say that I'm a rabid Pixar fan…  and as such I find myself repeatedly disappointed with most of the animated fair the other studios produce.

Starting in 2001 with Shrek, i found Dreamworks treatments of story and animation to be oafish, yet not without some small charms…  as they continued to release badly animated films, I wrote them off as knock offs whose stories were swept aside for cheap and crude jokes and merchandisable characters.

In 2008, something changed at Dreamworks…  Kung Fu Panda hit screens and suddenly animation and story had equal billing, but the theme was still centered on 10 year old children.  Now in 2010 with How to Train your Dragon, it is clear that at least some part of Dreamworks has decided that cheap jokes and jarring celebrity voice work just aren't cutting it.

While Pixar provides us with stunning animation and heartfelt tales, they seem bent on making the most implausible story lines work…  and so far with the arguable exception of Ratatouille, they have.   Dreamworks it seems has decided to aim dead center on their demographic…  kids.  Kung Fu, Monsters vs Aliens, and now Dragons are the staple of so many young boys dreams…  Kung Fu Panda and How to Train your Dragon have served these fantasies to their audience on a golden tray, all the while keeping adults entertained and engaged.

Surprisingly, How to Train your Dragon is the first big-budget full fantasy animated movie since 1985's tragically ignored The Black Cauldron.  It's not a musical, thank goodness, and isn't over run with childish gags and humor…  the humor is subtle and sophisticated…  and works to great effect with the voice talents of Jay Baruchel (Hiccup)

How to Train Your Dragon is a solid family values motion picture. It teaches two lessons: the importance of family and the greater importance of tolerance. It also wouldn't be far-fetched to read a conservationist message into this. The basic idea is that we humans often destroy what we fear and do not understand - in this case, dragons. They are initially presented as vicious, dangerous marauders, bent solely on destruction. As the film progresses, we learn that is not the case, and it's up to one boy to tentatively bridge a communication gap that's wider than the Grand Canyon. How to Train Your Dragon is suffused with allegory; kids may see it as a straightforward adventure with creatures both cuddly and frightening, but adults will read between the lines. The movie isn't saying anything original, but it's hard to disagree with its thesis.

This film, and it's overtone of Father and son acceptance gets me everytime…  by now Elias will preempt my "I'm proud of you Son!" with a back handed, "I know Dad…  your proud…."   I can't help it and I relish in the emotions when an animated feature can pull them from me.

How to Train Your Dragon follows the familiar formula of the outcast child saving the day and showing the true path to his former detractors. As commonplace as that structure may be, it can exhilarate and entertain when creatively fleshed out, as it is here.

5 Fiery Stars from me (out of 5)

Halloween: Foxes and Fails.

Halloween has come and gone.  Children have eaten their weight in candy pilfered from their neighbors and their parents have used their limited creativity to dress as sluts or cartoon characters from years past, all on, arguably, one of the worlds most interesting holidays.

With due diligence I have scoured the internet to find the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

FAIL:   If your over 10 and still need a ridiculous amount of padding you'll look as bad as this bunch.   And velvet Batwoman? That's just guaranteeing some nerds gonna try to pet you.  I wont even comment on the spiderman...

 

FAIL:  Here is where the ridiculous amount of padding would actually work... instead this guy decided to go for the kidney failure look...  and what's worse?  He's got his shit kickers on.

 

FAIL:   This guy looks more like a garden slug...  which in his defense is exactly what the digitally added Jabba looked like int he extended release of New Hope.  Could you pick a worse star wars costume? At least Jar Jar could be funny.

FAIL:  Spencer and Heidi...  This just makes me want to throw this jack off a beatin even more, but again...  both of them have too much padding....

FAIL:  with this body type...  spandex is just wrong...  besides...  there are better comic characters that would be perfect for this guy...  Blob, Mojo, maybe even Mr. Incredible.

 WIN:  This is one of the best Alien costumes I've ever scene.

FAIL:  Come on dude...  I can see the tape.

FAIL:  And the winner of the cheapest costume ever goes to....   (note:  Repulsor beams are lite blue dumb ass.)

FAIL:  This is so much creepier than it is nostalgic....  I do like how it looks like each of them has been hot in the mouth with a ninja sword.

FAIL:  Uhm hello...  no such thing as a plaid elephant...  tell your mom and dad to lay off the psych-drugs

FAIL!!!!   Why does Captain America have two dicks and a shield the size of a frisbee?

WIN!  This is actually pretty awesome...  and yesm it makes me want to ruin the roof of my mouth with never-ending bowls of Peanutbutter Captain Crunch.

WIN:  When I first saw this I thought...  dang.  How did that guy pull that off..  then I noticed it's a dog, not a pony.  And the hooves are awesome.

FAIL:  Pokemon + trailer park = vomit in my mouth.

WIN.  Holy SHIT!  This is the creepiest thing I may have ever seen...  Stay puff is bad enough, but the misshapen head and the fact he's obviously shit faced makes this a waking nightmare.

WIN:  Ok.  Shield is the right size...  and I don't mind the padding.  Nevermind there is no such character.

Win:  Hulk and She hulk....   even though this is incestuous I kind of like it, velvet hands and all...  It also makes me wonder how she wore the paint off her hands.

Fail:  Hey cheap ass, that kids batman mask is way too small, and the Robin costume only works if your going for Sheldon as Robin, and that would never happen.  Plus shouldn't the taller one be batman?

Fail:  Turtles were lame in 1992...  18 years later makes it just sad.

 

Fail:  Worst Tennage Mutant Ninja Turltes costume ever.

 Win:  Ok, I admit, that at least the first Venom was a dude, but this one is just more classy...  high heels and no straps...  I like to imigine how this costume would fair in a real fight.

Win:  Ah, my favorite thing about Halloween...  hot girls can wear their underoos and you appreciate how much thought they put into their costume.

Another visit back to Saturday morning cartoons...

It had been awhile since I had watched any episodes from my D&D boxed set and I needed a fix this week. I asked my daughter if she wanted to watch some, since she had never seen them, and as most kids she was happy to watch some cartoons.

We decided to start at the beginning with the first episode, "The Night of No Tomorrow". The kids (Hank - Ranger, Presto - Magician, Eric - Cavalier, Bobby - Barbarian, Sheila - Thief, Diana - Acrobat and Uni - Unicorn) are thrown into a new world after jumping on a D&D roller coaster and their lives would change forever.

This one started off with the kids wandering around trying to find a way home (a common theme in episodes to follow), as Dungeon Master appears to give them some clues. Unfortunately there was no backstory at the beginning to describe the world they are in or how they came to meet Uni. He tells them there is a way home but they must watch out for the one with white hair. Of course Dungeon Master quickly disappears shortly after telling them this. Along their journey the find Merlin's castle floating in the sky and climb the ladder to it. They find Merlin who has a pet white bunny. After talking awhile, the five-headed dragon Tiamat (see picture above) bursts through the castle door and attacks them. After trapping the dragon, Presto decides to stay with Merlin to become a great wizard while trying to find a way home. It didn't take long for "Merlin" to reveal his true identity as Venger. The kids missed the clue about the "white hare" Merlin was carrying. Venger tricked Presto into released some ancient dragons which attacked a nearby town. Luckily the kids were nearby; stopped the dragon attack, released Tiamat who chased Venger away.

The second episode in the series was “Eye of the Beholder” and started out much the same way as the first. Dungeon Master appeared and told the kids they could get home but needed to defeat a Beholder. Along their journey they were attacked by a giant scorpion. They hid in a cave while a knight being chased by a dragon happened to run by and distracted the scorpion by his screaming. The scorpion forgot about the kids and started fighting the dragon. The kids proclaimed the knight, Sir John, a hero. After they parted ways the kids were attacked by Giant Snails who stuffed them in bags and carried them off....all except Uni. Uni ran and found Sir John and came back with Uni and by waving a torch in fear at the site of the Giant Snails actually scared them off. Once again the kids praised Sir John's heroic efforts. Eventually the kids and Sir John found the Beholder as the portal to their world opened. Instead of fleeing back to their world, they decided to stay and fight the Beholder with Sir John and defeat it.




It was great to relive these memories from my childhood with my daughter. It took me back to a simpler time, when I would wait all week for Saturday morning cartoons. This reminded me how kids do not realize how limited children’s shows used to be. Today kids can watch cartoons practically anytime they want. I am looking forward to watching more episodes with her.

Watching the cartoon again I remembered some of the actors who did the voices on the show. The two most recognizable are Donnie Most who played “Ralph Malph” on Happy Days; as Eric the Cavalier. Also Willie Aames “Buddy” from Charles in Charles and also was on Eight is Enough; as Hank the Ranger. I decided to research the other people whose voices were on the show and found out some interesting facts.

Adam Rich – as Presto the Magician was the youngest kid on Eight is Enough

Peter Cullen – as Venger also did the voice for Optimus Prime on Transformers

Frank Welker – as Uni, as of September 2010, movies Frank appeared in/did voices had grossed $5.7 billion. (thanks Rob for correcting my over-sight)

Gary Gygax – Executive Producer, as most geeks know is the creator of the D&D game. I had forgotten he was involved with the cartoon.

If you like the cartoon and do not have the boxed set, it is worth buying. It includes all the episodes on 3 DVDs, along with an episode guide and handbook. The handbook describes each character in detail and also includes a playable D&D adventure in which players can assume roles of the cartoon characters….even Uni!

Geek Snacks

With every good geek event or hobby there is almost always a few good snacks to be eaten. Here are a few of mine....what are yours?


Doritos - My fascination with these chips began in high school while playing board and card games with my friends. At that time Nacho Cheese was one of the few flavors and remains my favorite to this day. I am careful eating these while game playing though, as they can leave a lasting cheese imprint on game pieces and cards. 






Cheez-Its: White Cheddar - Coming in a close second to Doritos would be these little snack crackers. The extra white cheddar flavoring makes them far superior to the regular cheddar in my opinion. I enjoy these while playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Red Vines Licorice - These are great snacks for any geek occasion. No mess and fairly portable. If you do not realize it, they can also be used as a straw to add cherry flavor to your favorite pop/soda.








Oreos: Double Stuf - A little messier than the other snacks I've mentioned. I usually eat these when I'm taking a break from the geek action.

Lords of Light!

Thundarr the Barbarian: The Complete Series from the Warner Bros. Archives Collection, available exclusively at http://www.wbshop.com/. From the back cover:

"Man's civilization is cast in ruin when a runaway planet speeds between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn from the ashes with a savage landscape, strange creatures, and a primitive sense of justice. But one man fights to spread peace throughout the land: he is Thundarr the Barbarian..."

Those of you who are cartoon geeks like me remember this series, probably with some fondness; straight-up adventure cartoons are and always have been a rarity, and Thundarr was a great one for the average five-year old proto-geek to discover on Saturday morning (which is what I was in 1980, when it premiered). One of the very few cartoons to feature a post-apocalyptic setting, Thundarr combined elements of science-fiction and fantasy to great effect, and sported character designs by such greats as Alex Toth and Jack Kirby. I've debated just how much of the actual episode content I should review here, and come to the conclusion that such a review is pointless; if you didn't enjoy the series when it first came out, or you aren't currently under 12, I really doubt you'll enjoy this series much. It was made when television cartoons were still considered entirely the province of children and the writing, while imaginative and energetic, keeps that firmly in mind. Still, if you can still see cartoons through the eyes of your inner 9 year old, then you'll love this series.

This collection, as mentioned above, is an exclusive from the Warner Bros. Store, as part of the Warner Bros. Archive line, a line I applaud WB for creating. The idea behind it is to take properties that have a limited customer appeal, that might be only of interest to collectors or, let's face it, geeks like you and me, and release them on a limited basis, exclusively through their online store. The packaging for Thundarr, while well made, is stripped down and utilitarian. The cover art looks like the kind of image you'd find on a bootleg at a comic book convention, and there are no special features at all on any of the four discs. It would have been nice if WB had included the mini-documentary on the creation of Thundarr that they included on their Saturday Morning Cartoons:1980's collection, but again, this is a collection without bells and whistles of any kind. These aren't complaints on my part; if on-line exclusive, no frills productions are what's necessary to get the more obscure stuff on the market then I'm all for it. One bone of contention though; the discs can only be played on a "play-only" device, which is to say they cannot be played on any machine on which they might possibly be copied. I have no issue with WB protecting their material, but they don't inform the consumer about this anywhere on their site. I have no interest in pirating exclusive WB DVDs, but I play most of my geeky cartoons on my computer in my office, so as to spare my wife the horror of my absolute geekiness. A little warning would have been nice.

One other point, and this one not so minor: WB tags Thundarr as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection. Thundarr the Barbarian was produced by Ruby-Spears, not Hanna-Barbera. For those of you who don't know, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears got their start as sound engineers, and later writers, for Hanna-Barbera. Their credits for that company are many, among them the creation and production of Scooby-Doo, Where are You? They started their own production company in the late '70's, giving us such fare as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mr.T and the T-Force, and the first post-Crisis Superman cartoon, as well as many of the animated offerings for ABC's Afterschool Special (which, oddly, aired on Saturday mornings). Given that their names are prominently listed as producers in the credits of every episode in the series, one has to wonder at the error. Credit where credit is due, after all.

In short, if you loved Thundarr the Barbarian, then you're in luck! Hop on the ol' interwebs and pick yourself up a copy. I can't wait to see what other geek-candy the Warner Bros. Archives'll release next. Oh hey, they've just come out with a Pirates of Dark Water collection! Awesome sauce!
Intro video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAobPugvsk





Ryan Here.

I thought I would add to this awesome post from Rob.

For those Thundarr the Barbarian Freaks out there, you may be interested in this.

In 1982, Milton Bradley published;  Thundarr the Barbarian Game (the exact title)
This actually illustrates just how bad the 80's were for American board games.  This stands as one of the most laughable games from the era, due to the fact that it has nothing to do with the theme of the show.   I can't imagine it would be that hard to design a passable game for something with such a beloved license.









And we might as well cast the Thundarr the Barbarian movie;

Thundarr:

Alexander Skarsgarde   •    Scott Speedman  •   Micheal C. Hall

Princess Ariel: 

Natalie Portman   •   Krsiten Kreuk   •   Aishwarya-Rai

Ookla the Mok: 

Anyone really.