2. CHIMERA

2021.06.23.

We continued to play around with the rectangular shape and appreciated how it added a layer of complexity to the game if we added connections on any side. Certain pieces might fit or not fit (ie. overlap onto another card) and that created a potential for strategy.

However, would this be fun? There was no rhyme or reason for us to be frankensteining these creatures together, and would this be pleasant to look at at game's end? At this stage, we thought it potentially simply needed a design overhaul. Instead of different animals, perhaps there were other themes (ie. robots, nature, monsters) that would lend better to the idea.

Also, we hadn't come up with a scoring method, nor a real drafting mechanic that would work well. The problem that we saw was that 1-end pieces (ie. snake heads and peacock tails) are extremely valuable in completing a creature. While it would theoretically be possible to complete creatures using a combination of 2-bend (ie. dragon neck) and 3T (ie. shark body) pieces, the proposed drafting mechanic of the game would make it much harder to ensure having the right piece at the right time. This meant that the success of our game would depend on having enough end-pieces to draft, which in some ways are the least interesting piece aesthetically. Our current questions were: 1) How can we incorporate end-pieces/completing animals while incentivizing forming larger animals? 2) What would a successful drafting mechanic look like, 3) How would one score this game?