At our first discussion as a group, a few ideas were thrown out. One was our making a pet collection or resource collection game, and the other was a game involving a submarine. Those work well enough together, so we got together to play Root for a taste of the type of game we were trying to create. In Root there is a heterogenous board, players with different win conditions, and a vivid theme. It was the perfect setting for a resource collection game (for at least one character – others have an area control objective, others yet have a set-building objective).
Our group had mixed reactions to Root, and there are certain components of the game that we enjoyed and plan on building on in our game. In the deep sea setting, we hope that sunken treasures will feature more prominently than their counterpart in Root – tradable items which currently play a minor role. We would also like to connect item collection to the spatial layout of the deep sea in a way that feels more satisfying for players. Lastly, we want to add a common enemy to the game – one which tests the preparedness of the players in a way other than direct combat, which would otherwise distract from the resource collection component that we want to center.
UPDATE: as of 2/21 (pre-playtest), we have settled on a resource collection game. On a hexagonal board, players will explore the depths, capture critters for research and unearth treasures to sell once they reach the shore. Submarines can steal one another’s treasures upon contact. We want a central dynamic of this game to be that you need to go back up to the surface once in a while to sell your items and repair your sub – though not inefficiently often. What will need calibrating after our playtest are the costs of various items vs the rewards offered by exploration, the size of the board layout and the pace of upgrading one’s submarine.
