Print and Play Games 

Space Dogfight

       For my game design class we had to choose a few different print and play games to analyze. The first game I chose to analyze and play was called Space Dogfight. This game is a 2 player game where you challenge one another until defeat. The goal is to either annihilate the enemy or be the one with the most points. 

      The game starts off with you being able to make a custom fleet of spaceships. You move around the board with your limited number of move points, that you are given by drawing from a cup. You play on a grid that is eight by ten. On opposite ends of each other is the two starting zones, the red and blue zones. 

      When it comes to choosing your spaceships, you must choose wisely. You are only given 80 points to use, and each ship is worth a different amount and has different abilities. Each ship has a different number of moves, attack, defense, and then how many points it's worth. Also integrated into the game are action counters. There are four different kinds: AP, defense, move asteroid, and a blank one. The players must have five in their hands at all times. You draw these from a cup randomly. The AP counters allow you to defend your ships against attacks. A move asteroid card is placed on the board and moved according to dice rolls. If the asteroid is moved into a space that a ship is in, that ship gets eliminated. The blank counters can be used for any action counter. 

     I found this game to be enjoyable. I liked the concept and simplicity. The construction was simple, all you had to do was cut out the square game pieces. It took maybe 5 minutes to make. I liked the customization you are given to make your own fleet. I also like how you are given a choice on what actions you would like to take. The only thing I dislike is the action counters, I wish they had better designs. Overall I enjoyed the game and would play it again. Here is a link to the game, http://games.mrdo.se/SpaceDogfight.aspx.

Pistard

     The next game I chose to play was called Pistard. This is a 2-6 player game. It is a racing game and whoever gets to the finish first wins. Once everyone picks there riders, they are placed on the board and the game begins. You then go in order of the race, the first rider goes first and so on. When it's your turn you throw all four dice, which are different colors. Then you pick one die that you want use to make your cyclist move. Your movement has to stop on a square that matches the color of your die, or it has to be orthogonally behind someone else. If you can't do so, you don't move. There is no forward or backward movements, and you can't go through a space that is already occupied. There are also energy tokens in the game, everyone starts with three. You can use them at any time to increase the value of one die, but only if it doesn't go above 6. 

     I thought this game had a good idea, it just wasn't executed very well. A race to the end with bikes was a good idea and I like how they made the board. Also the construction was simple. All you had to do was piece together the board and cut out the bike pieces. Then assemble them and make them stand. The aspects of the game just didn't make sense. Why would you not be able to move forward or backwards? The game also dragged on for too long. There was no surprises or fun aspects to look forward to other than finishing. This game wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Here is a link to the game if you are interested, http://www.cyclingboardgames.net/g_pistard.htm.

Goblin Slayer 

     The last game I chose to play was called Goblin Slayer. It is a 2 player fantasy board game that consists of and evil army of goblins who guard the shimmering widget. The other player is a dwarf who is trying to obtain the shimmering widget and escape before being caught. The goblin wins by killing the hero. The hero wins once he captures the shimmering widget and makes his way back to the entrance.

     The hero who is named Stormbeard is able to move 1 or 2 spaces or none. Stormbeard can only attack if he moves one or less spaces. Stormbeard can pick up items from the space he lands on, like the shimmering widget or hero stone. The hero stone allows Stormbeard to move another space. The goblin's can move one space, the ogre can move two spaces. You can obtain the ogre by swapping two of your goblin's. Goblin's can spawn in through the tunnels on the board. Stormbeard has multiple attacks he can use on the goblin's. There are many more small rules involved in the game. 

     I thought that this game was confusing at first, but once I started playing it became much clearer. I do think that the game had too many rules. I really enjoyed the concept and overall goal. It was fun to play and was unique. I loved the print and play version and how it looked once it was assembled. It took quite a bit to construct bit it was well worth it. The 3-D aspect made the game much more enjoyable. The art was great and made you feel more involved in the game. I would definitely play this game many more times. Here is a link to the game, http://www.digital-eel.com/slayer.htm.