Game Link:http://stonesoupentertainments.com/?q=content/stick-figure-abuse-game
First Mechanic: Space.
This game is a two-dimensional game, with the space being a flat game board with objects placed on top. The"spaces" of the game are individual tiles that line up evenly next to each other, creating a play field that is 5 spaces by 11 spaces for a total of 55 spaces. There is also a start and finish, which is accessible from five spaces at start and at end. The game is discrete, it only allows for certain movement and through a certain field of play. Each space has a pictograph as well as a number, each number corresponding to a specific pictograph. There are five possible pictographs to land on, and they are repeated throughout the game board, pictured below:
The playable space is within the tiles, which the player uses to move through the space of this game.The movement through the space is linear, and players can only move through the center of the spaces.
There are a variety of objects in the game, including game pieces, cards, quarters, a die, pennies, and a nickel. It is an odd assortment of objects, each with their own purpose. To start, there are the pieces for the players, which in the case of this game we borrowed a couple of game pieces from a Mass Effect Risk game. These pawns are the movable object for the player, signifying their space on the game board. These pieces are dynamic. To indicate a turn, a nickel is used in place of the pawn. It is a dynamic piece that changes hands with each new turn. The next object happens to be a selection of pennies. As the player moves through spaces, they have to mark each space with a penny. The penny indicates what space the player has passed through in completing their trail. A later step in the game requires this knowledge. There are quarters, which represent the death of a player on the board. In the even the player does not have a card that a fellow player contests, they die and the place is marked with this quarter. It is an object that blocks a spot on the board and renders the spot unplayable. There is a die, which represents the amount of pennies or spaces a player can take up on the board at time. The last object is the deck of cards. These cards are action for and against the active player in the game. They can save a player being challenged, or offer to halt a players progress if they lack the card. The cards are static in the game.
Operative actions:
Players can take several actions in this game, The largest action being movement. The player can move in a linear fashion around the board. They may move left, right, straightforward, or diagonal, as long as the path they choose is clear. Players may not move backward in any fashion voluntarily.
Resultant actions:
The resulting actions are a little more complex, being that a players movement is captured through the pennies, and these moves can be halted by the challenging of another player. This can hinder a players ability to move, as well as the cards. The resultant answer of the cards played can indicate if a player dies where they are, or if they are allowed to progress further on the board. Also, the resultant action of a death can result in hindering all players playing, as the spot becomes unusable.
This game had incredibly weak rules upon playing it, it left out a lot of information and had a vague feeling. It feels as if it were a much stronger game but it had been copied and pasted, thus the full rules being lost in the process. Playing this game we learned what the missing rules were and recorded them, by the end of the first play-through we had deciphered the vague rules of the game in a way that made it playable as well as fun. The goal of the game is to reach the finish first, from the "start here" to the "end here" spot on the board. It explains what the objects are and how they are supposed to work, but that is where the rules tend to end. It is an open source game: it provided enough information to get started, with a majority of the rules being determined as the players got a feel for how the game played. The behaviors of the pieces became evident as the game began, and the rules themselves would begin to appear in detail as one would begin making actions on the board. For instance, there was no mention of how many spaces a player could move, but we determined it was through the die roll. If one rolled a five, you could move a possible five spaces and mark them down with the penny. Also, there was no distinct rule about deaths and where to place them. We had determined that the death occurred at the first available card that could not be contested. It was a major headache for a game that felt cut and dry once we read over the basic information for it. It felt as if it were a game of Russian Backgammon, the players determined the rules and constrains of the game once they had started it.
Mechanic 5: Skill
This game does not require a great amount of skill, more so a great amount of luck. The physical skill required for this game is minimal, with only needing the player to be able to roll dice, select cards, and move a piece around the board. The mental skill required is more, as player can lay down a path that works best for continuing to the end, but this is up to chance as well. Also, it requires some willpower to learn and determine what the vague rules of the game mean and to determine what constitutes as a good rule to follow and what needs a small revilement. Social skills are important, it is an important part of the game to socialize with other players, as this calls out actions for the cards and which spaces are being challenged.
Chance is the basis of this game. In order to determine who goes first, the player with the worst scar (I kid you not, its in the official rules) or a dice roll determine whom goes first. The order of moving is also a game of chance, as the roll of the die determines how many spaces can be placed down at any given time. The cards of the game are recycled and re-distributed every turn, so the chances of moving as well as hindering movement are completely determined by the new assortment of cards picked up. If you happen to have terrible luck in this game, you will suffer a lot due to the amount chance factors into every aspect of the game.
Conclusion: This is a fun and quick play that anyone over the age of 11 could pick up, figure out, and enjoy for some good laughs. We had a wonderful time playing the game once we determined what the rules mean and this game gets the recommendation to play and enjoy as a hurricane passes by.
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