In the beginning there was an idea
Before I can start a new game I need inspiration. Either a unique take on a game mechanic or some theme I think could make a fun game or a story idea that could be used as a backdrop for a game.
This week on a game design group I’m a part of on Facebook. The question was poised “what would a historically accurate game about Ninjas look like?” Now I love Japanese culture but I know I’m not a historian by any means. But one comment gave me the spark of an idea “since ninjas aren’t real it would just be a farming game.” I’m not going to go too deep into whether Ninjas are historically “real” or not. It did remind me of something I heard years ago. That Ninjas often hid in plain peasant clothes and killed using common tools instead of weapons. As I understood it they were samurai just in hiding instead of having their weapon on show.
The game idea was simple, a worker placement game where one of your workers was a ninja that would kill another player's worker at the end of the round.
I like the idea but where do I start?
I start with a design document. This document is broken into 3-4 sections to start out with.
How is the game played?
How does it end?
How does a player win?
A list of components.
Each section will help me to identify details about the game. Remember, this is a ‘living’ document, meaning it changes as you design the game. As I list out components I may need to change the ‘how is it played’.
So let's start with how its played:
The players are given 8 workers. 7 workers, 1 ninja. On the player’s turn they will play one worker to a location in or around the castle. At the end of the round players reveal their workers at each location. If a ninja is present with another player's worker, that worker is killed at the end of the round. Resolve each location's action and then end the round.
Let’s take a look at how the game ends:
Once a player has no more workers the game ends.
Let's look at how does a player win:
Having the most honor.
Let’s start a list of components:
Each player needs 7 workers and 1 ninja.
Food
Wood
Yen/Money
Honor tracker
A castle board with locations; (the list of locations are arbitrary at the moment)
Gardens-gain honor
Fields-gain food
Forest-gain wood
Builders Camp-spend wood to build up the castle and gain yen & honor
Market-buy/sell goods for Yen
Court-pay yen to the Daimyo for honor
Not a bad first start but I noticed something right away. In order for players to place workers on the same spot they need a reason to do so. So let's give them some incentive…
What if each worker was numbered 1-7 and the player with the highest number at a location gets a bigger action? So let's look at each location to see what it’s going to do.
Gardens - 1st=Gain 1 honor and 2 yen; 2rd=Gain 1 honor and 1 yen; 3rd&4th=Gain 1 honor.
Fields - 1st=Gain 3 food; 2nd=Gain 1 food; all players Gain 2 food per worker.
The Forest - 1st=gain 3 wood; 2nd=gain 2 wood; 3rd=gain 1 wood.
Builders Camp - if your worker is <5, pay 2 wood and gain 4 yen and gain 1 honor.
Market - 1st=sell up to 2 goods for 3 yen each; 2rd=sell up to 2 goods for 2 yen 1each; 3rd=sell up to 2 goods for 1 yen each. OR any player with a worker here may buy 1 food for 1 yen X times. X=workers’s level.
Court - 1st=may pay 3 yen to gain 9 Honor OR 1st & 2rd=may pay 2 yen to gain 6 honor OR 1st, 2rd, & 3rd=may pay 1 yen to gain 3 honor; all players may pay 1 yen for 1 honor X times. X=worker’s level.
I have a couple ways to gain food so let’s make that matter and change the ‘how it’s played’ by building a turn order. We need something to make sure we know who’s first order, the ‘Daimyo Favor’.
Turn order
Beginning with the player who has the Daimyo’s Favor, each player takes a turn placing 1 worker to a castle spot. (a player may place more than one worker on a location but must do so one at a time)
Once all workers have been placed, players reveal their workers in each location in order to resolve that location’s action.
Each ninja who can must kill the lowest worker of another player in that location.
All players return their workers to their supply, and pay 1 food for each worker returned. If a player cannot pay the required amount of food they must lose 1 honor for each unpaid food.
Lastly pass the Daimyo’s Favor to the player on the left.
Okay, so far I’m really happy with what I have. The game should work as is. Less than an hour’s worth of work and I’m ready to go to a first prototype… but I feel there is something missing. Where are the samurai? And the swords? What happens when 2 ninjas meet at the same location? And shouldn’t there be some kind quest for the players to take? Also, how do we resolve locations?
So let's add these things.
First a samurai; the level 1 worker could be a samurai who would block ninjas from killing at a location.
Second swords; let’s add a mine to the locations for the player to get ore. And add a location called the forge when tools could be made to gain yen and honor. And quest cards could make swords for your samurai.
Third, let's add a few quest cards to add some story to the game.
Fourth, let's work out what happens with the samurai and ninjas when they are in the same location… This could be a fun battle moment in the game… but we have to think about the game ending of “Once a player has no more workers the game ends.” so we can’t have the ninja be eliminated. It's best if we just come up with a hierarchy for play.
Samurai workers block the Ninja and have a level of 1 and beats ties (if 2 samurai are at the same location then the player with the most Honor beats ties). Your ninja will kill one player's worker that is at the same location at the end of the round, if 2 or more Ninja’s are at the same spot OR another player's Samurai is at the same spot, no ninja may kill a worker at that spot this round.
Last let’s give each location a number so we know what order to resolve them in;
1 - Gardens; 2 - Fields; 3 -The Forest; 4 - Builders Camp; 5 - The Mines; 6 - The Forge; 7 - Market; 8 - Quests; 9 - Court ; 10 - Training Grounds
‘Hey what!’ You may cry “Where did the ‘Training Grounds’ come from?!
Well I thought it might be good to have a way to gain ‘+1’ tokens. These would work as one time use boost. Remember this is a living document that can change at any moment as I come up with new ideas.
One more thing I need to do is come up with some quests. To start out with 18 should do…
So now my design document looks like this… (I’ve fill in some of the blanks as I went along)
Daimyo-geden - the ninja game (dumb name is a filler)
Each player has 8 workers. 6 workers numbered; 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6 ,7. one samurai and one ninja. Samurai workers block the Ninja and have a level of 1 and beats ties (if 2 samurai are at the same location then the player with the most Honor beats ties). Ninja workers have black marks on the bottom. Your ninja will kill one players none Samurai none ninja worker that is at the same location at the end of the round, if 2 or more Ninja’s are at the same spot OR another players Samurai is at the same spot, no ninja may kill a worker at that spot this round. The ninja aways kills the lowest piece of another player. The board is the Daimyo castle with spots to play your workers. The worker with the highest number resolves that space at the end of each round. Game ends at the end of a round, a player has only one worker (their Ninja worker) and their Samurai.
Turn order
Beginning with the player who has the Daimyo’s Favor, each player takes a turn placing 1 worker to a castle spot. (a player may place more than one worker on a location but must do so one at a time)
Once all workers have been placed, players reveal their workers in each location in order to resolve that location’s action.
Each ninja who can must kill the lowest worker of another player in that location.
All players return their workers to their supply, discarding any "+1 tokens" on the castle, and pay 1 food for each worker returned. If a player cannot pay the required amount of food they must lose 1 honor for each unpaid food.
Lastly pass the Daimyo’s Favor to the player on the left.
10 - Training grounds - gain a +1 Level token.
1 - Gardens - Gain 1 honor and 2 yen; Gain 1 honor and 1 yen; Gain 1 honor, Gain 1 honor.
2 - Fields - Gain 3 food; Gain 1 food; all players Gain 2 food per worker.
7 - Market - sell up to 2 goods for 3 yen each; sell up to 2 goods for 2 yen 1each; sell up to 2 goods for 1 yen each. OR any player with a worker here may buy 1 food for 1 yen X times. X=worker’s level.
8 - Quest shop - all players with a worker may pay 4 yen to take a face up quest card.
3 -The Forest - gain 3 wood; gain 2 wood; gain 1 wood.
5 - The Mines - gain 2 metal; gain 1 metal.
6 - The Forge - if your worker is > 5, pay 2 metal and gain 5 yen and gain 2 honor.
4 - Builders Camp - if your worker is <5, pay 2 wood and gain 4 yen and gain 1 honor.
9 - The castle - first player may pay 3 yen to gain 9 Honor OR first and second player’s may pay 2 yen to gain 6 honor OR first second and third player’s pay 1 yen to gain 3 honor; all players may pay 1 yen for 1 honor X times. X=worker’s level.
Quests 18 cards
The Gardner - Be first at the gardens twice - gain 7 honor
Forge a sword - Have a level >4 at the forge with your Samurai - gain a +1 level token. This token may only be used with you Samurai and does not go away at the end of the round.
The captain of the guard - each time you are first at the training grounds gain 1 honor.
The hero - block a ninja from killing with you Samurai - gain 7 honor
Wedding - place a worker here face down. That worker is considered removed from the game. - gain 7 honor
The Addition - lose 9 wood - gain 7 honor
Stock the armory - lose 6 metal - gain 7 honor
The fisherman - have 14 food - gain 7 honor
Salt of the earth - gain >10 food from The Fields in one round - gain 7 honor
Feast for the Daimyo - give each other player 3 food - Gain 4 Honor per player
Food the poor - you may place a worker here, pay 1 food for 1 honor X times. X=workers level
The warrior's path - place your Samurai or Ninja here (if placing you ninja place it face up) at the end of the next round return your Samurai or Ninja to your supply - gain 7 honor.
Foiled plot - if you stopped a ninja from killing with you Samurai - gain 7 honor
Power of the righteous - use 2 “+1 Level” tokens in spot with only your Samurai - gain 7 honor + gain 7 Honor if you stopped a Ninja this round.
Glory to the powerful - you may place any worker here - if you placed your Samurai, Ninja or level 7 worker here gain a “+1 level” token
The guard keeper - Gain 1 Honor for each spot you win each round.
shinto priests blessing - Gain 2 honor for each spot you did not come in first or second.
Daimyo’s favorite - Whenever you gain honor gain +1 honor.
Next week some playtesting!!!