Friar's rice.

This week in Game Design, we had to make modifications to a game that goes by the title of Lair's Dice. This is a game that uses a bunch of dice as lives/betting tools (it feels like a weird mix of poker and Yahtzee to me) and whomever has at least one or more dice at the end is the victor. This is accomplished by guessing how many of a certain number is face up on ALL dice - including the ones your opponent is hiding. When a player makes a call, the next call must be higher then the previous one in terms of quantity, e.g. if Player 1 guesses there are two threes face up, then (should the next player wish to disagree with that statement) the next player must make a call of more - something like four fives, for example. All of this will be re-explained below in the rule excerpt from our game.

This time, however, we weren't tasked with creating a new game. As stated above, all we had to do was create one rule that broke what we call the "positive feedback loop." A positive feedback loop is something that the game gives to players who win. For example, when a you successfully win a hand by either bluffing or outwitting your opponent, you make them lose a dice. This is positive feedback for you and the game "loops" itself by playing the next hand. So, I created a rule that disrupts this loop on purpose - something that I don't believe is usually done, but that was the challenge, so that's what I tried to do.

It took me a while to wrap my head around the idea of abusing a player on purpose for doing well in a game, especially one which used card/dice elements (I say cards, cause that's sort of what I think of the dice as... I dunno, the poker thing again). Eventually, I came up with the idea of making the winning player unable to look at their hand on the next turn; essentially hindering someone who may have done a commendable job and breaking that positive feedback loop. To keep it from getting broken, however I included the fact that it could only be used once.

We were also asked how we thought this would affect our game loop before we even played.
The game will most likely be played out the same way, with players neglecting how much the blinding will affect them in the long run. I imagine the best use for this particular rule is when someone is on the verge of losing (e.g. on their last life/die). I say that because that's how I would use the rule - let a player with only one dice left win and then blind them the next turn, making it nearly impossible for them to guess.

When we actually implemented it and tried it out, things went different then expected. Turns out this tool can be a deal breaker, provided the player keeps it until striking someone out. Some people blindly throw it out as a counter to others moves – as well as using it for revenge. 

I'm thankful I didn't have to really create anything this time, with midterms coming up, I needed the chance to catch up on studying. Video games. Cause, y'know, that's what I do.

I am play these.
Above image taken from http://www.trmk.org/forums/showthread.php/25292-Fallout-%281-2-3-and-New-Vegas%29/page5.

Liar's Dice

Above image taken from http://www.everythingevergreen.com/liars-dice.html

In the rules below, you'll also see the rules that my team has included, as well as the rules for regular Liar's Dice.

RULES: 
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The game is made for 2 or more players.  Suggested ages 12+

Each player has a cup and 5 dice (the cup can easily be replaced by using your hands). Players will roll the dice in the cups and hide what they rolled from the other players. The first player will make a guess about how many of a die facing there are. i.e. 3 fours or 2 fives.

The next player will have 3 decisions to make:

LYING: They can call their bluff by saying they are lying meaning there are less of the number that they guessed then there are between the players. i.e. if they say 4 twos and there are 3 or less between all the players then they are lying. If they are wrong and there are more or equal to the number they guessed they lose a die. i.e. if there are 6 twos.

CORRECT: The player can instead decide that the player is spot on meaning if there are exactly the number they guessed then every other player loses a die. i.e. if they said 4 twos and there are exactly 4 twos between all players they are correct. If there are not exactly as many as they guessed then they lose a die instead.

GUESS: The player can make their own guess if they think the player is correct but not exactly correct. When they make their guess their number of faces must be higher than the previous guess. i.e. if the player before them guessed 3 sixes then they must guess 4 or more of any facing such as 4 fives.

After one of the players choose lying or correct then the players reveal their rolls and determine if the player is right or wrong in their accusation. After that is decided the players roll again and the game continues with the next person starting the round off. After all but one player loses all of their dice then the game ends with the person with dice being the winner.

Our rule changes:

Bobby Muir: Players start off with 5 life counters. When a player would normally lose a die they instead lose a life counter.

Divakar Dev: If a player correctly calls a bluff he cannot look at his hand for the next turn.

James Creavalle: If a player improperly calls a bluff, they lose a life point.

Cole Bonvarlez: Each player is given a penny.  At any time when it is their turn, they can choose to trade in their penny to make the leading player show their dice to the rest of the table.

Vincent Marchesano: Once per game, (after a player wins a round) you can make the winning player unable to look at their hand on the upcoming turn. This move can only be done once and is indicated by some form of coin counter (the recommended coin is a dime). After a player uses their dime, the move cannot be used again.

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