Okay, let’s race out the gate with some design goals!

Design Goals

• Hedron’s key concept is the chain, creating the right chain to meet a specific outcome feels like puzzle-solving and solving puzzles is rewarding
• Hedron is a brain-burner, you need to think about what you’re going to do
• Hedron has entropy, the game inevitably heads towards an end game state
• Hedron rewards skill and offers enough depth for repeat players but is still accessible for new players
• Hedron is print and play

Test Results

I’ve got the latest version on the table with new players as 3 player game and with my superstar playtester as a 2 player game, in addition to a lot of solo testing. It went a lot better in the 3 player game, but its hard to say whether that was a general impression of a new concept or an actual appraisal of the refined system (I’m guessing the former). It felt a little diminished in 2 player form. The points system creates a drive to the middle and eliminates much of the blow-for-blow tension of piece elimination. There was also a tendency to just take little hits at one another in the 3 player game. The puzzle of the chain didn’t really grasp the new players. There may also be a 1st player advantage and 3rd player disadvantage but I need more tests to be sure. Continue reading →