"After a time, more bombs
just make the rubble bounce."
--Winston S. Churchill
RublBounce is designed to demonstate the need for tradeoffs in resource management--and that negotiation and diplomacy can make even trivial games somewhat engaging.
Divide the attendees into groups of 6 or so. Present them with the rules for RublBounce. Each should appoint one player as gamemaster. Let them play.
Rules of RublBounce:
1. Each player has a population of 20, 10 missiles, and 3 factories.
2. Each turn, each player must write orders on a piece of paper (form below, or you can use scrap paper) and give them to the gamemaster. When all players have done so, the gamemaster resolves the turn, and returns the scrap paper to the players.
3. Each turn, each factor produces 1 missile.
4. The only orders a player can make is an order to launch missiles. He is never obligated to do so.
5. To order a missile launch, a player indicates the number of missiles launched, and the target (another player's country name). A player may launch missiles at more than one target in a turn, but may not launch more missiles than he possesses
6. When a missile launch occurs, the gamemaster reduces the population of the target country by the number of missiles launched at it, and the launching player's missile total by the same number. Any country reduced to or below zero population is eliminated from the game. Missiles launched by the target country on the same turn still have effect; any unlaunched missiles (and factories) are destroyed.
7. Players are free to talk with each other, and take each other aside for private negotiations. However, all orders must be in within 5 minutes of the end of the last turn--any player who has not turned in orders automatically produces missiles, and orders no launches. Players are encouraged to turn in their moves more rapidly, however.
8. All information--populations, missile stockpiles, country names, etc--is public at all times.
9. The game is over when a) only one player remains; he is the winner; or b) when no players remain, in which case no one wins.
Solicit general impressions and observations from attendees. Hopefully, the following points will come up in discussion. If not, bring them up yourself.
Since the exercise will involve strengthening resource management, tension, and diplomatic elements (competition and cooperation), define these elements, and provide some brief examples of how each might be strengthened:
Resource Management: No choices except on launch; how about allowing players to use factories to build more factories (three factories builds one), giving them a strategic choice between a slow build or a quick war.
Tension: Perhaps making information about the other countries secret would make for a tenser game.
Diplomacy: Perhaps it would be desirable to allow formal alliances, and allies to win jointly (or perhaps not).
Attendees work in the same groups to complete the exercise.
They must end with a rules set for an expansion or evolution of RublBounce that they feel is a better game.
Their aesthetic goal should be to create a game that encourages planning and provides strategic options for players, above and beyond simply choice of target; that sustains and encourages diplomacy--continued discussion and involvement in talks among all players; and that is tense despite the relatively slow (by videogame standards) gameplay imposed by the update-every-few-minutes model.
Suggest that each group might want to introduce no more than two additional major features, with rules to handle the implications and interactions with other systems.
Ask individual groups to describe their versions of RublBounce. Ask each to say:
Then discuss, in a roundtable format, the various proposed alternatives, which seem most appealing and why, what other options might be interesting--and by extention, how resource management options and interactions, and diplomatic player interactions, can fruitfully strengthen digital (particularly online) games as well.
Turn
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Pop
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Fac
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Msls
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Launch
Orders
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0
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20
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3
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10
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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