Author Archives: sidarid2

Game of the Week Reflection: Fiasco Part 2

The second part of Fiasco changes the game completely, and for the better. The design of the game was created with the intent of creating scenarios for the participants to react to and add to their playthrough.  Last week we started our stories as a group and acted out scenes to incorporate into our unique rehearsal.  Instead of repeating that, this week was all about performing the “Tilt”.  The Tilt is when the players use their dice, just like in the beginning, to select new components for the story.  Following that is Act Two, which is the same steps and turns as Act One but you incorporate your twists and new components.  Once that was finished you move on to the last and final step which is the Aftermath.  This is where each player counts their dice to determine if the character they played had a good or bad ending one at a time. 

The hardest part this week was determining how these new twists and alterations would be added to our story.  It was confusing already on how to continue our production with the “script” we’ve followed so far.  Adding more elements that drastically change it made it difficult and not easily coordinated to keep the narrative on the right path without getting overly ridiculous. However, the play session overall went very smoothly.  Since I’m not the only one twisting the story, my group members had pretty creative ways of having fun with it.  That means that friends specifically would be the best people to play this with considering there isn’t usually any filter that allows for more diverse gameplay.  I liked having multiple people being able to alter our playthrough how they wanted because building off their thoughts and ideas is what makes this game enjoyable.  That being said, I wasn’t a huge fan of how the aftermath was designed.  I personally feel the dice count determining the outcome of your character was lazy and rushed.  Honestly, I don’t know how I would fix it nor do I have a better option I just didn’t like that mechanic and felt that they could have improved on it a little bit more. 

Again, overall the session went very well and I enjoyed being taken down the path of our group’s ending and conclusion.  The way this part of the game ties with leadership is about the same way as the first part.  That is, being the leader in controlling the flow of the story and producing ideas for your group members to build off of.  However, this week had a slight tilt, dealing with the tilt itself and how to mitigate your decisions based on what else you needed to incorporate could also be part of it.  Being a leader means expecting the unexpected and solving problems like that without letting the setbacks get in the way of the flow.  Fiasco strengthens this side of being a leader and assists in the overall connection between the game and the players.

Game of the Week Reflection: Fiasco Part 1

Fiasco is an all-around and very imaginative role-playing board game that is, basically, a fiasco.  This was my first experience with a role-playing game and it was actually pretty fun considering it seemed nerdy at times.  Being able to have almost complete freedom in the path you take your story is refreshing especially since most board games are fenced off with incoherent rules.  Each play session was unique and the one I participated in was no different.  I liked the wild west theme I took part in and I enjoyed the enthusiasm of my “teammates” throughout my playthrough.  I love being able to do improv because I suck at it which makes it all the more funnier.  However, I wasn’t a fan of the dice, maybe because we didn’t really use it right but creating your character and the relationships, etc. in the beginning was hectic.  It made it pretty confusing to keep track of who was who and how I know them or how I’m related to them.  

That was pretty much the hardest part besides making sure in the back of your mind that you also had an object and a location and whatever else to guide your story.  My personal values surfaced in how I perceived the environment.  I gave my character courage and sustainability while also being manipulative.  That’s what I like about Fiasco, you can have the freedom to be and do whatever you want and the people around you have to play off of it and keep the story smooth.  I can’t tell you how much fun I had in the creativity department for what I was going to do next and how I was going to screw over my outlaw friend at the gold creek.  

Being that leader and controlling the direction of the simulation is what made me feel powerful.  Everyone was their own leader in a sense because they had the ability to throw everyone else off their game.  They were on the balcony looking over us on the ground being the leader and forcing our hands on what we do next.  Playing with 4 or more people is what is going to make this a blast so bring your friends and family and your creative art majors and see where this role-playing fiasco takes you. 

Game of the Week Reflection: Mysterium

Mysterium is my favorite cooperative game that I’ve played so far in this class.  After messing around with Ultimate Werewolf the first week and Pandemic the next one, there’s something different about mysterium, and the uniqueness is capitalized in the cooperative experience.  Players aren’t forced to communicate which is something I felt when playing Ultimate Werewolf because everyone is trying to help out each other so you yourself can win the game.  The themes and creativeness in the cards engages you to think critically about what the ghost is trying to tell you.  Everyone is playing against the actual board game itself which causes tight-knit discussions and communal problem-solving.  This is something I personally didn’t feel myself in the past few weeks and I’m grateful that I found “my” game.

The most difficult or hardest part of this game for me really boiled down to something as simple as correctly predicting who got their guesses right or wrong.  I enjoyed this one so much that the fundamental rules weren’t hard to follow or difficult to play with.  The way to play this game kept me occupied and immersed in the Mysterium and that’s exactly what I look for in tabletop games as well as videogames.  I enjoy the fact that it relies heavily on the player’s interpretation and imagination to keep things new and fresh.  With the introduction of extensions and add-ons to this board game, I want to experiment with this board game again. 

As I’ve clearly stated, this is my favorite game I’ve played in this class so far because of its cooperative or leadership function.  The ghost is without question the leader of everyone else because they are giving out cards to everyone else and trying to stimulate thought-provoking questions and guesses.  This game ties into that leadership because each player is not only trying to get themself to the end but also needs their teammates to reach the end as well.  This causes leaders to emerge and guide everyone else toward their people, locations, and weapons.  I personally liked the subject and theme of the cards because of the fantasy feel which definitely fits how the game is played in my opinion.  I’m confident that my family and friends would love this game and that it would work well with a full amount of people.  Overall, the class session went well and everyone did their part in assisting other players and doing their best to beat an inanimate object.

Game of the Week Reflection: Pandemic

Since we are still around COVID-19, Pandemic is a fitting game to play for week two. Board games are pretty simple. You have cards, a board, of course, and other tokens and items the developers pack into the box. Pandemic is no different however, there’s some spice and uniqueness to it. I personally don’t play a lot of board games which is kind of why I decided to take part in this class; try something new and maybe find something new that I enjoy doing. After playing Pandemic, already in the second week of class, I feel confident that board games are my new specialty. 

The hardest part about this game was the cooperative part. Many games are like this, board or not. Working with other people in conjunction with the board itself playing against you is a feat within itself. You and the other players are trying to agree on moves, strategize research station placements, and trying not to let an inanimate object win over you. Your team members aren’t thinking the same way you do and you aren’t thinking the same way they are. This is what makes the game entertaining, not the fancy artistry or the unique pieces, at least to me. What makes it interesting is the cooperative nature which is the core gameplay. This makes leadership a struggle because no one can get off the dance floor and look from above to really see the big picture. There are too many moving parts and a lot of agreement and disagreement that comes from the hardcore players.

I really enjoyed this game even though there were some rough patches. I enjoy games where I need to think strategically and I love them even more if I’m immersed in them, granted if I’m playing them solo. I didn’t like how our team’s minds were clashing together making decisions and moves more difficult to come to an agreement to. Maybe this was from other members of my team knowing what to expect cause they’d played it before or maybe it was because it was the rest of our first times. Overall, the game session went well and I would definitely play this one again with family but not friends, I feel that would get even worse.

Game of the Week Reflection: Ultimate Werewolf

Ultimate Werewolf was the perfect way to start Tabletop Games and Leadership. The hardest part of this game was trust. Everyone had their own role and they were all trying to figure out and accuse those who were their enemies. This in turn caused the students to become overly skeptical and defensive, which is how the game now functions. It’s almost every man for himself situation because you can’t trust anyone else except for yourself. Because of this, trust is the main issue when it comes to an individual win.

This game ties into leadership because the followers blindly trust the leader. What I mean by this is once someone deviates from the main group and votes, others will subconsciously vote for that same person because they now start to follow the majority. This may not be a fair psychological way of going about things, but it is the way how people get voted out. My personal opinion on this is that it can turn the tables if there is one confident leader with devoted followers blindly agreeing with confidence at its core. There are also other leadership factors such as the person who got naturally selected to have a certain card. This can dictate the power the person automatically obtains in the game.

Overall, the session went well but was also a little chippy. There are a lot of moving parts with synergies to different characters and situations that it was difficult to grasp the concept on my first go around. There was a lot of risk in not consciously knowing who you picked and whether or not that person was a positive or negative target in the end. It’s hard to escape this however because this game is all about that risk. There is no definite answer to a multitude of things until it’s nearly too late. This, however, is similar to taking leadership. There is no finite answer to if your leadership will take off and you play that risk knowing that, which makes a good leader if you have the confidence and the consciousness to take on that feat. Logical and critically thinking people such as my uncle for example would like this game not only because of its medieval theme but also because of the thought-provoking actions that occur as well. Overall, I personally enjoyed this game and would definitely take part again.