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 I'm
a big believer in the iterative process, which I learned about
during my training as a computer programmer.
The idea is to make each version of what you're seeking to create
perfect and complete for what it is, even when it's only a partially
successful version of whatever it will ultimately become. Then,
each time you revise it, you make sure everything you add works
properly, installing the next new feature only after the previous
build is fully debugged.. Eventually, the system you are building
will be complete, with each module or element having been tested
as it was added. In this way, programmers start with a simple
shell that just says "Hello, World!" then add features
and expansions one by one until the software meets all of its
design goals.
So it is with Game
Design, a process I've often compared to Software Development.
Some of my favorite games are those which have taken the longest
to develop. For example, it took John
many years, and numerous in-between versions, to create Homeworlds
(we even published an early version of the game, under the name
IceTraders, as one of the games in the Martian Chess Set, in
1999).
Then of course, there's Texas Hold'em, which obviously evolved
from Poker, and which we
updated again ourselves, so that we could play it with pyramids.
And so I come to the point of this story, which is to say
that I've redesigned Just
Desserts yet again, this latest iteration coming less than
a month after the
previous one. And happy as I was with Version 3. this new
version is even better! It's been years in the making, but the
gameplay for Just Desserts has finally become excellent!
You'll find all the details in the new Version
4 rules, but here's the key breakthrough: an additional icon
is being added to each Guest card. These symbols divide the Guests
up into groupings of 3, with the goal of the game now being simply
to collect a complete trio in front of you. Otherwise it mostly
plays the same as Version
3, except that your Guests are all spread out (like Keepers),
and can no longer be protected from poachers. (Also, we're back
to drawing an extra card as a tip when serving a Favorite.)
This new way of playing has given the game something I've
long been wanting to add but couldn't quite figure out how to
before: An abrupt ending with a clear winner (rather than a grind
to the end followed by a tallying up of points). And I'm really
excited to say that this does the trick! It gives the game that
palpable sense of tension as players close in on victory, and
leaves players who lost (but felt victory was in their grasp)
wanting to play again. Best of all, it now really feels like
an Andy Looney game!
As with Version 3, you'll need to find some permanent markers
and add some symbols to the Guest cards in order to use these
new rules with a Beta edition deck. But it's not very difficult,
and it's totally worth it!
For the easiest way to get playing, you'll need to set one
Guest aside, since the Beta edition features 22 Guests and 22
doesn't divide evenly into 3. (Since it's Agent 17 you'll be
leaving out, you can just say he was sent off on a mission and
couldn't stay for dessert.) However, for the ambitious playtester,
there's a more ambitious option.
The Beta
edition features 81 cards, but the real game is expected
to include 84. I hadn't been sure until now just how I would
make use of those extra cards, but now I know: I want 2 of them
to be extra characters, so that the Guests divide properly into
8 groups of 3. I've also decided to replace Neapolitan Ice Cream
with Candied Yams, and this week I'm putting up images of these
3 new cards for anyone with a Beta deck to download,
print on sticker paper, and turn into playtest cards just like
the ones I'm using myself. (The sheet also includes an updated
Hippie, since without that Neapolitan Ice Cream, she only has
one favorite.)
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 However,
that still leaves one extra card unaccounted for. This final
card is going to be an "It's My Turn!" card. Because
different people may serve a Guest during one player's turn,
it can become confusing keeping track of whose turn it currently
is. The "It's My Turn" card removes this confusion,
and having decided to take it out of Stoner
Fluxx for version 2.0, I really like the idea of including
it here.
Speaking of Just Desserts, sample
artwork keeps rolling in from artists interested in doing
the illustrations for the project, leaving us needing more and
more to decide how we will proceed. We're leaning towards choosing
the ten we like best and asking those artists to each do about
5 more, but nothing's decided yet. But one thing's for sure:
If you're working on a submission, it's time to get it finished
up and sent in. Decision time is approaching!
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