GAN YI KIAN / 0374572
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Games Studies
Final Project / Tabletop game & E-portfolio
INSTRUCTIONS
Project 1 / Propose
Week 1 - Onboarding
On the first day, we divided the tasks into groups. Ms. Anis also introduced us to the details of this course and the assignments we need to complete later. At the beginning, there were only three people, but then three more people joined our group. We opened a WhatsApp group to discuss the assignments.
Week 2 - Initial game design ideas
Our group had no idea, so I listened to Ms. Anis's recommendation of a board game and searched for "Catan" online. I found the web version of the game, so my group members and I played the game in class.https://colonist.io/
At first, none of us had played this game before, but because the graphics and animations of the web version of the game were simplified, we quickly got the hang of it and played until the end of the class.
After playing the game, we had a preliminary idea. We referred to the mechanism of the catan game and the initial idea was to use the game settings to change the glucose production process. But later we felt that these professional terms were a bit difficult for ordinary people to understand, so we simplified this initial idea.
Week 3 GO OUT AND PLAY
Ms. Anis allowed us to go to the board game cafe during class time to play various board games together and explore various games. We were required to take notes and record the game process to help us develop our own game framework.
But when the day came, I was unfortunately absent, and the other team members did not go to the board game cafe at that time, thus wasting this rare opportunity.
On 20/5/2025, we chose to go to Board ‘N’ Chillz in SS15 to play board games. However, only 4 of our 6 people showed up. At first, we chose the board games we wanted to play. So we chose three board games: War of the Three Kingdoms, Splendor and Las Vegas.
Three Kingdoms
First we played the game Three Kingdoms, which comes from China. I have played the physical version and the online version before. This game is turn-based and has two modes of play: one is individual battle and the other is identity battle.
"Three Kingdoms Kill" is based on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and the real history of the Three Kingdoms. Players play the roles of famous generals, strategists, etc. of the Three Kingdoms period, and fight by using cards such as "Kill", "Flash", and "Peach" to achieve their respective victory conditions.
There are four professions in the identity war: lord, loyal minister, rebel, and traitor, and the winning conditions for each profession are different.
Lord: Identity is public, goal is to eliminate all rebels and traitors.
Loyal minister: Assist the Lord, goal is to protect the Lord and eliminate rebels and traitors.
Rebel: goal is to overthrow the Lord, the Lord's death means the rebels win.
Traitor: goal is to be the last survivor, first eliminate the rebels and loyal ministers, and then deal with the Lord.
Game Cards
Basic cards: such as "Kill" (attack others), "Dodge" (avoid attacks), "Peach" (restore physical strength)
Trick cards: such as "Invulnerable", "Duel", "Cross the River and Demolish the Bridge", etc., with various effects
Equipment cards: including weapons, armor and horses, to enhance the character's abilities
Military commander system
Each player chooses a historical general, such as Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao, etc. Different generals have their own skills, for example:
Zhuge Liang: Empty City (cannot be the target of "kill" when the hand is empty)
Lv Bu: Unparalleled (the opponent needs to play two "kill" cards in the duel)
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We played two games in total, the first game was a personal game, and the second game was an identity game. I think I was lucky and got pretty good cards.We played two rounds in total, the first round was a personal battle, and the second round was an identity battle. I think I was lucky and got pretty good cards. For me, I think this game is fun to play, and it tests the player's psychological warfare, card strategy, identity reasoning, and teamwork. Players can also use this game to get to know historical figures.
Splendor
The second game we played was Splendor, which is simply a gem management game that limits the number of gems players can take in exchange for cards each round, and the first person to reach 15 points wins.
Game components
- Gem chips: There are 6 types (red, blue, green, black, white, and gold), the first five are common gems, and the sixth is a wildcard (gold).
- Development Cards: Divided into three layers (Level 1, 2, 3), representing buildings or mines of different values and costs.
- Noble Cards: Several cards are displayed at the beginning of the game. Players who meet the requirements can attract nobles to get extra points.
The entire game mechanism is very simple, and we new players can quickly get started. I personally think that the overall gameplay of the game will be very easy, and the process is just players repeatedly picking up and putting
Group photo
To sum up this game, unlike other previous assignments, our instruction was to "play". So while we were playing, we also observed the mechanisms, gameplay, etc. of other board games.
Week 4 Finalizing your boardgame ideas
I think this day was the most difficult day in my college life. Originally, Dr. Luqman and Dr. Adeline were going to experience our game and give feedback. But our team didn’t prepare any initial props and components. Ms. Anis got angry and scolded us. I felt very ashamed at that time. I had never seen Ms. Anis so angry before. In the end, Dr. Luqman and Dr. Adeline didn’t experience our game. Ms. Anis asked us to record the game introduction and send it to her. We stayed in school until 9 pm that day just to perfect the whole game.
I admit that I did not take this module seriously at the beginning, and I believe my team members also had the same idea and were not active. But after being scolded, I came to my senses and wanted to complete the homework of this module seriously, and supervise my team members to take the homework seriously as I did. I don't want to make this mistake again.
We finally decided to use Catan as a prototype and add other scientific knowledge elements to the game. We also learned negotiation skills and thinking methods from the game. We have a total of six resource cards: steel, fat, food, oxygen, workers and enzymes, and designed a mechanism to add chance cards to make the game more challenging and interesting.
Week 5 Game Pitch
PresentationFinal idea
Houses → Represent stable energy flow
Needs: Food (Glucose), Oxygen, Fat, Worker (Cells)
Like cells using glucose + oxygen to make energy (ATP) + fat to ensure enough energy
Roads → Represent transport routes
Needs: Steel (Fe), Enzyme
Steel = strong structure for movement (like blood vessels & oxygen carriers)
Enzyme = regulation of flow, enabling smooth metabolic "traffic"
Villas → Represent well-coordinated system
Needs: All 6 resources
Requiring all 6 resources to build a Villa symbolizes it isn’t simple to build a well-coordinated system
Final Compilation
Proposal
Final
Weekly Progress
REFLECTION
Experience
After studying this module, I was forced to take on the responsibility of a team leader. Although it was not my own choice, I still learned how to be a qualified team leader. Ms. Anis often communicated with us in a dynamic manner, which made me feel less stressed in this module. I learned how to assign tasks to team members, and my ability to introduce our game to others has also improved a lot.
Observations
Observations
I observed that other groups were also quite imaginative and creative, and their games were very interesting. I don't know how they did it. We all put a lot of thought into the mechanics to balance the game. Whenever there was a bug in the game, we had to find a way to improve it. This is what I think is challenging about this subject.
Findings
Findings
I found that these board games all have different mechanisms, and our task in this module is to study how these mechanisms can attract people to keep playing and maintain balance. While exploring the game, we should also enjoy it. I believe this is also what the purpose of this module hopes we can do, not just talk about it on paper, but to experience the fun brought by these games in person.
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