Prologue Game

This is a post about the design and development of a currently unnamed Shipwreck Game. You can see the other Blog posts at the Index for the Game.

Campaign Structure

The last post by The rwinder, which I responded to Here, helped clarify the structure I should have as a Legacy, Make as You Play game. I had been focusing on the openness of the Make as You Play game, and having all aspects ready to go from the start, with the choices of the Player being the only thing that steered the game going forward. But a Legacy Campaign starts with a first game that has a simple Objective, giving the players a chance to learn the mechanics used, while working towards a goal.

The first game of Charterstone, expressly encourages the core mechanics of constructing Buildings and opening Crates. Pandemic Legacy Season 1 and Gloomhaven both begin with a simple Scenario to ease you into the game, and Seafall starts with a Prologue. And a Prologue is exactly what I need.

In the Beginning

You slowly regain consciousness. Hearing seems to be the first sense to awaken, as you become aware of the sounds of waves breaking onto the shore. Then touch, as you feel the sand underneath your hands & face, and the weight of sodden clothes clinging to your aching body. Smell and taste return, to a mouth caked by sea salt, and the atmosphere of the beach reaching your nostrils. Finally, you open your eyes, red and stinging, to reveal the blindingly bright sand, reflecting the heat and light of the Summer sun.

You look around the shoreline, unsure of what circumstances deposited you here. Not really being able to remember very much at all. Except your name. You’re sure of that, at least.

Please write your characters name in the space on the Map Overview.

The above is the first draft of the opening story of the game. It’s a bit long and clunky, but it gives you the idea, and it shows the important part, which is the first piece of player creation; the naming of their character. The next part of the story will have the player look at his surrounds, and introduce the card draw mechanic used in the creation of Terrain. Once we have established what the player can see, we will give them theirĀ first Objectives. Thirst. Hunger. And a desire to get out of the sun. The basics for survival.

Water, Food & Shelter

Before any Legacy Campaign might be started, a castaway needs to sort out the 3 essentials of life. Finding shelter, and a source of food & water, seem like the ideal Goals for the Prologue of a Shipwreck game. A good way to ease in to the mechanics of the MaYP deck, and map creation. From the beach where they washed ashore, they can move into the surrounding Terrain, and start looking for these things. This will give them a chance to learn the mechanics of drawing cards for the Characterisation of the Terrain, and exploring for Items, and learning Skills, which are the card creation mechanic.

Randomisation of Setups and Payoffs

Water, food & shelter, and the Items and Skills to be acquired that will aid in this completing goal, will still be randomised during the Prologue. Some useful flotsam & jetsam might be washed up on the beach, like a Jar that will help as a mobile source of water, or some netting, that will help catch fish. A natural cave might might be found during exploration of the island, or a thicket of trees might offer protection when the weather turns bad. But these things will be randomised, and the original discoveries will shape the story as it unfolds. The way to implement this, is to change the look up tables, when something is discovered, to make sure it pays off in later in the story. There’s a bit to unpack regarding exactly how the altering of tables will work, but that is the topic of another post.

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  1. Pingback: Index page for Unnamed Shipwreck game

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