This project explores autotelic systems and tools, through the lens of game design. The process of developing a board game concept raises many questions. What makes a board game successful? What does it mean to have fun? How can group play be effectively configured? What is the right balance between simplicity and complexity? Or acquired and new knowledge?
Guess What? elaborates a strong deduction narrative that immerses players into a game of perception and investigation.
Each player is given 5 symbol cards, which can have 6 different colors & 5 different number of elements, and is asked to create a secret order. He then places them face on the table.
The ultimate goal is to guess another player’s card combination (symbol cards) before the others do.
At their turn, players pick an action card from the deck. Action cards provide advantages or disadvantages — having to reveal the color of a symbol card to another player, skipping their turn, or having the ability to lie during the next round.
Each round, players ask a question to another player seeking to discover what their secret card combination is. Observation and deduction are key, as answers from each player will be valuable to infer tips, while tone and familiar gestures might give away players who are lying.
Individual project done in the context of Prof. M. Newcomb’s Technology I studio, Pratt Institute, Fall 2015.