Espionage: The Card Game [Prototype G]

This game has been long in-development and kept offline longer than usual, but I think it's finally ready for public playtesting. It's best described as a Gamer's version of Liars' Dice, but with cards instead of dice. It lifts the hot potato elements from Kakerlakenpoker and mashes them all up with a spy theme.

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THE THEME
You are a spy tracker. Employed by your secretive organization, it’s your job to monitor the espionage activity across the world. Keep your sources active, as they’re your best tool for deducing which global actors are in play.


THE GOAL
This is a game of bluffing and deduction. Be the first player to score three points or to be the last player with active Sources.


GAME COMPONENTS
Each card in the game depicts a spy who is either a Face, Hacker, or Muscle; working for either Agency, Bureau, or Command; in either New York City, London, or Moscow. There are nine of each attribute throughout the deck.

Each spy is a unique combination of one role, faction and city, for a total of 27 unique spies. The deck also includes  five Mercenaries and four Traitors.

There are also several Source tokens, but these are not mixed into the general deck.

SETUP THE GAME
Each player gets a set of Source tokens. Each Source token is double-sided, showing that they’re either ACTIVE or UNDERGROUND. Everyone’s Sources begin with the ACTIVE side up.

2 Players: Six Sources per player.
3 Players: Four Sources per player.
4 Players: Three Sources per player.


SETUP EACH ROUND
Shuffle the cards into a single deck and deal each player a full hand of cards face-down. The number of cards you can keep in your hand is determined by the number of your active sources. If you have five active sources, your hand limit is five cards.

The most honest player makes the first bid of the game. Thereafter whoever lost the last round makes the first bid. If the loser was eliminated the last round, the winner of the bid makes the first bid. Bidding is explained below.


PLAYING YOUR TURN
On your turn, you may BID, RAISE, CALL or SPOT.

Then choose another player to take the next turn. Turns do not proceed clockwise. You choose who goes next.


BID
Out loud, guess the minimum number of a role, faction or city you think is in all players’ hands. You may not bid a lower number than has been previously stated, but you may bid the same number while changing the role, faction or city.

For example, if the current bid is “At least five spies are hackers,” you could bid “At least five spies are working for Agency,” or “At least five spies are in Moscow.”


RAISE
You may increase the number currently being bid. You may also change the role, faction or city being bid.

For example, if the current bid was “At least five spies are in Moscow,” you could raise “At least SIX spies are in Moscow,” or “At least SIX spies are HACKERS!”


CALL
If you believe the current bid is incorrect (in other words, that there are fewer than stated number of roles, factions or cities)  you may say “CALL,” at which point all players reveal their entire hands.

Count how many of that role, faction or city are out there. Any Mercenary cards add to this number. Any Traitor cards subtract from this number.

• If the bid is correct (there are at least that many role, faction or city): One of the Caller’s Sources goes underground.
• If the bid was incorrect: (there are fewer than that many role, faction or city): One of the bidder’s Sources goes underground.

This ends the round. Whoever lost this bid makes the first bid in the next round. If that player was eliminated, then the winner makes the first bid next round.


SPOT
If you believe the current bid is exactly correct, you may say “SPOT,” at which point all players reveal their entire hands.

Count how many of that role, faction or city are out there. Any Mercenary cards add to this number. Any Traitor cards subtract from this number.

• If the Spotter is correct (there are exactly that many role, faction or city): One of the bidder’s Sources goes underground and the Spotter gains 1 point.
• If the Spotter was incorrect: (there are fewer or more than that many role, faction or city): One of the Spotter’s Sources goes underground and the bidder gains 1 point.

This ends the round. Whoever lost this bid makes the first bid in the next round. If that player was eliminated, then the winner makes the first bid next round.


EXAMPLE OF COUNTING AFTER A CALL OR SPOT

ENDGAME AND VICTORY
The player who reaches 3 points or is the last player with active Sources wins!

Advice for the Playtest Hangover

This morning I woke up with a pretty killer playtest hangover. It's that mixed feeling of excitement, self-doubt, enthusiasm and despair after a playtest with less than steller results. In this particular case, I playtested Monsoon Market [Prototype B] and Espionage [Prototype E].

Monsoon Market went pretty well, with positive response from the small sample size and only some minor streamlining changes to the core gameplay.  I'm eager to test this again with different groups to get a more well-rounded sense of direction.

Espionage remains a cypher, as microgames tend to be. A good microgame is a sharp, multifaceted jewel. Alas, Espionage is still a rough lump of ore. Tactics were unclear, overall goals were muddled, and I was perhaps too eager about making it a six player game.  Playtests offered a lot of ideas though, which is very helpful. Once I've had a chance to polish off the rough spots again, I think I'll go public with Prototype F.

Games Need Sun to Grow

The key thing to remember about being a game designer is that your craft requires public input, and it's better done sooner than later. If your game is broken and you know it's broken, that is all the more reason to take it out of the lab. Don't hide it away. Explore the emergent behaviors. What tactics do people try? What wording is misunderstood?

The Genius Myth Doesn't Help

It is tough. You're asking generous strangers to offer their time on what amounts to work, when they came expecting play. On top of all that, you could come away with really negative feedback. You're often making a first impression with your ugliest babies. I still find myself buying into the idea of a mystical genius releasing a perfectly realized game fully formed, which I'm sure sometimes happens, but that ain't how I work and I bet it's not how you work either.

Step Back, Come Back

"What if my baby is uglier than most? That playtest feedback was so negative! I'm a fraud! I'm never going to make it!" Okay, that stuff? I know how that feels, believe me. It can be overwhelming at times, crippling even. You gotta deal with it as best you can. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I do it by stepping away completely, but temporarily. Take a walk, go see a movie, or hang out with some non-gaming friends. The important thing is to get back to work not too long after. Stepping back is easy, coming back is the hard part.

Kevin Kulp once called game design and the business surrounding the game industry "worthy work." I still believe that to be the case. It is worthy, but it is also work. So I gotta get back to it!