Indie Designer's Journal #14 Delving Deep Into UnderQuest!
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- In this episode we take a look at the adventuring mechanics in UnderQuest and discuss balancing your design and not being afraid to make changes.
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Really digging it.
Really looking forward to this one. Already enjoy all your other games I have.
I’m trying to design a small 4X style game and I’ve thought of using your mechanic of resolving the top card or flipping it over and resolving the card underneath it for trading resources with a NPC. So the front of the card would show a portrait drawing of the trader and symbols to show what goods they sell and the back of each card shows the prices at which they trade them. So each time you come across that trader, they sell the same resources but at different prices. I really think that is such a unique mechanic that can be explored in so many ways. And it’s really interesting to find ways to complement the games theme.
That is an amazing idea! I love how it created variability with so few cards. Best of luck!
I love the idea of allowing folks to create content for the game (like the OGL in RPGs).
"I reduced the number of campsites and increased traps; because that seemed like a 'fair' tradeoff" ... Spoken like a true DM.
❤ great job
Thank you very much !
I always find your play testing so interesting. I love the balance of Time spent playing and player choice. Great work
Laughed as hell at Jason's, 'I want people to die... frequently'.
When i see 3 options to choose, i thought that you can choose one of the 3 lines and Next 2-3 cards must be in the same line. Like "Slay the spire", that you see the travel and you continue this line until a new bifurcation. And put diferent things good and bad random betwen all the deck.
One option more, is, if you fail the card, this card flip and in the other face, you have worse options.... In this case you can see all the cards but decide which choose... Because Next round Will flip and Will be harder travels...
Like a palm island but upgrading the travel cards... Can be a idea. :)
I like much more Tin helm, with 2 options. 1 in Iron Helm is much more boring, because you discard bad card if IS the first. I recommend you play the tin helm with my variants in BGG. Is wonderfull.
This looks like a great exploration system! I think this definitely takes the most likeable aspects of Iron Helm and Tin Helm's exploration and sort of combines them. I definitely can't wait to give it a try!
Thanks! I am also hopeful that other designers will create content for this, as it will really be an easy system to create for.
Cant wait to play this game!!
Loving these videos and seeing your process.
My first game I’m finishing up is entirely luck based and you choose to push it and try to lose less hp or play it safe and use items to mitigate bad luck draws. Most my balancing was tweaking the item effects and how many items you get. Game is 5-10 min long so even if you get just a horrible run and use the items badly it’s not a huge time loss and you feel like trying again.
Anyhow trying to keep it simple even though I’ve got 3 other game ideas cooking up.
Sounds like you have the right approach. If your design is luck heavy, then having its duration shorter is essential. There are a surprising number of players out there that actually enjoy games with a lot of luck. They like to see what happens. That certainly can be fun. It also sounds like you give the players the ability to adjust things, or make some choices, and that is key. If it is just draw a card or roll a die players will not feel engaged. Offering them just a few choices and they become invested and that is the largest hurdle. Best of luck with your design!
I’d also love to see an episode where you discuss your approach to the instruction pages/booklet for your game after they are ironed out.
Ironically it’s taking me just as long to simplify and iron out how I explain the rules to the player than it did to design it
Oddly, writing rules is my one soft spot. My grammar is not great and writing instructions is a skill that I am always trying to improve on. I will think on this and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the comments.
I’d love to hear some videos on why you are making similar games with various (small to large) differences compared to your previous games. What motivates you to reuse pieces or stay in the same types of games?
I will be releasing a video on this topic soon! Great idea!
Thanks for the Underquest sneak peek! I am very excited for this game, it looks like it has a lot of moving parts and that it will be a great experience.
Some questions I have:
[1] You always resolve the 3 cards in the same order: is that fixed in the rules? I love the 'gamble' of Desolate/Iron Helm when I am picking a card to reveal first
[2] The letters/numbers references: are those 1-1? So, is always the same enemy in 1, 2, 3... and the same objects in A, B, C... -- or it is a level/tier?
-- If it's the former, it may happen as in Tin Helm, where you may get the same object twice but of course you'd only get it the first time, 'wasting' the loot.
[3] There's 54 random encounters but only 24 cards, so seems unlikely that we'd get to see all 54...
-- I assume the letter is a group/range, and once that's chosen, you roll to see which one you get (maybe it's 9 letters -> roll 1D6, since 6 x 9 = 54)?
Thanks again for your awesome conent, Jason!
(1) I will leave the choice of the first card to the player. The order obviously doesn't matter, it only matters which card you decide to resolve.
(2) Each quest will tell you which enemy is assigned to each number. Treasures are listed as letters and each letter will have you drawing cards at random from decks. There will be three decks. Loot, which will be much like the loot deck in Iron Helm. Trinkets, which will be objects with values and will used for scoring and trade. Ingredients, which you will combine to create potions. So the letters for treasures will not correspond with specific cards like in Tin Helm. (I am also testing this where players roll a d6 and add it to the enemy number. In this way, you don't know exactly which enemy you will face. Higher numbers will equate to tougher foes, so you will have some, but not all, information.)
(3) You are exactly right here. There are 9 letters in the deck A-I. When you resolve a card with a random encounter, you will roll a d6 and read from the random encounters book. You may read entry A4 or G2. There will be a scale built in where some will be better for the player, and other worse. In this way, you do not know the exact entry until you choose to resolve and have to roll.
Thanks for the great questions!
very neat video Jason! like seeing this process content. curious, will this function like a "trick taking" thing/set collecting? or will the treasure etc have mechanical function? the preview art looks amazing. Also, really dig the covering other small indie games vids
The letter assigned to the treasure types will tell the player which types on treasure cards to draw at random. There are three type of treasures. Loot (weapons, armor, other helpful items) Trinkets (objects of value for scoring and trade) and Ingredients (combined to create potions).
I really do enjoy putting a spotlight on other great indie designs and looking at the things about them I like an learn from. We are all learning as we go!
I like this separate book idea. 1 card can be so many things. And homebrewing a book is easier than cards. I am excited about this game. Is it still coming along?
Okay see its back on go. I hope you are doing well. You are an inspiration.
Have you played Mini Rogue? It's not related to this video in particular, you've just mentioned that we should mention games that we like that are small and unique.
I like the idea of cards rather than a booklet for the game.
I am looking forward to under quest. An idea of the likely price and when it will be released?