Genotype | Rahdo's Final Thoughts
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Help Rahdo Run: / rahdo ❤️ Code of conduct: conduct.rahdo.com 🙂 And now...
A video outlining gameplay for the boardgame Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game.
For more game info, boardgamegeek....
Part I: Gameplay Runthrough
• Genotype Gameplay Runt...
Part II: Final Thoughts
• Genotype | Rahdo's Fin...
I know its not your cup of tea, but it's pretty common in historical wargames to include both detailed historical analysis and design notes from the designer(s). Nice to see this included in s science based game.
Shores of Tripoli by Fort Circle Games is a great example, and one you might even enjoy.
Rahdo, a lot of war games do this already for years. For instance, RAF Battle of Britain 1940 had a full color booklet about the history of the battle and how it works in the game. And that is far from the only example.
So glad I backed this game and can’t wait to get. That’s awesome that they included the science behind the game!!! I agree more publishers or rather ALL publishers need to do this!!
I don't think it's necessary to have an extra booklet teaching us science or history related to the game elements. Internet is out there if someone was interested. It's nice if there is a separate booklet, but it adds to the cost and it's usually something a very few people might read (I'm happy to pay for a nicer production, but not for something extra I might not use). I have rarely seen or heard someone around me to have read any information provided say in Concordia, 878 Vikings, etc. It's not about adding those information to the rulebook, it's the way they introduce them which is important so that it deviates from the boring stuff we had to memorize in school. In 2022, we still have problems with the rules. I prefer they focus more on the rules than a separate book you might or might not read, where the content is for certain available online.
I really enjoyed the historical info included about each person in Watergate. It wasn't really connected to gameplay but I still enjoyed the history.
Great point about the added book, that is definitely something that would enhance my enjoyment of many games. I’m curious about some of the two-player tweaks you would make. I’m anticipating playing this mainly at two and would love to know what you would do to enhance that experience as well. Thanks!
the only real tweak i think the game could really use is a way to gobble up those dice quicker. the other thing i was thinking about is that i *suspect* at higher player counts, there's more punnett square manipulation to create more tension. i'm not sure how i'd want to introduce that into the 2p, and i'm not really sure its even needed. maybe as part of setup some of the squares are randomly manipulated by default, for example?
@@rahdo Those are great ideas! I’ll definitely try some of those out and mess around a bit and see what works, maybe throw a variant up online if one really sticks.
You can use Johan in a 2p game, since it represents 2 players so it would make it into a 4p game
@@amansparekh officially no, but in theory it would work. the problem would be that the random behavior would very likely benefit one player over another randomly...
I think the reason publishers don't put out a supplement to their "theme" is because it typically isn't tied into its theme so conscientiously. Asking them to do that is tantamount to asking them to forego their ability to "change the theme" if they feel it will sell better etc. I don't believe publishers actually DO that sort of research; some publishers genuinely aren't interested in that sort of thing. And some gamers genuinely don't care, either. It's cool that you do, and I do as well. I mean, designer diaries are one thing. But it sounds like what you're interested in is playing games that have better thematic integration, and that's not something you're gonna get publishers to suddenly adopt overnight, industry-wide.
you're right of course in many situations, but i think you'd be surprised just how often the research is done, and it does inform design decisions... it might not always be obvious because boardgames are by their very nature major abstractions of their settings, but as i understand it, the research happens a lot more than folks might think :)
I think its a great theme and it teaches people things
Well I didn't get to play it yet but hearing your thoughts I'm happy I backed
This might be a bigger ask than it appears. While I'm certainly not throwing shade at the amount of research that was done for the design of the game, most of the science writing was done on a volunteer basis (i.e., unpaid) by experts not otherwise affiliated with Genius Games. I absolutely credit Genius Games for knowing what they wanted and for putting out the call for experts to donate a bit of time to do this writing, but not every game company is going to have the ability to attract people who know the material well enough to write about it, and will be willing to do so for free.
that is a fair counterpoint, though i still think it's worth the work! :)
@@rahdo I haven’t read the Genotype book yet (except the portion that my partner wrote [humble brag]), but I’m sure I’ll agree when I do. Genius Games’ mission statement and track record of making science education accessible via quality games really put them in a good position to be able to do this. I think more companies would be able to do something like the Lore Compendium that FFG includes with TI4 and its expansion - fictional history to flesh out the world. Add in some info on how that lore influenced the design (and vice versa, since it’s fictional), and you’ve got something really special.
Actually, now that I am thinking about it, the gold standard for this kind of document should be Mark Rosewater’s column on the Magic: the Gathering website. Anyone reading this thread who is interested in the behind the scenes of design should definitely check that out.
I don't know if you have ever played Ulm, but that's another game that also comes with a really well put together historical context booklet. No other game doing this comes to mind though. Great review, loved my first play of Genotype!
Good point you bring up about the back stories in games. So many times I have played game that have little or nothing to do with the theme they are based on.
Oh and I agree, I was pleasantly surprised by 'The Science behind Genotype'
GMT also often have historical notes in the rulebooks regarding the various cards in their card-driven games (though you probably are unlikely to ever play one of those :) ).
then i doff my cap to GMT! hopefully they do it like what was done here, not only recounting the historical facts, but talking about how those facts are integrated into the gameplay itself :)
Can’t wait to get my copy!!
BECAUSE SCIENCE!
Great final thoughts, thanks Richard. Would you say the dice drafting issue you have is multiplied with solo play, or is there a rule for that separate from 2-player?
the automa is interesting in that sometimes he'll hardly taken anything, and sometimes he'll take more than any one player could, so its a bit all over the place. because of that unpredictability, it does create some tension, really moreso than a human player since you can pretty easily guess exactly what they'll do, while the automa is unpredictable
@@rahdo Thanks. I'm still on the fence but we shall see. :)
I am willing to wager some metric shows the minimal percentage of people who read supplemental material in board games (if you include the casual players). Probably the same minimal percent of people who sleeve their cards. Which is sad, I wish wish wish board games would have more supplement material. If anything, put a QR Code or link in the book to reference to history, designer notes, etc if you don't want to pay for that extra page of production. a link can be better as you can update information that is wrong.
good call!
What's Your Game was pretty good for doing this kind of thing in their games (giving background info and teaching about their subject material) and i thought that was amazing! Whatever happened to those guys????
i don't know, i do hope they make a comeback!