Card Game Design Diary: Chapter 1

-There needs to be some form of trading between players.
Considering the amount this dynamic is found in games like Settlers of Catan, I can see why this is a desired mechanic.

-There is no true penalty for taking from the penalty pile.
In essence, it acted more as a way to fulfill contracts faster and with little card hand penalty.

-Possibly more than one penalty pile.
When one pile got impossibly large, having the ability to "sweeten" or "poison" multiple piles would be an asset.

-Fix the font.
Fancy Font = Bad Decision... I should know better.

-Not enough creature cards (my observation).
When certain action cards can take multiple of certain monster types out of the game, there needs to be a surplus of creatures to offset this action.

-Make it less like Gin Rummy (my observation).
When played, I had to explain certain rules with "like Gin Rummy." Inadvertently, this became a prevailing theme to the gameplay.

Goals for the next iteration.
1. Fix certain game rules.
2. Have basic art representing every card choice to better flesh out theme.
3. Make more creature cards.

If you would like to playtest the next version, let me know. All of my prototypes are black and white, easily printable, and have cut guides. All other feedback, feel free to leave a comment. If there is interest, I can do a post mortem on my Haiku Card Game.