Category Archives: Proto Pics

Photos of works in progress

Proto Pics

Truffles – Prototype

Prototype of Truffles: A Deck-Building Game for Gourmands
Prototype of Truffles: A Deck-Building Game for Gourmands

Truffles is a deck-building game in which players are connoisseurs of the elusive truffles fungus. Each player develops a network of truffles farmers, who train pigs and dogs to hunt for the fungi, patrons demanding new truffles recipes, and chefs expert in preparing dishes featuring the three types of truffles: common burgundies, tasty blacks, and premium whites. Players buy cards to improve their farming resources, gain access to desired truffles regions, develop new recipes, and hire chefs. The best players will balance their decks to meet each demand at the most opportune time. For example, truffles pigs and truffles dogs are only useful if truffles cards are drawn in the same hand. Chefs can only prepare dishes for their customers if the required truffles have already been harvested. The first player to earn 10 stars is declared the winner.

Game design and prototype by Barb Hirschfelder

Proto Pics

Flocks – Prototype

Prototype of Flocks
Prototype of Flocks

Flocks is a 2-player tile-laying game in which players must make sure that birds of a feather flock together. Each player is given a set of 4 terrain tiles and 8 pairs of matching bird tiles, including 2 sets of birds for each type of terrain. Geese and herons flock to the river. Seagulls and roadrunners stalk the sand dunes. Hawks and parrots abide in the mountains. Hummingbirds and wrens nest in the trees. Players take turns laying 1 tile each and earn increasing numbers of points as the number of previously played matching tiles increases. The tile placement rules are simple: Place each bird tile must touch an appropriate terrain tile, making sure the bird’s orientation matches that of other bird tiles of the same type.

Game design and prototype by Barb Hirschfelder

Proto Pics

Serengeti – Prototype

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Prototype of Serengeti
Prototype of Serengeti

Serengeti is a tile laying game for 2-4 players that uses “+” shaped tiles. When players add tiles to the savannah layout, if they increase the size of an animal group—lion pride, hyena pack, zebra herd, or gazelle herd—they earn bonus actions, some of which earn the players points. Develop a large enough pride of lions, and you can successfully claim a group of herd animals as part of the pride’s territory. Giraffes, on the other hand, scare away the predatory lions and hyenas. Elephants earn more points the more elephants that already reside on the savannah. If a player manages to create an open space in the savannah that is completely surrounded by tiles, a pond develops and players earn points for having different types of animals surrounding the communal watering hole.

Game design and prototype by Barb Hirschfelder

Proto Pics

Bark in the Park – Prototype

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A newer prototype of Bark in the Park
A newer prototype of Bark in the Park

In Bark in the Park, each player is in charge of leading a pack of dogs on a glorious romp through the park. The more each pack member is in tune with its companions, the faster the pack will move. Like any good trainer, the dog walker has some influence over the pack and can take advantage of useful toys. Distractions are inevitable, though, like other dog packs in the park, and pack members will straggle or jump ahead of the rest. Thankfully, a good trainer will be able to quickly increase his or her influence with his or her pack, lead them quickly through the park, and earn bragging rights over the other dog walkers.

On their turn, players roll dice, assign dice to the matching dog tiles, and move a contiguous group of dogs with matching die numbers. Before moving tiles, though, players can use their turn actions (or influence) to change die numbers depending on the varying influence each dog tile can exert. Different breeds have influence that can increase or decrease die rolls, switch two dice, or even copy the die roll of a neighboring die.

Game design and prototype by Barb Hirschfelder