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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

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Godiva – Prototype

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Prototype of Godiva
Prototype of Godiva

In the two-player game Godiva, players take on the role of either Lady Godiva or her husband and Leofric, who are battling over the direction their Realm (Mercia) should take. Leofric, under pressure of English King Cnut to keep the Vikings away by paying Danegeld, has instituted various taxes. Further threats come from the Normans, who will eventually invade in 1066. Godiva cherishes the higher arts and hopes to increase the literacy of her people. Husband and wife can each present powerful examples and artifacts by playing cards that support their cause, with new cards played on each area that equal or exceed the value of previously played cards. When a certain number of cards have been played on an area, scoring takes place, and the player with the most influence (the number of face-up cards played on the area) wins the points. Special cards allow players to speed up the scoring or to increase their influence without increasing the card count. Let the best case win!

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