❖ Phoenix Farm, Part #2: A Classic Ben Prototype ❖

❖ Version History ❖

17th of August 2020
Having spent the last three days compiling this idea, Ben tells me that he is eager to give this new Phoenix Farm game a play test. Since we both have the day off, we coordinate a gathering at my house with Rory, Walter, & Sean, and I am eagerly excited to see what this new idea is going to look like in action.

We start the evening with a quick round of Calendra (marking the first victory I have ever had ironically), and then we get the table set for the new farming simulator experience. Ben sits out of the first game so that he can officiate and explain the game rules, since he is the only one who knows how it works at the moment. The first test goes somewhat poorly though because there are several arguments about how the rules should operate, and how the game could be made better. As a result, many changes are being made while the game is actively being played, creating all manor of uneven play for the players, which leads to unnecessary jests of unfairness. Throughout this process however, I am taking diligent notes, because I have not given up on the concept.

This first play test leaves Ben visibly distressed though, and there is a bit of tension among the friends, but I am already seeing cleanly through to a greatness that this game could bring if it could be fine tuned a bit. Before the end of this day I tell Seagrave to leave this prototype with me so that I can do some blacksmithing on the numbers, statistics, & mechanics… and I assure him that it will be a better game by the next time we meet. If you notice in the photo above, I had been diligently taking notes throughout the first play test, hoping to better understand the flow of the mechanics and find a way to adjust them. Here are better images of those notes:

*As soon as Ben started talking, I was taking notes. At first messy, but quickly organized.*

Now it is my task to make absolutely certain that this game gets tweaked in such a way that balances the whole experience, without letting the original idea fade from it at all.

I know that it is going to be a big puzzle. The mechanics need to be re-arranged, the numbers all need to be adjusted, and there are many variables that need to be carefully juggled. But, I am set to the task, and now for the first time I have the prototype in my hands, so I can really sit down to analyze the moving parts. I think that this game can really become something great, we just need to find what the right combination is… so for now, back to the drawing board:

*Once the first play test was complete, I was quickly re-thinking the economy numbers*

Some of these notes had been started during the middle of the learning experience. Many of the best ideas that would be later refined had all been discussed at the table this evening, and keeping track of these first-impression thoughts is always critical!

Somehow, it always ends up being the case that the first time we get together as a group to discuss a good game idea, there is a brainstorm that takes place which takes months-years to really dissect and explore all of the options of. For example, the first day that we had discussed the ideas of Calendra, we took three pages of notes and spent most of the next year exploring those options. When it comes to the notes that were written on this page, we come back and discuss them all the time even to this day, two-three years later.

I think personally, these initial days of inspiration will always be my favorite. I can pretty nearly always envision the final product of a good brainstorm, and this is the core sensation of how I determine which projects I want to work on.