Decoys - A Video Game?

I've finally finished writing/editing Decoys' core rule-set, now complete with pictures!!! You can download it here!

I also accidentally made Decoys into a video game - well, more of a digital board. You can save yourself the trouble of drawing up a board and collecting game pieces by downloading it here!
(EDIT: I should note that the board only works on PC, sorry, Mac.)

I just ask that if you play the game, you email me at atdunaj@gmail.com to tell me about your experience! Thank you, enjoy.

I'll spend the rest of this post describing how I stumbled across a digital version of my game while making the rule-set, if you're interested.

I wasn't sure where to start with the rules. I knew I needed to simplify them, I knew I wanted pictures. I figured I would just throw together some pictures with Photoshop and then put them in a Word doc along side the text. I quickly lost my patience with Photoshop though, as trying to line up all the assets with the grid board required a frustrating amount of precision.

So I decided to make a quick program in GameMaker that would let me quickly mock up a board and drag around/highlight assets so I could just take screenshots. I had it finished in under an hour, and I started snapping all the shots I would need for the rules.

When I finished my rough draft, I showed it all to my mom, who pointed out that I had done more than completed a rule-set, I made a video game. That GameMaker program lets you drag around pieces on the board, and while it doesn't have all the rules imbedded, if you know the rules it's enough to let you play.

This digital board will be the perfect accompaniment to the new rules. The obvious factor is that it looks exactly like pictures so it will be easy for people to understand it when they boot it up. The more important factor is that it will remove a large barrier between the players and them playing the game - drawing the board/gathering pieces. Players will be able to quickly jump from reading about the game, to learning the rules, to actually playing much faster than they could before. And while this is a quality of video games in general, the idea feels novel to me after having worked on an analog board game for the past few months.

I've often thought about how I could turn Decoys into a video game, and most people who hear about it ask if it'll ever show up on their phone. There is a certain aesthetic that comes with the gathering of friends around a board game. In the case of games like Scrabble, Monopoly, and Uno, that aesthetic doesn't quite translate to the pass-and-play phone versions. And due to Decoys' hidden information aspect, I feel like the aesthetic would similarly distort if the game were brought to phones - but that doesn't mean I'm not interested. Once I get a physical board made, I'm sure I'll work on a digital version. I'll just need to step up my coding!

Anyway, I'm currently working on a rule-set that incorporates the cards and a mechanic that eliminates the need for the honor system. It shouldn't take me too long so look forwards to that update soon! Enjoy!