Legacy Games - Interim 2020

Course Information

Description

In 2011, game developer Rob Daviau created a new type of board game, termed a “legacy” game, in which the game does not reset after a play session ends. His first creation was Risk Legacy, based on the classic Risk strategy game. However, it was not until 2015’s Pandemic Legacy (Season 1) that the genre began to explode in popularity. In the intervening five years, a multitude of “legacy” or “campaign” games have been released, including the wildly successful Kickstarter project Gloomhaven.

The central concept of a legacy board game is that player decisions and actions have lasting effects on the game beyond the current play session. This is often accomplished by permanently changing the game components or rules in some way (e.g., destroying certain cards, placing stickers over parts of the board, etc.). These changes are made in service to a larger narrative that plays out across many full play sessions of the game (typically at least ten, though, in Gloomhaven’s case, more than a hundred). The designer of such a game has to balance game rules, playability, and narrative carefully because, unlike an author or screenwriter, they are not in control of the actions of the main characters of their story. It is also a more difficult challenge than that faced by a storyteller or game master in a tabletop role-playing game (e.g. Dungeons and Dragons), because the legacy storyteller cannot interact with players “in the moment” to help guide the story. All interaction must be pre-determined when the legacy game is created.

In this project, students will learn about this new style of storytelling and take on the challenge of adding a legacy element to an existing board game or (if they choose) creating their own campaign game from the beginning.

Goals

This course provides students with an opportunity to be creative and to learn things on their own, motivated by what they need to develop their own games. While we will be available to help them problem-solve as they encounter issues, students will take responsibility for their own learning. Each student will be required to respond to a series of writing prompts for the representative games they will play. Additionally, each team of 4 students will be required to produce a prototype of their own legacy game.

Grades

Your grade for the course will be Honors/Pass/Unsatisfactory.

You will be allowed at most one unexcused absence during the month.

Students will complete 12 individual assignments and a team project.

The individual assignments will consist of three prompts, each scored on a 2-point scale (2 = exemplary, 1 = satisfactory, 0 = unsatisfactory), for a total of 6 points per assignment.

The team project will be worth 120 points. The team’s grade will be split evenly among the four team members. For instance, if a team scores 80 points on the project, then each member receives 20 points.

A passing grade will be earned by all students who receive at least 60 total points in the course.

Individual Assignments

Students must respond to all three prompts for an assignment, and each response should be no more than 250 words (750 words total). Obvious and egregious grammatical or syntactical errors will result in a score of unsatisfactory. In order to receive a score of exemplary, a student’s response to all three prompts must be thoughtful, concise, and well-written.

Mechanics

  • Describe the main objective of a play session. If the objective changes for each play session, find the common elements of the changing objectives that can be generalized.

  • Describe the main actions available to a player. If there are a multitude of actions, focus on the few that you consider most important or interesting.

  • Describe how the actions and/or objectives change as the sessions proceed due to the legacy components of the game.

Story

  • Describe the theme/plot/storyline of the game, and evaluate the depth/focus of the story, justifying with specific examples.

  • Describe how the actions of the player affect the story using specific examples.

  • Describe one or more examples of story elements that were fundamentally changed by the legacy components of the game.

Overall

  • Compare the way the mechanics of the game change in relation to the arc of the story. Using a few clear examples, examine how the mechanics and story interweave to enhance one another.

  • Provide at least one critique of where the legacy components failed to tie mechanics and story together effectively.

  • Formulate a specific modification to the game that would add value (player enjoyment, deeper story, etc.).

Team Project

The team project will be scored along the following four dimensions (each worth 30 points):

  • Modified Mechanics: How effectively/appropriately were the base game rules changed to accommodate the story and legacy aspects?

  • Added Storyline: How well was the base game story created or expanded?

  • Legacy Components: How seamlessly were legacy aspects incorporated into the base game?

  • Player Experience: How did the game rate in terms of player enjoyment, complexity of rules, elegance of components, etc.?

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend class meetings and come to class prepared. Refer to the General Policy Regarding Attendance in the Wofford College Student Handbook. The policy makes you responsible for catching up on missed classes. If you must be absent for class, please email me in advance to let me know.

A student is allowed at most one unexcused absence during the term.

Assignment Deadlines

Late assignments will not be accepted for any reason. All assignments are expected to be submitted by 11:55p ET on the posted deadline.

Academic Integrity

The Honor Code requires faculty, staff, and students to maintain a high standard of individual honor and integrity. While I may specify some assignments as collaborative, work represented as your own must be your own. If you have any doubt about what is appropriate for a given assignment, you should contact me for clarification.

Accommodations

If you have a disability that requires assistance or accommodation, or if you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please contact Dean Beth Wallace by telephone at (864) 597-4371 or in person by visiting the Hugh R. Black Infirmary. You must arrange accommodations during the first week of classes.

Tentative Schedule

Meeting Game Assignment
06 Jan Pandemic Mechanics
07 Jan Pandemic Story
08 Jan Pandemic Overall
09 Jan Betrayal Mechanics
10 Jan Betrayal Story
13 Jan Betrayal Overall
14 Jan Werewolf
15 Jan Werewolf** Overall
16 Jan Gloomhaven
17 Jan Gloomhaven Mechanics
21 Jan Gloomhaven Story
22 Jan Gloomhaven Overall
23 Jan Risk Mechanics
24 Jan Risk Overall
27 Jan
28 Jan
29 Jan
30 Jan Team Project

** Guest Speaker: Rob Daviau

Note: This syllabus is subject to change with notice.