Kyle Aquino
Creating hypothetical games were a big part of my childhood, drawing title screens and characters, acting out stories in my head, making those ideas as close to a reality as I could've. Being able to express my creativity in that way was a big influence in my overall creativity. Board games have been a big part of my life. The intricacies of each mechanic and how they all came together to make an enjoyable experience was always very enticing to me.
I have always had ideas for board games in my head. There was never that much progress outside of cards that were never mechanically intertwined, however. When I had heard about this research project, I took this opportunity to research how board games are designed, manufactured, and advertised by prototyping my own board game. This website is the culmination of my work this year.
(Board games on the right, CATAN: Seafarers, Flamecraft, Coup)
infights!! Is a high-intensity social-deduction game where everybody is working together, technically.
Your objective in this game is to eliminate the other Teams by winning Morale-boosted Duels. The thing is that you won't know who your teammates are until you've stabbed them in the back. Prepare wisely, or else you might cause some infighting!
Swap the card in your hand for ones with higher values and stronger abilities, or strategically search for cards that will beat your opponents!
Pick a card and put your life on the line for your Team! You may be strong in one class, but you might get outclassed by someone more cunning!
Reveal the card in your hand to gain a permanent, reusable ability! Will you express your Morale in rapid bursts or one big beam? The choice is yours!
The victor gains Morale and the chance to fight again! The loser gets hurt, but comes back with more team spirit than ever...
You can learn more on my bluesky account, @pailtaildev.bsky.social!
You can also preview the prototype rules by clicking here!
infights!! was the culmination of a school year's worth of designing, playtesting, iterating, socializing, and so so so much more. From the game design perspective, I learned the importance of playtester feedback– major changes were made because of playtesters! Alongside that, I changed my mindset on how iteration works, where ideas are shelved instead of scrapped. Outside of the game design aspect of this project I picked up software like Inkscape and Scribus, learning how to convert the cards into a format better suited for printers. This loop of playtesting and designing went on for months, and it still feels like there's so much to improve on!
Board games often take years to design; I have barely scratched the surface of what's possible. Finalizing the art, building a userbase, so much that was outside the scope of this project. This isn't something that I see myself shelving, however. I fully expect to be bringing the many prototypes I make to playtesting groups and conventions! Eventually, I want to establish a studio that will work with a manufacturer to crowdfund this game. All of this, stemming from something that I took the time to simply work on. I'm very proud of what I did this year, and I hope to take it even further in the future!