Previously on Rats In NYC:

11/8 Discussion

• Worked on parsing starting areas and total number of lines
  • Cut several redundant lines, focused on color primarily
• Thought about types of events, broke them into categories:
  • Cultural
  • Nature
  • Financial/Retail
  • Food
  • Friends
• Thought of how to get the game to a terminal end state 
  • Any number of turns, racing to get to the ferry to Staten Island
• Longer term:
  • We printed a map of the MTA to make our ideation easier and were taken by the idea of having a board to help represent the game
  • Previously, the lines would be very abstract. For example, four players might be all across the city, but their cards show them right next to each other. A map represents the spatial nature of the city more clearly.
  • We want to keep the card based, pattern matching for movement, but perhaps have it result in a certain amount of moves depending on the number of connections.
  • Adding in RPG elements/asymmetry 
    • Characters have different goals
    • Events/collectibles on the map add to your score
    • Each character’s score would change based on events as well

Previous 11/16 

• Resize maps 
• Decide on starting and interest locations: 
  • Starting points: 
  • Inwood 
  • Jamaica 
  • Tremont 
  • Bay Ridge 
  • Interest places:
    • Culture: 
    • MET 
    • Brooklyn Museum
    • Queens Museum 
  • Food: 
    • Downtown
    • Queens Night Market
    • Brooklyn ChinaTown
  • Tourist: 
    • Times Square
    • JFK
    • Dumbo 
  • Shopper: 
    • SOHO
    • 5th Av (59th St)
    • Queens Center 
  • Beach Lover: 
    • Rockaway 
    • Orchard Beach 
    • Coney Island
  • Bird Watcher: 
    • Central Park E96
    • Prospect Park 
    • Forest Park

After 11/16 

• Every turn, players can perform 3 actions: 
  • Placing a tile 
  • Activating an ability 
  • Acquiring a goal card

• Visiting Locations Cards: it allows you to create lines to go to different places, as long as you have enough clout to get to the “event”
• Location cards might be specific places in NYC, but also random events happening all across the board (going to an underground concert in Bushwick, a bodega in Canarsie has a 50% off, etc.)

• Service Alerts Cards: 
  • These cards will be displayed at the bottom of the board, and will affect one or more, or all players 
• Dimensions: 1.5x1.5”  
• Connection cards to allow other lines to “connect” on top of existing lines 
• Definition of character cards: 

After 11/28

• Incorporation of Food trucks to generate currency 
• 3 different actions every player can perform: 
  • Place a tile
  • Swap a tile (from the hand)
  • Rotate a placed tile
• Definition of currencies: 
  • Coolness 
  • Taste 
  • Money 
• Definition of characters: 
• Add the Event Cards and make them half the size of the destination on the board, so one rests on top of the other. 

After 11/30

• Added new places in the map, and removed others that are no longer of interest. 
• Removed the archetypes from each player. 
• Added new “local” stops, to encourage players to visit other places, and they will be compensated from it. 
• Reconsidered the resource management element of the game. 
• Added standee for the event cards on the map 
• Comed up with global rule restrictions - EG. Taylor Swift’s concert at East 68 Central Park limits all players to build a maximum of 3 straight tiles, as long as the event is in play and not claimed by any player. 
• Modified visuals to better align with the MTA design style. 

Playtesting of 12/5

• Every player moves 2 tiles every turn
• Remove bridges and tunnels 
• Create a cheat sheet or player mat 
• First player to 20 points win 
• Reconsider metrocard mechanic 
• Remove paw and coffee cup
• The “rats” theme makes sense 
• It is difficult to understand or remember what every item does 
• What happens when you use an item? 
• Allow to swap and rotate tiles

After 12/7

• For the future, if the game is launched, either substitute the rats or allow players to make their own (3D print them or so)
• Reconsider the initial location to make it more central to all players 
• Add names to the local stops 
• Remove unnecessary mechanics and items
• Reconsider the idea of money 
• Cards tend to be too difficult to get 
• Players are more inclined to go for smaller missions 
• Consider other risks/rewards elements to the game 
• Pull all rats on the same spot at the beginning of the game?
• Should you keep your original station always connected to the line? 
• Bonuses per 2 “events” collected? - make a “set” of events to get the point (one event of each category)
• Reveal the items at some point of the game?
• Consider character specific skills

Playtesting of 12/5

• Every player moves 2 tiles every turn
• Remove bridges and tunnels 
• Create a cheat sheet or player mat 
• First player to 20 points win 
• Reconsider metrocard mechanic 
• Remove paw and coffee cup
• The “rats” theme makes sense 
• It is difficult to understand or remember what every item does 
• What happens when you use an item? 
• Allow to swap and rotate tiles

After 12/7

• For the future, if the game is launched, either substitute the rats or allow players to make their own (3D print them or so)
• Reconsider the initial location to make it more central to all players 
• Add names to the local stops 
• Remove unnecessary mechanics and items
• Reconsider the idea of money 
• Cards tend to be too difficult to get 
• Players are more inclined to go for smaller missions 
• Consider other risks/rewards elements to the game 
• Pull all rats on the same spot at the beginning of the game?
• Should you keep your original station always connected to the line? 
• Bonuses per 2 “events” collected? - make a “set” of events to get the point (one event of each category)
• Reveal the items at some point of the game?
• Consider character specific skills 

Playtesting of 12/12 

• Change the boots icon
• Removal of “Bloomingdale’s” from the map
• Reconsider the symbols on the event cards, as they might be confusion
• Reconsider the name “event card” as it might be confused with the “goal cards”
• “Delays” and “Service Alerts” should cost something to be played - a coffee item. 
• Use rat attack to counter balance delays 
• Add rat attacks instructions to the card
• Rat attacks and paws should be merged and always steal items from the other players
• Add trading of items when riding other player’s line
• Do we need money?
• New point system: 
  • Picking items 1 point 
  • Completing quests 2 points 
  • Goal cards 3 points 
• Remove rat attacks 
• Change back of goal card 
• Remove money and “broke” from the player’s board