In Heat: Pedal to the Metal, players race their cards around a racetrack by playing cards and shifting gears. Throughout the race, they have opportunities to add heat cards from their engine to
Recently, I have adopted a new tactic for playtesting. I explain the rules of the game to my playtesters, and then tell them that I am going to roleplay as a rulebook. I
Feedback is essential when learning games. But choices made in autobattler games occur outside the battle itself, delaying feedback and hiding which choices led to success or failure. Autobattler feedback becomes comprehensible only
In any multiplayer game with strong interaction, players will naturally tend to team up against whoever is winning. Such games commonly provide ways to defend against attacks from other players, softening or negating
Players need goals. Without them, gameplay loses its meaning. But they also prefer to choose their own objectives. Telling players what to do next robs them of agency and makes games feel like