First Night w/ the yet unnamed Burrito Game

Play-test number one went surprisingly well. Positive comments all around, with virtually no meaty, nagging suggestions to aid gameplay.

The Burrito Game was officially sworn tonight in as my 3rd attempt to design a proper board game. The previous Tuesday, I had printed the cards in color (a necessity) and on matte card-stock, and assembled the pieces in hopes to get a quick game in by surprise on game night. But, my meager aspirations were crushed by the weight of Dominion and Monsters Menace America; the first of which was simply excellent, the second was something I never wish to play again. I did, however, gain some pre-game interest in Burrito-making, by showing off the cute little cards, and painted mushroom ingredients.

The temperature was around freezing. The comic store was filled with nine gamers. The radio blasted chic-rock, remixes of british punk, Scissor Sisters and LCD Soundsystem covers. Perfect setting for concocting burrito confections with card-driven bidding.

We decided against a "full game" which I had self-prescribed beforehand as a race to $100; first to $60. (We ended up playing one more round since this goal was achieved relatively quickly.)

Observations:

The first notable observation was the misreading/misinterpretation of two rules; to the benefit (in my opinion) of gameplay. My original intention had been to limit players in a more cut-throat fashion. They would be unable to purchase extra ingredients at "double cost" for their special burritos. When the first player misinterpreted this as an option, I said nothing. Instead of limiting the options of other players, it made their decisions more about worth vs. cost. Do I spend 10 bucks MORE to complete a burrito I already spent 10 bucks to make? GOOD ADDITION.

The other rule was a slight mishear that caused confusion later in the game. By coincidence, me and Rob (and "new guy") bid the same amount. I promptly said, well I have more RICE on my Burrito order, so I go first. They corrected me and said, "but we bid more RICE on our Freezer card" as their argument for going first. I pondered this, and "new guy" was emphatic about the rule's interpretation. And I had to agree; but with reservations about the possibility of a "total tie" LUKE-WARM to GOOD ADDITION.

The first round went exactly as I had assumed. New players are tentative (usually) to take large risks when unfamiliar with the rules. The first bids were Steve (20), Sarah (20), Rob (18), TC (16). Even with me going last, I made out like a bandit, completed both burritos and took an early (small) lead. No players lost money, and as a burrito was completed money was immediately paid and the order card discarded.

Later rounds became much more vicious. With the introduction of Manager's Special cards, the game took a lopsided turn, and not all burritos were completed. On rounds three and four there was a definite shift towards being super-thrifty, or going for the manager's special card. It was risky going the extra mile for the "ten point" card, because it meant having to pay extra for stolen ingredients by the time play returned to the first player.

Interactions were constant, and never was anyone left out or unengaged. The bidding mechanic is masked well by the slightly tense collection of ingredients as a round proceeds. It feels like there are two phases: Bidding & Hoping.

Even though the game was not my expected "full-length" I did see many trends emerging, and as was hoped, the game is on track to being composed of six or seven rounds (i.e. one week). This works with the theme of competing to make the most money at a local burrito shop. Later rounds seemed to be a little more wild. Whether that is because of Manager's Specials, players better understanding the rules, or the increasing variance in value of burritos is yet to be seen.

Stats:

4 Full Rounds were played. Game Length: Approx 1 Hour 10 min. (w/ rules explanation)

The End Scoring: Steve (72), Rob (69), TC (68), Sarah (56)

(I would say that the random elements seemed to be effective in changing strategy, but the end scoring shows that no one was ever "left behind". Sarah fell behind on the last two turns because of 5 cheese card, and an almost losing Round 3.)

Changes:

Need more cards!!! Will try doubling the amount of lower value cards.
Accidental Use of "Lettuce" instead of "Veggie"
Colored Freezer Cards with Price of Ingredients on it. (honestly don't know how I missed this)

Stuff It! was suggested as a possible title.

Thoughts:

Good run-through. The mechanics work. The game is already enjoyable; not a brain-burner, but thought-provoking enough that bad decisions will negatively impact a final score. There is indirect screw-overage, but unless a player allows it, there is relatively low amounts of gang up tactics.

I need to try this out on some casual gamers and also some more cut-throat players that will mathematically dissect it. This was more of an ego-boost and encouragement round, than a full-fledged brainstorming playtest.