preparation

Mon 9th Sep

Getting Going

Make sure you have access to the main course text, Rules of Play (more details on the resources page and it's available on reserve in the library). Read the Foreword and the Preface.

Choose a game you like. In at most 100 words describe it to someone who you want to persuade to play it. Email your text to me (matt@marlboro.edu) before class and we'll share them in class.

• Game pitches.

Wed 11th Sep

• Solve at least one sudoku puzzle (here is one website with free ones of various difficulties, no doubt you can find others too).
• Play Dots and Boxes. See the resources page for rules. Ideally, play against other humans, but if you can't find one you can against a computer.

(We might not talk much about either of these today; the idea is to start building some common ground for us to examine more as the semester goes on. We will certainly be talking about both in more detail at some point.)

Mon 16th Sep

• Read Rules of Play, Chapters 1, 2, and 3.

Wed 18th Sep

• Puzzles and Pandemic. No specific prep (but you might want to get started on the prep for next week, which is a comparatively big batch).

Mon 23rd Sep

• Read Rules of Play, Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7 and, optionally, 8.

Wed 25th Sep

• Have played at least one game each of Pandemic and Summoner Wars and at least 6 games in total from Pandemic, Summoner Wars and Heroscape. Ideally you should be at the point where you are comfortable with the rulesets and we can discuss the games with this as assumed knowledge.

Mon 30th Sep

• Complete your assignment (due by midnight).
• Read Rules of Play, Chapters 9, 10 and Commissioned Game 1.

Wed 2nd Oct

No specific prep: just show up.

• Designs for testing.

Mon 7th Oct

• Read Rules of Play, Chapters 11, 12, 14 and 15. Chapter 15 is about chance: we'll be going inot probability more and in a slightly different way to this chapter, so don't worry too much about the details.

Wed 9th Oct

• No specific prep (but you have an assignment due on Monday, as well as some reading).
• Some probability notes looking at Pig and Heroscape, in the same vein as we talked about in today's class.

Mon 14th Oct

• Read at least 2 of Chapters 16-20 from Rules of Play and also 21 and the Commisioned Game.
• Playtest Assignment due today.

Wed 16th Oct

• Dots and Boxes: An example of strategy in games of perfect information. Make sure you're familiar with the game.
• Final Project: Initial Planning. Come with ideas for what you might like to work on for your final project.

Mon 21st Oct

No class (Hendricks Days)

Wed 23rd Oct

• Read Chapter 22 of Rules of Play, and then at least 2 of 23-26.

Mon 28th Oct

• Read the Commissioned Game (p. 490), Chapter 29, and at least 2 of 27, 28 and 30.

Wed 30th Oct

• Have thought about your final project more, and come ready to set a scehdule, arrange playtesting and do some work on it (possibly even playtesting, if you are that far along).

Mon 4th Nov

• Read at least two of Chapters 31, 32 and 33 from Rules of Play, the commissioned game (p. 588) and the conclusion (p. 604)

Wed 6th Nov

• CLASS CANCELED. But stop by and chat about your games or anything else that might be on your mind today.

Mon 11th Nov

• Playtesting: Aaron, Eamon and Clayton will be bringing something for us all to play and give feedback on.

Wed 13th Nov

• Playtesting: Izzy, Adara and Eoghan will be bringing something for us all to play and give feedback on.

Mon 18th Nov

• Rules of Play wrap-up.
• Sudoku and Math. Prep TBA.

Wed 20th Nov

• Playtesting/Design Workshop

Mon 25th Nov

• Sudoku and Math (no prep, other than having done some sudoku puzzles relatively recently)
• Browse the books listed on the resources page (and any others you find that look interesting). You don't have to have read much, but read enough to get a sense of what you might like to read about more (and to talk about that in class).

After class:

• Sudoku strategies

Wed 27th Nov

• Optional pre-thanksgiving games. I'll be around to answer questions or playtest.

Mon 2nd Dec

• Contemporary Game Studies. Read, read, read... lots of suggestions on the Resources page, or find your own. Come ready to talk about it.

Wed 4th Dec

• Playtesting/Design Workshop

Mon 9th Dec

• Contemporary Game Studies II. Prep TBA.

Wed 11th Dec

Last class. Project check-in and fine-tuning.

Thu/Fri 12th/13th Dec?

Community Game Presentation Thingy. Details TBD.

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