Designing for fun is a very different challenge than designing to solve a problem. For most purposes, it's evident when the problem has been solved. When designing a game, the threshold "solving" fun is much more difficult.
On the Lamb is an original board game designed in collaboration with Anne Cheng. It's a game of both strategic plays and outrageous surprises, balancing childish graphics and silly powers with a deep set of sheep-wolf interactions.
The rules of this game were designed to be as intuitive as possible. You play as both a sheep and a wolf. Your sheep does not want to get eaten while your wolf wants to eat as many other sheep as possible. Sheep and wolves alternate moving, with sheep moving during "day" rounds and wolves moving during "night" rounds. Sheep are slower than wolves, so move two spaces fewer, but are allowed on bridges and over fences. Sheep are also crafty, so they are able to use powerups to outwit the wolves.
Of course, powerups can be used for evil too. Clever players will find interesting ways of using their powerups to attack other sheeps as well. For example, a card intended to push other wolves away could potentially be used to push your own wolf closer to another player's sheep!
To see a more detailed set of rules, check out the final presentation of the game at the engineering design fair, located here!
This game aims for a niche between strategy games and casual family games. The simple, cartoony aesthetic has a nostalgic association that will attract older players as well.
This game was submitted to the 2016 Hasbro Gaming Lab's Next Great Game Challenge.
