Just as every game designer, I want Pinned Down to provide the best possible game experience for everybody. Here, I'm going to use Jesse Schell's lenses to answer crucial questions and to support all design decisions I make.

Lens #1: Essential Experience

• Puzzling Out Plans
  • Essential: anticipation, feeling of tactical manoeuvring
  • In Similar Games: seed phase in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: deckbuilding, choosing starting starships and characters
• Testing Your Deck
  • Essential: getting something "for free" feels good, feels like gaining an advantage
  • In Similar Games: play for free, download in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: play from your draw deck, reduce threat
• Revealing Enemy Plans
  • Essential: feeling smart
  • In Similar Games: scanning dilemmas in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: peeking at enemy attack deck
• Overcoming Opposition
  • Essential: tackling and mastering challenges feels great
  • In Similar Games: solving dilemmas in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: nullifying attack effects, winning ship battles
• Scoring Points
  • Essential: getting anything always feels good
  • In Similar Games: solving missions, scoring objectives in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: increasing distance, scoring points
• Be A Starship Captain
  • Essential: feeling of tactical manoeuvring, imagining space fights
  • In Similar Games: tactic cards in Star Trek CCG
  • In Pinned Down: assigning ships, playing fight effects and shouting their names

Lens #2: Surprise

• Drawing Cards
• Enemy Attacks
• Location Options
• Damage From Ship Battles

Lens #5: Endogenous Value

• Cards are valuable to the player
• Promo Cards are more valuable than regular cards
• Earning new cards feeds player motivation to play the game (apart from wanting to try them out)

Lens #6: Problem Solving

• Problem: Finding optimal assignment, resolving fights without taking damage
• New Problems: Created by shuffling decks, adding new cards (for both players and/or enemies)

Lens #7: Elemental Tetrad

• Aesthetics: Common card backgrounds, well-known card design approaches
• Story: Lore of each card
• Mechanics: Card game mechanics like drawing cards and shuffling decks
• Technology: Touch controls for natural card game feeling

Card Design Checklist

• co-op?
• fun: synergy? granting something "for free"? reducing threat? revealing attack deck? nullifying effects? increasing power?
• awesome name
• lore
• art

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