All student work presented on this page is published with permission of the authors.
First Assignment: Card Game
Design a simple competitive or cooperative card game using only a deck of identically-sized cards (no tokens, dice, variations in card sizes, etc.) that can be set up and played between 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Design your cards to emphasize legibility, clarity, and ease-of-use. Visual artistry may be appreciated but will not be graded. We encourage using tools that speed up iteration. You only need to design and test the game for a fixed number of players: two, three, or four players. If your game accommodates different-sized groups, state any rule changes necessary.
To complete the assignment, you must design and provide a hardcopy deck of cards. Submissions will not be returned to students after grading but will be made accessible in the GAMBIT Game Lab for future classes. You must also upload PDF copies of your game rules and cards to the course website. Scans of your cards are perfectly acceptable; provide color scans if your cards have color. Rules should be properly typed and formatted.
Session #5: Team formation
Session #10: Internal playtest
Session #13: Playtest with GAMBIT Staff
Session #16: Online and deck submission deadline
Student Work
| Groups | Files |
| Jeremy Rossman, Brian Basham, Andrew Sugaya, Andres Lopez-Pineda. "A Wizard Did It..." | Rules (PDF), Cards ( PDF - 1.2MB) |
| Jason Strauss, et al. "The Game of Conquest." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF) |
| Michele Pratusevich, Patrick Rodriguez, Justin Zhang, et al. "Family Dysfunction." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF 1 of 2 - 8.2MB) (PDF 2 of 2 - 7.5MB) |
Second Assignment: Board Game
Design a board game that adapts or abstracts some real-world system of your choosing, e.g. a nuclear reactor, a black market, global climate, high school popularity, MIT. Your game must be playable by two or four players. State any rule changes necessary for different-sized groups. New players need to be able to set up, learn, and complete your game under 45 minutes. Players already familiar with your rules should be able to complete a full session in under 30 minutes. Design your game bits to emphasize legibility clarity, and ease-of-use Visual artistry may be appreciated but will not be graded. Be prepared to announce the system you have chosen by the first Internal Mechanic Playtest.
To complete the assignment, you must select, design, and provide all the necessary game bits to play your game. Submissions will not be returned to students after grading but will be made accessible in the GAMBIT Game Lab for future classes. You must also upload PDF copies of your game rules, game board, and any custom cards to the course Web site. Scans of your board and cards are perfectly acceptable; provide color scans if your cards have color. Rules should be properly typed and formatted. Include a list of all the game bits and props used by your game.
Session #19: Team formation
Session #22: Internal playtest
Session #24: Playtest with GAMBIT Staff
Session #29: Showcase and submission deadline
Student Work
| Groups | Files |
| Alec Thomson, Andrew Sugaya, et al. "Black Hat." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF), Board (PDF) |
| Michele Pratusevich, Brian Basham, Jason Strauss, et al. "Tough Luck, Dodo." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF - 1.5MB) |
Third Assignment: Game For A Client
Design a game that can be set up and played between 20 minutes and 40 minutes. You will be given a client who needs a game designed to fulfill certain requirements that will be provided at the beginning of the assignment. The game could be a card game, board game, live-action game etc. (The game should not require significant athletic activity; keep it safe for all participants involved.) The game will be played in a single classroom. This session may be recorded on video. You will have to host/GM a session of your game, live, during the last day of classes. The intent is to provide a game that the client could host/GM themselves.
To complete the assignment, you must select, design, and provide any necessary game bits or props to play your game. You may use prototyping materials available in the GAMBIT Game Lab. Submissions will not be returned to students after grading but will be made accessible in the GAMBIT Game Lab for future classes. You must also upload PDF copies of your game rules and printed materials to the course website. Include a list of all the game bits and props used by your game.
Session #31: Team formation
Session #35: Internal playtest
Session #37: Playtest with GAMBIT Staff
Session #39: Showcase and submission deadline
Student Work
| Groups | Files |
| Andres Lopez-Pineda, Alec Thomson, Owen Macindoe, Jayson Lynch. "Patience With Patients" | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF), Character Sheets (PDF), Words (PDF) |
| Michele Pratusevich, Andrew Sugaya, Ian Ynda-Hummel, et al. "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF 1 of 2 - 7.9MB) (PDF 2 of 2 - 9.9MB) |
| Brian Basham, Jeremy Rossman, Jason Strauss, et al. "Keep Your Cool." | Rules (PDF), Cards (PDF) |
