There were six weapon pickups in total that required balancing to ensure they were fair when used during gameplay.
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Pros and cons were assigned to each weapon as a starting point to prevent players from becoming overpowered. Longer-ranged weapons already had an advantage since they could inflict damage from a greater distance. To balance this, the weight of carrying a larger weapon significantly reduced the distance a character could move per turn. In the left illustration above, the blue highlighted squares represent movement range, while the red squares represent attack range for a machine gun. In the right illustration, a player equipped with a melee weapon can only deal damage within a one-square radius but can move more freely across the map due to their higher movement allowance.
Result
Playtesters responded positively to the adjustments. Instead of everyone always going for the same weapon type, players began considering which tool best suited their current situation. For example, one player dropped a knife to pick up a sniper rifle when moving into a wide-open area, while another switched from a long-range weapon to a melee option when navigating tight corridors.
The prototype leaned more toward the style of an American board game, with a strong emphasis on dice throwing to attack enemies. A unique twist was the use of different dice for specific weapons. The challenge was determining how to assign each die appropriately.
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Observations of playtesters in varied combat situations revealed that short-range gear was more difficult to use offensively. This occurred because players often required multiple turns to move their character into position before engaging an opponent. Since these weapons posed a greater hardship, dice with a larger numerals were assigned to the automatic, shotgun, and knife so have the opportunity to deal more damage. The pistol was a starting item so it was logical to pair it with a less lethal range of numbers. This also made sense for the grenade since it had a blast radius, unique ability that presented a method of hurting multiple targets, which did not require higher values, as that could risk making it overpowered. The remaining die type was assigned to the sniper rifle, which worked well due to its striking distance being rather far. The illustration above goes over everything mentioned here by showing a player piece accompanied by the amount of square units associated with the distance of each attack.
Result
Initially, playtesters felt that assigning higher-numbered dice to short-range weapons created an imbalance. Once movement units were reduced to slow the rate at which players could reach opponents, the adjustments were received more positively.
The tabletop game was intended to feature both multiplayer and team-based gameplay. The challenge was determining the optimal number of participants.
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While the game could have worked in a one-versus-one format, the goal was to capture the feel of a modern first-person shooter, where players typically enjoy matches with more participants. The number was first increased to two-versus-two. However, this created an issue, because if teammates disagreed on a strategy, there was no third party to break the tie. Ultimately, the format was changed to three-versus-three.
Result
With three-versus-three gameplay, the energy of the game noticeably improved. As shown in the image, players discussed strategies more actively and even boasted about their skills at throwing the die onto the crosshair board, which featured damage multipliers.
There are many combat-style tabletops available, but few specifically capture the traditional first-person vide game format. It was a true test of creativity to see if this could be achieved.
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Breaking down what defines the first-person combat genre revealed that perspective is key. The battle is experienced through the soldier’s eyes. This idea was applied quite literally when designing the reticle component for the board game. A large target was created to represent the sights of a weapon. As shown on the left side of the above illustration, the diamond-shaped crosshairs have multiple layers. A die is thrown at this and the rolled value is multiplied based on where it lands to determine how much damage is inflicted on an enemy.
Result
Players familiar with the first-person genre quickly grasped the mechanic. It became a standout feature of the gameplay and helped set it apart from more tactical war tabletops such as Warhammer. Although the system has a random element, there is still a physical skill aspect in attempting to roll the die as close to the centre of the crosshairs as possible.
After introducing three-versus-three multiplayer to the deathmatch mode, it became difficult to get players to collaborate on eliminating opponents. People often went rogue and focused on their own actions. Something needed to change to encourage more team play.
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It was clear that the deathmatch aspect needed to stay to keep the first-person shooter feel, but more objective-based decisions needed to be implemented in order to bring players closer. This led to the introduction of a "Capture the Flag" mode. Teams were required to cooperate in order to steal the opposing team’s flag.
Result
Players familiar with the common "Capture the Flag" mode in many shooters quickly related to the change. Suddenly, they began coordinating with their teammates to ensure their planned actions were supported before proceeding. The image above provides a strong example of teamwork, showing a player on the green team stealing the enemy flag while their teammates back them up by intercepting opponents who give chase.
