Resources to teach strategy game design
  • Welcome to kathleenmercury.com!
    • About Kathleen
  • Kathleen's Games!
    • Greece Lightning
    • Dirty Birdy
    • Valkyrie
  • Distance Learning Resources
  • Teaching Resources
    • Intro to Games Through Play
    • Quick Game Design Workshop
    • Introduction to Strategy Games
    • Establishing a Game Design-Friendly Classroom
    • Teaching Games to Each Other
    • Game Mechanics >
      • What Are Mechanics
      • How I Teach Mechanics Now
      • How I Used to Teach Mechanics
      • Mechanics, Categorized
      • Game Mechanics & Groups
      • Learning Mechanics Using Unpub
      • Mechanics Student Packet
    • Conflict in Game Design
    • Game Goals >
      • Teach Goals Using a Game
    • Theme Development >
      • Theme Brainstorming & Research
      • Fairy Tale Game Design Project
    • Choosing Your Mechanics
    • Prototyping >
      • Recommended Materials
      • Blank Game Templates
    • Playtesting
    • Providing Feedback on Prototypes: the WINQ
    • Writing Rules
    • Final Assessment
    • Movies about Game Design
  • Game Design Projects Shortcut
  • Recommended Games
  • Press
    • Games in Schools and Libraries
  • Rationale
    • What Is a Strategy Game?
    • Why Games?
    • Why Teach Game Design
    • The Design Process
  • Unit Timeframes
  • What Students Say
  • Student Game Examples
  • Links
  • Conference Presentations
    • UMSL Grand Seminar
    • Tabletop Network Lightning Game Design Jam
    • Gifted Association of Missouri conference 2017
    • GenCon 2017 Trade Day's Engineering a Strategy Game
    • How I Teach Game Design in a Semester (GenCon 2015 Trade Day Presentation)
    • Finding a Place for Gaming, Modifying Curriculum
    • GenCon 2020: Board Games in the Classroom
    • NASAGA 2020
  • Running a Game Club
  • I Teach a Lot of Geeky Stuff
    • Cosplay Unit
    • RPG Design Unit
    • International Politics
  • My Random Stuff
    • MET Portfolio >
      • Themes & Outcomes
      • Resume
      • Teaching Philosophy
      • Academic Showcase of Learning
      • Key Assessments >
        • Graphic Design 5040
        • Desktop Publishing 5070
        • Web Design 5550/5555
        • Curriculum Design 5460
        • Digital Movies 5290
        • Technology & Ethics 5900
      • Evidence of Growth
  • MSA Game Design
  • woo

Greece LIghtning

My first published game!

On your mark! Get set! ROW! You are the captain of a sleek, speedy trireme, racing in the famous Hydra Regatta. Steer around whirlpools, shifting currents, and fickle gods. Avoid the hungry hydra to win a place among the stars!

In Greece Lightning, you race around a circular track, trying to be the first to complete two laps. On a turn, you roll two dice to move your boat: a navigation die (1-3) and a movement die (1-6). You can roll a second movement die to try to go farther, but if the roll is lower than your first movement die, you bust and keep only your navigation die.
​
The circular track is comprised of twelve wedges, with the wedges being randomized each game. In general, the track consists of four paths orbiting the central hydra, but these paths criss-cross a lot, with movement dots and bonus icons at various spots on the movement paths. When you move, you must move clockwise a number of spaces equal to the sum of your dice, but you often have freedom to weave from one path to another. Here are the icons you might encounter:
  • Fish: Collect one fish. You can have up to three fish on hand, and you can spend a fish to re-roll your navigation die or second movement die. You might also need fish to navigate whirlpools.
  • Favor of the Gods: Draw a favor card, and place it face down before you. At the end of your turn, reveal the card and use it immediately, save it for later, or give it away, depending on what card it is.
  • Track wedges: Collect one wedge and place it face up before you. At the start of your next turn, after determining your total movement, place the wedge on the game board (but not on the starting tile or a player's ship). Use these to make your path easier or to place a hydra directly in your opponents' way.
  • Whirlpool: When you land on a whirlpool, you often have multiple exit paths from it — but you might need to pay fish or have a die with a certain number in order to take a particular path.
  • Hydra: Spend a fish when you land on a hydra space or else your movement will vanish for the rest of the turn as you must fight it off.
When you land on or cross the starting line, thereby finishing one lap, you receive a fish, a wedge, and a Favor of the Gods card. When someone has completed their second lap, you finish the round to ensure everyone has the same number of turns, then whoever has gone the farthest wins.

Picture
Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.