Expanding From 4 to 7 Players Worked!
One of our first assumptions was that Jingozi was a maximum four-player game based on earlier tests. One reason for it was certain players would have dominating chip stack, which meant the other players would slowly bleed chips with no chance to make a comeback or have fun. However, we’re excited to share that we were wrong.
One of our first assumptions was that Jingozi was a maximum four player-game based on earlier tests. One reason for it was certain players would have dominating chip stack, which meant the other players would slowly bleed chips with no chance to make a comeback or have fun. However, we’re excited to share that we were wrong.
In a recent playtest session, we tried five and more players, implementing a scoring system that incentivized players to come second or third. The first player knocked out of run out of cards would lose, earn zero points, and instantly force a chip count for the rest. Of course, a winner-take-all format is possible. But a tournament style point system encouraged more matches and strategy.
Even more encouraging was that with more players, the dealer button and positions of players became that much more important. Not surprising since the same dynamics apply when playing poker, only in Jingozi, one cannot fold to start and every player must participate in every hand.
We’ve now updated our rules from 2-4 players to a possible 2-7 players. The more the merrier right? Throughout the holidays, we plan to playtest the maximum seven players, but we expect the same fun and competitive results. Stay tuned for more updates.
Beta Testing of the Card Game Continues
Our new website now features a news blog! Welcome to the first post.
Hello, world!
Our new website now features a news blog! Welcome to the first post.
We’ve been beta testing version 1.1 of the physical card game over the past month with a private group of players by invitation. Several balancing adjustments were in order and version 1.2 has been ordered from the care printers. Unfortunately, due to supply chain issues and holidays, version 1.2 of beta testing decks won’t arrive until just before the holidays. We hoped to complete 1.3 before the end of the year, but it looks like that will have to wait until 2022.
In this round of testing, we explored multiple play modes, such as combining two classes of decks. The results have been positive and we’re excited to promise different formats other than the standard play mode to keep every play session fresh and exciting. More information to come.
Also for this round, we set up a poker table to enhance the play experience. Our goal is to combine the fun of a tabletop game with the excitement of a poker tournament. Of course, not everybody owns an actual poker table, but in the future, we envision full tournaments set up like the World Series of Poker.
Look for more updates in the new year. We’ll see you in 2022 and hope you have a safe holiday!