I found this game called Chameleon (link: https://bigpotato.com/products/the-chameleon) that is very similar to what we are doing. The target audience is age 14 plus and the platform is a simple board game. The idea of Chameleon is that each player is given a Code Card which contains coordinate values. Then they roll 2 dice whose values correspond to a coordinate on the Code Cards, which can then be used to locate a secret topic on the Topic Card. Only one player receives a Chameleon card instead of the Code card. After each round, they say a word related to the Topic Card and debate and vote out the people who they suspect is the faker.
In contrast, “Ghostwriters” take the element of hidden identities and fuse it with creative storytelling. As the players craft a narrative piece by piece, the ghostwriters among them must navigate the story to conceal the duplicity.
This blog post argues that while “Chameleon” excels in its straightforward and quick gameplay, “Ghostwriters” could potentially offer a more layered experience through its storytelling mechanic. This requires players to engage not only with the task of identifying the ghostwriters but also with the content they are collaboratively creating. Such an approach could lead to a richer player experience.
I also did a deeper analysis of our game “Ghost writers”. First, our game can still work on developing the hidden identity mechanics to create a more engaging gameplay. While both games use deception, Chameleon does so within a word-association framework, while Ghostwriters leverages a storytelling approach. Also, our game could add more complex elements – such as stakes for narrative coherence or rewards for stylistic contributions. This could include a mechanic for voting not just on suspected ghostwriters but also on the best narrative contributions, incentivizing both strategic deception and creative storytelling.
To integrate class ideas, we can think of the MDA framework(Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics ) to further enhance our game. In “Ghostwriters,” mechanics would involve the drawing of cards or the roles assigned to players. Dynamics might include how players strategize to conceal their identities, how alliances form, or how players choose to steer the narrative to either align with their assigned topics or to call out others as ghostwriters.
For instance, mechanics that support a broader range of dynamics, like alliances and betrayals based on narrative development, can create a more compelling aesthetic experience. Evidence of the potential success of this approach can be seen in games that blend storytelling with social deduction, like “Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective,” where the narrative forms the backbone of gameplay. The aesthetics could range from the suspense of discovering the ghostwriters to the satisfaction derived from crafting a compelling story or successfully deceiving other players.
Ultimately, the comparison between “Chameleon” and “Ghostwriters” suggests that while the former offers a proven formula for social deduction games, the latter proposes an innovative fusion of storytelling and gameplay. Therefore our game offers a new experience to the users. To fully flesh out our game idea, we will be working on testing and prototyping again to incorporate the ideas of the successful stories before.
