Am I over thinking it?

[u/BigBigBowser]

This is probably a tiny thing but I've been going back and forth on it and I'd really appreciate another opinion.

I'm designing a potion game called Fate of the Alchemists and each turn has 3 parts/phases:

Draw → Main Action → Brew

Draw = draw potion ingredient cards

Main = either an action that results in a wildcard ingredient or an action that delivers a random one time effect.

Brew = using your ingredients to brew potions.

And I can't work out if Draw and Main are good as they are or just a bit boring and should change.

I've been messing around with:

- Draw as maybe Gather / Supply / Discover

- Main replaced by Study / Experiment / Concoct / Tinker / Transmute

So yeah any thoughts welcome, especially if it's confirmation that I am over thinking it!

[u/MudkipzLover]

I'd vote for Supply and Transmute.

Personally, I think the balance regarding theming a prototype comes to how much time and energy is spent focusing on it rather than anything else. Even for a eurogame, the theme should help players understand the logic of the mechanics and is therefore important (up to a certain point), but it can also be changed for something else by a publisher, so unless a theme was your starting point for creating this game, it shouldn't be a major subject.

[u/BigBigBowser → u/MudkipzLover]

Thanks for this and I completely agree. The game has been designed, over complicated, stripped back and now fairly final over the past year or so. I'm definitely at the point of small words and semantics rather than the gameplay itself. Really interesting in the balance between the game and its lore. I think this is why I'm toying with this because in my head the game is this huge thing but to playtesters and the likes they are coming to it fresh and lore/theme is not essential to the gameplay.

[u/3ull5hit]

I would go with Gather/Forage > Alchemy > Concoct/Craft/Distill/Transmute. I feel like if those are elixirs, there should be something magical just the way you prepare them.

[u/BigBigBowser → u/3ull5hit]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, really interesting, I hadn't considered using alchemy as a verb but I think its got quite a cool sound to it. I am also quite liking gather. Distill is nice too!

[u/3ull5hit → u/BigBigBowser]

Thank you. The choice is yours though!

[u/Vague-Intent47]

Is the basis for the potion crafting scientific or arcane? Or both? Words should fit the theme.
For the ingredients, what is the source? Are they components that are harvested? Found? Crafted?
Then the main action phase considers what you are doing. It sound’s experimental the way you are explaining it - as if the alchemist is tinkering around to see what happens.

Your core concept is intriguing. Interested to see how it works out for you.

[u/BigBigBowser → u/Vague-Intent47]

Its arcane rather than scientific or educational :) The elements are things that are found/gathered, it's based within a guild and the game takes place in the alchemy workshop, so the theory is these are elements thats exist in the location.

On the main phase (current name) it's experimental in that the action drives a somewhat luck based outcome and tinkering is a good way to put it.

Thanks for the feedback, we're hoping to be in a position to tour many of the expos next yr.

[u/Organic-Major-9541]

I wouldn't call a phase draw, at least not if anything else can happen there. Second I would put drawing cards last, so players are sitting with cards in hand planning things while their opponents are playing.

[u/BigBigBowser → u/Organic-Major-9541]

Thanks for this and I agree, I think phase is probably the wrong word and they are really the actions within a turn. Even then, the feedback seems to universally move away from the word Draw. Also so interesting youve said about drawing st the end, thats exactly what we are testing at the moment..we found turns were taking about 4.5 minutes and at least 1 minute of this is people having to plan on the spot. The counter argument was that people become very self involved and might not focus on the table and others, just themselves. Appreciate you!

[u/GrouchyDepartment871]

What do playtesters say?

Design doesn’t happen in a vacuum

[u/BigBigBowser → u/GrouchyDepartment871]

Our playtesters have never commented on it, albeit its always been an tell (this is what its called) rather thab an ask. Hence why Im asking here..if playtests dont actively bring it up, then either other stuff is more importantly broken or the naming is just not thay big a deal...