Second public non-solo playtest, RoKC Olathe. I’ve done a few solo playtests; more to come on those. In short: playing Beta Break alone is actually quite great.
The most notable change for this second playtest is the design of the cards. I’ve exchanged the hand-written cards for printed cards. My handwriting is just too sloppy, and with the ever-changing card descriptions the mishmash of strikethroughs and margin writing made the cards indecipherable. Design Truth #4: Big Text.
Oh yeah, I’ve started logging some “design truths” which will be my guiding principles for the design. Every proposed change I have moving forward must adhere to these principles:
Design Truths
All cards must be played before the player starts the climb. Especially relevant for Spray cards, but applicable to any. Why? The climber must be able to read the route with confidence. Don’t force the climber to make decisions after starting the climb. Also, a safety concern.
The position of the card cannot dictate their state (for example, like tapped cards in Magic the Gathering). Given the rambunctious nature of the bouldering gym, maintaining a battlefield would be impossible.
Simplicity above all else. Remember, these are people who are chatting with each other, getting distracted. The player should be able to look at the game state at any time and know exactly what is going on. They can see the Eliminates. They can see the Beta Breaks. They should never have to remember a variable.
Big Text. Players will be standing when reading these.
No timing-based rules. Keeping track of time means non-climbing players have to focus too much.
Anything that prevents someone from climbing should be removed. People are there to climb first, and to play a card game second.
To design the cards, I used a tool called Dextrous. It works very well.
I used the opportunity afforded by the card design change to also explore card naming. First impressions are important. Every new card is a new chance to make a first impression. While the effect written on the card is the game mechanic, meaning the card name is largely aesthetic, the joy that the card name brings opens the player up to receive the effect positively. I’m going to lean into joy at every opportunity. Card names. Card descriptions. Maybe even card types (though too many card types might go against Design Truth #3).
Playtest overview
Game 1: 5 players + 1 scrum-in (included two people completely unaffiliated with my climbing group; strangers joined it!)
V grade: v2/v3, 14 holds
Overheard:
“Great game”
“So much fun”
“Do a Kickstarter”
What bummed them out?
Take-a-Break cards. We determined there were too many. But maybe they just aren’t fun enough to keep. Kill that darling? Fewer card types would have the knock-on effect of making the game simpler. OR change the rule to (just climb the current Problem state)
Not enough for Dead players to do. Moving an Eliminate hold is cool, but it’s not the same as climbing. Anything that prevents someone from climbing should be removed.
Game is (still) too long
Not sure how to handle volumes. Are they holds?
Proposed changes:
Dead player can move an Eliminate but must climb the current Problem state (ignoring the Beta Breaks) before doing so.
Spray - Must do current and previous Beta Break together
Beta Break - Expert (opposite of Newb) - use only toes
Beta Break - change fabric softener to Tripod - three points of contact only
Reduce starting health to 3 (from 5) OR base starting health on number of players. However, if based on number of players, it would need to be inverse (more players is less health)
Scum-in rule. New player joins at health equal to lowest current player health +1. New player will go after a full cycle through the established roster of players.
REMOVE Beta Break - Double Tap, Double Dip
Give everyone an Eliminate card to start with. Problem starts with some holds eliminated
Update suggestion from “It’s recommended to choose a low-grade climb with many holds,” state specifically that “It’s recommended to choose a low-grade climb with many holds, like a v1-v3.”
Typo on Buddy System card
Card Types
Ruleset and cards used
The most up-to-date rules can always be found at this dedicated page.
Deck Construction:
9 Eliminate cards (for 14 holds, felt like a good number)
20 Beta Break cards (for 5 players, felt like a good number)
10 Take-a-Break cards (for 5 players…way too many cards)
5 Spray cards (for 5 players, felt like a good number)
Playing the Game
Deck Construction
A deck can have as many cards of each type as you want. However, we recommend the following as it provides a balance of difficulty and fun.
Beta Break cards. Use a number that's 4x the number of players. For example, if there are 3 players, include 12 Beta Break cards in your deck.
Eliminate cards. Use a number that is 4 less than the total number of holds on the Problem (including hand, foot, start, and finish holds). For example, if the Problem has 9 holds, include 5 Eliminate cards in your deck.
Take-a-Break cards. Use a number that's 2x the number of players. For example, if there are 3 players, include 6 Take-a-Break cards in your deck.
Spray cards. Use a number that is the same as the number of players.
Setup
Shuffle the deck and place the deck face-down on the ground (be considerate of other climbers at the gym when deciding where to put your deck)
Each player starts with 5 health. A player cannot go above the starting amount of health.
Choose a Problem to climb. Think of this Problem as the game board upon which all Players will play. It’s recommended to choose a low-grade climb with many holds. Don’t worry, rockstar climbers, the game will get difficult even for you!
Game Turn Structure
A single turn involves a) a Climber drawing a card from the Draw Pile, b) that Climber follows the instructions on the card, c) the Climber attempting to send the Problem (unless the card instructs otherwise), d) after the attempted send, the Climber’s turn ends, and the next Player goes.
Draw a card from the Draw pile and place it face-up next to the Draw pile The first card played must be a Beta Break card. Draw until you draw a Beta Break card, then reshuffle the rest of the deck. This face-up card becomes the active Beta Break card.
Follow the card’s effect and attempt to climb the Problem.
If you fail your attempt:
Lose 1 Health.
The next Climber can try to “Steal the Send.” If they fail, they lose 1 health, and the card effect is canceled.
If they succeed, they gain 1 Health, the original Climber who drew the card loses another 1 Health, and the effect stays active. If they decide not to try to “Steal the Send,” the card effect stays, and it’s their turn to draw.
The end of a Round
If all cards from the deck get played, this marks the end of a Round. When this happens, shuffle all cards, except for the active effect card, to create a new face-down Draw Pile. Replace the active effect card face-up to create the new Beta Break Pile.
Play continues with the following changes:
When a Beta Break card is drawn it sits alongside the existing Beta Break card(s). The total number of Beta Break cards are equal to the number of rounds. Round one = 1 Beta Break card. Round two = 2 Beta Break cards. Round three = 3 Beta Break cards.
When the Climber draws a Beta Break card from the Draw Pile during their turn, the Climber gets to choose which active Beta-Break card to replace with their drawn card so that the total number of active Beta Break cards remains the same as the number of rounds played. If the drawn card is incompatible with an active Beta Break card, then the drawn card MUST replace the incompatible card. For example, if “No Left Arm” is active and the Climber draws “No Feet” then “No Feet” must be replaced (because, come on, using one arm and no feet is impossible…right?)
How to win
The game is over when only one Climber has any remaining Health.
What do Dead Players get to do?
We’re sorry you are dead. Really. But fun can still be had. When it’s your turn, you can move an eliminate status to a different hold (if you want to…no pressure…but maybe this is a good time to get back at that person who killed you, eh?).
Excited to play!