Mutation Manor

Summary:  An adventure for 3 to 6 players in which they must escape a demented genetics lab.

Year Completed: 2009
Game Genre: Modular Adventure Game
Design Role(s): Mechanics Design, System Design, Copy Writer, Testing Lead
Software Used:   Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator

Game Overview: Mutation Manor was designed as a project to harness mechanics from a previously played game and expand/improve the mechanics in some way.  To this end Mutation Manor was designed taking mechanics from the game “Betrayal in the House on the Hill”, particularly the exploration mechanic.  To improve upon the Betrayal, Mutation Manor was designed to encourage interaction between the players earlier on in the game, as opposed to the mostly self-operative nature of the early parts of Betrayal where players tend to explore the mansion independent from one another.

To cause the players to interact more, there were three primary design changes made.  First, the players all start in the basement of the mansion.  Secondly, all players start the game with their own secret objectives.  This caused play to move more quickly and add urgency to players’ actions.  The players’ objectives still required them to explore, but with more care as to where they went both in the mansion and compared to the other players’ characters.  Finally, there was much more emphasis placed upon player conflict.  This led to more competitive games, but avoided the possible quick endings found in Betrayal. 

Playtesting of the game was extensive, both with players who had played Betrayal and those who hadn’t.  Players responded well to all changes involved, especially to the added component of allowing players to customize their own avatars based upon the mutations and powers they received throughout the game.  A small portion of players preferred the game without the avatar component, but we were able to make this aspect optional, satisfying all players.