Sunday, December 19, 2021

Six days until Christmas, Baba is You Levels I've made

Okay, so did you know that in six days it's going to be Christmas? 

Hold up, you say. That depends on when I'm reading this.

Okay, true true. But at the time I'm writing this it's going to be six days until Christmas. So in this case, I guess, when something is being written is more important than when it's being read.

But is that true for all of literature?

For example, Christmas movies are created to be watched in December, or near Christmas. But what if it doesn't come out around that time? Iron Man 3, from the looks of it, was designed to come out around Christmas or during winter, but it didn't. Does that change the "effectiveness" of the movie?

H. P. Lovecraft was a huge racist. Does that mean we shouldn't enjoy his works of fiction today? And this isn't even Orson Scott Card with homosexuality or J. K. Rowling with trans people type of stuff where the author has believes but they have no sway on the story; Lovecraft's racism and fear of things that weren't like him are prevalent in his works.

Anyway, who cares? You want to see my freshly made Baba is You levels. Okay, here are the codes for the two I've made.

This one is called Christmas Tree: EWX9-DH3D

And this one is called Back and Forth: PV34-QYPX

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Baba Is You Baba Make Level

I found my phone! It was wedged under the side of a crack underneath a couch cousin in the couch. So that's been one week without it. And now I have it back, so if you want to text me you can text me. And if you don't want to text me, I guess you still have the ability to text me although you probably won't because you don't want to.

Baba is You is the best puzzle game ever invented. It took me hundreds of hours, but I beat every single level. And now, recently, they've created a mode where you can make your own levels! And play other people's levels! So, like, Super Mario Maker, only for logic nerds like me, I guess. Although if I did own a Switch I would totally own Super Mario Maker. 

Anyway, I've played some of the home-made levels and they're pretty good. This one was really wacky because at one point it puts you into 3D mode and that was trippy, but it was really fun.

I'm trying my hand at making my own level. We'll see how that goes.

Monday, December 6, 2021

I Lost my Phone

I lost my phone some time on Sunday.

So if you try to call me, I won't be able to answer. And if you text me, I won't see it.

I can't wait until Christmas! Just nine more days of school and I'll be done! I have next Friday off, and then Heather is going to be performing in the Voices of Christmas musical schnaziga! That's Saturday and Sunday. Then Monday will be a resting/packing day, and then we'll be in Fallon on Wednesday or Thursday? is the plan.

And then we'll play games. All the games. Scythe with metal tokens from Seafall. Seven-player Caverna with Alex, Eric, Ryan, myself, and three Jamiesons. Chief Judge of Zarahemla with people who've never played it before. Dune Imperium that Eric got for his birthday. Some games that we'll probably get for Christmas if I were to guess. And much much more, I'm sure.



Sunday, November 28, 2021

The Games we played during Alex's visit, plus the answer to a 3-door riddle

Last weekend Alex, Eric, and mom and dad came down to visit us for a few days! Here are some of the games we played: 

Scythe. 

The Fox in the Forest.

Codenames. 

Caverna: The Cave Farmers. 

Red Rising. 

Chief Judge of Zarahemla. 

Dune Imperium. 

Lost Ruins of Arnak. 

TZolk'in the Mayan Calendar. 

Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition.

The Shipwreck Arcana.

Viticulture. 

Crossfire. 

Ex Libris. 



In front of you are three doors. Two lead to freedom, and one leads to death. You are allowed to point to exactly one door, and ask exactly one answerable yes or no question. If you are pointing to one of the freedom doors, the guard will answer "yes" or "no" truthfully. If you are pointing at the death door, the guard will either lie or tell the truth with "yes" or "no" completely at random. What do you do?

Answer: 

Point at door A, and ask: "Does door B lead to freedom?" If the answer is yes, then pick door B. If the answer is no, then pick door C. 

How does this work? 

Well, assume that door A is the door that leads to death. In that case, you'll need to pick door B or door C; it doesn't matter what the answer is. In our solution, we picked B or C, so even if door A is the death door, we wind up scott-free. Now assume door A leads to freedom. In that case, it will tell us the truth, so we simply act as if it's telling us the truth, and thus go with door B or C accordingly. Thus, we have all our bases covered.

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Alex is home from his mission!

 And I have a condition! It's called cellulitis, and it smells like Midas. Can you tell? That I smell? What the heck? Is that Glen Beck? And everyone said, "Hey! You're writing really cray-cray!" So I continued to type; I didn't want to let down that hype. My wife is the best. She is better than the rest. And so we go on, like boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past....

Henry is six. Joy turns four years old tomorrow! This is her last day of being three. FOREVER.

We went through the Temple open house this last week. Heather is volunteering there as a tour guide. Super cool to go through all the rooms. Did they have an un-dedicate ceremony when it closed down? Or does it just happen? Kind of like getting set apart for a calling--when you're released, you aren't un-set apart.

Dune: The desert planet. He who controls the spice, controls the Universe. Eric should do a movie review on the new movie.

Spoon: The dessert planet. He who controls the syrup, controls the Universe.

Doomed: The deserted planet. He who controls the--wait, what was that!? Ahhh!! Help! We're bein-- . . . . . . .

So, you're on a gameshow, right? And before you are three doors. Behind one is a new car. Behind the other two are goats. You pick one randomly. Then the game show hosts opens one of the two doors you didn't pick, revealing a goat. The game show host now gives you the option: you can either keep your previous door, or switch to the other closed one. What should you do? 

You: Oh boy! I love goats! Me: Uh... but let's assume you want the car in this case. You: Ah, man.

So, you're in prison, right? And before you are three doors. Behind one is certain death. Behind the other two are tickets to freedom. You are allowed to point at one door and then ask one yes-or-no question. If the door you pointed at was one of the doors that lead to freedom, the guard must answer "yes" or "no" truthfully. However, if you point at the door that leads to death, the guard will say either "yes" or "no" completely at random. What question should you ask that guarantees your freedom?

You: Wait, why am I in prison? Me: Don't worry about it. You: I stole the goats, didn't I? Me: Yeah...

So, you're in front of three doors, right? And--

You: Forget it. Me: No, it's gonna be good, trust me, just stick around. You: Nope, no more of this three door stuff. I'm outta here!

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Alex is coming home soon!

My youngest brother, Elder Alex Perazzo, will be done with his mission later this week. We'll get to see him at Christmas, but he will be coming down earlier, with the rest of the fam, to play games mid-November.

Right before he left on his mission, he came down with mom and dad and Eric and we played games for two straight days. Here's the post on that: The Post where we play games for 2 Straight days. I just looked back over that post, and the caption on one of the pictures says that it was my first time playing Scythe. Wow, crazy. And now I play a lot (just this last Friday I went back over again to play deluxe Scythe). Oh, also about that post, you know the picture captioned where I had 6 workers and Alex had 2, guess who won? Yeah, it was Alex that won that game.

I've been looking forward to Alex's visit for a long time now. And now it's almost here! (In less than two weeks.) 

Oh, and if you haven't yet, here's a plug to watch my latest youtube video:



Sunday, October 31, 2021

My Halloween story I just wrote

Mr. Mansafield stood in the kitchen and eyed his three guests. "One of you is a murderer," he said. Then he died. Then everyone else died, too. Turns out that poison was a little stronger than Mrs. Lift has anticipated. The End.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

They came! The Chief Judge games came!

 They came today! Wa-hoo! I finally got to see if the math I did months ago about how big to make the tiles to fit in the squares, cards in the slots, etc. actually worked out in the real physical world. Spoilers: they did, thankfully. Really really well too.

I sorted out everything into the three different boxes. And then I took pictures for everyone.

The boxes.

I ordered each box to come with an insert so that the pieces
can stay underneath and the board and rules can fit on top.

The board. It looks beautiful!

The coin tokens and the goods tiles.

So glad the tiles fit nicely into the boxes,
and the cards into their card slots.

Ta-da! Can't wait to play.


Sunday, October 24, 2021

Henry is Pikachu, Chief Judge rules



So funny story with the above picture. I was going to post it on Facebook with the caption, "Look what I got!?" And then when people would ask me I would tell them the truth: "I got this empty PS5 box from the dumpster! Isn't that cool?" I decided against it because, well, not everyone would read the comments and then most of Facebook would go on believing I actually got a PS5. 


Yesterday my family and I went to a Halloween party. Henry dressed up as Pikachu, and Joy was Rapunzel. Heather was a unicorn and I was a ninja. A kid at the party came up to me and asked, "are you Naruto?" And I was like, ". . . Yes." Which appeased the kid and he went on his way. 

The copies of Chief Judge of Zarahemla will be here by Wednesday! And then we'll see if I uploaded the files right and if the cards and boards even come out well. Fingers crossed. Speaking of Chief Judge of Zarahemla, here's the 2-page rule book:






Sunday, October 17, 2021

Art Files for Chief Judge of Zarahemla

Card fronts



Card backs



Bottom of Box

Land Tiles 1

Land Tiles 2

Player Boards

Resources

Board

Coins


Top of Box


Sunday, October 10, 2021

Sick Dreams, and the Studio

Maybe it's just me, but when I'm sick my dreams are really stressful. Like last night they were all about long rods which were actually straight zig-zags and I thought they were making something but they just kept looping back and making themselves.

Man, that was a really bad description.

Anyway, the most stressful dreams are about math that doesn't work or add up. I remember when I was a kid I had a night terror and it was about me trying to connect the edges of a circle or something and my mind was in panic mode because I couldn't get it to work out.

Anyway. Good times.

Also, I was part of my school's Studio broadcast a few weeks ago. Here's the video:



Sunday, September 19, 2021

Rough Outline for Part 1 of Paths of Zarahemla

[1] Paths of Zarahemla, Chapter One You walk down the streets of Zarahemla. You have a meeting set up with your friend, Joseph. He says he has something important to tell you. You stop by a fish market and hear a couple guys having a weird conversation. You continue on, but then hear a huge commotion nearby. If you choose to check out the commotion, turn to page 2. If you choose to continue on to your friend, turn to page 3.


[2] You go and check out the commotion. There's a prophet there, preaching repentance to the people. You are a member of the Christian church, so you recognize a lot of the scriptures he's using. But many in the crowd are growing angry at him. You overhear a few say that they're going to incite the people to mob and kill him. You know you need to act, but the question is whether or not you put yourself in danger, too. If you go all out in trying to help the prophet, even putting yourself in danger, turn to page 4. If you try to calm down the crowd without putting yourself in danger, turn to page 6.

[3] You ignore the commotion and head on down to the city gate to meet your friend Joseph. He's there with one of his friends, named Annihah. Annihah fills you and Joseph in on what he discovered: there's a underground movement among the people to usurp the chief judge system and institute a king. They've been meeting in secret, but Annihah now knows where one of their hidden bases are located. You and Joseph are invited to come with him to check it out. If you go, turn to page 5. If you chicken out, turn to page 7.

[4] You decide that helping out a prophet is worth it, even if your own personal safety is put in jeopardy. You boldly stand up for him, and manage to sway the crowd to not turn into a mob and kill him. As it is, you and they prophet barely escape as many begin hurling stones at you. You both run away, and once you're both out of harm's way he introduces himself as Horolum. He works with Nephi and several other prophets. He explains that something big is going to happen soon, and that they've been called to preach repentance before it does. He mentions that because you've put yourself out there, you are now in danger. He says you can go to the government for protection, but says he doesn't know who you can fully trust there. Or, you could drop off the grid for a bit and the prophets could take you under their wings and help you. If you go to the government, turn to page 10. If you leave your ordinary life behind for a bit, go to page 11.

[5] You decide to go with Joseph and Annihah to the hidden base. You sneak through dense jungle and eventually find it near a river. You see a hidden cave and spy on it from the foliage. Eventually you see a group of three people come up to it. A guard comes out, but they give him a secret sign which allows them to go through. They mention that they're new recruits and are ready to join the robbers of Kishkumen. They go into the cave and you, Joseph, and Annihah know you have proof of the conspiracies. As you head back to the main city, however, a member of the robbers finds and stops you. Joseph and Annihah have different ideas on what to do, and leave it up to you to decide. If you attack the man and make a run for the city, turn to page 8. If you pretend to be new recruits to infiltrate the robbers group deeper, turn to page 9.

[6] You want to help the prophet but don't want to be killed doing it. You try to sway the crowd without anyone knowing it was you, but the efforts fail. The group turns into a violent mob and swarm the prophet, led on by two men in particular, the ones you saw at the fish market. Later, as you sit by the side of the road mentally berating yourself and blaming yourself for the prophet's death, a man comes up to you. His name is Nephi, and is another prophet and was a good friend of the prophet that was just slain. You express your guilt and ask for forgiveness and what to do next. Nephi says that there are two main paths he sees ahead: you can either go to the government and try to get legal justice action taken against those who were responsible; or you can help Nephi and the other prophets in their work, now that they have one less member. If you choose to try and get legal justice, turn to page 12. If you join with Nephi and try to help him in his work, turn to page 13.

[7] You tell Joseph and Annihah that you don't want to put yourself into that much danger, and head home. A few days go by and you notice that Joseph has gone missing. You go and visit your uncle for advice. He's a lower judge, and his name is Gionum. You talk to him about what Joseph and Annihah discussed with you. Uncle Gionum expresses surprise at this but does mention he's heard of these rumors, too. He says he's been working with another judge on uncovering these plots. He says to come back the next day. You do, and Uncle Gionum and the other judge say that, if you're willing, they want to use you as a spy in the organization. They've found a place where new recruits are taken, and want you to infiltrate the group. Maybe then you can find out the truth of what's happened to Joseph. You like that idea, but think it might be safer and quicker if you just went to the law enforcers from the government for help. If you choose to infiltrate the secret group, turn to page 14. If you choose to go to the authorities, turn to page 15.

[8] You distract the robber while Annihah goes around the side and ambushes him. You tie him up to a tree, and then run back to the city. Once back in the city, you, Joseph, and Annihah go to your uncle, who is a judge. His name is Gionum, and you explain the whole story to him. He says that he and a handful of soldiers will go with you to the cave. He goes off to get the soldiers and you and your friends rest at his place and tend your wounds. A few hours later Uncle Gionum and the soldiers arrive, and you lead them to the cave. But when you get there, the cave has been collapsed and all evidence gone. The man you tied up is also gone. You figure that he must have escaped his bounds and knew what you were up to so he cut his losses with this location and destroyed it to not get caught. End of Part 1.

[9] You give the secret sign you say the new recruitments use, and say that you're here to join. The man smiles and welcomes you. He leads you back to the cave and you enter. With the new recruits you learn that there are secret members of the group hidden as moles in all levels of government. You're given a task to complete and told that if you complete it you can move up in the levels of the group and gain more insight. But if you betray the group, death will follow. You and Joseph look at each other. You're past the point of no return now. End of Part 1.

[10] You go to the government for assistance. While you wait in line at the judgement hall with others, you notice a few of the men from the crowd the other day coming towards you. You dodge out of there in the nick of time. Later you try to contact Joseph, but no one's seen him. You worry something terrible has happened to him. You go to your uncle, Uncle Gionum, for assistance. You tell him that people are after you and that your friend has vanished and seek his help. He tells you to lie low at his place and he'll get you body guards. End of Part 1. 

[11] You leave a note for your parents and sneak off during the night. You meet up with the prophets at Horolum's house and meet Nephi, another prophet. They agree that you're in danger and that while you're lying low there you can help with organizing some scripture records. End of Part 1.

[12] The next day you head to the judgement hall and wait in line. In line you overhear some others talking and realize that you are not the only person to witness the mob. You go to them and talk. When it's your turn before the judge, you all present your witness to what happened. You notice some shady people glaring at you and when you leave they follow you. You manage to lose them, but fear that this might be harder than originally anticipated. End of Part 1.

[13] You join with Nephi and stay at his place. Whenever you go out you have to wear a disguise. The next few days you try to get in contact with Joseph, but no one has seen him, which worries you. meanwhile you help re-write scriptures from plates to scrolls, and learn more about some prophecies of Christ's death. When you ask Nephi when you'll be able to come out of hiding, he sadly says he doesn't know. You feel a chill and wonder if that time will ever come again. End of Part 1.

[14] You choose to be a spy for Uncle Gionum, and the next day are initiated into the secret group. You hope to find out what happened to Joseph. You are told that if you reveal any of the group's secrets, it will mean death. You gulp, but continue forward. End of Part 1.

[15] You say that you'll go to the authorities, but [spoiler warning] End of Part 1.

Sunday, September 12, 2021

A short post where I lose in a game.

 I played The Quest for El Dorado The Golden Temples this morning with Henry. Like, the actual legit game, not even a dumbed down version with kid's rules or anything. And I didn't take it easy on Henry either, I was trying my best. Guess who won? I'll give you a hint, the winner was 6 years old.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

The post where Gunnar and Sharon are probably going to kill each other

On Wednesday we playtested Newlands. Some feedback: It seemed like it would be complex at first, but then turned out to be simple. The lines on the tiles were a bit confusing (I out it on there for artistic qualities). It was tricky at first not being able to just jump over land to put another tile down, but they got the hang of it. If you can't lose points, then tracking points during the game makes more sense than doing all of it at the very end. (Like you're supposed to do in Kingsburg but my family and I never do.)

Everyone has such differing opinions on all topics. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for everyone to agree on anything. I have a friend on Facebook, let's call him "Gunnar" is super conservative. And another Facebook friend, let's call her "Sharon" is very liberal. And the stuff they post is so completely opposite of each other it blows my mind that some people can have so completely different opposite view points.

Trump? Gunnar loves Trump, thinks he actual won the election and that it was stolen from him. Sharon hates Trump and celebrated when he lost. Masks? Sharon demands all schools require them. Gunnar thinks it's un-American to require them. Vaccine for Covid-19? Gunnar thinks it's a conspiracy and that it causes problems. Sharon believes that everyone should get it and that if you don't get it you're part of the problem and deserve to get sick. The Texas abortion law? Sharon is ticked and loathes it. Gunnar applauds it as a step in the right direction. Gay marriage and transgender-ness? Gunnar thinks it's a joke and that they're bringing down society. Sharon stands up for them and supports them. Etc. etc.

How can people, that are both logical and rational beings, be so completely dynamically opposed in their thinking on so many subjects? I don't believe that any amount of thinking, reasoning, and logic can get these two to agree. I think that they could talk for days about a topic and each little intricacy and still not agree.

So what's a person supposed to do in this world of so many passionate, strong, differing opinions?

My opinion: I don't know.

Oh, and: Trust in the gospel.

Like, the church's stance on abortion is: 

"The Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience. Members must not submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage an abortion. The only possible exceptions are when:

  • Pregnancy resulted from forcible rape or incest.

  • A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.

  • A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

Even these exceptions do not automatically justify abortion. Abortion is a most serious matter and should be considered only after the persons responsible have consulted with their bishops and received divine confirmation through prayer."

The Texas law, I've been told, makes no exception for rape or incest. So the Texas law is a lot more intense than the law the most Infinite Being in the Universe, God Himself, has decreed. So does that mean it's wrong? Which would be better: to have it or not to have it? Should government be interfering in these affairs? What's the role of government in topics like this? I'm reminded of the 18th Amendment, which outlawed alcohol. Should the government be in charge or control over the legality of this, or should it be left to the common citizen? 

I can't answer any of those questions. Like Gunnar and Sharon above, I'm sure all sorts of people have all sorts of opinions on the answers to those questions. And each side can pull up evidence supporting their claim.

I think that the best we can do is live the gospel, love others, and follow Christ. 

Otherwise, I have no blooming idea.

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Home-made Stratego, Newlands playtesting

 Last Sunday we went to grandma and grandpa Johnson's house. The aunts, uncles, and some of the older cousins played Codenames and Blokus.



On Saturdays there have been an estate sale that has sold a ton of games. I got two copies of Stratego. One Henry and I play all the time. With the other one I cleared off the pieces so that I can put my own stickers on them for my own game. I think it's going to be a Stormlight Archive theme, with the red Parshendi fighting against the blue Alethi soldiers on the shattered plains, but I'm not 100% sure yet.


Speaking of Stratego, I think I inspired Henry, because today he and I made a home-made Stratego game out of paper and cardstock. Below is a picture of us playing.


With my wife's help, I contacted the game designer I met at the boardgame day. He sent me his number and I called him. We talked for a while and he asked me about what game I wanted to playtest with the group. The game we talked about was Newlands. He asked me a bunch of questions about it, including what type of data I wanted to get out of the sessions, and I told him I wanted to see if I could balance the different paths to victory, i.e. building sails or cannons or anchor spots, and building a bunch of tiny islands vs. just a few big ones. They meet on Wednesdays. I wasn't able to make it this last Wednesday, but I'm going this upcoming one. I'll let you know how that goes.


Sunday, August 22, 2021

Scythe, Wingspan, no one to extensively playtest with

 





Went over again last Friday and played another game of Scythe. I came in second again. It was another six player game, yet it still went by fairly quickly. maybe because everyone was familiar with it and knew what they were doing. 

My goal is to improve to the point that come Christmas or late November I'll be able to beat Alex at a game of Scythe. I cannot remember for the life of me if the Scythe my family owns still only has the tiny board or if they got the board piece that expands it into the giant board. If not, then the next Scythe thing they should get is the giant board addition. It's only $12 on Amazon and way worth it.



My cousin Alicia Marr sent me this article the other day: How Wingspan became a Surprise Blockbuster. It's an awesome article and got me to introspect. In the article it talks about how the designer, Hargrave, spent four years working on it and playtesting it every week. A quote from the article states, "The numbers work in Wingspan. What seems at the beginning like a set of coincidences or accidents reveal themselves by game's end as a cleverly designed system that ensures everyone finds a way to score points."

And therein lies my feelings of hopelessness. How am I ever going to get a game published, or be the very best it can be, if I can't playtest it? I want my games to be the very very best they can be. Wingspan took hundreds of iterations to be where it is now. Look at this prototype for Scythe: 
How many different prototype stages did that game go through? Hundreds and hundreds, probably. Getting the different land masses to produce the right thing and having the different factions and boards balanced--it probably took an entire army working on it to get everything right.

And I have nothing.

I have game ideas, sure. And I can make prototypes, sure. But that's where it hits the wall. That's all I can do. Some games, such as We Three Kings and Newlands, I playtested with myself dozens of times, being all the players and going around the table. But what about games where there's secret information? 

What about games that have multiple paths to victory (the kind of game I love and want to make)? Jamey Stegmaier says everyone plays slightly differently, and if I only play games with myself, I'm only getting one perspective. When I made Somerset I made the magic system but never really used it. It was only when I played with other players that they used the magic system and cast spells and did really well that I thought it could be a viable strategy.

*Sigh* If I seem really down in this post, it's because I don't know what to do. There is one hope, and that's if there's a group in Mesa that gets together to playtest games, I could hopefully join in and hopefully do something more. There is that guy Jay from a few weeks ago. I now know his actual last name now (I was wrong in my other post) and so I guess my next steps are contacting him and going from there.

Otherwise, I'm stuck being unable to playtest in a world where playtesting is the single most important thing to creating a great game.