MacGyval: Use What You've Got, Survive or Not!
This game is from ldjam.com, which is currently unavailable.
You can try viewing the original page on Web Archive (may not load correctly).
You can try viewing the original page on Web Archive (may not load correctly).
*Note: this game is marked as a Windows game, but as long as you can open an .xls file you can play the spreadsheet version of the game, and as long as you can print PDFs you can play the print and play version! All of this is in the same .zip file*
Players: 1+
Have you ever watched MacGyver and wondered if you'd be clever enough to solve any of life's problems with seemingly random items? Now's your chance!
*MacGyval: Use What You've Got, Survive or Not!* puts you into a wild location with only the items currently at your disposal in real life (plus a few extras) and forces you to overcome life-threatening obstacles. If you can clear them all, you'll total up your score and see who the most creative survivalist is!
*MacGyval: Use What You've Got, Survive or Not!* is actually a tabletop card game, but I've also created a spreadsheet that allows you to play the game without printing or cutting anything. Technically, this really IS a video game, entirely playable in a spreadsheet! It's much more fun with another player or a group of people, but there's also a great challenge for solo players as well, whether you're just trying to survive or you're trying to get as high of a score as possible.
The game is simple: you gather items (from your own home in real life!) and then use them (along with some extra items from the cards) to overcome crazy MacGyver-esque challenges. The more items you use to overcome each challenge, the more points you'll get. Be careful, though, as your items may break, get lost, or become altered as you play.
The download file is a .zip that's hosted on itch.io. The README-FIRST file explains everything you'll need to know, and once it's downloaded you won't need to come back to this page aside from voting (all of the information, rules, etc. are within the zip file). I've also included links to this page in the README-FIRST and the Spreadsheet Game files, so you can download the game, play it (it works great as a remote game over the phone or even text chat!), and then come back later! :smile:
My goal this jam was to make a tabletop game that's still super accessible: minimal printing, maybe even none; minimal tabletop lingo knowledge; playable solo or with as large of a group as possible. I feel like, as far as this goal is concerned, I did pretty darn well :smile: I also learned a LOT about tabletop game creating from this Ludum Dare, and it's been a great weekend!
As for specifics, I created the prototype on blank index cards that were cut in half, and my gal and I playtested using notepad files on our phones. From there I expanded on it a bit, cut out a lot of the weaker Item and Obstacle cards, and created all of the files! I used OpenOffice Calc for the spreadsheets (although I also tested the spreadsheet game in Excel and LibreOffice), and nanDECK to create the print and play files.
Players: 1+
About the Game
Have you ever watched MacGyver and wondered if you'd be clever enough to solve any of life's problems with seemingly random items? Now's your chance!
*MacGyval: Use What You've Got, Survive or Not!* puts you into a wild location with only the items currently at your disposal in real life (plus a few extras) and forces you to overcome life-threatening obstacles. If you can clear them all, you'll total up your score and see who the most creative survivalist is!
*MacGyval: Use What You've Got, Survive or Not!* is actually a tabletop card game, but I've also created a spreadsheet that allows you to play the game without printing or cutting anything. Technically, this really IS a video game, entirely playable in a spreadsheet! It's much more fun with another player or a group of people, but there's also a great challenge for solo players as well, whether you're just trying to survive or you're trying to get as high of a score as possible.
How to Play - Simplified
The game is simple: you gather items (from your own home in real life!) and then use them (along with some extra items from the cards) to overcome crazy MacGyver-esque challenges. The more items you use to overcome each challenge, the more points you'll get. Be careful, though, as your items may break, get lost, or become altered as you play.
The download file is a .zip that's hosted on itch.io. The README-FIRST file explains everything you'll need to know, and once it's downloaded you won't need to come back to this page aside from voting (all of the information, rules, etc. are within the zip file). I've also included links to this page in the README-FIRST and the Spreadsheet Game files, so you can download the game, play it (it works great as a remote game over the phone or even text chat!), and then come back later! :smile:
How the Game Was Made
My goal this jam was to make a tabletop game that's still super accessible: minimal printing, maybe even none; minimal tabletop lingo knowledge; playable solo or with as large of a group as possible. I feel like, as far as this goal is concerned, I did pretty darn well :smile: I also learned a LOT about tabletop game creating from this Ludum Dare, and it's been a great weekend!
As for specifics, I created the prototype on blank index cards that were cut in half, and my gal and I playtested using notepad files on our phones. From there I expanded on it a bit, cut out a lot of the weaker Item and Obstacle cards, and created all of the files! I used OpenOffice Calc for the spreadsheets (although I also tested the spreadsheet game in Excel and LibreOffice), and nanDECK to create the print and play files.