Glow Up Prototype 2

Welcome to the second prototype for the tabletop game Glow Up. A game by Alexander Heppner, Jonah Howell, Ella Mack, Tyler McGrew, Tony McNeil, and Cameron Willis.

Summary of our First Playtest

Our initial playtest provided a lot of valuable feedback in moving our game forward. The first session of Glow Up began having each player getting three different materials of construction paper and a Runway Card being played, establishing the design theme for the round. After the design theme was read aloud, the three-minute timer began for the players to start their designs. It became immediately apparent that having players begin their design right after getting the design prompt left no time for players to figure out any ideas. For about the first thirty seconds of the three minutes, the player would generally be brainstorming what they want to make and would only be left with two minutes to create their outfit. For game two, we gave the players thirty seconds to brainstorm before they could start designing. We wanted to keep the rounds an even three minutes, so we didn’t give players an additional thirty seconds, but allotted a time amount where players could think before designing. This did seem to help, but perhaps having additional time would be helpful. However, we don’t want to make the rounds too long and make the game feel sluggish, so for now, we will continue with the three-minute timer, allotting the first thirty seconds to brainstorming.

Runway Cards were overall a positive experience, which players enjoyed. The only feedback we got on the Runway Cards was to avoid overlapping themes. For example, during the first game, there were two Runway Cards centered around a beach. Players found that having a similar theme for two rounds in one game to be repetitive. We have gone through the Runway Cards and removed any overlapping themes and swapped them for something more original.

The Mishap Cards ended up being the largest point of contention while playtesting.  Many of the Mishap cards we had didn’t work like we expected and were quite overpowered. Particularly, Mishap Cards that target a single player. For future designs, Mishap cards will only target the player(s) with the most stars. Cards that hurt players that are used on struggling players ended up being unfair and putting them in an unwinnable situation. Cards that apply to all players worked well throughout the playtest, and we have added additional cards with this design.

Another addition we made was adding more Mishap Cards that can be played during or right before rounds end. During the playtest, a Mishap card that swapped outfits with the player sitting on their right was used. This ended up causing a lot of conversation amongst the players, and they seemed to enjoy this design. When looking at the deck of Mishap Cards, it was the only one of its kind, so designing more Mishap cards similar to it is something the team has worked on. 

We also implemented a few end-of-game bonuses. Most paper at the end of the round gives a bonus point. One bonus point is given to a player who has unused Mishap cards at the end of the game. Will most likely add others as we continue to playtest. We started using endgame bonuses for the second game of playtesting and found they helped players who struggled with their designs earn some points and feel competitive.

Updated List of Mishap Cards

• The player with the most stars can only use their new piece of cardboard this round, no reusing leftovers from previous rounds.
• Grab an extra piece of cardboard from the box. You may use it this round, as well as any of your remaining cardboard pieces.
• The target player of your choice must make a dress
• Players must design their outfit without using the dummy for this round.
• Players must use all unused material(s) from previous round(s).
• The player with the most stars cannot use scissors this round.
• Draw another runway card. You may choose to use it or keep the current runway card for this round
• The player with the most stars must discard unused materials from previous rounds.
• Each player must trade their outfit to the player to their right halfway through the round
• Take one piece of another player’s previous outfit
• The player with the most stars can only use parts of their previous outfits, and from the discard pile this round
• The target player must include a hat in their outfit
• Players must make the outfit this round using only their previous outfits. 

Updated Rule Sheet

Glow Up! Rule Sheet

Number of players: 3-4 players

Ages: 5 and up

Game Duration: 15-20 minutes

Goal: Make clothing using cardboard and vote on who has the best look according to the theme!

This Game Includes:

• Paper
• Mannequins
• 1 deck of “Runway” cards
• 1 deck of “Mishap” cards
• A stack of star tokens

Materials needed:

• Scissors

• Tape

• Extra paper

• Drawing/Coloring utensils

• A Timer

Game Setup:

Each player takes a pair of scissors, one sheet of paper, and three star tokens

How to Play:

1. One player draws a “Runway” card and places it face-up in the middle of the group. They will then read the card out loud.

1. Each player will draw a “Mishap” card
   1. You may save your card and use it on a later turn. 
   2. Only one “Mishap” card can be used per player and per round.
2. Players will have 30 seconds before the round starts to think of ideas for their outfit and draw on their paper.

1. Set a timer for three minutes. Once each player is ready, start the timer.
2. Players will have three minutes to cut out and tape together an outfit that best represents what the “Runway” card says.
3. Once the timer ends, each player will reveal their outfits to the other players. Each player can talk about their idea at this time.
4. Each player will then hand a star token to the player they think had the best outfit. They cannot give their star token to themselves.

1. Any unused paper and outfits from previous rounds can be used in future rounds, along with new materials

1. At the end of 3 rounds
   1. Every player who has unused mishap cards gets a bonus star
   2. The player with the most unused paper gets a bonus star

Winning the Game:

After three rounds, each player will count up the total number of star tokens they have received. The player(s) with the most star tokens win the game.

Current Design of “Mannquins” and the "Materials" Used for the Playtest

Using flat pieces of cardboard to design was something we would like to continue with. It was helpful to have a template to design onto, and having it be a flat surface allowed for quick workflows so players could get their designs across within the round's time limit.

Thank you for reading!