Bree Wolf

Siblings Shontoya, Shen, and Shondra attend a game design summer camp on a space station with Professor Zephyr. Along the way, it includes templates and instructions for games to play, playtest, and modify. Back matter includes a glossary, a Hex board with game rules, and a playtest feedback form. A solid foundation of game design with lots of ideas for hands-on activities.

See also: Grace Needs Space

Notes

Games are voluntary, have a goal, and have limits.
"Limits are a big part of what makes a game interesting." (18)

Piet Hein's six questions ("Is this game fun?")
Is it...progressive? final? decisive? strategic? emergent? fair? (30)

"A mechanic is a thing that you can do in a game to change its outcome." (37) - social mechanic, connection mechanic (like Hex), etc.

Chance and probability - coin/dice memory vs card memory
Ducks in a Row p. 46
Six Card Mini Golf p. 49-50

Player interaction - high or low (51)

Some games have dice memory, some have card memory, some have both, some have neither (55)

"playing a game creates a story" (57)

"Theming" refers to the setting, characters, artwork - anything that gives you a narrative context for the game. Mechanics are "what," theme is "why." (58)

protagonist, goal, beginning/middle/end (58)
a game will be a little different each time you play (59)

Tug-of-War game (60)

Mechanics/actions help create a game's narrative (67)

Games don't require physical components (75)

"The most important thing is that playing the game creates a satisfying experience" (77)

boardgamegeek.com (BGG)

In game design, a module is a set of rules that fit into a bigger game, e.g. each piece on the chess board is a module. (95)

Let's Destroy Chess! (100)

When writing rules, consider the order of operations. Tell players what they're supposed to do and what order to do it. Think about the rules in the order players need them, from beginning to end. (105)… (meer)

Christmas Belles – A Holiday Regency Anthology

Happy Holidays for more than one regency couple can be read about and enjoyed at any time of year! I have not completed all the stories yet, but plan to do so and update my review over time.

I started Tracy Sumner’s THE DARING DEBUTANTE because I have read and am invested in The Duchess Society series that precludes this charming story. Nigel Streeter and Arabella Macauley have known each other since childhood. Arabella is a bit like her mother in that she knows what she wants, is willing to go after it, and she wants Nigel. Fun story that made me smile

Bree Wolf’s story came next. In ONCE UPON A NOT ALL INNOCENT KISS Charles Beaumont, Viscount Hawthorne is back in England with his family attending a party and Beatrice Hartley catches his eye. He sees her sadness and wants to provide succor and is persistent as he feels he fell in love immediately. Beatrice has a big secret and delicate issue to deal with but will Charles be the one to help her and perhaps also claim her heart.

The final novella read is by Collette Cameron and titled A YULETIDE TOSS OF THE DICE. Aubrielle Penford considers herself on the shelf, a bit awkward, and kept from pursuing her dreams due to being a woman. Jackson Matherfieild, a friend of her brother’s, has been in her life for years but more as a pain in the patoot than anything else…until one day…things begin to change. This was a great story that had me wanting to see how the two would find their way to a happy ending. I also want to know about the side story of Shelby Tellinger and Roxina Danforth. I wonder if their story will show up in the series this author is starting in 2024.

I enjoyed the stories read and look forward to reading the remaining five stories in the near future.

Thank you to Wolf Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (meer)

Barely got past the prologue. When you start a book with the protagonist in her pre-teen, you can have her develop a crush on a “young man” (the protagonist’s description of the male lead), but it gets a bit creepy when the writing hints at returned feelings.
Either the male lead is only a year or two older (which stretches the “young man” description, especially coming from a 12-year old), or the male lead is closer to 16, which seems way too uck to me).

Then you jump 12 years and have the female lead being horribly scarred… sorry, just not my jam.

I got the entire series for free from Amazon so I didn’t read the blurb before grabbing it. After reading all the blurbs, I find I may not be interested in reading it after all.

YMMV… (meer)