GOING BANANAS
</going bananas>
GOING BANANAS
4-player Euro-style board game, playtested through 3 major iterations.
3
major playtested versions
4
asymmetric characters
9 + 18
tile types + battle cards
SPECIFICATIONS
| ROLE | GAME DESIGNER |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| TYPE | BOARD GAME |
| STATUS | archive |
| STACK | game design · playtesting · user research · iterative design · systems design |
| LINKS | — |
| DELIVERABLES | 1 artifacts · research → hi-fi |
| TOOLS | game design · playtesting · user research · iterative design · systems design |
“A four-player economy game has to stay tense for 15 rounds: strategies need to diverge, leaders can't be allowed to run away with it, and the moment-to-moment decision can't collapse under its own complexity.”
A Euro-style board game for 4 players with asymmetric characters, tile-based economy, battle card combat, and layered end-game scoring.Playtested with real users across 3 major iterations.
README.TXT — GOING BANANAS (3 KB)[full readme →]
== WHAT IS THIS ==
A Euro-style board game for 4 players with asymmetric characters, tile-based economy, battle card combat, and layered end-game scoring. Playtested with real users across 3 major iterations.
== </the problem> ==
A four-player economy game has to stay tense for 15 rounds: strategies need to diverge, leaders can't be allowed to run away with it, and the moment-to-moment decision can't collapse under its own complexity.
== </my approach> ==
I designed the complete system — 9 tile types, an 18-card battle deck, 4 asymmetric monkey characters with unique powers and win conditions, evolution mechanics, and layered end-game scoring with multipliers — then refined it across three major versions of structured playtesting with real users.
== </the story> ==
Going Bananas is a medium Euro-style board game where 4 players take the role of monkeys hoarding bananas across 15 rounds. I designed the complete system: 9 tile types, 18-card battle deck with rock-paper-scissors combat, 4 asymmetric monkey characters (Gorilla, Baboon, Chimpanzee, Orangutan) each with unique powers and win conditions, evolution mechanics, and layered end-game scoring with multipliers. Three major versions refined through structured playtesting.
== </architecture> ==
Game economy built around deliberate scarcity. Bananas serve as both score and currency. Seven single-use VP milestones ensure strategies diverge. Alpha crown mechanic creates natural rubber-banding without artificial catch-up.
== </design decisions> ==
Binary core turn
Move or Stay. The moment-to-moment decision stays simple while the systems around it supply the depth.
Bananas as score and currency
One resource doing double duty builds deliberate scarcity into the economy — spending power always costs standing.
Card combat over dice
An 18-card rock-paper-scissors battle deck adds a skill element while keeping variance alive.
Asymmetric characters
Gorilla, Baboon, Chimpanzee, and Orangutan each play with unique powers and their own win conditions.
Alpha crown rubber-banding
The crown mechanic creates natural catch-up pressure without an artificial handicap system.
Single-use VP milestones
Seven one-time milestones force strategies apart — once one is claimed, everyone else has to find another route.
== </key decisions> ==
DECISION 01
Binary core turn (Move or Stay) keeps moment-to-moment decisions simple while systems add depth. Evolution cost (25 AP) calibrated through playtesting for genuine dilemma. Card-based combat replaces dice for skill element while maintaining variance.
== </what i learned> ==
Keep the core decision binary and push complexity into the surrounding systems — players handle depth better than wide decision trees.
Numbers only get honest through playtesting. The 25 AP evolution cost was recalibrated across versions until it produced a genuine dilemma.
Replacing dice with cards keeps the variance but hands players agency — randomness feels fair when you chose the card.
game design · playtesting · user research · iterative design · systems design
archive