Licorice Graveyard

Cyn
Cyn
Nov 8 · 3 min read

MDA Analysis For Original Game

Candyland is a super simple game for kids four years old and up.

Mechanics: The mechanics of the game is to be the first player to get to the Candy Castle by travelling through Candyland.

Dynamics: For the dynamics, players take turns choosing the top card of a face down deck. Each card has a corresponding color on the game board, and it is the indicator of how far the player is allowed to move on their turn. To spice things up, there are random tiles spots on the board, and if landed on it can bring fortune or misfortune. For example, if a player lands on a spot with a licorice on it, then they lose their next turn. However, there are tiles that bring the player to a secret pathway allowing them to advance further into Candyland. There is really no strategy to this game, it is mostly luck based.

Aesthetics: The aesthetics of Candyland is simple, cute, and child friendly game. Eleanor Abbott is the creator of this game. At the time she made the game, she was a retired school teacher, and patient in a San Diego hospital back in 1948. Along with Abbott, many young children in the area were afflicted with polio. So, she created the game Candyland as a gateway to cheer the children up. It uses a lot of bright colors and incorporates a handful of different sweet treats throughout the game, making it more pleasing to children. The game is simple to get a hold of, and requires no skill to play, making it a simple yet educational game for children, since they must match colors.

New Rule Sheet for Modified Game

While making their way through Candyland, to the Candy Castle, the Gingerbread Men got captured by Lord Licorice. He then threw them into his Licorice Lagoon, and when the Gingerbread Men gained consciousness, they awoke in a place way different from Candyland, almost like an alternate universe. It is there they are greeted by Lord Licorice himself, and he tells them:

“Welcome to my fun land of licorice. Everyone in Candyland prefers all of the other treats and desserts, but here there is only licorice! If you ever want to get back to your beloved Candyland, you must take a trek through my Licorice Land and reach my Licorice Graveyard which holds the magic portal. However, I will only allow one of you to pass through the portal, the rest of you will have to live your lives here in Licorice Land!”

With that, Lord Licorice is gone with a poof of smoke. In his place is rope, bear traps, and magnets. The Gingerbread Men grimly pick up one of each item, and then begin their journey to the Licorice Graveyard.

Start the game: shuffle the cards and place them in a pile face down on the board. Each player starts at the Licorice Lagoon. Rock, paper, scissors, whoever wins gets to go first. The game proceeds clockwise.

Playing the game: The player who won rock, paper, scissors, gets to draw the top card from the pile and move to the first matching colored space along the path.

  • Once a card is used, place it in the discard pile.
  • Sometimes there will be cards with two color tiles. This means that after a player moves to the first corresponding color tile, they get to move to the next one that matches the second tile color.
  • All of the other players then follow suit.

If all of the cards are used before a player reaches the Licorice Graveyard, shuffle the discard pile, and continue the game.

Traps: player’s can only activate traps on their own turn. Each trap can only be used once

  • Rope: a player can use rope to switch places with another player, only if the two were going to be on the same color tile.
  • Bear Trap: a bear trap can only be placed on a color tile that corresponds with the player’s character color. If another player lands on a bear trap, they must skip their next turn.
  • Magnet: use a magnet to pull all of the players two color tiles closer to you, it does not matter how far ahead or behind they are.

Winning the Game: Be the first player to reach the Licorice Graveyard and get back home to Candyland.

Original Lets play video of Candy Land

Let’s play video of modified game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88yxGzJUgGM&feature=youtu.be

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade