Syndicate Project
Roles: Project Lead Designer
Syndicate was an idea I came up with when trying to merge 'stealth' and 'deception' gameplay with my love for strategy. From there I worked on the design of the game testing at every possible opportunity. After the class project was complete, I reworked most of the game to simplify and balance it while creating the pipeline for the SCAD Entelechy competition.
Project Objective
Syndicate was originally a class project with an objective to make a board game in four weeks with a team of five people. After the course we invited an additional artist and worked on the game up until the SCAD Entelechy competition a few weeks later. Our objective at both stages was to make an approachable board game with the aesthetic of being a crime boss fighting a turf war.
Outcome
In the first iteration, Syndicate achieved the aesthetic of being a crime boss but lacked some approachability. A lot of good mechanics existed, but an inelegant rule set held the game back. Both the stealth and strategy elements remained core features of the game while reworking the rule set to improve user experience. Additionally, we edited the art to improve overall cohesion. Syndicate was a finalist in the SCAD Entelechy Board Game competition in 2018.
Key Contribution
During the initial ideation phase, the team struggled to identify a viable design path. We spent a few days bouncing ideas around about an art heist or perhaps a rock paper scissors deception game but rapidly became bogged down without progress. To break the logjam and to ensure we met our production timeline, I decided to combine the ideas of a rock paper scissors and a larger scale acquisition game while playing off of the art heist idea. I set the game on an island involving two rival crime lords.
I designed the initial elements of the game to make sure the combat, deception, and acquisition elements were available via different controllable units. These options and the purchasable equipment in the game created the foundation for chess-like gameplay that gave the game its own unique feel. Once I mixed that the 'Cat and Mouse' and 'Guess Who' mechanics successfully I focused the rest of my time on iterating balance of costs, movement, and win objectives.
To see how to play the game here are the quick start rules and the full rules that are included in the box: