Match Steal Win

By Nashell Zellner

A Competitive Strategy Card

Game for 2-4 Players
Ages 8+
Game Description:

Be the first player to clear the board of all matches but wait you must also
match the cards in your hand. Watch out for your opponent’s, they can
steal your matches. The player with the most set wins.
Goals

● Stop opponents from making sets.

● Clear the board of all cards.
● Have the most sets.
● Get the most points

Transitions

1. To Start A Game
○ Shuffle the board cards and place them face down on any flat
surfaces.
○ Deal 7 of the player's cards to each person.

2. Player Turns
○ Flip over 2 cards from the board
○ Place match from board
○ Pick a card for the deck
○ Place matches and set if the choice to
○ Use special if player choices
○ Discard

3. End Turn
○ The player does not get a match
○ Player Discards

4. End Game
○ Only one way to end the game and that is to clear the board of all
cards.
○ The player with the most points wins the game
Goals

Reshuffle cards

• If a player gets more than 3 special cards on an initial deal

• If players have 3 matches or initial deal

Start game

• Make sure the board card and player card are separated
• Shuffle the board cards
• Shuffle the player cards
• Lay board cards on flat a surface
• Youngest goes first, then to the left
• Deal 7 cards to players

Action

● Action 1 – Board cards.

● Action 2 – Player cards
● Action 3 – Sets and matches
● Action 4 – Special cards
● Action 5 – Discard

Must
• Sets must be 2 board cards and 2 player cards
• Must discard a card
• Board matches must be places

Points
• Match = 5 points
• Sets = 10 points

Cards left in hand receives negative points

• 1 card =-1 point
• A match= -4 points
• 3 of the same cars = -6 points
 • Special cards = -5 points

Players Can Not

• Combine special cards
• Make a set with 4 player cards
• Playoff each other

Actions

Action 1 – Board cards

o Flip over two cards from the board and try for a match.
Action 2 – Player cards
o Draw a card from the player card pile
Action 3 – Sets and matches
o Place sets and matches out so all players can see.
Action 4 – Special cards
o Use the special to stop or steal from opponents
Action 5 – Discard
o Every player must discard if a card is available
Items

● 24 x Board Cards
○ 2 x Coin Cards
○ 2 x Dice Cards
○ 2 x Game Console Cards
○ 2 x Game Controller Cards
○ 2 x Joystick Cards
○ 2 x Keyboard Cards
○ 2 x Mouse Cards
○ 2 x PC Cards
○ 2 x Ring Cards
○ 2 x Sonic Shoes Cards
○ 2 x Suits Cards
○ 2 x VR Cards
● 48 x Player Cards
○ 4 x Coin Cards
○ 4 x Dice Cards
○ 4 x Game Console Cards
○ 4 x Game Controller Cards
○ 4 x Joystick Cards
○ 4 x Keyboard Cards
○ 4 x Mouse Cards
○ 4 x PC Cards
○ 4 x Ring Cards
○ 4 x Sonic Shoes Cards
○ 4 x Suits Cards
○ 4 x VR Cards
● 6 `x Special Player Cards
○ 2 x Shield Cards
○ 2 x Steal Cards
○ 2 x Wild Cards

Setup
● There are 24 board cards to lay on the table.
● There is a total of 54 players card
● Each player gets 7 cards to start the game.
● The youngest person goes first.
 Identify Meaningful Choices

Meaningful Choices

Meaningful Choice #1: Picking Cards

● This is a meaningful choice because it allows a player to pick cards for
the board
● This choice is at the start of your turn.

Meaningful Choice #1: Picking Cards

● This is a meaningful choice because it allows a player to pick cards for
the player's deck or discard
● This choice is after you make a match

Meaningful Choice #2: Special Cards

● The special cards give you 3 choices one is a wild card which can be
used to complete any set. Another decision a player will make is when to
steal a pair and when to block a pair from being stolen.
● Before the end of your turn.

Meaningful Choice #3: Discard Cards

● The meaningful choice here allows a player to discard any card of their
choice from there hand.
● After a match is chosen from the board.
Explanation (answer in at least one paragraph)
How do the Meaningful Choices listed above impact your game?
How do they improve the gameplay? What would the gameplay be
like without these choices?
The meaningful choices control the whole way the game is played, each player
must choose what is the best strategies to use. Each of the meaningful
choices adds an extra component to the gaming to keep the player interested
in the game. If the game did not have any of these chooses it would be a basic
match game with none of the fun elements.

Single Player Playtest #1 Photo

Single Player Playtest #1 Photo
 Single Player Playtest #1 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per question)

1. In 2 or 3 sentences, how would you quickly (but accurately)

describe your game to others?
Match steal win is a match that has a twist, allowing more choices than a
regular match game. The best part is the special cards that can be used in the
game like the wild card. Do not forget you must have four images to make a
complete set.

2. Did you run into any loopholes or dominant strategies with your
design? If so, how did you alter the design to fix these issues? If
not, what about your design prevented those loopholes?
There can be a dominant strategy if the cards from both decks are not shuffled
properly. If this happens a player can get going until all the matches are made.
A loophole that was prevented was a player getting too many special cards
because it is stated in the rules.

3. What are some of your thoughts on your design? Did the

mechanics you made on paper translate well when playing the
game? For example: What were the most used actions, least used
actions?
I do like the design of the game and the cards, but the backgammon card
needs to replace with a different image. The back of cards needs to player or
board to make sure each set is complete but other aspect makes up for it. I do
believe the rules outline on paper translate very well into the gameplay
because the cards also have descriptions for players to see.
4. Did the player choices in your game feel meaningful? If so, how
were they meaningful? If not, why not? What can you do to improve
the meaningful choices available to the player?
At first, the player's choice did not fell meaningful because just picking the
card is okay. As the player turn went on the game choices became more
meaningful. The meaningful choices that are the best were picking which sets
to go for and trying to stop my opponent.

5. How long did your game setup take? How was the presentation
and usability of your materials? What improvements can you make
for the next playtest to go more smoothly and look more
professional? For example: did you use card sleeves, were you
trying to shuffle loose-leaf paper?
The game set up took less than five minutes and did not have any problem. I
must change the board cards cover to better fit the game. Also need to find a
way to make the cards thicker. The last thing I wound change is to add a
couple of bonus cards.
Single Player Playtest #2 Photo
 Single Player Playtest #2 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per question)

1. After a second playthrough, did you run into any new loopholes or
dominant strategies with your design? If so, how did you alter the
design to fix these issues? If not, what about your design prevented
those loopholes?
When playing the game, I notice that there are no more loopholes because of
the rules of the games. Did not notices any dominant strategies playing in this
time around.

2. After a second playthrough, what are your new thoughts on the

design? Did the changes you make from the first playtest improve
your game? Explain some of those changes and how they improved
or detracted from the game experience.
I made the cards bigger and thicker to make them more playable. The next
thing I did was made it easier to tell the difference between the boarding card
and the player card. I also switch the backgammon card into the sonic shoe
card. The last thing I did was and color to the cards to make them more
appealing to look at.

3. After your presentation updates from playtesting #1, how did your
play experience improve? Were there any issues with the user
experience? How can you continue to improve the flow of your
game for the next test? If you did not make presentation updates,
what should you do before the next playtest?
The game improved in how fast each player gets there turn. Yes, want access
to more of the special cards to be used in the game.
4. Which actions did you use the most, which did you use the least?
Were some not used at all? How can you balance out your actions
to create multiple, interesting paths to victory?
The action I used the most is picking two cards from the board and the least
was using special cards adding more special cards are removing board cards.

5. Describe the decisions you made throughout a few examples

turns in your game. Point out each major decision, and quickly
describe how that decision was meaningful.

Starting off the decision I had to make was to pick two cards from the board’s
cards, this is meaningful because I get to pick which cards to flip over. Using
the different special each gives me a meaningful choice like picking when to
place the card and where to use the cards.
 Week 3 - Assignment 3
Flowchart, Game Components, and
Group Playtesting
Flowchart
Group Playtest Photo #1
 Group Playtest #1 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per question)

1. Describe the Meaningful Choices available to your players

during this playtest. Did these choices lead to interesting
strategies, or was there a dominant strategy / obvious choice
always available? Were there multiple viable ways for players to
achieve victory? What improvements can you make from these
observations to enhance the Meaningful Choices available?
Choosing which cards to flip over, using the special cards, and picking when
to play matches and sets. There is no improvement to add to meaningful
choices.

2. Did your Flowchart do a good job of explaining the player's

actions and overall flow of the game? What questions did your
players ask you during the playtest about your rules? What steps
will you take to clarify those areas? Were there any instances or
situations that were not covered by the rules or Flowchart at all?
Yes, the flowchart works well with the rules and actions of the game. The
question that was asked about the rules does there have to be 2 board cards
and 2 player cards to make a set. a rule was changed due to the slowing of the
game.

3. What are some of your thoughts on your design? Did your

players have any contributions or thoughts on your design? Are you
planning on changing your design based on those observations?
Explain your decision.
I liked the design a lot and the name of the game. Yes, one of the players said
they like the concept but not the name and the way the cards look. No, not the
name of the game but some of the images I do plan on change. I decided to
make that decision based on the time I have in this class and the ink I have
available.
Group Playtest Photo #2
 Group Playtest #2 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per
question)

1. After your updates from the first playtest this week, describe
the Meaningful Choices your players made this time. Did these
choices lead to interesting strategies? Did you eliminate any
dominant strategies, or are they still present? What other
improvements can be made to the mechanics of the game?
There were no major changes in the rules so meaningful choices changes. I
believe to add any more things to this game might change the whole dynamite
of the game. There are no dominant strategies because of the rules win it
comes to the special cards.

2. After updating your rules and Flowchart, did players

understand how the game was to be played? Did you encounter new
questions that were not addressed in the rules? How can you
continue to clarify and simplify the explanation of your rules?
Yes, the rules and the flowchart allowed the players to understand the rules.
No, a new question came from the rules of the game. Keeping the rules simple
should make the game's rules are more clear.
3. How did your design changes after the previous playtest alter
the gameplay? Were these good changes, or did they negatively
affect the game? Are you finding that these iterations are smaller
tweaks or larger mechanical changes? With this in mind, do you feel
like you are close to the “final design” of your game?
The design has changed by adding 1 more of each special card to the deck.
This was a good change and the players like the game more. At this point,
there have only been small tweaks, like fixing images and making cards more
durable.
Group Playtest Photo #3
 Group Playtest #3 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per
question)

1. What type of gameplay emerged from this next playtest? Did

you encounter different Meaningful Choices for your players, or
were they the same as last time? Is the gameplay varied enough to
remain interesting for multiple playthroughs?
This playtest went well, and people enjoyed themselves more. No, different
meaningful choices were made by any of the players. Yes, the game differs
enough to allow players to get a rematch if they lose or win.

2. Were you able to explain your game by only reading from the
Rules and Flowchart? Did you need to supplement your rulebook
with clarifications and examples? If so, how could you incorporate
that information into a more effective set of rules for the next
playtest?
Yes, the rules and flowchart were all that was the need for the players to
complete the game. Which is way better than the first few playtest. This is a
good thing for the game for this set of testers.
3. How has the game changed since your original design? Reflect
back on the changes and iterations you’ve made since your single
player playtests. Think about the critiques and feedback you have
gained from other players and how their input has shaped your
game.
The deigns changed to make cards bigger and have color for flavor. Another
big change was making it so it is easier for players to get a set. The last big
change is the was the number of cards in the deck and adding more special
cards.
 Week 4 - Assignment 4
Rulebook, Quick Reference, Observed
Playtest and Final Reflection
Thematic Backstory

The name of the game is Match Steal Win can you be the big winner. As a child
must have played some type of match um up games, but I also wanted it so
kids and adults can play together fairly.

List of Game Components

56 Game Cards
● 24 x Board Cards
● 54 x Player Cards
● Instruction Manual
● Quick Reference

Game Setup

Make sure the board cards and player cards are separated
Shuffle and lay all 24 board cards on a flat surface
Shuffle the player cards and deal accordioning to the rules
Now you are ready to start the game

Objective

The object of the game is to be the player with the most sets at the end of the
game.
Turn Overview

1. Flip over two cards from the board (try to remember where each image is
laid on the table).
2. When a player gets a match, he or she then draws from the player's deck
3. Place match from board up right so all player can see
4. Place set and matches
5. Use special player cards
6. Players turn continues until he or she does not get a match from the
board
7. The player with the most set wins the game.

Details Regarding Various Game Mechanics

Reshuffle cards
• If player gets more than 3 special cards on initial deal
• If players have 3 matches or initial deal

Ending the Game

There is only one way to end the game and that is to clear all the board cards
from the board.

Examples of Play

The first step a player will take for their turn is to flip over 2 cards from board if
you get a match place the pair where all player to see. The next step the player
will take is to pick a card from either the player deck or discard pile (can only
pick the top card). Player may or may not want to make matches and set and
use special cards. The player then discards a card from there to end their turn.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: I am out of cards what do I do?

A: Wait for your turn and if you get a match you can than dram from
the deck

Q: Can I put one board with one player cards to make a match?
A: No, match must be a pair of board cards or a pair of player cards

Q: Can special cards be used with each other (For example, a block card
combines with a steal card)
A: No, only specials cards can not be combined

Documentation Updates (Patch Notes)

Version 0.2 - After Observed Playtest #3

Reshuffle cards
• If player gets more than 3 special cards on initial deal
• If players have 3 matches or initial deal

Start game

• Make sure board card and player card are separated

• Shuffle the board cards
• Shuffle the player cards
• Lay board cards on flat a surface
• Youngest goes first, then to the left
• Deal 5 cards to players

Action Must

● Action 1 – Board cards.

● Action 2 – Player cards
● Action 3 – Sets and matches
● Action 4 – Special cards
 Quick Reference (Cheat Sheet)
KEYBOARD KEYBOARD WILD CARD

This is
COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS
Make any
a Match
TO MAKE A MATCH TO MAKE A MATCH THIS CARD CAN BE USED TO match
COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS
MAKE ONE MATCH TO
TO MAKE A SET TO MAKE A SET COMPLETE A SET

PLAYER CARD PLAYER CARD CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE

PLAYER CARD
STEAL CARD
GAME CONSOLE GAME CONSOLE

Steal any
match
COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS TO COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS TO STEAL ANY MATCH FROM
MAKE A MATCH MAKE A MATCH ANY OPPONENT
COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS TO COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS TO
MAKE A SET MAKE A SET CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE
PLAYER CARD PLAYER CARD This PLAYER CARD
is a
BLOCK CARD
GAME CONSOLE GAME CONSOLE Set

Block any
COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS TO COLLECT 2 SIMILAR CARDS TO
MAKE A MATCH MAKE A MATCH match
COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS TO COLLECT 4 SIMILAR CARDS TO BLOCK ANY MATCH TO
MAKE A SET MAKE A SET BLOCK A SET
PLAYER CARD PLAYER CARD
CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE

PLAYER CARD
 Observed Playtest Photo # 1

How long did this playtest last in minutes?

25 Minutes

Observed Playtest #1 Questionnaire

(at least one paragraph per question)
1. Were your players able to understand the rules and mechanics
of your game by reading the rules you provided? What changes
would you make to how you present the rules for the next playtest?
Did your players use the Quick Reference (Cheat Sheet)? Did they
find the information clear and useful? What changes could be made
to improve the Quick Reference?
For this test I used my mother-in-law and her friend, they were the oldest
people I ply tested with and they did not get the rules at first. So, I tried to
make the rules simpler. Once I changed a couple of the rules, they were able to
understand the game.

2.
Tell us about some of your observations from the playtest. Were
players getting frustrated, when and where? Were they excited?
What were some notable reactions to the game? Try to explain why
you think these reactions happened and if they were a part of the
design goals of the game.
These sets of players did not start enjoying themselves until the end of the
games. Susan's facial expression told me she had trouble remembering where
the match was placed on the board. Once both players played a couple of
games they became more at ease and enjoyed the game more.

3. How was the user experience of the game? Were players able
to shuffle and deal cards easily? Were the descriptions and text on
the cards, rules, and Quick Reference clear? What can be improved
here for the next playtest?
They were able to shuffle the cards but some them being to come apart and
had to be re-glued. The information on the cards helps this group more than the
rules. For the next playtest I going to add points and do’s and does not rule for
better understanding.
4. Describe the meaningful choices you providing for your
players. Are they using all of those meaningful choices or only
some? What changes to your design could further improve your
game?
These are meaningful choices to choose from picking cards for the board,
picking cards from the deck or discard pile, using special cards, and deciding
when to place matches and sets. All the meaningful choices were used by each
player in the game. After observing this game, I believe the meaningful choices
are going to stay the same throughout the game.
Observed Playtest Photo #2

How long did this playtest last in minutes?

19 Minutes
 Observed Playtest #2 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per question)

1. Did your group encounter any dominant strategies during the

second playtest? Did you encounter any unexpected player
strategies?
At the end of each game, there is a dominant strategy where there are only 4
cards on the board but is to be expected. Another dominant strategy happens
when the best memory can sweep the board. Overall the dominant strategy is
minimal and for the most game does not allow a player to run the board.

2. How long did it take for the group to learn your game this
time? Were your rules and Quick Reference updates effective? Are
there any other iterations you can make to improve the clarity of
your game rules? For Example: Provide a Sample Turn.
This group lean the game quickly and understood all the rules. The rules and
quick references were very helpful. I believe that the rules are now clear and
simple.

3. What sort of gameplay dynamics emerged within this group?

How did those dynamics affect the gameplay? Would you encourage
or discourage those dynamics for future games?
The gameplay dynamics that emerged within this group was them talking
smack to each other. This made the game more fun and give the players a
chance to interact more. I would encourage this dynamic to the game to keep
fun.
Observed Playtest Photo #3

How long did this playtest last in minutes?

17 Minutes
 Observed Playtest #3 Questionnaire
(at least one paragraph per question)

1. Can you put this version of your game down in front of a group
of people, walk away, and have them fully understand how to play
the game? If yes, how did you achieve this? If no, what needs to be
done to get there?

This playtest went the best out of all others, I got a couple of my husband's
friends to play the game. Everyone got the rules and how to play. I believe this
was achieved by the group of people, set of rules, and the quick reference
guide.

2. Did each gameplay session feel unique? Were new strategies

and interactions happening each time a group played or was the
same strategy used every game to win? How can you ensure that
your game remains interested and replayable?
Yes, each game session was unique because of the different players. So we're
happy, mad, or sad depending on how they were doing in the game. The game
can remain interested and fun by adding different images that people can more
relate to.

3. What feedback did you get from your final group of

playtesters? What were their impressions of the game? Did they
offer any helpful or unique insights on the design of your game?
This group of playtester loved the design of the game and the name of the
game. Some believe the game was easy for their age group but enjoyed playing
the game. Only one person did not like the game at all. He said that he did not
like the design or the game concept.
 Final Reflection Questionnaire

1. What did you learn about game design documentation? (two

paragraphs minimum)
I learned that writing game design documentation takes time,
organization, and a lot of rewrites. For instance, I had to rewrite the document
for Match Steal Win at least a dozen or more times. Which means I had to stay
organized just to keep up with the rewrites.

Writing game design documentation helps me write the rules to my game

clearly for players to read and follow. Game design documentation writing is a
great way to improve any game and you can always go back and add the
previous version to your game. Overall learning to write game design
documentation is a great start to become a game designer.

2. What did you learn by using the iterative design process? (two
paragraphs minimum)
Using the iterative design process taught me that there are three basic
steps to follow and to repeat the process. The three steps I learn ed about are
formulated, test, evaluate which I did many times during the development of
this game. Each step of the process taught me different things that allowed me
to improve my skills as a game designer.

Formulated allows me to come up with the game idea and the design of
the game I learned ideas can come from anywhere. The testing stage was
next, and I learned to be more flexible with changes to my ideas. Evaluating
the results of each test showed me the mistake I have made and how others
viewed my game.
3. What did you learn about playtesting? (two paragraphs minimum)

The first thing I learned about playtesting is there could never be enough
testing. Each test taught me about a different aspect of the game. Playtesting
helped me take criticism from others so can improve on the game.
The first round of playtesting went well since and taught me how to
better problem-solve to work out the bugs in the game. For example, in an early
version of the game, a player needed to place all the match so all players can
see but were later changed to make the game more fun. Playtesting is a very
important part of game design and teaches everyone even the testers.

4. What did you like about your game? What didn’t you like? (two
paragraphs minimum)
There are three different things I like about the game is the name, the
design of the cards, and the idea of the games. Designing the cards, picking
each item, and aspect of the game made me feel a sense of accomplishment. I
very proud of this game and I hope to fell this way about other games I make in
the future.
What I did not like about the game is being criticized by others about the
different aspects of the game. For example, the first set of cards pictures were
to light for others, therefore I needed to go change the pictures. There was
also keep the two-deck separated from each other, so I had to make the cards
bigger and better.

5. How can you improve your process the next time you make a
game? (two paragraphs minimum)
The next time I make a game I can improve on the process of making a
game by constructing a schedule and sticking to it. Staying organized to help
keep track of each step of the game design process. The use of game design
documents and all the rewrites that are needed to improve the game and show
you which steps you took to make the game.
I will also have more playtest with more people from the different back
round. The first set of playtesters will be from different age groups. While
another group of testers will be gamers who like to play a different genre of
games. Another group I would use is testers from a different culture and
religious background.