Inspiration

As part of my capstone project at Columbia College Chicago, I created Inspiration using Agile methodology. It is a storytelling game that uses full art cards to inspire the stories. It was originally conceived as a physical card game, but we also created a digital multiplayer version using the Unity Engine and the Photon Unity Networking plugin.

About the Game

Inspiration is a storytelling improv card game for 3-6 people. Players in Inspiration use several Art Cards to help them tell a story about a single Subject Card. The players only have a limited amount of time to tell their stories. The player who tells the best story, and best uses their cards, in the eyes of the Judge, will win the round and get a point. The first player to 3 points wins the game. The structure of the game is very similar to Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. The game itself is inspired, no pun intended, by games like: Dixit and Once upon a Time.

Role

I was the Team Lead, as well as Lead Designer and Programmer. Our team was quite small, so we all wore many hats. I worked on the original concept for the game with our other designer/artist, Crystal Banks. When we moved into production I took on the on the role of programmer and worked on the networking code for the digital version of the game, as well as the core gameplay. Most of the artwork was created by our Lead Artist Glenn Carreau.

Instructions

On their turn the Active Player selects two Art Cards from their hand and lay them face up on the table. Then the player to the Active Player’s left selects one Art Card and one Subject Card from his/her hand, and give them to the Active Player. The Active Player then has 30 seconds to tell a story based on the Subject card and using elements from all three Art Cards. Each player, except the Judge does this. Then the Judge picks a winner based on who told the best story and best used the cards provided.

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