Game Recap: Gizmaul

Gizmaul’s group consists of group leader Jon, artists Heather and Kelli, and developers Allen, Ryan, and Gregory. They grouped together as the only group to create a non-computer game, and opted for a card game instead.

After a quick brainstorming session Friday night, the group decided on a steampunk-inspired art style for their ‘game of contraptions’ Robo penguins and dapper robots started being sketched. Ryan and Allen started creating cards and trying to balance the gameplay.

Only a few members of Gizmaul were willing to stick it out through the night, but fearless leader Jon never left. He’d like you to think he never slept, but this picture suggests otherwise…

Gizmaul hit a couple of roadblocks. Kelli, an artist, has computer issues and Heather had to pick up extra tasks. The printer at Simutronics couldn’t handle the print job of the cards, so Jon had to borrow Simutronics CEO David Whatley’s car to drive to a FedEx office to print.

However, through the entire Game Jam, Gizmaul has been a group with a great sense of humor. They boast the GameJam’s second youngest members, twins Brenden and Gregory, at 18.

During their demonstration, game devs Ryan and Allen narrated the game while the twins played. Jon used a camera to lend a better view to the audience, and the artists Kelli and Heather stood by.

During their demonstration, Allen and Ryan explained that this game is meant to be a deck building game, more balanced than a booster game where a player can simply ‘buy their way to victory’ by buying enough booster packs. By requiring players to think strategically about the combinations available, Gizmaul is a very balanced game. A standard deck can be used by up to eight players a time.

Q+A
Is there a way of modeling the game? How did you write the game?
We just talked. We talked a lot. We had a demo deck of twenty cards and two cores, and every time we changed arule, we’d play a demo game to make sure it worked. We went through at least half a dozen iterations.

How long does a game last?
If you include deck building time, a two-player game with a regular sized deck takes a little over an hour.

Gizmaul’s project is a great example of the variety you can find at Game Jam. You don’t have to be a programming pro to make a great game!

Team Members:
Jon Leek, team leader
Allen Clark
Ryan von Rosenberg
Heather von Rosenberg
Kelli Andrews
Gregory Sandifer
Brenden Sandifer

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