APR 2022
Bike the 'Burgh! 🚵♂️🚵♀️
Bike the 'Burgh is a transformative tabletop game inspired by BikePGH. The players will traverse the map via bike to change their beliefs from seeing roads as a universal transportation resource to understanding the difficulties the current infrastructure places on bikers to ultimately achieve support for non-car-based infrastructure.
Platform & Tools
Board and physical assets
Team Size
2 (Amber Griffith and Jeffrey Liu)
Duration
3 weeks
My Responsibilities
Map design
Mechanics
Event cards
Release
Game Overview
Bike the 'Burgh is a game where the players bike through Pittsburgh to collaboratively collect as many landmark tokens as they can before the sunset. Different types of roads cost different energy; some may even cause bad accidents. The players have to wisely distribute their energy and utilize their bike powers and buff items obtained at the coffee shops.
Design Process
Major Iterations
Before
PROBLEM: There were different types of routes, but the players didn't feel it was related to biking. They could have imagined they were driving, taking transportation, etc.
After
I added the altitudes (indicated by arrows). Going uphills and downhills cost different energy, which is especially obvious in the real world when biking.
Before
PROBLEM: The goals and strategies were flat. Players always went for the landmarks that were near and dense. They didn't have to plan ahead but only needed to choose the locally optimal choice. The number they rolled didn't affect their decisions, and it lacked variations when playing a second time.
After
I added time-specific buff items, and their locations are different every game. The players now have to plan ahead to get to specific locations at the indicated time.
Before
PROBLEM: The red roads cost more energy, but the players simply avoided them and weren't emotionally affected.
After
The red roads don't cost extra energy, and they are usually on a shorter route, but passing it requires a risky roll which might lead you to a bad accident. The players got excited about gambling, and the strong punishment of the accident got them to learn the lesson.