Planet Plunder - Postmortem

Our game was having problems tackling a good player experience. To be specific, our resources (action cards) are out of proportion with the planet cards and opponents. Action cards are too powerful, and it's too easy for players to lose their planet resulting in an unhealthy player experience. After several rounds of playtest, we have adjusted our rules of the "initial set" from deducting points from those who failed to collect to giving bonus points to those who collected.  During those playtest sessions, we had also tried changing the constraints of the game such as infinite actions each turn, different proportion of the action/planet cards...etc. In the end, I think our game is very successful in a way that it is very simple to understand and the layer of complexity is well balanced. Playtesters had already came up with different strategies to hide/show cards to achieve victory, which is already a sign of a good game and success! 

For future revisions, I would definitely create a board for this game so it's easier to recognize and organize the cards when multiple players are playing it. The game seems to be a good application in AR, incorporating the game into a new technology might create a whole new level of experience. In terms of the designs of the game elements, I think we are very successful. The game play is simple enough for someone to pick up in couple rounds of playing, and the action cards are what draw the tension and create strategies. As long as there's a healthy balance between the action cards (resources) and planet cards, the game could be intensively strategic. During our playtests, players have came up with strategies to bait and hide the appropriate cards that will lead them to the successful collection of 3 full set - Victory.