Pie Contest
Glad to see you darlings,
So glad you kids came to give your grandmother a visit every once and a while. And you've come just im time! The towm fair is comeing soon and I need your help to prepare my pies. You kids go to the kitchen and start baking; I have a surprise for whoever bakes the best pie! (esspecially if it beats out Hilda's pie at the festival)
Love Grandma
What is This Game?
Pie Contest is a game designed by Steven Dambeck, and printed at Dambeck Bacement Printing Notincorperated (aka the printer in my room). Presently it is in an alpha phase of development, but I must say reactions from both myself, my close friends, and only distantly connected aquantences have been positive. You can buy a printed copy from me for [money], either by contacting me in person or at games@dambeck.net with the subject line Pie Contest - Purchase. You can also print your own copy below!
Files
Read the rules or a printable pdf of the cards. The archive does not contain any old versions yet, but includes all the dev files, such as the nanDeck script and a spreadsheet of all the cards.
Behind the Scenes
I've made a handful of games before, but this one was the first one where I felt largely proficient in the tools I was using and confident in my production methods. I'm going to document how I made Pie Contest in more detail in the future to enable you to make your own games (hit me up with them, I’d love to see them).
For right now, I will make a quick summery. My previous games had been wonky, and complicated. I wanted to make an accessible game that I could put in front of almost anyone and have them appreciate it. I found a widely applicable theme in baking pies, and quickly thought of ideas around it: players would fight over the best ingredients to compete in a competition.
From there I developed rules and made cards. I'll get into the technical aspects in a moment. I went through three drafts, tweaking and taking notes. I changed many of the cards, rewrote the rules several times, and got a better idea of the vision. I played the game with close friends and family to much success. Now this fourth version is available to anyone who troubles to ask, though I am still in need of more feedback.
The keystone of the project was nanDECK. Free and very useful software for making cards. I ran it using WINE with almost no problems. I put the cards in a spreadsheet using LibreOffice Calc. The card templates and backs were made with GIMP, using simple gradients and selection manipulation. The back was made with the use of the pattern tool to preserve ink, but also happened to look like a rustic table cloth, enhancing it appearance. lastly I printed them on 67 lb cover stock using an inkjet, and cut them with a stack cutter.