Before jumping into these resources, be sure to read the general outline of these game design projects found on this page.
About the Game
Diamonds and Stars is an exciting blind bidding game, which means players will bids for items in secret. They hope to have the highest, never being sure what their opponents might pay for the same items. It’s based on an old game I made called Sneak.Because of some effects on the tiles can be complicated (in a fun way), this is best for older students, probably grades 7 and up. It would be easy to make it a game for earlier grades by removing or changing some of those effects.
File for Printed Components
These slides contain the mats, tiles, and cards that will be used in the Play stage below. It's best if those components are printed on cardstock. As with all of my Project Packs, this version of the components is purposely plain, so students will create their version with very few pre-conceived ideas.The Play Stage
The full rules for Diamonds and Stars are at this link.Here's the video tutorial that provides an overview:
In order to play, students will need a standard deck of playing cards and the printed set of the tiles. The game works for 2 - 4 players, but it's best with 3 or 4.
The Make Stage
This Planning Sheet for Diamonds and Stars has some specific questions and suggestions for redesigning the game. Make a copy and modify it as you need to for your project, then assign it to students. You'll see there's a link in the document that will allow students to get a copy of this template, that they will modify. This template has the same components as the link in the Play Stage, but it also has a blank set. That way students can make the tiles very different than the original if they choose.
Suggestions for possible changes:
- Would it be better to make cards instead of using a standard deck of playing cards? If you make your own, each card could have powers and artwork.
- Many games add extra text (called flavor text) to the cards. It enhances the feel of the game without affecting the rules in any way. For example, imagine how this flavor text could bring the game to life:
- Quotes make great flavor text. In a Romeo and Juliet themed game, Romeo’s card could have a memorable line from the play, such as, “What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."
- Flavor text can also tell us part of the story. For example, in a game based on the U.S. Civil War, a card called Gettysburg might include the line, “The Union victory at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is often considered the turning point in the war.”
- How could you change other rules in the game? For example, what’s another way a player could instantly win?
- Could you involve other components, such as:
- Cards of a different type? Maybe one or two cards could grant special abilities to players who own them.
- Dice? Perhaps some cards would be fun if they had a random effect based on a die roll.
- Score track or board? If the tiles that players win allow them to move pieces on a board, it would allow many other ways to score points or win the game. This can make a much more complex game.
The Test Stage
Here's the Playtest Sheet for the activity. Remember that this would be completed by a group after they play another group's redesigned version of Diamonds and Stars.
The Reflect Stage
And this is the Reflection Sheet to be completed at the end of the activity.
