I never expected Bullet Bill to save my game

Thoughts after week one of Deal, Draw & Crawl

Illustration by Emiel Boven (CC BY 4.0)

For the last week, every new email in my inbox has been a rush of excitement.

Instead of wading through the usual spam, I’ve been waiting for my next email from one of the players in the first playtest of Deal, Draw & Crawl. This play by post game is inspired by Fantasy Football, Dungeon Crawling and, surprisingly to me, high stakes Poker.

So as we enter the second week of the playtest, why am I thinking about Mario Kart ? I’ll start by explaining why I hate Fantasy Football.

Almost every season I get enticed into playing in a Fantasy Football league. I have barely a passing interest in the sport these days, but after watching the film Moneyball, I have convinced myself that my strong grasp of statistics will carry me to glory. Of course, that never works and within weeks of playing I am languishing in the bottom half of the table without even a chance of rising through the ranks.

That’s what I hate - once the winners make themselves comfortable at the top, it would take a minor miracle to catch them. So when I started designing my game, I began by thinking about Mario Kart.

The iconic racer is one of the giants of gaming because no-one is ever out of the race. The further back you are, the more likely you are to gain more powerful power-ups that will help you compete for the lead. Yes, the most skilful racers will usually win, but even a novice stands a chance of getting on the podium.

So in Deal, Draw & Crawl you are never truly safe. This week some players have risen to the top of the table and others have hit the bottom, but it could all change next week if someone gets their strategy wrong. It’s entirely possible for someone who has started off with a stinker to still win the overall game in a few weeks time.

In my opinion, there is nothing worse than going through the motions in a game where there’s nothing to play for. I think that’s why we love roleplaying games: because as the drama and tension rises, we are never truly down and out. There’s always a hope, always a chance, always a clever way out.

Especially if you can find that mushroom that turns you into Bullet Bill.

Like the sound of Deal, Draw & Crawl? 👉 Click here to read more about the game.

It’s also not too late to join the playtest - as you’ve read, anyone can tear up the leader board at any time. Leave a comment if you’d like to read the playtest document and sign up.