Want to help me develop a new bar game?

[AustinChief]

Ok, so I was sitting at a dive bar last night with the owner and some regulars and we were trying to come up with a good idea for a bar game. Obviously there is trivia (which they do on Tuesdays) and Karaoke(which is awful) and now a few bars do Rock-Paper-Scissors tournaments... but we wanted something NEW.

The problem is.. we set some limits on the game....

#1 It can't interfere with other customers too much (like karaoke does)
#2 It has to be almost moderatorless... doesn't take away the bartenders time slinging drinks
#3 It has to not suck

The best idea we came up with is to do a version of CLUE... but here is the unique part... it would be done via an app on your smartphone. The app acts as your "mobile crime lab." There would be an hour signup period for players to join then the game starts.

I haven't really nailed down the details yet, so I intend to use this thread to hash it all out. A couple of cool ideas we have so far are...

Placing some QR Codes around the bar that you can scan and possibly get a clue.

Allowing customers to scan the UPC code on beer bottles to also get clues.

So before I dive in further.. does this sound like a decent game that people would play? oh, also there would be "bar cash" for the winners.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

In this instance it's a dive bar that has a youngish nighttime crowd. On Thursday I asked about 10 regulars (all between 25 and 35) and they all thought it'd be a great game... but they were all drunk so they likely would have said anything was a great idea at that point.

Remember, the idea for the game has to work such that if you are NOT PLAYING you could easily ignore that it is even going on and just drink. Something that is impossible with Karaoke and difficult with pub quiz.

Sounds to me like they're mostly drinkers and the bar isn't making money.

THIS I can relate to.

Keep in mind that this is a young crowd. Yes, they do like their fun tricorders but at the end of the day they just want to meet people, get drunk, and ****.

That is an aspect of the bar that will never go away.

People. Drinking. ****ing.

Find a strategy that employs the best methods of encouraging all 3...

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Sounds to me like they're mostly drinkers and the bar isn't making money.

THIS I can relate to.

Keep in mind that this is a young crowd. Yes, they do like their fun tricorders but at the end of the day they just want to meet people, get drunk, and ****.

That is an aspect of the bar that will never go away.

People. Drinking. ****ing.

Find a strategy that employs the best methods of encouraging all 3...

The bar makes plenty of money. They just want to increase sales on slow nights.

As to your point about meeting people and drinking... that is EXACTLY what I am trying to incorporate into this. Basically, you can ignore the game and just hang out and drink... OR you can play along (and win bar cash) and use the game as an excuse to interact with other people.

You're 100% right about why people go to a bar... this hopefully would help facilitate those things and also provide some entertainment... that is the GOAL... who knows if it is feasible.

[Hydrae]

So how about, just like in Clue, each patron who wants to play is given a set of clues on their phone app. They will then need to interact with the other players to gain additional clues and narrow down the suspect pool. You can only get one clue from each other player until you have gotten one from each. Then you can get another from those players.

You can also add in your idea of including clues with the UPC codes on beer bottles. Perhaps even have hidden UPC based clues in the bar that require another clue to find. So they scan their beer and instead of being told that Professor Plum is innocent, it gives them a clue to find the UPC code under the second bar stool from the left.

I think you could have a lot of fun with the coding of something like this too. Build in a lot of randomization to keep the game fresh each time around.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by trndobrd

How about a bar version of golf? Instead of a huge 18 hole course, just have 6 holes, all arrayed around the same green on top of a table. Since swinging the golf clubs would be dangerous in a crowded bar, you might need a way of hitting the ball that is more direct. The small size of the green would make play a little too easy, so you could add some mini-golf style obstacles. Or, better yet, use the golf ball to strike a target ball to hit it into the hole.

What is billiards, Alex

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

So how about, just like in Clue, each patron who wants to play is given a set of clues on their phone app. They will then need to interact with the other players to gain additional clues and narrow down the suspect pool. You can only get one clue from each other player until you have gotten one from each. Then you can get another from those players.

You can also add in your idea of including clues with the UPC codes on beer bottles. Perhaps even have hidden UPC based clues in the bar that require another clue to find. So they scan their beer and instead of being told that Professor Plum is innocent, it gives them a clue to find the UPC code under the second bar stool from the left.

I think you could have a lot of fun with the coding of something like this too. Build in a lot of randomization to keep the game fresh each time around.

PERFECT! This is the kind of input I am looking for! Now I just need to figure out some more details of the game play itself. For example, I'm guessing it will need to be "turn based" with a timer that works something like the draft. Meaning, if your time runs out the next player can go but you can still jump in and take your turn you don't lose it. How does that sound?

Also I need to get into the specifics of what exactly you can do to interact with players to get clues.

Also also I am thinking of having the occasional "challenge" that coms up. For example, at some point during the game the app beeps and gives everyone a trivia question (or whatever... could be something much more interesting and fun here) and the first person to answer correctly/win the challenge gets an extra clue.

Loads of things that can be done with this.. I am just looking for ideas right now so I can pare it all down to the essential components of game play and the most fun "extras" so I can get started fleshing it all out.

[AustinChief]

Another nice thing about having an app to "mange" the game... it can take what would otherwise appear to be a ridiculously complex game and simplify the hell out of it by keeping track of all your clues and prompting for certain actions instead of anyone having to "know" what is going on... the app can offer a ton of guidance.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

PERFECT! This is the kind of input I am looking for! Now I just need to figure out some more details of the game play itself. For example, I'm guessing it will need to be "turn based" with a timer that works something like the draft. Meaning, if your time runs out the next player can go but you can still jump in and take your turn you don't lose it. How does that sound?

Also I need to get into the specifics of what exactly you can do to interact with players to get clues.

Also also I am thinking of having the occasional "challenge" that coms up. For example, at some point during the game the app beeps and gives everyone a trivia question (or whatever... could be something much more interesting and fun here) and the first person to answer correctly/win the challenge gets an extra clue.

Loads of things that can be done with this.. I am just looking for ideas right now so I can pare it all down to the essential components of game play and the most fun "extras" so I can get started fleshing it all out.

I wasn't thinking turn based because I would be afraid the players would just end up sitting at a table. If that happens, it might as well be a board game (although few people would sit and play a board game these days). Instead, people would just go to other players (I am not sure how they would know who the other players are) to get the clues. This is why the limit on one clue from each person before getting a second clue. A timed round would help keep things balanced though. Or instead of timed, the app tracks who has gotten clues and everyone has to get a clue before the next round unlocks. If someone stops participating though you would at least need a timer where if no one has exchanged a clue in 3 minutes, the next round starts. Not sure if the person(s) who didn't get a clue(s) is dropped from the game or just loses the ability to get that one clue.

Just some thoughts. I will think on this more, this is kind of fun.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Another nice thing about having an app to "mange" the game... it can take what would otherwise appear to be a ridiculously complex game and simplify the hell out of it by keeping track of all your clues and prompting for certain actions instead of anyone having to "know" what is going on... the app can offer a ton of guidance.

You can also have an admin panel for the bar owner to access so their version of the game can be customized to the location. Those trivia questions can be tailored to area, local sports teams, bar themed type questions. This is needed for this kind of app, it is not just for one bar but for any bar that wants to promote the game for its patrons.

[dmahurin]

Battleshots instead of battleship. Make a large battleship board with balsa wood ships with holes big enough for shot glasses. Fill them with beer and when you get tour ship hit you drink. Use felt on the upper portion and poker chips with Velcro to mark your board. You could tournaments with multiple boards.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Bar cash that can be spent on your tab. Yeah I know that technically that could be a violation but TABC is fine with it. It's not "gambling" because you are playing a game of skill like trivia.

Don't call it "bar cash" call it a "coupon"

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

Don't call it "bar cash" call it a "coupon"

I actually don't have to worry about this side of things.. that is entirely up to the bar. But yeah, I think they call it a gift certificate or some such.

[AustinChief]

Ok, I just played about 10 games of Clue (I downloaded it) and now have a pretty solid understanding of the entire logic structure. I had forgotten how much information you can get by paying attention to other players interactions and how much subterfuge can be involved if you want. Obviously there will need to be some serious differences in game play.

Basically it's a lot like sudoku in many ways.

Right now I am not even worried about the turn structure or the fundamental game play. Right now I just want to get some ideas for social interaction. Once I have those ideas I can go back and make the game fit and work with them.

[Bump]

am I the only one who thinks it's a bad idea to have a game designed around using your phone to find things and scan things? At a bar, you should aim for social interaction between males and females. Find a way to get the women in the door and the men follow. Have a martini night with fresh fruit and shit for ingredients and let it run for 1 year, if it's executed properly the women will flock to that shit and the men will follow increasing sales.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by Bump

am I the only one who thinks it's a bad idea to have a game designed around using your phone to find things and scan things? At a bar, you should aim for social interaction between males and females. Find a way to get the women in the door and the men follow. Have a martini night with fresh fruit and shit for ingredients and let it run for 1 year, if it's executed properly the women will flock to that shit and the men will follow increasing sales.

ok, #1 suggestions like "martini night" don't help. That is old hat. The idea here is for something completely new. Pub quiz is a great example of something that works VERY well for most bars. (of course it's already done) A local bar also does rock-paper-scissors tournaments... which apparently has been a big draw. (but that is very very moderator intensive which we want to avoid)

#2 yes, we all know the "trick" is to get the women in... also doesn't help to just say that. That's like me telling a bar owner... "hey you know what works? Sell more booze!"

#3 The point of this thread is to hopefully get people to SUGGEST ways that the game itself can INCREASE social interaction... NO ONE envisions this being a game where people are focused entirely on QR Codes or an app on their phone.

#4 I really just need some specific idea on ways to get clues from other players that isn't just simple texting within the app... obviously that would be the same lame problem you are saying would suck and I agree. The key is to walk the fine line between the security of being able to interact somewhat anonymously with other people via an app and the total immersion of having to physically go up to random strangers. An added concern is to make sure the interactions don;t become some massive cluster**** of a distraction from actually just sitting and drinking. In a perfect scenario, the game would give people a gentle excuse/prop to interact with people they otherwise may never talk to.

[AustinChief]

ok, I think I have a decent handle on how game play will work except I still need more "social" ideas to integrate into it. Help! ( I can easily make a bunch of social interactions that are completely "inside" the app itself but again I dread the idea of all the social interactions being focused around your phone and not enough real world interaction other than scanning shit)

One thing I am pretty sure of is how the "turns" will run. To make it as unobtrusive as possible I think it will be timed such that every X number of minutes you "earn" a new turn.

So let's say it's every 5 minutes. You could take your turns as you get them every 5 minutes or let's say you get distracted for an hour... you would then have 12 turns (60/5) you could use all at once to catch up. Of course this is fine in the beginning of game play but as it gets closer to the end you would risk someone winning before you could catch up and solve things for yourself.

I am thinking a two hour game time is about right. Less then that is too hurried and more than that is probably too long.