Designing the Wonderland-themed Game Pinching Tarts
Despite years of being in the gaming industry, I haven’t focused on my own games because my efforts were devoted to the almighty contract. Technically speaking, Pinching Tarts will be my first creator-owned RPG that I’m offering for sale. One Night in the Catacombs, the first creator-owned game I offered for sale, is a party game-slash-LARP inspired by my Level 1 Volume Three contribution “One Night in Bain House.”
So why, as an experienced game designer, did I participate in PocketQuest? In a word: fun. I’ve been (and continue to be) impressed with the program, the annual theme, the 25-page optional limit of the program, with the way Roll20’s Meredith and Kage have injected enthusiasm, support, and care into the community, and the general sense of camaraderie. This entire program, from start to finish, has been joyful. And that, dear Reader, is the best emotion for me to draw upon while creating.
How did Pinching Tarts come about? Well, the concept was easy. After finding out this year’s theme was HEISTS, I decided to participate around Valentine’s Day. As a lover of very fine desserts, I thought it would be cute to steal tarts in Wonderland. In fact, the first iteration of the game’s title was Stealing Tarts, but I didn’t like the way it sounded, so to Thesaurus.com I went to look up synonyms for “steal.”
Following the title, I worked up the cover using Canva.com. It’s been my experience that the layout of a game matters when you’re working on the draft. The layout informs me how many words I should have on a page, but also impacts the content. Since PocketQuest does have a size requirement (25 pages including front and back cover), I started with the pieces I already had: front cover, title page, and back cover. Then, I worked up a description of the game’s theme before proceeding.
From there, I focused on rules, added characters, and did a little playtesting. My goal was to create a “caucus” game. If you’re a fan of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you might recall that the dodo devised a caucus race. In that, the participants ran around in circles and, depending upon your point-of-view, everyone won—or no one did. In that spirit, I wanted to present a fun experience that empowers players while leveraging the randomness of dice rolls.
Employing six-sided dice, you play a creature in Wonderland who has a Size, three Talents (Imagine, Hurry, and Converse), and a unique Specialty that grants you an automatic win. I opted against human characters, because the story was always about Alice, and I wanted more direct Wonderland-themed ties.
A typical roll in Pinching Tarts is an opposed contest between you and another player and, potentially, a member of the Red Queen’s guard. If no one opposes you on your turn, the contest ends and the player narrates what happens. The Red Queen’s guard reacts to what the players are doing and only enter play if another player participates in the contest. In this way, I’ve designed the game to avoid isolation. No player stands alone, not even if the players become the Red Queen’s ally.
You might be thinking: “What happens if no one opposes any player?” When the players try to escape, they face the Red Queen who is after their hearts and tarts. All the players begin the game with a single Heart and gain them when they lose a contest. Hearts can be lost if one of Her Majesty’s guards wins a contest. Like the Red Queen, they want the players’ hearts, too. Unfortunately, when they reach zero, players become the Red Queen’s ally until they regain their hearts. So, if players don’t steal tarts and avoid contests, it’s more than likely they’ll become the Red Queen’s ally.
Pinching Tarts also employs some fun mechanics, but to steal them the players take control. There’s a few random elements in the game, including Teatime, that offers some fun and whimsy, too, in the spirit of Wonderland.
Ultimately, what I wanted to design is a heist-themed game that allowed the players to take center stage. They control the narrative, manage the opponents, and roll to see if and when the Red Queen’s guards appear. In this way, despite the players being thieves, they—much like Alice—are the stars of their own story.
If you’re curious about Pinching Tarts, I appreciate your interest. I designed the game through DriveThruRPG's PocketQuest program and had an absolute blast doing it. The community has been supportive and enthusiastic, and it's kicked me in the butt to do a few things I haven’t done before. The game will be available for sale on April 1st and will be priced at $4.99 for the PDF. I plan on sharing some links that week, too, to highlight some other games the community has been putting together.
Next time, I want to talk a little bit more about setting goals and chat about how small projects can get you over that creative hump. Hope you’re fabulous!