Fair Play
Posted by Jason on July 21st, 2008 — in Design, Medical Hospital
Medical Hospital is all about the index cards - you make character, situation, and associated stuff on cards that interrelate in play. There are a few places where having a reference will come in handy, and it’s never a lot of stuff, so I made a handout of index-card sized cheat sheets. They can be double-sided, too.
There’s a card for stress actions, two cards for perks (gaining and spending), a card for cardiac arrests, two for surgical complications, and a list of jargon for the anaesthesiologist to shout when a procedure gets out of control.
My hope is that people will have a stack of index cards they can carry around,with characters and situations they can mix and match and the references obviating the need for hauling the actual rules.
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Posted by Jason on July 20th, 2008 — in Design, Medical Hospital
I more or less doubled the word count of Medical Hospital this weekend, which feels great. A lot of assumptions and hand-wavings got articulated and a lot of useful material got added. Maybe more important than that, I found the game’s voice, which is a little irreverent and conversational.
Expect to see me flacking playtests of this and Business Solutions at Gen Con! I’m going to write a bunch of examples and then shop it around for external playtesting. If you are interested, please get in touch.
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Posted by Jason on July 13th, 2008 — in Conventions, Medical Hospital, Playtest
Yesterday was Collective Con, which turned out to be a very chill house-con in the back of a game store and was roundly great. As it turns out, I got to run playtests of Medical Hospital and Dulse (a first!), hang out with some of my favorite people old and new, and then run some Dogs in the Vineyard.
I learned a ton watching Rafael Chandler chew the scenery in Medical Hospital (it was so priceless to see his arrogant surgeon start to cut a trauma victim’s abdomen open and then launch into a sanctimonious soliloquy about his golf handicap, punctuated by barked orders for sutures and clamps). Then Dulse, which is surprisingly solid. I need to take out one unnecessary rule and think about information design a bit, but it plays very well. Dogs is always fun, and I got to run an old town for three guys new to the game, including one who hadn’t played anything in six years. He liked it!
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Posted by Jason on June 30th, 2008 — in Business Solutions, Design, Medical Hospital
I had a playtest-fest yesterday; Clinton did a splenic bypass. I’d been at a creative impasse with Business Solutions in particular and that’s over now. The thing I’m doing with Medical Hospital - the tactile, player-skill-equals-character-success thing - turns out to be just the ticket for Business Solutions as well. Clinton pointed this out and I’m so happy about it. We played enough alpha Medical Hospital for me to proceed with confidence and man, Business Solutions is pretty much done. I just need to run a few full games, get it out there for some blind testing, and that’s that. A pretty exciting development! I’m not sure how long it’ll take to come together but I bet it’ll be ready in the early fall. Information design will be a big challenge and I want to get that just right - the game relies on stuff you need to reference more or less constantly, and I’m not yet sure how to present those things in the clearest possible way. It’ll fall into place, I’m sure. Maybe the list of photocopier malfunctions goes on the back of the character sheet or something. Thanks to Joel, Clinton, and Mike for their help and ideas!
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Posted by Jason on June 9th, 2008 — in Design, Medical Hospital
I wanted a way to simulate cardiac emergencies that are a staple of medical dramas, and reading through The Scut Monkey’s Handbook (Clinician’s Pocket Reference, 7th Edition), I found my answer in the rigid steps of the ACLS protocol. So:
MEDICAL HOSPITAL: CARDIAC ARREST
At each step in the protocol, the doctor announces the procedure and an assistant randomizes. A zero digit (or ten on a ten-sided die) indicates a successful return to a normal heart rhythm. The doctor can increase the odds of success by taking stress – one point of stress may be accrued per step, and increases the odds of success by 10%. Thus, if a doctor adds a point of stress, all further attempts will succeed on a nine or ten. If a doctor steadily adds stress, the chances of success increase accordingly. Only one point of stress may be added per step. After randomizing, the assistant reports the patient’s status to the doctor.
1. Check for pulse. If absent, initiate basic CPR. Check rhythm. If ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia is occurring, continue to perform basic CPR until a defibrillator is available. When available, apply paste and place paddles as directed on handles. Defibrillate at 200 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, continue.
2. Defibrillate at 300 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, continue.
3. Defibrillate at 360 joules, maximum output. Clear!
If no conversion, resume CPR and continue.
4. Establish an IV line and give epinephrine 1:10,000 solution 0.5-1.0 mg IV push. Intubate if possible. Defibrillate at 360 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, continue.
5. Give lidocaine 1 mg per kg of patient weight, IV push. Defibrillate at 360 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, continue.
6. Repeat lidocaine at 0.5 mg per kg of patient weight IV push. Defibrillate at 360 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, continue.
7. Give bretylium 5 mg per kg of patient weight, IV push. Consider bicarbonate or additional lidocaine bolus. Defibrillate at 360 joules. Clear!
If no conversion, patient dies.
So it’s a dumb little mini-game where the doctor must accrue stress to succeed, and the question is how much, and when. Meanwhile, you’ve got the defibrillator going, some drama at the table, I think it’ll be fun. Don’t use the above protocol to try and convert somebody for real, please.
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