Posted by Jason on April 19th, 2008 — in Check this out dude, Design, Medical Hospital
I’ve ginned up a couple of procedures for Medical Hospital on a test template:
The Trauma set just contains generic torsos to spindle and mash, for straight trauma cases.
The Tendon repair is a very typical sort of procedure. I should add some clamping.
The Arterial ligature uses two sheets and represents the more complex sort of surgery, in this case a delicate and awkward operation on the neck. This could be made even cooler with some string and dental floss.
All the scans come from the magnificent Surgical Anatomy of John B. Deaver, MD, published in 1912. I borrowed about 25 pounds worth yesterday and I cannot adequately express how strange and wonderful it is. I wish I had better skill at evening out irregularly-toned book scans. I also wish I knew how to optimize pdfs better.
Give the two surgical procedures a try with a stopwatch and let me know how long they take you. Scissors = scalpel, post-its = sutures, and paper clips = clamps. That’s all you’ll need.
Posted by Jason on April 17th, 2008 — in Design, Medical Hospital
I’ve got this insane semi-secret project going on that may have an equally insane set of milestones, or it may not happen at all, or who knows - deadlines have shifted, things are up in the air, we’re waiting for The Word, I’m OK with that. I’ve got another project, Business Solutions, which is like 95% done. Needs a little refining, a little playtesting and it is good to go. So what am I working on?
Medical Hospital.
Probably the best place to go if you have a disorder, right? Anyway, I must share the love - I haven’t touched this game since October but I had a flash of insight that solved pretty much all of the game’s problems. I was trying to be way too clever, and by paring away all the preciousness I think I’ve got something really functional and fun.
The core conceit of Medical Hospital - the weird thing that makes it fun - is the tactile procedure. You’re playing a trauma surgeon, or a thoracic surgeon, and you, the player, get to perform these operations. If you are all thumbs with post-its and scissors, your doctor is all thumbs with sutures and a scalpel. The procedures are timed so you are under pressure. In one way it’s completely ludicrous and blurs the player/character divide in a stupid way, but in another, better way it is pure fun. So last year I had the notion that the game would be composed of modules you’d choose from - romance plus trauma! Diagnosis plus drama! Comedy, romance, and drama! And there were playing cards and a lot of nonsense. I stepped back and tried to find the fun. People can set the tone themselves. I realized you’ve got a stopwatch at the table already, so (thanks, Steffan O’Sullivan) there’s your randomizer, and the cards are gone. And then I realized that stress is your currency (this somehow escaped me previously), and suddenly the game is pretty much in the can. I just need to write it down.
Anybody want to playtest? Also: Take my survey!
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