Deconstruction of the game "Shattered Olympus"
Game created by GuidenGames
Deconstructed by Randy Gerson





Table of Contents
1.      Goal of the game 
2.      Core Mechanic

3       3.   Space of the Game 

4    4.     Objects, Attributes, and States 

5    5.     Actions

6    6.      Rules 

      7.      Skills Players Learn

8    8.   Role of chance

1. Goal of the game

Hero cards.

 

• Similar to the goal of a match of chess, the goal in “Shattered Olympus” is simply to destroy/ kill other player’s avatar named a hero. At the beginning of a game,  each player must choose one card from an array of cards named “hero” cards,  and in doing so they establish the goal for the opponent players; to reduce all of the health from chosen hero to zero. In doing so, the opponent player wins; which in simplest forms is the same concept as capturing a king in chess.

2. Core Mechanic  

•  In order to reduce a rival player’s hero’s health down to zero, one must first traverse across the map. In doing so, this allows a player to engage in the games core mechanic; the strategic purchasing and upgrading of cards to build defenses and cultivate offense. Each turn a player is given minerals (the currency used to buy cards) and the opportunity to purchase cards which can be used to build an army, or equip a hero with greater defense. Secondarily a player has the opportunity to move select cards around the board (hero and unit cards) and attack any rival card within range- though it is truly the decisions on which cards to buy, and when that can really changes the tide of gameplay.

3. Space of the game

7X5 grid. yes my tables have tinfoil on them.

• This game takes place within the confines of a 7X5 grid. The game exists, therefore, in a discrete two-dimensional space of 35 zero dimensional points, connected to each other through perpendicular grid lines. This is to say, that all actions must take place from grid point to grid point, though never through the use of diagonal moves, or attacks. There are some elements existing in total zero dimensional space, not really interacting with the main actions of the game, and not really too important as to their placement; acting as display actors, like a heads up display in more modern games. These elements, the money and health tracker and the marketplace of cards, add a complexity to the game which cause the game to fall under the category of nested spaces; a space map of spaces within spaces.
  
  

  4. Objects, Attributes, States

  
  

  

  In the process of gameplay.  The tinfoil keeps my cats off... kind of.

  
  
  
  
• This game has a massive array of attributes to keep track of, as nearly each object has an attribute which will change the state of another. Following is a partial list of some of the major elements of the game: 
  Objects:      Cards {cards events, locations, heroes, equipment, and units}, veto token, health/ mineral tracker.
  Attributes:  Hero health, Card cost, Available minerals, abilities, location on game board
  States:         How many health tokens are on a unit card, location of marker on health/ mineral tracker,  unit type active or inactive, hero alive or dead (game over)

  5. Actions:       

  • Operative Actions

  The basic actions available to one in this game are quite simple. Basically you can purchase cards, move cards, activate card’s abilities, equip equipment, attack rival cards, veto cards in the market. That is all. Yet this game would appear much more complex than simply that list of actions due to the resultant actions available in play.

  •  Resultant Actions

  
  Some of the resultant actions of play may be to, block in hero with less important unit cards, hold off on purchases stock piling resources, place a veto token on a market card a rival player is known to want postponing their progress, purchase cards with abilities that you can use in conjunction with other card’s abilities to gain an upper hand; create a combo effect, place location cards in areas where they are most useful; either to block opponent progress, or to provide best offense
  

  6. Rules

  
  

  
  
• It was somewhat hard to grasp operational rules, as they were worded often with too much of a focus on the aspects of foundational rules, making game hard to pick up. Being the case, we established some house rules as to what abilities meant and how movement could be handled with new units.
  The game exists in a turn based system, and each turn is dictated by three phases. Phase one is where you gain money, use starter abilities, and purchase cards. Phase two is where you cards actions take place; where you traverse the map and attack the other player, and phase three is the point when you reset the market cards, and place the veto token on a marketplace card of ones choosing.
  

  7. Skills players learn

  
  
• A game of strategy; most of this game is played with mental skill. Constantly a player must decide which cards they are purchasing, evaluate the strength of visible opponent cards, debate upon the worth of an available card to their wealth amount, and calculate the worth of saving wealth for another turn. Playing this game one is regularly moving and figuring out proper positioning for optimum game play advantage and prime new card purchase spawning location. Some social skill came into play when sabotaging opponents’ ability to purchase new cards with the veto token, and attempting to goat another player into certain moves and locations. This game consisted of no physical skills.
  
  
  

  8. The role of chance in the

    game

  

  Market place setup.

  
  
• In “shattered Olympus” the role of chance is minimized. Most chance is in what card comes next in the market once a card is purchased. Movement and attack, and when to buy and when to hold off on a purchase is all mental skill based. These are locked stats based on each card, so once the card is in play, what becomes of it, has nothing to do to luck or chance. There are no dice rolls, and there appeared to be little in which was solely based on luck alone.