Print and Play Game Analysis: Penguin's Night Out

For Game Design 1, we were tasked with finding a print and play game and analyze it. My group chose this funny little game called Penguin's Night Out. The objective of the game is to traverse the board, gather your penguin buddies, and ultimately be the first back to the nest.

Story

"You've kept your beak to the grindstone with a hard week of catching fish and keeping eggs warm. Now it’s time to gather your friends together, group at your nest, then head into town to party the night away.

Unfortunately there’s only one dogsled available to go into town, so the first group that’s ready to leave gets to ride in style, while everyone else has to walk. To complicate matters, local drilling is causing the ice to crack and shift unpredictably.

The path that you take to get to your buddies may not be there on your way home. On top of that, the Polar Bear Gang has been making life tough, so you’ll have to be super-sneaky if you need to go through their territory. Even so, you’re not going to let these obstacles stop you. 

You deserve a break, and you’ll be darned if you’re going to make the long, cold, 60-mile hike to town on flipper. Be the first one to gather your buddies up and get home again and you’ll be ready for a…"

Penguin's Night Out

Source: http://www.invisible-city.com/play/113/penguins-night-out

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19502/penguins-night-out

Basics of Play

On paper Penguin's Night Out seemed much more complicated than it ended up being. The set up time took a little longer than planned, only because we didn't have some of the required pieces. The game requires the use of Dominoes, which we didn't have. 

The game consists alternating rounds or "phases".  In the first phase the player rolls a die and moves his/her Penguin the corresponding number of tiles.

The second phase consists of the player rolling two dice. The player then selects the corresponding domino tile and is able to move the entire tile anywhere on the board.

 For example: If Player 1 rolls a 4 and a 6, they must select the corresponding domino tile and move it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game. The mechanics of strategy and chance was interestingly balanced. The main goal was to essentially screw over your opponent. In one particular game I was about to win and opponent was able to move the domino in front of my penguin. I had figure out a new way to navigate to reach my destination.