Needs, Strategies, Scenarios

In our latest design meeting on September 10, 2024, we envisioned a card-based experience that merges the narrative depth of time-manipulation games like Braid with the flexibility of collectible card mechanics. It was a really good design meeting. Here are our thoughts:

Instead of gradually unlocking coping mechanisms, players begin the game with these strategies and scenario cards, then discover how they interlock to form a bigger picture. Each “need” or scenario card can be matched by color or theme to the appropriate coping “lock,” creating puzzle-like moments that reveal new layers of the story—much like picking up five orange cards to piece together fragments of Jordan’s narrative. The game features three main piles—Needs, Locks (coping skills), and Areas—and uses two decks (Coping Cards and Areas) that players draw from, ensuring a constant interplay between skills and experiences. Drawing inspiration from games like Pokémon, players expand their “deck” of coping strategies over time, collecting cards that best address unfolding challenges.

Starting with Jordan’s story, a sample scenario created from a combination of Karey’s clinical experiences, provides a guided introduction to the system, and once comfortable, players can craft their own narratives, learning that true coping never ends. A small prototype, featuring three coping strategies and three needs, will demonstrate how each element—needs, strategies, and areas—can be swapped in and out to create limitless scenarios.

or that is what we think…. Let’s see what happens in the prototyping process.