Road Trip Rumble
Road Trip Rumble is an asymmetrical-strategy game where players fight to be the ultimate champion of the family road trip. It is a hybrid of co-op and competitive, combining the shared goal of reaching the end of the trip with the win condition of being the most “sane” upon arriving at the final destination.
The game utilizes both cards and individually calibrated scales, balancing “Shame” and “Sanity” throughout gameplay. By balancing your own scales and making attacks on opposing players, the pace of the game relies on your own thirst for glory and a little bit of luck.
Through research, playtesting, and vigorous prototyping, Road Trip Rumble aims to push players to their strategic limits while creating an exciting and competitive environment for everyone in the family.
The game utilizes both cards and individually calibrated scales, balancing “Shame” and “Sanity” throughout gameplay. By balancing your own scales and making attacks on opposing players, the pace of the game relies on your own thirst for glory and a little bit of luck.
Through research, playtesting, and vigorous prototyping, Road Trip Rumble aims to push players to their strategic limits while creating an exciting and competitive environment for everyone in the family.
Design Approach
The design of this game is based on the seemingly never-ending chaos of being trapped in the car with your “loved ones.” From the beginning of creating gameplay mechanics, it was essential that the game encourage a little friendly fire and a lot of strategic thinking.
What resulted is a highly diversified range of approaches players can take to balancing the scales, including tabletop alliances and even opportunities for sabotage. The visual design aims to reflect the drama and complexity of the mechanics theory, influenced heavily by professional wrestling and the free-for-all nature of being on the road.
Family Profiles
Ten unique family members were created for this game, each optimized for different gameplay approaches. Variables that determine each profile’s distinct style include individually calibrated “Sanity” and “Shame” scales as well as a passive Special Ability.
Victory is crowned only to the player with the highest “Sanity” score at the end of the trip. This is achieved by playing “Brawl Cards” to make attacks on opposing players—but a.t a steep personal cost. Balancing both “Shame” and “Sanity” is required to succeed in Road Trip Rumble.
When players’ scale markers fall into the pink zone, they must rely on their Special Ability and cooperative skills to reach the next Rest Stop of their trip to recover.
The Trip Tracker
The Trip Tracker is used to show the progress of the family road trip. In order to activate a Mile Card, players must roll the Mile Die to determine whether the number shown will be added or subtracted from the cumulative distance traveled by the family. Each trip is denoted by a Starting Location, Final Destination, and Rest Stops, which grant bonus points for each player.
When approaching the design of the Trip Tracker, clarity and readability were vital priorities. Players must meet the numbers for each milestone exactly to activate its benefits, making easy navigation of the system across the table non-negotiable.
For this reason, a black and white table structure was chosen for the backside to be used during play. The black spaces indicate the occurrence of a Rest Stop or Final Destination, while the white spaces help track players’ progress throughout the game.