Major game updates

There's a whole new version of Swagger. Fame, clout, cap tables and tricky founder negotiations. Read the update.

If people are smiling that's a good sign!

Lots of new developments with Swagger! I tore the game down to the studs and reinvented it. Not every change will stick but I’m excited about the new ideas. The pace has picked up and I can see something emerging that looks like the game I wanted to make.

In the old version players didn’t have enough decisions to make. Said one person, an experienced board gamer: “This isn’t a game, it’s just flipping cards over.”

Ouch. But true.

The game was also too reliant on a facilitator in the room (me) and felt more like a performance than a game. I’ve always wanted Swagger to have the strategic depth of a board game that could be played again and again.

So I made three massive changes:

Companies & Cap Tables

I added cap tables to companies to allow players to co-invest. I spent a lot of time developing a way to visualize share ownership without it devolving into a spreadsheet. I didn’t succeed based on feedback I received but here are the cards:

Company Cards. Each row track one investor, columns are rounds of funding. Each cell is a share (actually a bundle of shares). The big number is the share price. The little numbers were an attempt to make it easier to calculate valuations (which failed unless you enjoy math mini-games).

Deal Negotiations

Another new mechanic is negotiations. Instead of randomly drawing a fundraising card players now have to negotiate deals with founders before investing. Just like in real life there’s a chance it won’t be successful. In the game you draw a negotiating card with different odds of success:

Fundraising now involves drawing a random negotiations card each with different probabilities. You can 'buy' numbers to improve your odds by spending Clout. It's fun.

Clout

The third and most important addition was Clout. Players can only take actions, like leading a round or attempting to exit, if they have sufficient Clout. Think of Clout like action points, simulating a VC’s skill, reputation and focus. As players gain experience they can level up their Clout.

The squares represent Fame, which you earn by having successful negotiations, exits etc. You can level up your character in Swagger and be granted additional Clout.

Clout adds a fun new competitive dynamic. Playing aggressively earns you Clout which is an advantage. But being aggressive can be a disadvantage. This opens up more play styles and strategies and adds a fun role-playing element to the game.

Testing feedback

After 5 groups of testers tried the new version it’s obvious that the Clout system is a keeper, as is negotiating. There's much more player interaction making Swagger feel more like a proper tabletop game.

But the cap tables and valuations are too complicated. Anytime you need a calculator it's no longer fun.

I'm now focusing on simplifying the mechanics to speed up gameplay. This will make the game more enjoyable but also create time for more curveballs like Black Swan events and “stabbing people in the back” type strategies (which never ever happens in venture capital...)

What's next

I feel like Swagger has its swagger back. If you haven't played the game yet and are thinking “just finish the damn game already!” I feel exactly the same impatience.

I promised not to release a game I did not feel was great. It's not great yet but it's taken a big step towards that goal.

I'm always happy to hear your ideas and feedback. I'm playtesting in Toronto until it's in a state where I can ship out test versions, hopefully soon. Drop me a line if you're interested.