Succotash is a simple "connection game" like Hex or Tak. Would love to hear any feedback.
You can take a look or play at https://succotash.vercel.app
Below is "the story"...
Serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
The past few days, a delightful series of events occurred and I ended up with Succotash, the game.
You can read about how it started at the Succotash announcement on Hive, but here's the lowdown:
- It began with a photo. One day, my wife lined up our little tomatoes on the counter, I snapped a pic, and put it on Nostr and it was auto-bridged over to Hive. This simple note sparked something unexpected.
- On Hive, @sherah suggested the that photo looked like a game. That gave me an itch. Could moving tomatoes on a grid make a game?
- There are lots of "connection games" where you try to connect your side to your opponent's side. Could I make a simple game?
- I drew a 5 x 5 grid of dots on paper. I had some dry corn kernels and beans nearby, so I placed them on the paper and started moving them around.
- A Hawaiian girl nearby saw what I was doing and looked at me with a very puzzled look. "It's a game. Want to play it?" We gave Succotash the first ever test run. Later that day, my wife and I sat down on the floor and played the game again. It seemed fun enough.
- I posted the announcement on Hive.
- After some suggestions in the comments about adding an element of randomization with a dice roll, I began to build an online version. The initial version 0.0.1 looked like this:
Playing the game, I wanted absolutely wanted the simplicity of corn and beans on paper. But, I felt another element was needed for game play. Plus, I wanted tomatoes. So, I added the chance to earn a sixth player piece, a "Tomato." If you move into both corners of your opponent's home, you earn a sixth game piece. Your Tomato pops into the center square and then you play normally with six pieces.
I'm really pleased with the digital version. The game is only one html file and can actually be downloaded and played offline. But, truth be told, I still prefer the real corn and beans on paper. My wife agrees.
Why "Succotash"?
At first, I wanted a tomato-themed name, but since I was using using corn and beans, "Succotash" seemed perfect - it's a dish that combines corn, beans, and vegetables. I considered calling it the "Texas Caviar Game" (since that recipe has tomatoes along with corn and beans, and because it's delicious), but "Succotash" just sounds more fun. Plus, adding tomatoes to succotash sounds yummy as well.
Keeping It Simple
A big goal was to keep the game simple. All you need is:
- A 5 x 5 grid
- 5 pieces of something and 5 pieces of something else (well, if you play with the tomatoes added, 6 of each)
Starting out, I used corn kernels and beans. But, you could use anything: bottle caps and coins, pieces of paper and paper clips, just five of anything (or 6 with the tomatoes). There is even a way to implement the randomization of an attack, with or without dice, see the Rules. I really like that this game could literally be played in the sand with sticks and stones, like we used to do as kids.
"Wow, I can't believe my little comment helped make this game real... Tomatoes, beans, and corn making a game is just the coolest thing." - sherah
Serendipity sometimes leads to wonderful, organic, and fun creations.
Succotash is open source on GitHub at https://github.com/crrdlx/succotash
Play Succotash online at https://succotash.vercel.app (or play with corn and beans on paper!). If you play, there may be glitches. Likely, there are and suggestions are welcome. Maybe the game will morph a bit further. Either way, I'd love any feedback.
Credits:
- My wife - lining up tomatoes and testing, and for being a good sport while I changed the rules on the fly.
- sherah - the idea of a game.
- Hawaiian girl - curious enough to play the game with me.
- kenny-crane - game play and testing.
- Made with ❤️ by @crrdlx.