Throughout our game design process, we introduce many different mechanics that ultimately don't make it into the final version of the game. Here are some of our favorite mechanics that had to be cut for one reason or another.

Throwing Stuff between Players
At one point, there was a mechanic were players could throw Stuff between their two kobolds to help them get items to the best spot faster. This came at a risk of rolling a die and players had to roll a higher number the further their partner was away to be successful.

This mechanic was cut mainly because the punishment for failing the roll became complicated. Does the item become grubby? And if the item is already grubby, does that mean there is no risk for a failed throw? And where does the item land on a failed throw? We decided the rules and caveats made the interaction too wonky to include.

The Rondel
One of our personal favorites, there was a Rondel in the earlier versions of the game. This is what was used to determine how the dragon would attack the Kobolds! There was a pawn on the outside of the rings, and when a player pulled from the dragon bag they could move the pawn around the rondel to force the dragon to perform a certain action.

We ultimately cut this for a number of reasons. The first being that the rondel was difficult for players to learn without experiencing the rest of the game. Most new players were just haphazardly making their decisions until they got a feel for the game.

The second reason we cut the rondel was more thematic. In the current setup, players inadvertently were controlling the dragon. If you get to choose where the pawn goes, you determine where the dragon breathes fire. While a cool mechanic, it didn't fit into the theme of dodging dragon fire when you determined where it went.

Direct Kobold Interaction
We came up with multiple versions of ways for Kobolds to directly impede each other. We discussed the following ideas:

We cut these mechanics to streamline the actions a player can do, as well as to keep the game a bit friendlier. Most actions you complete in The Unheist are to further your own team rather than sabotaging someone else's. We think the current Junk and Goodie mechanics are enough backstabbing to make the game interesting, but not enough to make it only about taking down your friends.



It's always fun for the team to reminisce about the previous versions of our games and what changes we made along the way. If any of these mechanics sound interesting to you, feel free to make some house rules when you play! 

But for now, try your hand at the trivia question below.