Quadrants version 1.0

Last Monday, the Quadrants of Effectiveness game was officially introduced at XPDays Benelux. About 25 participants were brave enough to sit around five carefully designed game boards, digest version 1.0 of the game rules and try to become the most effective tribe member in a 15,000 BC setting. In three rounds, they learned to apply the Eisenhower method, around which the game has been designed.

After overcoming a fairly steep learning curve during the first 10 minute round, the teams really got into the game and gradually started becoming more effective, using the built in benefits, decreasing quadrant I activities. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that 4 teams out of five finished at least one full game, reaching the last field on the game board. The feedback was mainly positive.

When we played the game again during the games night on Monday evening, the discussions and additional feedback led to an idea for version 2.0, on which I will focus during the next couple of weeks. In an attempt to transform the delegate action to something that is more alike delegating in real life - i.e. giving less important work to someone who it is more important to - the point system will be redesigned to take into account five different scales, one for each player, without adding significant complexity to the game rules. While in version 1.0, gold, water, food, etc. have the same value for everyone, in the next version, each type of point will be more valuable to one specific player.

Although it adds a bit of complexity and needs a carefully redistributed set of cards, it will definitely bring some extra benefits to the game and the session. No doubt the most important feature is that it encourages team play. Instead of delegating crap to another player, you will actually be able to delegate useful activities to someone else, being a lot more aligned with the real world. This adds a collaborative aspect to the game, which it is currently lacking. It will also add to the possible game plays, and keep it interesting, even after many games. Not sure yet if the game can have fewer cards because of the redesigned point system, but if so, it will definitely contribute to how it advances.

All in all, I'm very happy with how the game was received, and even more with the valuable feedback that I soon hope to incorporate in an even better version. So stay tuned for more news on the Quadrants of Effectiveness.