User:Thijshijsijsjss/Gossamery/KTaNE

Keep Talking and Nobody explodes (KTaNE) is an asymmetrical game about diffusing a bomb by solving all puzzles on it. There is a catch: 1 player acts as 'difuser'. They see the bombs and puzzles, but don't know how to solve them. The other players, 'experts', cannot see the bomb, but have access to a 'bomb diffusal manual' with which they can solve the puzzles. It quickly turns into a chaotic social game: attempting to clearly and efficiently communicate puzzles and solutions that are designed to cause confusion.

I have played KTaNE on many occassions, and love it for many reasons. It is such an elegant, diegetic execution of asymmetric design. And it shows the potential of blending digital and physical components: printing the bomb diffusal manual adds so much to the experience, and a digital bomb allows for rapid creation of many random puzzles, while also providing a natural closed of environment for the difuser. In fact, the game started as a gamejam project exploring VR, where this effect might be even more exaggerated. I think there's much more to be explored in this intersection of gaming, printmaking and socializing.

P.S. for years I've walked around with the idea to make KTaNE completely physical, using (an) arduino(s), physical wires, etc. This P.S. is actually a P.S.A. to the reader: please steal this idea and realise it.