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Designer Diary: Carnival of Sins

7 months ago 63

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by Alex Nogués

—Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
—What have you done this time, my child?
—I let myself be tempted by the devil.
—And what form did this devil take?
—A black cat.
—Explain yourself better, you scatterbrain.
—I don't even know where to begin.
—It's simple. Start at the beginning.

April 5, 2024 — That day, the call for entries to the 3rd Provocatio contest at the Fira JugarxJugar in Granollers was announced.

The organizers tempted game designers with this challenge: "Create a game using a set of dice commonly used for D&D." From that moment, anyone wanting to participate had seventeen days to come up with an idea, develop a game design around that idea, produce a prototype, and create all the materials needed to explain how the game works. I let myself be tempted...

Then I fell flat on my face.

—I don’t see any evil here, my child. And what does D&D mean? Devils & Demons?
—No, Dungeons & Dragons, a legendary role-playing game.
—Role-playing! — the Father crosses himself, distressed.

Where to start? D&D? No... I love sword and sorcery, but that theme is a bit overdone. Seven dice in role-playing?

Hmm, seven... Let's focus on that. The seven seas? The seven points of a heptagram? The seven deadly sins? Yes! Seven sins!

I made a quick test with scraps of paper and my old RPG dice, and I immediately realized I had a solid idea — not only an easy-to-explain and -implement mechanism strongly tied to the theme, but also one that could generate player interaction dynamics and maintain enough pace to keep everyone immersed in the game.

I searched online, and among the overwhelming number of images about the deadly sins, I found the illustrations of George Barbier, a French Art Deco artist from the early 20th century. They had just the right amount of cheerfulness and innocence to set the mood for the prototype. I wanted to distance the sin theme from gloom, guilt, and religion.

—Those are innocent images, indeed...but I see some nudity there.
—My intention was elevated, Father. Seven cards per player, one for each sin, seven dice, and seven rounds. A kind of mathematical and poetic beauty.
—But with sins! Deadly sins! And you just told me you wanted to avoid religion...

I came back from the printer in my hometown carrying the prototype. I grabbed the paper cutter, glue, and my manual punch. I tested it with my favorite playgroup: my wife and teenage kids, board game lovers through and through. It worked. Like clockwork.

We played several rounds. It had a certain addictive quality. Was it the thrill of uncertainty before rolling the dice? Or the constant irreversible decisions? Or maybe because it was short enough to make you want to play again and try to do a little better? I don't know, but it didn't matter.

I recorded the video. Wrote and designed the sales sheet. On the morning of April 16, I submitted "The Sinner" and another proposal to the Provocatio contest. I immediately started looking for events to test the prototype.

—You dragged your wife and kids into your madness?
—Yes, Father.
—Unacceptable. I see you worked hard, not giving in to laziness, but I also see a hint of pride. You thought you could win the contest.
—I admit it, Father. I thought I could win. The game was good!
—And you submitted two entries to the contest! Greed got the better of you.

On May 5, 2024, I had the pleasure of testing the game under the shade of the trees in La Devesa park in Girona, at the Ludivers Festival. An eight-year-old kid won a game thanks to a fit of Wrath. I convinced his dad, laughing, that the game was educational, that the deadly sins are part of our cultural heritage.

On May 7, 2024, "The Sinner" was announced as one of the five finalists in the contest. Although it didn't win, I felt more than rewarded.

On June 14, 2024, during a business trip to Madrid, I visited the offices of Tranjis Games. We had to talk about a crazy project now resting in a drawer, but I also carried "The Sinner" in my backpack.

I met some nice people, and we played both games. They seemed to enjoy sinning. The prototype stayed there. On the way home, back to the copy shop, cutter, glue, and manual punch.

During the weekend of the Virgin of the Pillar festival, I attended with my family the International Games Festival of Córdoba for the first time and playtested "The Sinner" with three additional cards and a key change in how the starting player of each round was selected. The game handled the changes perfectly and received very positive feedback. Most players wanted to play again.

—I see, you became a preacher of sin, a proselytizer for the devil.
—No! It's a game! I just wanted to play.
—Exactly. People talking about lust while laughing. Sitting around, lazy, playing board games instead of doing something useful. Saying "gluttony" with a mouth full of chips...
—No! That's forbidden! Nobody is allowed to eat chips while touching my prototype. In Córdoba, David Vaquero from Tranjis Games came to see me and told me they wanted to publish the game. That was great news. I ended up signing a contract a few days later.

On November 16, I attended the DAU Festival in Barcelona and tested the game again with some ideas born from a meeting with designers in Girona. The game still worked well, but it seemed clear it didn't need those changes.

—Meanwhile, things were brewing at Tranjis, Father. They changed the name. Carnival of Sins. That's right. They developed the game further. We made some rule tweaks, going back to the original, simple, and poetic idea of the number seven. They found an illustrator willing to be tempted, and a graphic designer. Both used their art to exalt sin. I'm sorry. I talked to David. He can tell you more. He's as responsible as I am for whatever happens from now on.
—Don't worry, son. I'll talk to him, no doubt.
—What is my penance?
—I haven't seen true evil in you. Neglect, yes. Ignorance, haste, sickly naivety, and a good dose of pride and greed, perhaps. But, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" — or rather, the first die.
—Thank you, Father. How can I ever repay your kindness?
—Just bring me a copy.

I want to take this opportunity to express my infinite gratitude to my family and all the friends who playtested the game, always so patient with my craziness. To the Asociación Ludo for their tireless work and all the opportunities and spaces they create to share, grow, and create. To the Ludivers, DAU, and International Games Festival of Córdoba, and to the Dissabtes Juganers of Girona and everyone who stopped by my table those days.

And a special thanks to Jea Games and Fira JugarxJugar for promoting the Provocatio contest, and to Tranjis Games for trusting me, little more than a newbie wannabe.

Alex Nogués