My game was called Trick or Treat and was all about the childhood nostalgia of trick or treating. It was a map builder, with players working together to create a neighborhood filled with childhood triumphs and fears on Halloween night. One of my favorite suggestions was that after going to each house players actually receive a piece of candy, thereby truly trick-or-treating. I made it because halloween is upcoming, and I always miss being able to trick-or-treat in my childhood neighborhood. I still know which houses to get the massive candy from, which houses always had the scariest decorations or which kept their lights off, or even what houses always got passed by (and thus gave out more candy at the end of the night). I love the childhood debate of whether or not to dump all of a candy bowl in your bag, or the righteous fury when one is empty for exactly that reason. It will be my sister's last year at home too, though I don't think she trick or treats anymore. It feels a bit like being young, to run from house to house again, and it's hard sometimes to think how much I have grown up. It has been a long time since I trick-or-treated with my sister, but I wonder if this game wouldn’t bring back some of the childhood nostalgia. That was my primary goal with the game - to create something simple that felt the same way as trick or treating did. 

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I expected the game to go a little more off the rails during play, but the houses typically took 1-2 minutes and then we moved on. I think that providing more character-based hooks would create a better story. Most of what I have right now are little prompts about candy or decorations, but I think adding more tie-ins (childhood drama, like bullies or asking players to make a history for someone) would make the game a little richer. 

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I have played a few map making games before, and I think they have suffered from a lack of direction or tone built into them. Other than the quiet year, I played a game called questlandia, which allows you to tell a bit of a story in the world. However, without picking a strong theme before the game even begins, the game can feel really flimsy. I tried to fix this in my game, drawing on an experience that is shared by a lot of my peers. My players had a lot more fun than I anticipated because of this, which was really exciting. They were both newer to TTRPGs, but because of the experience to draw on, they contributed strongly to the little story we had going. I could see using this game with some of my other less-tabletop inclined friends. 

I also enjoyed getting to look at the games the other members of my team made, and to see their progress. The PTA as the 7 deadly sins was a ton of fun, and I really like games that let you be a little bit evil. I also really enjoyed the other map builder, and I could definitely see where tensions would be created, especially as you dance around the idea of war.