Dicey Decisions

Overview

Dicey Decisions is a digital board game built in Unity, adapted from a Tabletop Simulator prototype. The main design challenge was translating complex tabletop rules into a clear, intuitive digital experience without overwhelming new players.

Problem

When adapting it to Unity, we discovered that mechanics that felt intuitive in tabletop form became confusing in a digital environment. Early playtests revealed that the lack of onboarding and tutorials created frustration for new players.

Research Findings

Playtests

After every major change to our game, playtests were conducted with experienced game designers and frequent board game players.

Ideation

While the core gameplay mechanics and rules from Tabletop Simulator served as a starting point, we reimagined the visual direction by shifting the art to a pixel-art aesthetic to better suit a digital board game experience. We wanted to create a more cohesive and visually engaging experience, aligning with online retro-inspired games.

Solution & Impact

To address onboarding confusion, I created a guided first round with move-by-move directions, then a full interactive tutorial for multiplayer prep. I also worked with our artist to establish a wood-inspired, pixel-art visual system, and improved button affordances, animations, and sound effects for clarity. After implementation, playtests showed a 64% increase in positive feedback, with players understanding rules faster and completing multiple rounds without external guidance.
Constraints included balancing tutorial depth with pacing, ensuring new players felt supported without slowing down experienced players.

Conclusion

This project strengthened my interest in designing clear, approachable systems for complex games. It reinforced the importance of playtesting, iteration, and strong visual feedback when translating analog experiences into digital ones.

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