Cats, Trams and Mice
Team: Bangers
How to play:
- The basic starting point of the game is to nominate a player within the game to become the “Cat”. The other players are the “Mice”.
- Once selected these players, an area must be chosen to be the playing area, so for example, one or two city blocks with a restriction of how far the limits are.
- Once selected, the mice get a five-minute head start running away from the cat.
- After 5 minutes the cat can move.
- Another main rule is you must only run along or within a few meters of tramlines, within the area boundaries.
- Players can then be ‘cornered’ into a line where they can be tagged
- Once the boundaries of the game have been agreed on, the players who are mice must escape the cat. Once the cat has found a mouse, the cat must tag them by drawing on them with a pen.
- Once a mouse is tagged, that player becomes a cat also.
- The winner is the last standing mouse.
- A time limit of 30 mins playing time applies too, and if no mice are tagged, then the mice win.
- An important element of the game is figuring out who the cats are, unless the mice can see a mark drawn on the so called ‘cats’ they don’t know.
- Mice can also go inside trams (mouse hole) for a maximum of one stop, to give an advantage to the mice.
- Another suggestion is to have the other players mobile numbers so they can be contacted when the game is over or to say where they will meet after the game.
- A pencil and paper may be needed to record wins and losses.
- An optional rule to even out gameplay difficulty would be to create a ‘cheese area’; which the mice must reach before being tagged as a cat. Eg. The cat chooses an area or object which is known as the cheese, which the mice must get to, and clearly mark and notify where this ‘cheese’ is.
1 comment:
Tram, Cat and Mouse Feedback
The game of Tram Cat and Mouse was an active game, this time outdoors. It would appeal to a younger age group. Age groups that still play chasey, tiggy or tag. Like tag it is pretty straight forward except it had restrictions to it. The game wasn’t very mentally challenging as tag is a kind of physical game. Its learning curve may be influenced by how you follow the tram lines. I think people would come back and play it after playing it once, because it’s a game you might have to adapt to, but it wouldn’t take too long to get used to it.
The rules are clear and logical, IT and Not IT or in this case Cat and Mouse. The rules were easy to follow as there wasn’t too much of a restriction on where you could go and because there are tram lines almost everywhere you go around RMIT it kind of turned into normal tag. So that probably means there wasn’t enough for playing around RMIT, although playing in a not so tram infested area may turn out to be ok.
The main goal to me was just like in tag, the game was basically looked at as tag but near tram lines only. The problem came down to the area and in the end it was basically like playing normal tag. The special paraphernalia I guess would have to be not provided but found as you needed tram lines but that could easily be replaced by something else similar in size like a certain type of coloured ground. Eg grass, concrete or dirt.
The goals were pretty straight forward and easy to establish once you kind of grasped that it was a lot like tag. The game could take long, as we found hiding became a big factor, because it was such a big area, you were mostly hiding than running and chasing. It was mediocre fun probably because it was like an adult version of tag being played near traffic and trams and busy streets, but in the end it felt like tag and that kind of depends on the person whether or not that still enjoyed playing it.
What could have been improved was the location or lines to follow were better, I think there was too much freedom in the game it was basically normal tag. If the lines to follow were something else less common or more abstract to it may been a lot more interesting as a game. What worked about it was that it had elements of tag, whether we say we like it or not we all like touching or writing on each other so that we can finally tell others we are not IT or the Chaser or in this case, the Cat.
This team wasn’t too organised and weren’t on hand to help us when we began the game. It wasn’t very much fun, as it seemed like a game of Cat and mouse around tramlines. The team could have put in more though in term of incorporating the Tram aspect of the game.
Poorly designed instruction with lengthy text that takes a fair bit of our time to read and start playing. It is definitely not suitable for anyone who is slow in moving around and one has to be in high alert when playing on the street. It was not spell out clearly what is needed from the player i.e tram ticket...etc. The worst part is that there isn't anyone from the game created there to brief us on the game.
Was it too hard? Or Easy? Why? Was very easy for the mouse to escape the cat due to the size of a city block, especially if you played 2 city blocks
Was it physically or mentally challenging? Neither, the mouse/mice could just camp 1 area until the timer was up while the cat chased around looking for them.
Does it have a steep learning curve? No it was a very basic game
Would it be a game people came back to play again to improve their skill etc? No I don’t think there is any skill involved in the game it is really just pot luck if you’re found or not by the cat.
Rules
Are they clear, comprehensible, logical? This game just didn’t have enough rules or guidelines to play on. There were to many loopholes for the mouse to cheat with.
Are they easy to remember and follow? They are easy to follow due to the only rule for the mouse was to stay within “a few” (not specified) meters of tram tracks (which are almost everywhere in Melbourne).
Are there enough or too many? No there just isn’t enough rules for this game, it felt very rushed and unplanned. With more rules or guidelines it would be a fun game. Eg. No camping for longer than 1 minute, instead of 5 minute wait for cat it should be just 2 minutes (takes to long to start).
Do they get in the way of playing the game? They do because there just aren’t enough guidelines or rules to make the game work properly.
Magic Circle
Is a sense of the scope of the game established?
Is it over an appropriate area? Yes the area is great (city block), but the rules (as above) need improvement
Is any special paraphernalia needed for it appropriate? Nothing is required for the game to be played. Other than a mobile to message when the game is over but its not apart of the game
Do such items fit in with the theme of the game? N/A
Do they extend the experience or potential of the game? N/A
Goals
Do you know what the goal of the game is? As a mouse you must not be caught by the Cat. Cat’s goal is to tag all the mice in the game.
Do the game actions make sense in relation to the goal? Yes but it is hard for the cat to win with current rules.
Do the goals seem meaningful? Yes
Duration
Did it take too long? The game timed out due to the cat couldn’t find the mice.
What was the experience like? It was fun for the first few minutes but the timer delay on the cat (5 minutes) made it feel boring due to the lack of emergency. After finding an area we could hide in it was just a sit and wait for the remaining time.
Gameplay.
Was it fun? And why/not? Overall it wasn’t fun, this is because there weren’t enough rules or guidelines in place for the mice/cat. Eg. Camp spots (staying in an area for more than 2 mins) etc
Would anyone play it if they weren’t being forced to? Most likely not as it felt from the very start as it was unfinished or had something missing.
What could have been improved? They could have put into the guidelines/rules, no camping a location for longer than 2 minutes. Having a prize for the winner and more restrictions on movement for the mice/mouse eg only able to move on sidewalks etc
What really worked about it? They had the base of the game setup quite well regarding the concept of a “modern” cat and mouse game but lacked the depth to make it work properly.
Objective: The game is an adaptation of child hood ‘tiggy’ apart from the trams.
Appeal: The age bracket is 17+. The game itself is not hard to play. It’s just physically tiring due to the
amount of running. There not much learning in this game apart from the rules. It’s one of those games
that can be played over and over again.
Rules: The rules were difficult to understand because there was no master to present the game. The
rules were shown in an essay like form and that put me off because there was so much reading. It didn’t
really spark much interest. The rules are straight forward but the presentation of the rules made it look
dirty and complicated.
Magic Circle: Scope of the game is to run and chase. Very tiring! The area is definitely a dangerous place
to play because its on open roads. And there wasn’t really a control environment. There wasn’t any
paraphernalia and the game does not extend the experience.
Goals: Goals are simple. Cat chases mouse.
Duration: 15 min
Evaluation: The game would appeal to a younger audience perhaps ages 10 below. In this instance I
wasn’t very compelled to play due the rules overshadowing in an essay like form. The game could have
improved if the rules were in point form or shorter.
Who would the game appeal to?
Children age 7-10
Was it too hard? or Easy? Why?
It was easy to play as people are familiar with cat and mouse concept
Was it physically or mentally challenging?
It was physically challenging
Does it have a steep learning curve?
Yes
Would it be a game people came back to play again to improve their skills etc?
No
Rules
Are they clear, comprehensible, logical?
No
Are they easy to remember and follow?
No
Are there enough or too many?
It was just confusing
Do they get in the way of playing the game?
Yes
Magic circle
Is a sense of the scope of the game established?
Yes
Is it over an appropriate area?
No
Is any special paraphernalia needed for it appropriate?
The tram
Do such items fit in with the theme of the game?
Not really. A bus or a bicycle is also possible and safer too.
Do they extend the experience or potential of the game?
No
Goals
Do you know what the goal of the game is?
Yes, catch all the mice
Do the game actions make sense in relation to the goal?
Yes, making people running away from each other based on suspicion.
Do the goals seem meaningful?
No, it just ends the game once you caught all the mice
Duration
Did it take too long?
Yes
What was the experience like?
Tiring
Was it fun? And why/not?
No, because half the time players are looking out for traffic. Which can be dangerous to play.
Would anyone play it if they weren’t forced to?
Possible
What could have been improved?
Simpler rules and a better location
What really worked about it?
The excitement of running around the streets
The first game I tested was Cat, Tram and Mouse by team Bangers. The game was a modified version of tag where the mice had to stick to tram lines within the two block play area. A few problems were immediately apparent. With only one team of 5 people playing the game, the suggested playing size of two city blocks seemed huge. Playing on such a large area with so few people, it's entirely possible for the 'Cat' to run around for the duration of the game without seeing a single mouse. Also, the requirement that the mice stick to tram lines (but not necessarily ride the trams) seemed dangerous and the sort of thing that could land you in court with a public nuisance charge.
After consideration of these problems, our team decided to modify the rules to make the game more playable, and less life-threatening. We moved indoors (it was raining), changed the play area to two floors of Melbourne Central, and played the game for half an hour. Like tag, the game was so hard for the Cat as to be frustrating, and so easy for the Mice that it became boring.
Rather than simply touching the Mice to capture them, the Cat was required to tag them with a pen (which was not supplied). This rule seemed annoying and an obvious attempt to include the pen object regardless of its relevance.
This game could improved by reconsidering the number of players (more is better), and adjusting the play area to match the player count. Unless you like putting your life on the line, the tram idea should be scrapped or maybe modified so players have to stick to sidewalks on streets that have tram lines.
Outline:
This game initially struct us as simply dangerous. We did finally alter some aspects of the game due to that and the rain and we played in inside Melbourne Central. The game came simply across as a Cops and Robbers modified, with not too much added to enhance it.
Who would the game appeal to?
With some more touches of excitement this could make a good after-dark game for twentysomething adrenaline junkies.
Was it too hard? Or Easy? Why?
The game is player dependant so with a group thats well balanced it can be exciting.
Was it physically or mentally challenging?
In the way that all hide and seek is, it can be both mentally and physically challenging but it does need some modification to warrant playing it at all.
Rules
Are they clear, comprehensible, logical?
No. The rules were messy and not explained well. Without a game master, we ended up modifying it a certain amount to suit conditions.
Are there enough or too many?
There were some extra optional rules that would have been interesting if we could have understood them, but the rest of the rules simply felt random and not purposeful.
Do they get in the way of playing the game?
Some.
Magic Circle
Is a sense of the scope of the game established?
With ambiguos rules, thats hard to say but physical space makes important boundaries and is scalable to the size of group.
Is it over an appropriate area?
The estimate was too large and it took the cat too long to even locate a mouse. That ended up frustrating for the cat and simply boring the mice.
Is any special paraphernalia needed for it appropriate?
There was a pen, whose purpose was not easily understood. It seemed out of place and it did not essentially help the playing of the game.
Goals
Do you know what the goal of the game is?
Like any hide and seek, the goal is clear.
Do the game actions make sense in relation to the goal?
Trams seemed awkwardly used, and the pen was just out of place.
Duration
Did it take too long?
Because of the space used it took too long for the cat to find any mice and bored both parties.
Gameplay.
Was it fun? And why/not?
Its interactive and builds relationships because of the direct interaction between players.
Would anyone play it if they weren’t being forced to?
Its a group feeling that makes the game playable but the way it is currently, probably no.
What could have been improved?
The number of players could be much larger. This would help increase the action, which is the basic driving force to the game.
This may be crude but it might be a good game to be played intoxicated.
Props and simple sub-rules could also be great gameplay enhancers. Trams were an interesting start, and having only one stop at a time was a good restriction, but a few more maybe involving the surrounding people would be interesting.
It might be a little difficult, but if the players didn't meet each other before the game, the element of surprise might really make things interesting in a public space.
What really worked about it?
The game relies quite heavily on how much you put into it. Thats really a great trick because it adapts to different skill levels. A variety of age groups and demographics can play it and gain varying experiences.
Who would the game appeal to?
- teenages, no old ppl
Was it too hard? Or Easy? Why?
- hard to play cuz its in the city, many restrictions on certain areas
Was it physically or mentally challenging?
- yes very physically
Does it have a steep learning curve?
- no its very simple minded game which anyone can play
Would it be a game people came back to play again to improve their skill etc?
- yes of course if they dumb enough ^^
Rules
Are they clear, comprehensible, logical?
- clear and logical cuz its hide and seek
Are they easy to remember and follow?
- yes very simple to follow
Are there enough or too many?
- there are enough
Do they get in the way of playing the game?
- miss the tram and you have to wait until your hair goes white
Magic Circle
Is a sense of the Scope of the game established?
- nothing at all
Is it over an appropriate area?
- no cuz its very limited in certain areas
Is any special paraphernalia needed for it appropriate?
- mobile, cards
Do such items fit in with the theme of the game?
- yes you have to call other members and use the cards to define which one is
cat and the mouse
Do they extend the experience or potential of the game?
- no potential whatsoever
Goals
Do you know what the goal of the game is?
- catch the tram, hide the tram and seek the tram
Do the game actions make sense in relation to the goal?
- makes sense all the time because of contact of the mobile phone
Do the goals seem meaningful?
- it means that you can learn how to hide from dangerous situation
Duration
Did it take too long?
- takes 1 hr cuz of waiting for tram
What was the experience like?
Gameplay.
- fun for waiting and good exercise for running
Was it fun? And why / not?
- very fun from the start but sad in the end because too tired
Would anyone play it if they weren't being forced to?
- i think its entertaining
What could have been improved?
- not really
What really worked about it?
- the mobile phone
When I first read the rules and aim of this particular game, I was able to understand what to do, it sounded a little odd but realised it’s just a modified version of ‘tag’. The rules stated that we must play in two blocks nearby RMIT University, but as the weather was windy and rainy, we were unable to do so, and because of this, we were forced to take things into our own hands and change the rules of the game. The group decided to play at an indoor location (Melbourne Central) using two levels, instead of two blocks that was originally mentioned in the game document. This also eliminated the use of the tram.
The game itself sounded a little hard as it required the use of a tram and what we thought might be a little dangerous, therefore resulting in an injury. If you are trying to run, it would be much more dangerous going through lights, people or oncoming vehicles, as the city is a busy place, I don’t think it would have worked too well. Given that the game was to be played within one hour, it would have been hard to tag more than one or two people if it were to played in the city outside in the public.
Since the group played the game indoors, it just become a normal game of ‘tag’ but the person who was ‘it’ was called the ‘cat’ and the ‘mice’ were the people the ‘cat’ was supposed to catch. Instead of touching the ‘mice’ the cat had to use a pen and make a mark on their skin once caught. I suppose this added interest and a good way to incorporate the pen into the game, as I couldn’t think of anything else to do with a pen to use for the game.
This is definitely a physically challenging game as it required everyone involved to either run or hide, or for the mice, to do both. I was the cat in the game so it did get rather frustrating at times when I was not able to find any mice, and when I did, they were running faster than I was and it made me feel pretty isolated to be the only one doing the tagging. I think perhaps the game should have included a group of cats instead of the one person to increase the excitement of the game a little more.
The game we played did not take long and we didn’t manage to get through much of it as it got tiring and people did start to give us odd looks, especially me who did most of the running and catching. The game got to a point where I felt I needed to rest or end the game because it got really boring and tiring.
As I was sick, it made things much worse and did have a big affect to the way I preformed in the game. I’m not too sure whether or not anyone would play it if they were not being forced to do so.
Some things which could have made the game more enjoyable and worthwhile would have been to add more cats or a group of them working together against the mice. Not only would have this made it more fun, but also speed up the game a little.
I felt as though there could have been more people to follow and catch, there weren’t as many of us to play with and that made it very difficult. This could have been improved also.
However, I did enjoy the game at some points, as I tried to catch my group mates which resulted in me getting strange looks from people walking past. This is probably a game younger children (years 10-14) would enjoy more
Cat, Tram and Mouse.
Game appeal: It’s more suited to younger kids, but really it’s too dangerous and too much of a nuisance to be played by anyone.
It was too hard to implement the trams into the tag. We also, as a group, considered it too dangerous, especially since it was raining.
The game is only as physically challenging as the cats make it. If a person chooses to hide and doesn’t run that much then it’s not very demanding at all. If the person is forced to run for thirty minutes then it’s highly demanding.
There was no real learning curve at all because it was just a modified game of tag.
Rules: At first the rules were confusing and we had to read over them several times to decipher them. We actually modified the rules for various reasons.
Magic circle: The area was too large for anyone to be tagged meaning the game couldn’t be played to its fullest. 1 cat had to find 4 mice over the recommended 2 blocks. If more people were playing then it may have been more enjoyable.
As for the pen, we didn’t use that at all. It seemed pointless because then all the mice had to do was look for the pen mark and know who they should run away from, wrecking one point of the game.
The tram idea was a little too dangerous for our liking and it didn’t really add to the game play at all anyway.
Goals: The way you win depends on whether the player is a cat or mouse.
The game actions aren’t overly relevant to the goal and the goal wasn’t really meaningful.
The game was a little stretched out and had the ability to get boring pretty quickly. My experience was that I started to get excited when it first started but after it was a let down and Rachel and I just ended up talking for most of it.
The game play was simplistic without a reward, aside from winning that is.
It wasn’t all that fun because there wasn’t enough people to play with. We were basically left with nothing to do until the cat came near us which wasn’t very often.
Nobody would really play this if they were forced to. The rules including trams are much too daunting, so first of all, the player thinks that it may be too much trouble to do that.
As for improvements, it could have been done easily. I guessing there word was trams which is really hard, but that could’ve used the name as a safety point. For example, that pole over there is the safety point; you can only use it once when the cat’s chasing after you. And they should’ve added more people, and it might have been a good game.
What did work was the tag part. Tag is a great game, although it is tiring.
Firstly, when he headed out, discussing the rules, we discovered it was raining. Out of the 5, three of us were wearing skate shoes which are essentially useless in wet weather. We decided that it’d be better if we play inside to avoid injury. We also decided that trams were dangerous and also pointless as the Cat could just run down to the next tram stop and what. That and running in front of cars is just asking for some serious injury to be had. Instead, when we took it into Melbourne central, we decided that Escalators would take place of trams. We used two levels because Furhat was sick anyway and he became the cat. If we didn’t have to change the game so much to make it safer and a lot more enjoyable, it may have received more.
Who would the game appeal to? (age groups, demographics)
Any one from about 15 up to 20
Was it too hard? Or Easy ? Why?
The game was difficult to play because the rules were not very clear
Was it physically or mentally challenging?
The game was challenging but it needed to be more defend
Does it have a steep learning curve?
There wasn’t a steep learning curve but the game was hard to play with out clear rules.
Would it be a game people came back to play again to improve their skill etc?
It could be the concept was good but people would just have a hard time with the rules.
Rules
Are they clear, comprehensible, logical?
No
Are they easy to remember and follow?
Not really
Are there enough or too many?
there rules weren’t defend enough.
Do they get in the way of playing the game?
Some of the rules didn’t make since.
Magic Circle
Is a sense of the scope of the game established?
No
Is it over an appropriate area?
Kind of I think??
Is any special paraphernalia needed for it appropriate?
A pen.
Do they extend the experience or potential of the game?
They made the game a bit hard to play because we had to make up some rules that made sense.
Goals
Do you know what the goal of the game is?
Yes it’s outlined in the rules.
Do the game actions make sense in relation to the goal?
Kind of.
Duration
Did it take too long?
No the game was of sufficient length
What was the experience like?
It was very alright to play but it could have been better if the rules made more sense.
Gameplay
Was it fun? And why/not?
The game was frustrating to begin with but once we add some stuff to it was ok but I wouldn’t play it agene.
Would anyone play it if they weren’t being forced to?
No.
What could have been improved?
More defined rules.
What really worked about it?
Not much
So, tiggy crossed with jaywalking? It didn’t help that we were standing around for ages waiting for our GM. It turns out you don’t get one for this game…
While the basics were easy the rules were really unclear, badly written. For example the “Mice” had to “stay within a certain metre limit of the tramlines…” who knows how far though. We needed at least 10 more people to play the game properly because out setup of three mice and one cat didn’t work very well. Without a predefined area we spent a while working it out ourselves (wasting more time) as there weren’t even any suggestions, just that there needed to be tramlines around a block or two. By the time we worked out the rules (to catch a Mouse the Cat must draw on them with a pen?) we only had fifteen minutes until the next rotation and the Cat ended up not catching anyone.
It could be fun but the rules need to be pretty much rewritten.
The game sounded really interesting but we were disappointed with it. The group just gave us the sheet of rules and told us to go play it. At first the rules didn’t make sense but when we realised that it was basically just tag it made more sense. In the end it was actually quite simple. They didn’t take into account the weather and it was raining so we couldn’t play outside. After moving the game inside Melbourne Central, we played the game. Of course as we were inside we changed the trams to escalators. There seemed to be no real point to the game so some of the group didn’t really get into the game. It got boring really quickly so we didn’t play for more than 20 minutes. Also with the rules there was no set location and area, it just left it up to the group. This meant that it took a while just to decide on where we were playing and how large an area we were playing on. Using a pen to tag the mice seemed odd and rather silly. Although at one point it was a little fun to out smart the cat, the rest of the game was boring as it was just tag. I would say that I wouldn’t play it if I wasn’t being forced to. The idea had potential but it didn’t meet it. I especially liked the idea of using trams, even if we didn’t get a good chance to use them. The game might appeal to those in their early teens and maybe if some of the rules were changed late teens as well. There was no real learning curve and even though you could come back to play to improve your skills, to be perfectly honest you wouldn’t want to. What this game needs is a clearer and more defined rule set.
Poorly designed instruction with lengthy text that takes a fair bit of our time to read and start playing. It is definitely not suitable for anyone who is slow in moving around and one has to be in high alert when playing on the street. It was not spell out clearly what is needed from the player i.e tram ticket...etc. The worst part is that there isn't anyone from the game created there to brief us on the game.
Playing the game called cat tram and mouse, In my opinion I don’t like it at all. Firstly it is completely unoriginal the team use the same rule as hide and seek there is no new innovation to it. There is no challenge to it as if you had played hide and seek when you were a kid you know what to do. The game will not work on a street with tram lines if there is just 4 people playing it. The game need more than 20 people to play it so it can run properly.
What is there to improve is a total overhaul of all the game it is terrible to play. To improve it I think the team need to think out of the box rather than copy the idea of hide and seek. Because tram line there is a potential but not the rule.
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