Board Game Design Notes: Slither

Planted: 2022-03-03 / Last Tended: 2022-03-06
Category: 🌱 Seedlings
Tags: Tabletop Games, Game Design, Prototypes

Introduction #

I love slither.io; it’s a great casual video game. One of the aspects I love most are the cat and mouse games that occur between players as they position their snake in such a way as to capture their opponent’s snake before devouring it. I want to see if I can create a board game that replicates this aspect of sliter.io.

Design Ideas #

My initial idea is to create a two player abstract game in which players will move their snake around on a game board with a repeating diamond pattern.

Spread throughout the game board will be a number of spaces that allow you to increase the size of your snake by one segment. Within the center of the board will be an area that will allow you to increase your snake by two segments. Just like the computer game you’ll try to defeat the other snake by positioning your snake in such a way were the other snake’s head will be forced to make contact with your snake’s body. Within the computer game you’re able quickly move your snake for a short amount of time at the cost of slowing down after some time. To replicate this mechanic I think I’m going to give the players the option to double their move distance at the cost of losing one seqment of their snake.

Inital Ideas for Rules #

Setup #

Each player takes the snake head and two body segment of their color and place it anywhere along the edge of their side of the board. At least one segment of their snake must be touching an edge of the board.

Gameplay #

On a players turn they must perform one of the following movement actions.
- Normal: The snake’s head is moved two spaces followed by the snake’s body. You can change directions while taking a normal move action.
- Dash: The snake’s head is moved four spaces followed by the snake’s body. After moving one section is removed from the snake’s body. While performing a dash move the snake can not change directions.
When moving the following rules apply.
- If a snake’s head passes through or stops on a growth space add the number of segements indicated on the growth space.
- Snake can move across it’s own body.
- Snakes can not move off of the edge of the board.
- A snake can not perform a dash move if it is only three segments in length.

Growth Spaces #

Once a snake visits a grow space it can not visit the same growth space again. It must visit another growth space before it can increase it’s size.

End of Game #

The game ends when the active player’s snake’s head touches any part of another snake’s body.