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The golf-inspired deck-building game Duffers is based on how us non-professionals play golf. We hook the ball, we slice it, we end up in the trees, but every once-in-a-while we hit that perfect shot that keeps us coming back for more — more punishment, that is.
As with traditional golf, the objective is to finish the course with the lowest score (# of Strokes). To set up a round of Duffers, players choose up to nine holes from the 18 included with the game. Gameplay is all about building the perfect "bag" or deck. Each player opens with the same starter deck. Every turn is a new hand and a chance to purchase clubs, crew, and equipment from the Pro Shop or attempt to complete a hole. Fun fact: You can finish the holes in any order, which is important because any holes not completed by the end of the game are marked as triple par on your score card.
The game ends when one player finishes the course or the Pro Shop runs out of cards. The only thing left to do is add up the scores, crown the Duffers Master for this round, and plan your next tee time.
—description from the designer
Duffers
- Engaging golf theme tied to deck-building mechanics
- Caddy space mechanic allows strategic saving of putters
- Clear progression from starting deck to finished holes
- Educational value: exercises mental math and executive functioning skills
- Perceived complexity for new players; two marketplaces and special rules can be daunting at first
- Reliance on probability and card draws can introduce luck factor
- Golf scoring, yardage management, and deck-building strategy
- Golf course with multiple holes and par values
- Educational/analytical review with demonstrations
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card_marketplace — Two marketplaces exist: a stable stacks market and a randomized pro shop with better cards.
- Card/Chit Market — Two marketplaces exist: a stable stacks market and a randomized pro shop with better cards.
- deck_building — Players start with weak cards and acquire stronger ones to hit hole yardage and reduce strokes.
- Hand Management — Players manage a hand to accumulate yardage and putts while managing their deck's strength.
- hand_management — Players manage a hand to accumulate yardage and putts while managing their deck's strength.
- Resource Management — Credits (20 per chip shot) are spent to buy cards; yardage and putts are used to complete holes.
- resource_management — Credits (20 per chip shot) are spent to buy cards; yardage and putts are used to complete holes.
- special_abilities — Letters A, B, C activated after certain milestones granting special effects; caddy space to save cards.
- trash_and_cycle — Ability to trash weak cards when you reach specific thresholds to improve deck quality.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I really appreciated this game we had some fun playing it
- it sounds way more complicated than it is once you've played it
- a game called duffers
- you can spend them as 20 credits for the chip shot cards
- you can use them to move your ball 30 yards closer to the hole adding one stroke
- it's a great place where you can save those cards
- the caddy space to save cards until you've got enough yardage
- when you've completed three holes you're going to reveal the letter b
- when you've done six holes you reveal the letter c
- you can trash a card from your deck and it's trashed out of the game