Scofflaws!
Card Game
(Designed and Written by Max Cronce)
(Re-done art by Jake O’Neill)
Scofflaws! is a 4-6 player party game designed so that no matter how bad the hand you’re dealt is, if you’re cunning and underhanded enough, you can turn the game around.
This is an ongoing project between myself and Jake O’Neill
The Game:
All players begin the game with their identities hidden. They then attack, defend, heal, and expose each other until someone comes out on top.
Making alliances is a must for survival, but since everyone’s out for themselves, they never last long.
Everyone can win the game by eliminating all the other players, but each character also has their own abilities that let them progress towards their own unique goals in order to nab a quicker win.
The Characters:
The Grifter
A sneaky trickster who can win the game by physically stealing cards from the deck or even other players’ hands.
The Dirty Cop
A detective with some mud on his name who defeats his opponents by outwitting them and exposing their identities.
The Psycho
A bloodthirsty hunter who can slip a bomb card into an unsuspecting player’s hand and only becomes more vicious once he’s been exposed.
The Cannibal
The Cannibal is a feral animal who can recover health points by feasting on others and attacks their opponents recklessly.
The Enforcer
A pragmatic thug who unlike his fellow criminals prefers brute force and outright threats to any form of subterfuge.
The Arsonist
The Arsonist is a sneaky scoundrel who quickly warms up to people and valuables right before burning them to the ground.
The Process of Making the Game:
Original Sketch
Originally, all the card designs and mechanics were (badly) scrawled into my notebook.
Playable Version
After moving on from handwritten cards, I re-made them in photoshop. During this time, I was running playtests and iterating constantly.
1st Redraw (W/ Jake)
Realizing that my very limited drawing abilities had hit quickly hit a wall, I teamed up with Jake to re-do the game, but with improved art and clearer wording for the rules/ cards.
(Almost) Finished Card
While they aren’t completely polished yet, the overall design and art are quite the improvement.
Portfolio
Here’s some examples of my work. Some of it was done for class projects, some was done on my own, and some are a combination of the two.
Thalassophobia
Physical | Solo
Thalassophobia is an experimental, one-shot tabletop RPG where the GM takes on the role of an otherworldly creature known as The Suit.
Can a small party of unlikely allies triumph over The Suit or will paranoia tear them asunder?
It’s free to download & play.
Color Schemers
Digital | Group
Color Schemers is a frantic party game for 2 - 4 players developed in Unity for a capstone project by a small group of UCSC students.
I worked as design lead, level designer, SFX creator, and Co-producer on the project.
Scofflaws!
Physical | Group
A unique 4-6 player party card game about deception, anonymity, and cheating.
Each player assumes the role of a particular criminal, each with their own abilities and goals.
Use your abilities to turn the game in your favor!
Luck is for chumps!
Max’s Minigames
Digital | Solo
Two minigames that I created. They both have the same minimalist style, but play differently.
DodgeBomb is a grid-based infinite runner that I created for a game jam.
Color Castle is a versus multiplayer game that is played using an alternative controller that I built.
Design Videos
Digital | Group
We make essays on game design that particularly interest us.
We also make trailers and explanatory videos for our games.
The Woodsman
Digital | Solo
A noir style Twine game about a murder. There’s a twist though: you control both the killer and the detective.
While a single playthrough might be quick, with 200+ unique nodes, 19,000+ words, and 20+ endings there’s plenty of different paths to explore.