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We Found a Bug

Duration

Overview & Logline

2025, 6 months

Team Size

"We Found The Bug" is a social deduction and card-driven asymmetrical tabletop game where players navigate a whimsical, cross-world narrative universe. Players split into opposing factions—engaging in hidden-identity warfare, tension-filled day/night cycle management, and strategic hand and token allocation. The project features meticulously balanced mechanics, intricate role systems, and custom component design tailored to foster deep psychological interplay and replayability.

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  • Logline: The characters of two game worlds unite together to fix the BUGs and save their homeland.

  • Role: Lead Game Designer & Creative Director

  • Genre: Social Deduction & Card-Driven Tabletop Game

  • Deliverables: Rulebook, Character Lore, Component Design (Identity, Health, Event, and Weapon Cards)

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Role

Game Designer
Creative Director

Tools

Photoshop, Indesign
Jira, Blender

Component Ecosystem & Balancing

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  • 10 Identity Cards & Custom Figurines

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  • 120 Weapon Cards (Blue Seal)

  • ​42 Event Cards (Red Seal)​

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  • 40 Health Cards (Orange Seal)

Setup

  • Game Setup & Components Allocation: Distribute 10 Identity Cards and assign corresponding custom figurines to all participants (the Hero selects hero pieces, the Ninja selects ninja pieces, and remaining players select mosaic pieces).

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  • Player Card Pools: Each player randomly draws 3 Weapon Cards (Blue Seal) as an initial hand. Shuffle the remaining Weapon Cards together with the Random Event Cards (Red Seal), and deal 13 cards to each participant to form their individual, independent card pool.

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  • Play Area Layout: Place 4 Health Cards (Orange Seal), the player's assigned Identity Card, and their designated card pool directly onto the board game pad.

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  • Initial Phase Transition: The game initiates immediately into the night phase, requiring all participants to close their eyes while the judge sequentially verifies individual identities.

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Rulebook & Documentation

Win Condition

  • Elimination Objective: Achieve victory by successfully eliminating every participant belonging to the opposing two factions.

  • Faction-Wide Survival: Secure the win condition through strategic coordination, hidden identity preservation, and total neutralization of rival units across the multi-world battleground.

Character Special Skills

  • The Hero (Duel Protocol): Targets any player to initiate a high-stakes duel. If the target belongs to an opposing faction, they suffer 3 points of health damage; if they belong to the same faction, both participants take damage (2 points to the Hero and 1 point to the ally).

 

  • The Ninja (Identity Verification): Exercises reconnaissance by choosing any present player to execute a formal identity check and uncover hidden allegiance.

 

  • The Bug King (Camouflage & Mimicry): Selects any active player present to copy and temporarily assume their faction alignment, leveraging deception to manipulate social deduction dynamics.

 

  • The Bug (Resurrection Protocol): Grants a one-time resurrection chance with half health (2 health points) upon elimination, provided the Bug King remains active on the battlefield.

Balancing & Iteration

  • Independent Card Pool Restructuring: Transitioned from a shared global card pool to isolated, independent player pools following initial playtests. This structural change prevented passive hoarding, forced active tactical choices, and encouraged creative player strategies.

  • Economy and Healing Fine-Tuning: Addressed late-game pacing drag caused by excessive recovery items by capping power banks and magic potions at 10 pieces each. Furthermore, recalibrated the weapon-to-event card ratio by introducing 62 additional blue-seal weapon cards to correct initial draw probability imbalances.

  • Equipment Slot Limitations: Implemented a strict cap of 3 equipment slots per player. This eliminated dominant defense-stacking exploits (such as hoarding multiple shields) and restored critical tactical vulnerability across matches.

  • Asymmetrical Faction Equilibrium: Mitigated late-game snowballing of the Bug faction by revising the Bug King's resurrection mechanic from infinite respawns to a single-use resurrection with halved health points, ensuring long-term competitive balance.

  • Dynamic Turn Order Adjustment: Modified the play-order sequence to initiate from the participant with the lowest health points instead of the Hero faction, increasing tactical uncertainty and enabling strategic comebacks.

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