CV (PDF)

Color Rotation

Collect colors. Complete sequences. Outsmart your opponents.

Game design · Board game
My role
Interaction & game design
Team
4 people
Status
Prototype, 9 playtests
Year
2024
The Color Rotation prototype: a board with three rotating layers of lettered colour tiles, boxes of Colour Blocks, Quest Cards, Tokens and Player Mats

The prototype: a board with three rotating layers, Colour Blocks, Quest Cards, Tokens and Player Mats.

01Overview

What is it?

Color Rotation is a competitive board game about movement, colour and strategy.

Players move across a rotating board, collect Colour Blocks and arrange them in the right order to complete Quests.

The objective
Collect colours. Complete quests. Reach 7 points first.
Players
2 to 4
Who it is for
Designed for players who enjoy strategy and puzzle-based board games.

What’s in the box

The full prototype, for reference.

The Color Rotation prototype: board, Quest Cards, Colour Blocks, Tokens, Special Cards and two Player Mats12345678
The prototype, with each component numbered.
  1. 14 Player PiecesLEGO pieces. Everyone starts in the centre.
  2. 21 Board with 3 rotating layersBlue, yellow and green layers turn on their own.
  3. 3BGPRWD28 coloured Tiles16 on blue, 8 on yellow, 4 on green.
  4. 4BGPRWD120 Colour Blocks20 in each of the 6 colours. Colour only, no letters.
  5. 54 Player MatsSpace for Tokens, cards and your 5-block sequence.
  6. 612 yellow TokensUsed to get Special Cards. Not Colour Blocks.
  7. 7S8 Special CardsExtra abilities.
  8. 8EMH36 Quest Cards12 Easy, 12 Medium and 12 Hard.
02How it plays

From first move to 7 points

How a game goes, from the first step to the last.

Before the gameSet up
  1. 1
    Place the tiles

    Place the colour tiles randomly across the three layers.

  2. 2
    Take a mat and a player piece

    Each player takes a Player Mat and places their piece on the centre tile, where everyone starts.

  3. 3
    Take your Quest Cards

    Each player starts by taking one Easy, one Medium and one Hard Quest Card.

Players take turns · repeat ↺On your turn
  1. 4
    Spend 2 Action Points

    Choose what to do. Each action costs Action Points:

    • Rotate your layer1 Action Point
    • Move one tile1 Action Point
    • PRemove a Colour Block1 Action Point
    • Take a Token2 Action Points

    For example: Rotate + Move, or Move + Move.

    See an example turn
  2. 5
    Collect a Colour Block

    Moving onto a tile gives you its Colour Block. Add it to either the start or the end of your row.

    See how the sequence works
  3. 6
    Complete a Quest

    Each Quest Card shows a short colour sequence. When your row contains those colours next to each other, in the same order, you complete the Quest and score its points. The matched blocks leave your row. This costs no action points.

    See a Quest completed
  4. 7
    Pass the turn

    Your turn ends. The next player takes their turn.

End of the gameWin
  1. 8
    Reach 7 points

    The first player to 7 points wins.

Tiles show a letter and a colour. Colour Blocks show colour only.
Tile B G P R W D Colour Block BlueGreenPinkOrangeWhiteDark brown
See it in actionThree short examples
A

One turn

Rotate, then move and collect. 2 Action Points used.

2 / 2 Action Points used
1
Rotate

Turn a layer 90°. Here the yellow layer turns, and a blue tile moves next to you.

1 Action Point
2
Move & Collect

Move to a neighbouring tile and collect its Colour Block. Collecting costs nothing extra.

1 Action Point
Example turn
B

Your row of 5

Keep up to 5 Colour Blocks in a row on your Player Mat.

Add to either end

Each new Colour Block goes on the left end or the right end of your sequence. You choose.

When all 5 slots are full

Adding a block on one end pushes out the block on the opposite end.

C

Complete a Quest

Match the card’s colours in order, score, and the matched blocks leave.

Your Colour Sequence
GRBPW
✓ Quest complete+ points

Orange, blue and pink are removed. Green and white stay.

1 · MatchYour sequence shows orange, blue, pink in the card’s order.
2 · ScoreYou earn the Quest’s points. This costs 0 Action Points.
3 · Remove matchThe Colour Blocks used for the Quest are removed. The other blocks stay.
4 · New QuestThe completed Quest leaves. You get a new one.
Example
ExtrasTokens and Special Cards
D

Tokens and Special Cards

Yellow Tokens are not Colour Blocks. Collect Tokens to get Special Cards, which can disrupt other players.

1
A Special Card is played

A player uses Send back.

2
An opponent is affected

The card targets another player’s piece.

3
The opponent returns to start

Their piece goes back to the starting position in the centre.

Example card

Send back was in the first set of Special Cards. The set changed after playtesting (see Iteration).

03Positioning

What makes it different

Similar games

Resource managementCatan · SplendorSequence buildingAzul · SagradaColour collectionHexa Sort · Rainbow Balls · Candy CrushInteractive boardCentrix · Hungry Turtle
Closest in spirit: Azul

Both games involve collecting pieces and building sequences to score.

Color Rotation adds movement across a changing board, a limited 5-block sequence and direct player interaction.

How Color Rotation stands out

A board that keeps changing

Rotating layers change available paths.

Order matters

Players need the right colours in the right order.

Space is limited

Players can keep only 5 Colour Blocks.

Players affect each other

Board rotation and Special Cards can disrupt another player’s plan.

04Design process

From idea to playable prototype

My role
Interaction & Game Design

I contributed throughout the full design process — from early ideas and prototyping to playtesting and iteration — as part of a collaborative team.

How we worked
  • Everyone contributed ideas during planning.
  • We designed and tested the game together.
  • During playtesting, we split into groups and rotated roles.
1
Explore

We brainstormed different ideas, discussed their strengths and weaknesses, and developed the strongest direction.

2
Build & test

We created prototypes, tested them, identified problems and tried different solutions.

Both stages followed the same cycle from Jones’ design model: brainstorm, refine, choose.

9 playtests across 3 days

Two testers seated around the board mid-session, with Quest Cards and boxes of Colour Blocks on the table
Day 1 · 5 Dec 2024 · Sessions 1–4Understand the basics

Can players understand the core game?

We explored
MovementRotationColour collectionQuestsInstructions
Session notes
  • Session 1: first impressions of the basic actions. No goal and no Special Cards yet.
  • Session 2: shifting Colour Blocks in the sequence, and Quests.
  • Session 3: feedback on rotation and shifting. New instructions. No Quests or Special Cards.
  • Session 4: basic actions with Quests. New instructions.
Testers reviewing an attendance form beside the board during a playtesting session
Day 2 · 6 Dec 2024 · Sessions 5–7Balance the game

Are the systems balanced?

We explored
Special CardsQuest difficultyDifferent strategies
Session notes
  • Session 5: Special Cards, given out free every 2 turns.
  • Session 6: Quest timing. Players had to complete Quests in order of difficulty.
  • Session 7: Quest balance with 2 players. One played only Hard Quests, the other only Easy and Medium.
Two testers taking notes on cards next to the board during a session
Day 3 · 10 Dec 2024 · Sessions 8–9Test the full experience

Does the complete game work?

We explored
Full 4-player gameplayGame length2-vs-2 play
Session notes
  • Session 8: a full 4-player game, to test game length.
  • Session 9: team play. 4 players in 2 teams, each team sharing a Player Mat, Tokens and Quests.
05Iteration

What we saw, and what we changed

Playtesting shaped the game. These are the main changes from the first concept to the final prototype.

Turns needed more flexibility

Before

Players took a fixed set of actions every turn.

After

A 2-Action-Point system. Players choose how to spend each turn, with more actions to choose from.

A shorter win condition

Before · first concept
12points to win
After · final prototype
7points to win

Clearer guidance on the prototype

Close-up of the board: each coloured tile also shows a letter, such as B, P, W and G
Final prototype: every tile shows a colour and a letter.
  • Coloured board tilesEach tile shows the colour of the Colour Block you collect there.
  • Double codingWe added another visual cue alongside colour on some game elements. For example, each tile shows a letter as well as a colour: B for blue, G for green. This use of double coding reduced reliance on colour alone.
  • Action Point referenceA cheat sheet showing what each action costs.

Special Cards changed through testing

First version · 4 card types
  • Steal from another player
  • Swap with another player
  • Get a bonus Colour Block you already own
  • Send another player back to start
After playtesting · 7 cards
  • Steal
  • Take an extra Quest
  • Swap a card
  • See another player’s cards
  • Discard 2 Colour Blocks
  • Duplicate a Colour Block
  • Swap adjacent

We also changed what the cards cost.

The refined Special Cards laid out on the table beside the board
06Next steps

What we would improve next

The course ended at this prototype stage. These improvements were identified but not implemented.

Prototype
  • Refine the physical prototype
  • Apply double coding consistently
  • Make paths between layers clearer
Rulebook
  • Create a clearer rulebook
  • Refine rules and examples
Game design
  • Continue balancing Special Cards
  • Explore information-sharing mechanics
  • Develop the illustrations and visual style
07Reflection

What we learned

Start simple

Early prototypes should be easy to change.

Test early

Playtesting revealed problems we could not see while designing.

Different players reveal different problems

Different play styles gave us different perspectives.

Mechanics shape behaviour

Small rule changes changed how players planned and interacted.

Design for a clear audience

Trying to satisfy everyone can weaken the experience.

Fun needs testing too

A game can be understandable without being enjoyable. Both need testing.

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