My opinion regarding what makes a game that's good enough to want to play repeatedly for years and years: --MOST IMPORTANT: the game should make me do all three of these things at least some of the time: think, laugh, and feel relaxed. All of the following thoughts are really just details about how to accomplish this main goal. --Game Time: Not so short I feel cheated, but not so long I start wishing I hadn't started. Ideally, I'd say from 5 minutes to 1 hour. --Rules: The rules take less time to learn than the game takes to play. --Skill vs. Chance: The smartest person in the room shouldn't always win, but a computer shouldn't be able to win against human players, either. In other words, a little skill and thinking to be brain-food, but enough chance to keep things interesting...you never know what turn of events might change the whole scenario, and that's what keeps you playing time after time (a la Fluxx). Really, I think this is the true crux of the matter. It's why abstract strategy games are not my favorite...they're more like puzzles than games. They get you thinking hard (and being discouraged a lot at first) until you figure out the strategy, and then there's no more fun in it and you've got to find a new game or a better opponent. With truly good games, it doesn't matter if you're playing a naive teenager or a wisened Mensan, everybody's going to have a good time and feel like they have a chance, but they'll have to keep their wits about them to take advantage of that chance. It's not so much about cracking the code as it is about thinking about the unique scenario that is laid out in front of you this time around, which is different than last time due to chance elements. I hope this makes sense...I don't feel like I'm explaining very well, but I know it's very important. --Down Time: I agree with others that having to sit idly is never fun. Ideally, everybody is doing something almost all the time. This may be due to simultaneous turns, some sort of clock ticking to keep play moving, having decisions to make before it comes around to your turn again, or having jobs to do during other people's turns (such as the banker, seller, real estate agent, etc. in Monopoly). At the same time, if you are TOO busy, the game becomes less fun because you are tense, don't have time to socialize with your opponents, and can't take time to eat/get a drink/go to the bathroom, etc. Game play should be relaxed, but moving at a lively pace. --Number/Age of Players: Although this isn't as important as the above features, I do agree with others that flexibility comes in handy. The more scenarios your game can fit into, the better. A game that fits all kinds of scenarios will become a staple, whereas a game that can only be played with, say, five adults with a knowledge of a certain set of trivia will rarely be played, no matter how good it is. Again, witness Fluxx. :o) --Novelty: Part of what makes for an interesting game is something that can't be found in other games. Now, don't confuse this with undue complexity...it should be something simple, but fun because it's different. The pyramids themselves fit this bill. Other examples of games that have this novelty are Mousetrap (you actually build a silly contraption), Trouble (the dice in the little bubble), Horse Traders (the main components are puzzle pieces), Trivial Pursuit (those little pie wedges were novel in their time), etc. This is the least important of all my criteria, but novelty does tend to add to the fun. I hope this helps, and I look forward to your final product! I think that starting from what makes a game good is an excellent idea. Now you just have to add the creativity...that's where I'm out of the running for game designer of the year. ;o) Good luck! Laurie __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com