This concept was a collaborative project created in equal parts by Sabine Neuser and me as the practical project for our Bachelor’s Thesis, to graduate from Cologne Game Lab in 2020. This practical part was weighted 40% for the thesis grading, and received a very good grade.

The Guardian of Cihuaton is a concept for a modular boss encounter for a group of 4-5 players that was adapted in both an analog (Dungeons & Dragons 5e) and a digital (Guild Wars 2) multiplayer RPG system. Both of us worked on the core design of the Guardian encounter in equal parts, while we worked more independently on the subsequent adaptations. My colleague worked primarily on the adaptation of our encounter into a TTRPG system, while my focus was the adaptation into an MMORPG system. One of the most important design principles we set as our goals was the option for the encounter to be replayable and flexible, and to accomodate the differences between the different playstyles these two RPG media pose.

The Guardian is a modular boss – players build the boss while they fight it by giving artifacts to it. As a whole, there are three categories — Aura, Weapon, Persona — which all focus on specific aspects of the fight. Per category, three different artifacts are available for players to choose, and during a fight, the boss will be given one artifact from each category. These artifacts grant unique abilities and effects to the boss, shaping the boss’s characteristics and strengths. In turn, players need to react to these by adapting their playstyle and strategies.