ANTI-8
Company
Solo Dev
Duration
2020 - 2023
(ongoing)
Genre
Competative, strategy, family-friendly, time-based
Platform
Boardgame
Roles
Game Design (all)
Writing (all)
Production (all)
Art (all)
Overview
Anti-8 is a fast-paced, two-player board game in which rival arachnologists brave the wilderness simultaneously to capture deadly spiders and claim scientific glory before time runs out.
My Main Contributions
Narrative Design
I embedded story directly into the mechanics, ensuring each spider “tells a story” through its behaviour, strengths, weaknesses, and real-world biology.
Writing & Educational Storytelling
I wrote clear, accessible rules and flavour text for a 6/7+ audience, using language and visuals to teach real spider facts while maintaining tension and excitement.
Character & Worldbuilding Through Mechanics
Each spider card functions as a narrative artefact, with habitat placement and abilities reinforcing themes of nature, risk, and respect for wildlife.
Player Experience & Tone
The race against time, health management, and randomised encounters create a playful but suspenseful narrative arc that shifts every playthrough.
What I Learned
Designing for children sharpened my ability to communicate complex ideas simply, using mechanics as storytelling tools rather than relying on exposition.
Production & Ownership
As a solo creator, I handled narrative design, playtesting, iteration, and promotion - refining the game through feedback and managing the full pipeline in Trello.
Below are examples of how I integrated extensive research on spider biology into the game's mechanics. Firstly, here are two written examples of a spider mechanic. Underneath that, the left image shows the second to last prototype of a spider card and the right shows a more finalised design.
HOBO SPIDER
Real-world trait:
Can’t climb and is extremely fast.
Mechanic:
In garden or woodland habitats, players can “climb” to capture it safely. In any other habitat, the spider will bite and flee every time the player fails to roll a 1 or 6, making it a dangerous and evasive opponent.
GOLIATH BIRDEATER
Real-world trait:
Poor eyesight.
Mechanic:
Players roll to test distance. A roll of 1–3 means the player is spotted and bitten before capture (taking
damage). A roll of 4–6 means they’re far enough away to sneak up and capture the spider safely.
.png)
An excerpt of the rulebook including equipment, set-up, and premise.
(This is currently undergoing a revision!)
I ran extensive playtesting sessions with players of all ages and abilities, recording each session and documenting insights to inform iteration. As the gameplay took clearer shape and the design matured, the rules evolved in tandem.
