G / C
AUDIENCE
![[AUDIENCE ILLUSTRAZIONE] SCATOLA SOLO ILLUSTRAZIONE_edited_edited_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/91c97a_6c2f67e2326645f4818d273a07a10a57~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_531,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/91c97a_6c2f67e2326645f4818d273a07a10a57~mv2.jpg)
GENRE
Trick-taking, majority control
ENGINE
Card game
ROLE
Co-Game Designer
TEAM SIZE
3
BOARD GAME GEEK PROFILE
GAME STATUS
Published in 2025 by Pick 'N' Roll Games Lab
REVIEWS
Audience is a competitive card game set in the pop atmosphere of the 1980s, where each player runs an emerging radio station competing to win over audience segments. The game blends trick-taking and majority-control mechanics: players place Speaker cards to build majorities in the Active Audience columns, while event cards and a hidden-influence system add tactical depth in just 20-30 minutes of play.
game
MY CONTRIBUTION
The project was born and grew through close collaboration between me and my two co-designers, Carlo Alberto Iocco and Alessio Landi, under a very tight time constraint: much of the core mechanics is the result of a process so shared that it's hard to separate individual authorship of specific ideas. Below is the contribution I led most directly.
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Frequency Tie-Break Resolution
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Result: a system for breaking deadlocks that keeps tactical tension high even in the "flattest" moments of the match, without introducing exceptions that feel arbitrary to players.
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Problem: in a game built on numeric majorities (Wave Power), ties between players on the same column were a frequent edge case that risked stalling the game's flow or resolving unsatisfyingly.
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Solution: I designed the frequency tie-break rule, integrated into the Audience card assignment system, turning an edge case into an additional strategic lever players can plan around in advance.
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Last card wins (Blue)
First card wins (Blue)
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Discard-Recovery Mechanic
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Result: a long-term planning layer that turns every card placement into a resource decision, not just an immediate tactical move.
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Problem: with a Speaker deck limited to 6 identical cards per player, the game needed a mechanism to stop players from dumping all their best cards immediately, without blocking game flow with an overly free recovery system.
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Solution: I designed the discard-recovery mechanic, which lets players reclaim discarded cards only by fully emptying their hand or by voluntarily forfeiting a turn — turning every discard into a calculated choice about when to go "back on air" with all cards available.
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Card Effects
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Result: a layer of direct interaction that breaks the predictability of pure numeric accumulation, giving players concrete tools to sabotage, delay, or reverse each other's strategies.
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Problem: a system based purely on summing Wave Power risked reducing to arithmetic with no real interaction between players — whoever placed more cards won, with no room for active counterplay.
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Solution: I designed the four special effects triggered by power-1 cards, each targeting a different lever of the system:
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Wave Deviation — moves opposing Speakers, altering the power balance already formed in a column;
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Interference — turns opponents' cards OFF, temporarily neutralizing a contribution to the majority;
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Special Edition — grants an extra play, allowing the player to make up ground in a single turn;
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Frequency Change — swaps the prizes at stake between columns, reversing the value of a majority that's nearly secured.
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