Ivanhoe Testbed Interface
The Ivanhoe Testbed was designed by Bethany Nowviskie as an adjustable interface for experimental games using different models and rulesets. It uses a modified version of Noah Grey's Greymatter content management system (written in Perl) and cascading style sheets to provide four critical areas for play: a Game Space in which player moves and peer evaluations are recorded; a Challenge Space in which conflicts are debated and resolved; a Journal Space in which players keep notes about their moves and roles; and a Scoring Space in which the game's evolving economy is recorded.
The testbed was first used in a competitive experimental game (Model A) played by the Ivanhoe design group with Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. In late Spring 2002, Matt Kirschenbaum's students at the University of Maryland will play in Model A and in a cooperative model (B) using the testbed. Future test games (in cooperation with Chandler Sansing and Henley Middle School) are planned on the secondary school level.
- Turn of the Screw game (Model A)
- U Maryland games (Models A and B)
- middle school games (Model B)