[Idea Time] A reverse swords and sorcery 4x card game.

I wrote this idea for a game for November Game design challenge hosted on Board Game Designer Forum. While I was far from winning the challenge, I quite liked the idea and might work on it more in the future. Until then, I am leaving it here. IF you have any ideas on how to improve this game, leave it here.

Doomed Realm

A sword and sorcery empire survival card game.

Components:

• Empire cards - represent special achievements/technology/buildings of each empire. Sword&Sorcery theme. Each has resource icons and special abilities that let you manipulate your dice. Can be activated via dice and/or tapping.
• Fate cards - Natural and Magical disasters, old ones awakening, colonists conquering the lands etc. (akin to mythos cards from Arkham/Eldrich Horror). Fate cards have a target number needed to discard it. if the sum of all the dice on the card is equal or greater than TR the card leaves play.
• Dice (d6s in different colors - 5 per player) - representing “manpower” of each empire.

Game starts by establishing each player’s empire through drafting. Starting player draws X( number of players) empire cards. Chooses one and passes the remaining to the left. This follows until one player receives one card. He draws up to X cards, chooses one and passes it to the left. This continues until each player has empire 10 cards in front of them. This represents their empire.

The aim of the game is to be the last empire standing (still having cards in front of you). Play begins by placing a fate card(s) in the middle of the table. Each player rolls their dice and places them one at a time to:

• Your empire card to activate special ability - what card/ability you can use depends on the value of the die you are using. (exploit)
• Enemy empire card to try to claim a part of their empire (exterminate and expand)
• if there is an enemy die on your card, you can protect yourself from losing it by playing a die of equal or higher value.
• Play a die on fate card to try to prevent from bad things happening.

After playing one die play proceeds clockwise until all players played all their dice. After that all actions are resolved in order:

• Fate cards are discarded if TR is beaten.
• Remaining Fate Cards activate
• Territory is claimed (if one player has higher total than current owner).
• New Fate Card(s) is played and new turn starts.

Gameplay and theme comes from special rules on empire/fate cards (think MTG level of variety).

Once you are out of empire cards you are eliminated.

Empire cards have icons represent 4X resources (food, industry, culture etc.)

Fate cards affect players based on the amount of certain resource in their empire (least, most, more/less than X) and often affect more than one player at a time.

Fate cards force players to discard empire cards with certain resources.

If you play your die on a Fate card, it stays there until the card is discarded (you roll less die on next turn).

Players will want to collaborate to defeat Fate Cards faster.

Players can negotiate / make treaties. Those are not binding.

Difficulty can be affected by playing more Fate Cards each turn and/or including/excluding certain cards.

[Idea Time] Educational Adventure Game? Mathematical!

This is just an idea I have for a game. I might, or might not work on it more. I am pouring it on "paper", so I can focus on other projects.

ELEVATOR PITCH: Adventure Time inspired dungeoncrawl-style RPG, where you resolve tasks using mathematical formulas. Aimed at kids learning the times-tables, and making the memorization and using math more fun. Released either as a normal book-style RPG, or as deck(s) of cards with cartoony artwork.

This idea hit me while binge watching Adventure Time (♪c'mon grab your friends♫). I heard "Mathematical!" for the Nᵗʰ time and something clicked. Mathematical basically means "Cool" or "Awesome" in the "very distant lands" of Adventure Time. So, in that world, something happened that made math cool? Hmmm... 

This is when my brain got aboard the Thought Train: What did happen to make math cool? How can you make math cool? Using it in a game! But almost every game out there is using simple math... Maybe addition and subtraction isn't enough to make math cool? But how can you make multiplication and division fun? Won't it be too cumbersome?

This is where the train hit a wall.

The answer came to me when I stumbled upon a small board game by the name of Secret Code 13+4.

Secret code basically makes you roll some dice to get numbers. Your task is to use the rolled numbers and any of the four basic mathematical operators (+, -, *, and /) to achieve a target number represented on a randomly drawn card (e.g rolling 1,3,5 and 5 and trying to achieve 24 - you can use 5*5-1). This is a simple enough system, and makes the gameplay somehow puzzle-like.

This, combined with a teamwork mechanic and some simple narrative rules can make a half-decent RPG or Adventure Board Game.

Obstacles (like traps, enemies, etc.) would have target numbers ranging from 1 to 100. Possibly lower numbers for easier tasks.

Players would roll D10s (I think up to 4 or 5 per player) to try to overcome the obstacle using the mathematical operators. To make it more thematic and gamey I would include location/dungeon cards that would modify target number, combos between obstacles (goblin chieftain adds +3 to all other goblins on the table) etc. There would need to be a system for loosing HP (as it would be a kids game I would name it courage or determination) and gaining gold(?). Each player would have a times tables cheat sheet and a special power that they could use to get rid of particular obstacle type easier.

Some random concepts:

• Teamwork encouraged
• No player elimination (loosing a turn at most)
• Adventure Time inspired artwork (or at least cartoony)
• D10 generate numbers from 1 to 10 - the scale of basic times tables
• Character Powers (lateral thinking?)
• Could be played with or without a GM

Basically it would be a times tables educational game disguised as an adventure game. As a kid, I remember hating to memorize the times tables and I would appreciate having a game like that. I think putting obstacles on cards with some cool artwork would make the game more appealing to kids and just easier to manage. 

While aimed at kids, the game would have enough depth and theme to appeal to adults looking for a light puzzle game and would not be boring while playing with kids.