So I've been kicking around a Doomsday game where, no matter what, the world ends after X every game. My latest iteration of the idea I started calling "11:53"-- based on the Bulletin of Atomic Science's "doomsday clock." Wikipedia it-- it's a neat read.
Anyway, I liked how 11:53 was ominous ticking clock AND allowed a reference to the game rules...it's a seven-round game, seven-till-midnight, etc. This in mind, I contacted the Bulletin:
Hello.
My name is Jeff Infocorn. The working world knows me as a speech-language therapist, but in my spare time, I enjoy designing and testing new board games based on many different themes. I recently revised an older design on mine that uses end-of-the-world scenarios as a backdrop. The original concept was simply called "Doomsday" but I felt it lacked a certain...something. In more recent unpublished revisions, I've taken to calling the as-yet-unfinished game "11:53."
My question to you at The Bulletin is simply a question of permission to continue using this particular name. As I mentioned before, I have not yet published the game, though would like to pursue publishing at some point in the future after exhaustive play-testing and revision. I feel that the name 11:53 conveys both the looming threat of the end-of-days and the game's central mechanic of having seven turns to "gather your acorns." This may seem a glib interpretation of serious issues, but I feel that forcing players to make decisions in the shadow of dire consequences causes them to consider what is important to a successful game-play strategy. And, ultimately, this resource-planning allows those players to apply these same strategic preparations in the real world, should unthinkable events occur. This seems in line the the aims of The Journal, as mentioned on your "About Us" page, offering "...information and analysis about efforts to address the dangers and prevent catastrophe."
I want to be perfectly clear: I come not with an open hand or asking for any monetary support. And, should you at The Journal feel that a board game is not in the spirit or true to the aims of the Doomsday Clock, I most certainly will think of another name for my project.
Thank you for you time, and have a nice day.
That was in March.
Today's email:
Dear Jeff,
It does seem that the spirit of your game is in line with our mission of educating the public of the dangers nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, climate change and biohazards. We do feel that naming the game 11:53 does feel like an appropriate name. Currently the Doomsday Clock is set at 6 minutes to midnight and the clock changes on an irregular basis based on the dangers in the world.
We would afford permission for you to reference the Doomsday Clock and/or name the game 11:53 as long as we have the opportunity to approve the final copy of the game.
Sincerely, (someone at the Bulletin)"
NEAT!
So here's where I need some guidance.
TASK ONE: WHAT GAME?
Idea 1-- The original game was a sprawling, RISK-like game set on a world map. Several "safe zones" were included, and it supported really any number of players. Each turn, players threw cards raising individual "clocks" for things like population, unrest, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, etc. All players were sitting on a "Doomsday" card with a particular "time" as its trigger. The winner would be the person who could maneuver the most of his citizens to safe zones. What killed me here was the scope of the project, but I think I could go at it with simplified fresh eyes.
Idea 2-- Blending tangram with map-building, players put tiles into an empty frame to build the board. Eventually, I made it hexes that were ranked/suited, built out from a neutral center towards one of four categories: War, Plague, Extraterrestrial, Paranormal (matching the suits of the hexes). Again, people were sitting on a Doomsday card/a hand of Doomsday cards, and when the hex-path hit an edge, they could play their Doomsday. The winner had the Doomsday card closest to the "threat level:" the total number of hexes of that suit on the table when it hit the edge. Ultimately, I thought this pretty fiddly and had all sorts of corners I got painted into.
Idea 3-- Most currently, made the game card-based, using four decks of roughly the same suits. Keeping "paranormal" allowed me some things like parallel universes and religious endtimes stuff, which I liked. I had some other mechanics to determine a Threat Level (which I really like in the game), and the game DEFINITELY only ran turns: 11:53 was born.
STUFF TO CONSIDER:
1) To keep the Bulletin's blessing, I think I ought to keep it real, kissing things like The Rapture and alien invasions goodbye. Probably. Cutting them WAY back to be sure.
2) Also, in keeping with the aims of the Clock itself, I think you should be playing like it's real. Rewards for diversifying the stuff you're setting aside in case of the rainiest day EVER should be considered. For example, all the tinned soup in the world is great but if you've no way to keep it, cook it, etc you're eventually screwed.
3) I really want the face of the game to change as it's played, keeping the concept of the Doomsday Clock changing irregularly. That said, I really would like a tidy game-- no days-long epics, if possible.
As I go through this, I'd love any and all help I can get. CCG players, Euro Hardcores, etc. all welcome. If we get going well enough, I'm 100% interested in co-authoring and sharing-- but let's get something banged out to playtest the living crap out of first.
If I go map, I'm leaning more towards an ACTUAL map. It could even be a map like Smallworld's where you just draw it and put in borders wherever. That actually might simplify things a lot versus even doing it as a map of NYC, Tokyo, or even the entire world.
My hex idea actually had some action-y flavored tiles as well, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go that route. My biggest concern with actions and stuff is making it an arms race for the "power tile" or card.
Here's how I was leaning this morning after a long, late night with a teething 6-month-old. That qualifier explains the stream-of-conscious here:
1) Map. Fictional locale, maybe a county on the order of Germany or France in size/shape, islands off the coast for sure.
2) The bunkers/safe zones are player cards on the order of Don Quixote, Princes of Florence or Puerto Rico.
3) Keep the seven-turns mechanic. I like games like this that have a definite end vs. not-so-much. Plus, the heavy nature of the subject matter isn't something I want dominating a whole day of gaming.
4) Map's zones are home to a number of resources: people, experts, provisions (food/water), medical, power, materials (for physical improvement of bunkers, etc.).
5) I like the flexible phases of Puerto Rico, but would like my own take on it. Perhaps a d6 table with jobs or something.
6) A Clock Deck: tiles at the various zones on the map force the draw of a clock card that could speed up or slow down the inevitable demise of stuff on the board. Or not. The deck here has things like geopolitics, terrorism, unforeseen events, or even "Relative Calm. Do not advance any disaster track." Additionally, at the end of the round, a clock draw is mandatory.
7) Threat Levels. Haven't worked out how to use this, but really like the concept.
8) One of the Jobs from the maybe-d6 thing is scouting. On the first turn, you can send a meeple the furthest, with his range shrinking the closer to "midnight" you get.