Board Game Designers Forum

This entry contains thumbnail descriptions of a few designs rattling around in my brain. When time permits, I will expand each idea in its own entry.

The Bureau

• Each player assumes the role of highly-placed official in a counter-intelligence agency on a fiction world much like our own.
• Players recruit and manage Agent teams to resolve Incidents around the globe.
• Resolving Incidents wins political resources like WMD, Energy, and Tech.
• A player wins by gathering enough political resources to transform his country into a superpower.
• Each Agent has a Morale score that equates to the number of dice he contributes to any team of which he is a part.
• All Agents have a list of Talents which players can activate by rolling a specific number or number combo on the dice.
• Some Agent combinations work better than others based on the scarcity of die results that can activate their powers. For example, a team of Agents all activated by the number '5' would rarely be as effective as a team where each Agent was activated by a different number on the die (a Team's Morale score = total number of dice rolled, and the roll is made once, using all dice, at the beginning of each Action turn).

Update

After some thought, I prefer a fantasy theme for this system. Players build a party of adventurer's and try to resolve quests in exchange for gold and reknown. Players exchange gold for training and equipment upgrades or to hire new adventurers. When a player thinks his team can defeat the Ultimate End Encounter, he can take a shot at it. The first player to defeat this encounter ends the game, but final reknown determines the winner.

Freight Lines This is an "area control" game in which players assume the role of freight shipping companies competing for national dominance. Played out on a randomly-generated map, players vie for control of roadways joining colored factories with cities that consume goods of like color. Players earn cash for goods delivered and consumed during their turns.

Color dice, rolled each turn, determine the type and amount of resources generated each at each factory. Factories with resources unmoved from previous turns do not produce, regardless of die rolls. There are 4 types of goods: red, blue, yellow, and green. Black, when rolled, produces nothing. White, when rolled, is a "wild card" and can be treated as any other color (not black or white). The current player declares the color of the first white die, and so on around the table, one white die per player, until all white dice have been declared.

Cities consume a fixed number of each type of goods each turn (e.g., City A consumes 2 red and 2 yellow goods, while City B consumes 1 blue and 3 green). Any city with no goods of a type it consumes has a "shortage" of that type, making that type worth double value. Any city with more goods than it can consume in a turn has a "surplus", making those goods worth half value. Any city with more than twice the goods it can consume in a turn has a "glut". Players can ship there, but receive no cash for the shipment.

Example: City 'A' consumes 2 red and 1 yellow good per turn (i.e., each time a player moves). Player 1 rolls the color dice and generates goods, then begins shipping from factories to cities. City 'A' has 1 red and no yellow goods on it. Player 1 ships 3 red goods and 2 yellow goods to City 'A'. Normally, all goods are worth $2000, Player 1 earns:

• First two red goods are full value = 2 x $2000 = $4000, but this creates a surplus, so
• Third red good = half value = $1000
• Meanwhile, City 'A' starts with a yellow shortage, so First yellow good = double value = $4000
• Second yellow good = normal value = $2000

Total earned = $4000 + $1000 + $4000 + $2000 = $11,000

As players earn money, they can purchase more trucks to expand their fleets across more roadways. They can also purchase warehouses in which to store goods of one color and clearinghouses at which to sell goods of one color at surplus price.

One a turn, one player rolls the color dice, players resolve the "wild dice," and the active player places colored chips, representing goods, at all factories. Players then resolve shipment to all cities as follows:

• 1) Start with the shortest route connected to that city.
• 2) The player with the most trucks along that route gets to move one "goods-chip" to the city and collect the money. In case of a tie, the player closest to the left of the Active Player moves first.
• 3) Repeat step 2 for each player along that route until all goods have been moved or all players elect to stop moving chips.
• 4) Repeat step 1 for the next shortest route, and so on, until all routes have been accounted for.
• 5) Repeat this process until all cities have been scored.
• 6) The Active Player can then ship any remaining factory goods to Clearinghouses or Warehouses along routes he controls (control = majority of trucks along the total roadway). Clearinghouses can hold two goods of any color, warehouses four goods of a single color.
• 7) The Active Player can then build new trucks, Clearinghouses, and Warehouses.

RGB RPG RGB RPG is short for Red-Green-Blue Role-Playing-Game. The name stems from the fact that the game system uses colored Ability Cards and Action Dice to define characters and resolve their interactions. The chief design goal is to create a system in which players can go from opening the box to playing their first game in less than an hour. As such, the core rules are simple and broad, and the main body of rules broken down in such a way that players can easily locate and understand only those details required to define their individual characters.

Core Rules Core rules are simple:

• Characters have three stats: Speed, Willpower and Health. Normal humans start with a Speed of 3 and 10 in each of Willpower and Health.
• Willpower reflects a character's ability to resist pain. When a character runs out of willpower, he passes out.
• Health represents a character's structural integrity. When this drop to zero, the character cannot act.
• Players can buy Health and Willpower up or down via Ability Cards.
• Speed controls how many actions a player may take in his turn.
• The GM determines how much Speed the players have at the start of the game. Some Ability Cards may increase or decrease this amount, but any that do so must be purchased with GM consent.
• When both health and willpower fall below zero, a character dies.
• Players build characters by purchasing Ability Cards using Character Points. Each card defines a set of abilities united by a common theme. For example, the Stealth Skill card might have a 1 point "hide" power, a 2 point "sneak" power, a 4 point "sneak attack" power, and an 8 point "assassinate" power.
• Power and Skill cards contain a brief description of any permanent effects in the center of the card, and any activated effects along each edge. When activating an ability, players rotate the active edge to the "top" of the card relative to the player's facing.
• Unless otherwise stated, players must purchase the abilities on each card sequentially, starting with the lower-cost Ability on up through the highest cost.
• Some Ability cards represent "Meta-Abilities" that allow players to purchase individual Abilities from other cards. For example, the "Gadgeteer Skill" card costs 4 points and allows a player to purchase up to 4 other skills, each from different Ability cards, for the cost of each skill. So a Gadgeteer might purchase the Gadgeteer Skill card (4 points), plus a low-cost "Shock" power (1 point), a medium cost "Freeze ray" power (2 points), a high cost "Darkness" power (4 points), and another high cost "Sonic Blast" power (4 points), for a total cost of 15 points.
• The GM sets the amount of Character Points available to each player at the start of the game or campaign.
• In addition to purchased cards, each player gets "base package" cards which describe skills universal to all players. For example, in a standard fantasy campaign, the base package might consist of two cards: Punch, Kick & Hide; Run, Sprint, & Ride.
• All Abilities come in one of three flavors: Innate, Automatic, and Activated.
• Innate abilities are always on, and are described on the center of the card. Examples: Armor (+2 defense); Tough (+2 Willpower); Sturdy (+1 Health).
• Automatic abilities use up a certain amount of Speed to activate, but automatically work once the cost is paid. Examples: Run (Cost: 1 speed, result: move 1 Area); Force Field (Cost: 2 speed, result: + 1 defense for the turn).
• Activated abilities require certain color patterns to enable. Once enabled, they may dissipate instantly or last until deactivated. Examples: slash (Activation: at least 1 red pip, result: inflicts damage equal to red pips); X-Ray Vision (Activation: 1 yellow pip, result: reveals all invisible characters to player); Dodge (Activation: 2 blue pips, result: avoids damage from 1 non-area attack).
• During their turn, players may attempt to activate Activated Abilities by rolling color dice.
• Players roll 1 die for each point of Speed, minus the cost of Automatic Abilities used this turn. Example: a Speed 5 character starts his turn by using Run (cost: 1) to close on an enemy. He then chooses to attack, hoping to activate one of his offensive Abilities. He may roll 5 - 1 = 4 colored dice for his attempt.
• Resolve color dice rolls as follows: roll all dice, removing any 'black' results from play for the remainder of the turn. Turn any 'white' results to the color of your choice -- but once turned, they cannot be changed. Use the dice in combination to activate any desired powers, but each die may be used only once (i.e., you may not share a 'red' die between two combinations requiring red). Place the dice used to activate powers on the powers they activated. Set the unused, non-black dice aside. You may use these to activate defensive powers during other players' turns (including the GM's).
• If someone attacks your character, you may roll any unused color dice to turn on Activated defenses. Repeat the procedure outlined above, removing black results and treating white results as "wild." Defenses marked as "reflexive" do not consume the color dice required to activate them, making it possible to defend indefinitely provided you roll well enough.

Character Examples

Komrade Kosmos has the following Ability Cards (Character Point costs are shown in parentheses, items in brackets [] he has not purchased and cannot use):

Flight

• Fly (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: 1 / Area Moved -- Move to any Area within range.
• Hover (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: 2 -- Avoid any Hand-to-Hand attack from non-flier/non-teleporters this turn.
• [Supersonic Flight (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: ALL -- Travel to any point in the City in one minute.]
• [Cannonball (3) -- Movement, Activated, Green + Green -- Add 2 damage to one successful melee attack this turn.]

Super Strength

• Punch (1) -- Attack, Melee, Activated (1+ Red) -- Do physical damage equal to the number of red pips rolled.
• Grab (2) -- Attack, Melee, Activated (1+ Red, 1+ Yellow) -- Do physical damage equal to number of red pips rolled and Restrain equal to yellow pips rolled.
• Haymaker (4) -- Attack, Melee, Activated (2 Red, 0+ Yellow) -- Does 3 points physical damage and knocks opponent back a number of Areas equal to yellow pips rolled.
• Throw (2) -- Attack, Ranged, Activated (1+ Red) -- Does damage equal to red pips up to 3 Areas away. Requires object to throw.

Invulnerability

• Tough (2x Desired Level) -- Innate: +1 Willpower per level purchased.
• Sturdy (2x Desired Level) -- Innate: +1 Health per level purchased.
• Thick Skin (2x Desired Level) -- Innate: +1 Defense Physical and +1 Energy Defense per level purchased.
• [Resilient (8) -- Innate: Reduce physical damage taken by 1/2, round up, after applying defenses.]
• [Insulated (8) -- Innate: Reduce energy damage taken by 1/2, round up, after applying defenses.]

Kaptain Kosmos' total cost is 26 points (he bought 1 level each of Tough and Sturdy and 2 levels of Thick Skin).

U.S.Angel has the following Ability Cards:

Flight

• Fly (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: 1 / Area Moved -- Move to any Area within range.
• Hover (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: 2 -- Avoid any Hand-to-Hand attack from non-flier/non-teleporters this turn.
• [Supersonic Flight (2) -- Movement, Automatic, Speed Cost: ALL -- Travel to any point in the City in one minute.]
• [Cannonball (3) -- Movement, Activated, Green + Green -- Add 2 damage to one successful melee attack this turn.]

(her player chose not to purchase Supersonic Flight or Cannonball because Angel's wings don't permit such powers.)

Body Armor

• [Light Armor (1) -- Defense, Innate, +1 Point of defense.]
• Medium Armor (2) -- Defense, Innate, +2 Points of defense.
• [Heavy Armor (4) -- Defense, Innate, +3 Points of defense.]
• [Assault Armor (8) -- Defense, Innate, +4 Points of defense.]

Short Blade

• Scrape (1) -- Attack, Melee, Activated, 1+ Red: Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips.
• Slash (2) -- Attack, Melee, Activated, 1+ Red & 0+ Yellow: Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips and Health hits equal to Yellow pips (not to exceed Red damage).
• Stab (2) -- Attack, Melee, Activated, 1 + Red & 1+ Yellow: Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips and Health hits equal to Yellow pips (may exceed Red damage).
• Critical Hit (4) -- Attack, Melee, Activated, 3+ Red (no wilds): Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips and Health hits equal to 2x red pips

Elemental Power: Fire

• Blast (2) -- Attack, Ranged, Activated, 1+ Red: Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips.
• [Flamethrower (4) -- Attack, Ranged, Activated 2+ red (thereafter Automatic w/speed cost: 2): Inflicts Willpower hits equal to red pips.]
• Ignite (2) -- Attack, Melee, Activated 1+ Yellow: Add damage equal to yellow pips to any successful melee attack this turn.
• [Explode (4) -- Attack, Point-Blank-Radius, Activated 2+ Red & 1+Yellow: Inflict red pip damage to all targets within yellow pip Areas.]

Acrobatics

• [Tumble (1) -- Movement, Activated, 1+ Green: Move green pip Areas.]
• Flip (2) -- Defense, Activated, 1+ Green: Reduce damage from 1 attack by green pips.
• Roll with Punch (2) -- Defense, Activated, 2 Green, Reflexive: Reduce damage from 1 attack by 1/2, round up, before applying defenses.
• [Flip Kick (2) -- Attack, Ranged, Activated, 1 Green & 1+ Red: Inflict red pip damage to any target within your Area.]

U.S.Angel totals 23 points. The point costs shown are purely guesses at this point, so 23 vs 26 should be a roughly equal fight.

Combat Example