I'll use this post for my giant backlog of ideas. These are all designed to some form or another but not actually prototyped out into any playable state.
Game Idea Backlog
Dominion of Chaos - A Deck Building game with a layout very similar to Dominion. However, the game is played continuously rather than having player turns. Much of the game is the interactions between the players as they play cards off of one another, steal good cards from each other, and unload unwanted cards into one another's decks. Cards have interaction symbols that make it easy to see when you can play a given card onto another. There will also be reasons to keep cards in play, with the risk that the longer it is out the more chances other players have to interact with the card.
Starship Disaster - A Cooperative Deck Builder where the players are working to try and save their ship from a Jump gone wrong. Partially fused with an Asteroid, the ship is in grave danger. As Officers of the ship the players must work to rescue crewmembers, get systems back online, overcome dangers in the nearby area, and ultimately free the ship so that they can take it back for repairs.
Scrapyard Ecology - A twist on the Deckbuilding genre, this is a Deck Refiner game. Each player represents a colony of evolving robots on a Scrap World, trying to build themselves up to higher robotic life forms. Each player starts with a thick deck mostly consisting of basic resources and simple robots. Scrap, Sludge, robots that break down Scrap, robots that break down Sludge, etc. The main focus of the game is converting these basic resources into more advanced resources that can be used to build better and better robots. Each game will have a different selection of Advanced Robots, Components, and the like that change the strategies needed to win.
G.H.O.U.L. - (Global Heroes, operating under license) A Cooperative game where the players work together to investigate, and then defeat, a mysterious threat to the world. The base game idea is really a framework for many different subgames, where the players can either choose a specific Scenario to deal with or start with a completely unknown situation that they have to puzzle out before they can attempt to stop. Each player has a Team under their command. These Team Members can be geared towards Investigation, Combat, or Command, with the players as a whole needing a solid mix of all three types. The game starts with an emphasis on Investigation as the players try to determine what is going on, then shifts to a focus on Combat as the players try to defeat the ever growing threat. Investigation never stops being important, though, as those Team Members will be needed to find the Source of the Threat. Command Team Members are crucial to supporting the Field teams and making sure they have the equipment and intelligence needed to do their jobs. (Think X-Com as a board game, with combat a bit abstracted, and the Threat ranging from Aliens to Zombies to Illuminati to Elder Gods to whatever)
Caravan Master - This is a card game about Merchants establishing new trade routes in the ancient world. The available cities and the routes between them are randomly created from a stack of cards as the players go through the game. Each player has to decide how much they will attempt to use and build up an existing trade route, probably competing with other players for Wealth, or risk going off to new lands in the hope of forging a rich new trade route untapped by anyone.
Pantheon - This is a card game about creating a Pantheon of Gods and struggling with the other players for the worship of the populace. Players compete for various cards to build up their God, either adding new Aspects (Such as Sky, Water, Fire, Death, Law, etc) or taking on a Template to gain more worship from the Aspects they have. (For instance, Death and Law could give you the template for Judge of the Afterlife).
Island Rulers - A civilization building game, each player has their own island that they are working to build up. Players can work together through trade or against each other through piracy and raids. Players must also deal with powerful storms, great civilizations across the sea, and perhaps the odd volcano or earthquake.
Xenofarming - The universe is being settled, and on distant worlds farmers are working to till the soil. Will you try to force the land to grow crops that you know are safe, or will you experiment with strange and alien life to find ones that can turn a profit when grown? Alien life could be a delicacy on some world, have medical benefits locked inside, have some industrial product, or even be prized as pets. A game of risks, rewards, and SCIENCE on alien worlds.
Space Lanes - A boardgame about independent Traders making their way in space. Players upgrade their ships, take on special assignments, and ply the Space Lanes trying to make the most money before the game ends. Game is tile-based with a random set-up at the start of the game.
Starport - The Players each control a major city on a newly colonized world. The planet has been approved for a Major Startport, and the players are vying for the privilege of hosting that Starport. They must build up their cities, not only getting the minimum requirements in each area but also getting one or more aspects impressive enough to win the bid. Players compete for blueprints from renowned architectural firms, specialists, and resources.
Village Growth - Another Deckbuilder, but this time a Shared Deck game, where the players are trying to Build up the Village that they live in. Each player has a distinct Role that has different goals for the village. The Lord wants Amenities and highly Taxable goods produced, the Clergy wants Religious buildings and a large congregation, the Merchant is focused on Trade Infrastructure and production buildings, and so on. Each player draws and discards cards to the central deck, so every decision by every player has a significant effect on the game.
Alchemy - The Royal Alchemist is about to retire, and his Apprentices are vying to be named his successor. The players must prove their worth by completing Commissions given to them by various members of Court. Some are worth more money, others more favor, and players will need plenty of both to be named the next Royal Alchemist. Mechanically, the game is a balance between buying expensive/cheap ingredients and spending more/less time making each potion. The better ingredients and time the player puts in the higher chance for success, but the more Commissions you can complete the better your chances overall. Very much a Risk/Reward decision every potion.
Geomancer - The players are powerful Geomancers, carving the world out of formless Chaos by sheer force of will. This is a scenario based game, with some Cooperative scenarios and some competitive. Players will be forming the world as they play, building different types of terrain to suit their needs. Do you form lush grasslands to farm on? Forests for timber and game? Mountains for stone, metal, and defense? Or perhaps a quick Desert or Tundra to provide a bulwark against the push of Chaos as it tries to reclaim the world?
Strike the Earth - Tile based Dwarf Fortress game! Players must dig into the mountain, farm the surrounding countryside, and build up defenses against the forces that would see their work crumble into ruin. Each Player is a Guildmaster, working not only for the good of the Fortress but also to meet their own guild's agenda.
Epic DnD - Actually a revamp of a very old game I made as a kid. The players are Adventurers in a land collapsing into civil war. They must build up wealth, fame, and supporters to push a claim for their faction's right to the throne. Can be a combination of Questing for artifacts or treasure, performing favors for powerful lords, or leading armies in combat.
Wasteland Settlement - Cooperative game where the players are the leaders of a settlement in the Wastelands after some calamity has destroyed civilization. Players must ensure that there is enough food, medicine, and resources for the settlement to survive. The area surrounding the settlement is harsh, with natural dangers, raiders, toxins, and the like all threatening their survival. Players have limited Time that they can spend each season, and are barred from showing each other their cards or making detailed plans unless they spend Time to have a Planning Session. But that cuts into the about of Time they have to actually make sure things get done.
Frontier Defender - A Cooperative Combat game. The players are Heroes helping to defend a village against rampaging monsters out on the frontier. They must rally the defenders and prevent the monsters from getting into the town itself where they'll kill, loot, and destroy whatever they can. Tactical miniatures game with an intelligent set of rules for the Monsters to follow that includes Tactics Cards played each monster turn that adjusts what they do. Combat should be streamlined due to the number of figures involved.
Who Wants Mercenaries - A humorous card drafting game where the players complete to form a team of mercenaries and take on contracts. Depending on the mercs involved, the equipment taken, and the stipulations of the contract players will either succeed or fail, and can gain more or less money depending on what happens. Players are trying to become rich and (in)famous.
Magitech Mechs - Cooperative card game where the players are all in Giant Mecha powered by Magic (like Escaflowne). The players have to customize their mechs, overcome challenges, and try to complete an overarching Mission. Probably have different challenge decks that the players are working against. Might end up being a Constructed Deck game, with different mech customizations adding a particular set of cards to the player's deck at the start. If parts become damaged, then they may lose the ability to use those cards until it is fixed.
Lords and Merchants - Two games in one. One set of players are the Lords, competing for control over the land. They use Military might, Diplomacy, Intrigue, and Wealth to gain control over various areas. While they do that, the Merchants are moving around trying to make money and increase their Fortunes. These two games intersect but are competitive only within themselves. The Lords effect the Merchants by bringing Demand for goods to certain areas as well as changing taxes while the Merchants effect the lords by moving around needed Goods and supplying much needed money in the form of additional taxes. Both games play using Hidden Planning phases and are revealed simultaneously within the game. Each round has a Lords phase and a Merchants phase, with planning happening while the other Game is playing out their Phase.
Stella Via - A 4X Space game. It utilizes a simultaneous planning/reveal system to both streamline play and make it difficult for people to perfectly counter one another. Players are also limited with the number of things they can do of any given type. However, there is also a Private Sector in any civilization that does things on its own. There is also a regulated Diplomacy aspect to the game, where players can gain advantages for having and keeping treaties and agreements with one another. Betrayal is always possible, but players should always consider the risks and rewards for doing so.
Pax Galactica - The players are all members of a secret Galactic order dedicated to bringing peace to the Galaxy. However, they can't agree on how that peace should happen or what form it should take. Each player is given a secret win condition that is very different from those of the other players, although it is possible to have multiple winners and losers in the game. Mechanically, the game uses a card drafting system and a blind card reveal. The cards are all placed face down in the center and mixed so no one knows who played what. Each card then effects the balance of the Galactic Powers in multiple ways. These changes are reflected in the Center Board, and any consequences of those changes are determined by the mechanics of the game. Each player then discards a card, passes the remaining cards to the next player, and draws two new cards.
Earthseed - The players are gods creating a world and seeding it with life. This is a tile laying game where each tile is a biome with a particular animal type on it (mammal, fish, bird, etc). Playing a tile claims it for you, seeds it with that animal type, and also spreads that animal type out to surrounding tiles. If those tiles are full animals get pushed out to surrounding tiles, performing sort of a flood fill effect. Points are awarded at the end of the game for every animal in tiles you control. Players have special abilities they can play, but these push them back in the turn order which in turn allows other players to use their special effects if they so wish.
Shipyard - The players represent Orbital Shipyards constructing space ships. They take on contracts and must fulfill those contracts throughout the game. The winner will have completed some combination of the most contracts and/or the most difficult. The game may be a combination of tile laying and worker placement.
This next section is for Mechanic Ideas. They don't have game in mind for them yet, but seem like interesting things to incorporate into a game.
Mechanic Ideas
* Initiative Points that players have a limited number of. They can spend these points to move up on the initiative track. Could also be used for Turn order in a Euro style game.
* Physical Gems as a resource/goal? I have a set of these from a rather underwhelming game that I want to make use of.
* Worker placement with cards - Players put down a worker card next to a spot, they get the benefits of that worker as long as their card is on that spot, with a benefit for being on top. Would need a way to retrieve cards.
* Game where each player has a completely different win-con from the other players. Beyond just hidden goals where some players get more benefit from some stuff, to actually completely different goals. For example, maybe one player needs to kill X monsters while another player needs to amass X Wealth. (Pax Galactica, maybe?)
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Topic: Mephansteras' Board Game Designs thread (Read 7777 times)