The TZM Board Game (No, really) - Forum

I have a very simple draft on a board game. Not sure if this would interest any of you. I think a game should not be made to cater to movement members, but to every possible audience outside the movement. Please note that everything in this draft I'm about to present is a draft only, which means anything can be changed if you think of something better. Feel free to input.

Why I think of a board game:

1) Board game is one of the earliest form of games in human civilization. This means it is accessible even if you are extremely poor, and this factor allows the game to reach anyone.

2) Board game can be physical, or digital. A game developer can make it open source and distribute it on the internet for free. While the physical form needs production cost, I'm thinking of how to create a simpler form of the game so it can be played even when drawn on ground or sketched on stone. Accessibility, remember?

3) Unlike computer game, board game brings people closer together, physically. +1 here.

Game Draft:

Name: Planeteer? Earth 2.0?

Main Element:
Resources - Resources will run out every time a player moves, or every time a player piece stops somewhere, or on an auto-countdown 'doomsday-like' manner (if digital of course).

Sub Elements that affect Main Element:
1) Global Warming - Flood, Hurricane, Drought, Heat Wave, Disease (Increase in this sub-element will quicken the rate of exhausting resources.)
2) Energy - (If non-renewable and polluting, will quicken the rate of exhausting resources. If renewable and non-polluting, will delay or even reverse the rate (regeneration) of exhausting resources.)
3) Pollution - (Increase in this sub-element will quicken the rate of exhausting resources.)

The Board:

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/4925/screenshot20110310at500.png" />

Okay so the board has 3 rings (outward order):

1st ring - Represents 'Resource Level' (or doomsday clock, whatever you wanna call it), starts at greenest, ends at reddest. If the level reaches the reddest part means ALL resources of Earth ran out, GAME OVER for everyone. All the sub-elements will contribute to this 'clock'.

2nd ring - The Monetary System - Players will all begin in this ring, and move in loops until they managed to 'jump out' (wake up, like us the movement members) to the 3rd ring. All sub-elements can be found here. Players will meet familiar aspects of the current culture in this ring, banking, job, education, mortgage, loan, interest, business, corporations, property, luxury car, government, politics etc… Interacting with these elements will affect the rate of 'Resource', in this ring, usually for the worse. Thus, a player might get rich with lots of property and money, but at the same time contributes a hell lot to the destruction of the planet. Get it?

3rd ring - RBE - Players who managed to enter this ring will be trying to save the Earth (while players from Monetary system will be 'involuntarily' (no choice due to the inherent flaws of the system) destroying the Earth. The only sub-element found here is Energy, and renewable ones. This sub-element will play a role in helping to delay the doomsday clock, or even able to reverse it if powerful enough. So players will meet RBE culture in this ring: urban farming, advanced transportation, solar, tidal, wave, geothermal, wind, fusion all that.

How would the players win?

There are 2 winning scenarios:

STANDARD WIN

ALL players will need to EXIT THE MONETARY SYSTEM before resources run out. That means all players will need to be in the 3rd ring to win the game. It's a collective win, not a competitive win. You can be rich and famous in the 2nd ring, but if the resources run out and you're still in the monetary system, game over and it's a game lost, not won.

EXTENDED WIN (If you want to play longer)

When Resources are increased back to the starting level. This is harder to achieve, as it will take longer to heal the Earth than to stop destroying the Earth. Basically the goal here is for all players to continue getting renewable energy bonuses in the 3rd ring so that more resources can be regenerated/recycled and reverse the 1st ring to the initial point. Once this is achieved, then it's a big win for everyone.

What is the minimum and maximum number of players that can play?

Undecided. Minimum 2 (1 if playing with computer AI), to 8 (for physical) or unlimited (for digital, ala MMORPG). The game should be able to scale according to number of players.

Is the game meant purely for enjoyment purposes, educational purposes, or a mixture of both?

Both. Players will immerse in the monetary system and its effects to our Earth and the society, and also the RBE, which is new to them. Players also get to win collectively instead of the traditional 'i win you lose'. If win, all win. If lose, all lose.
Resource 'doomsday clock' is to put the time factor in the game, like our reality time is crucial to save our planet. It also works as the determining factor in winning/losing the game which is affected by what players do.

What are the pieces needed for the game? (Players' markets, dice, cards, etc.)

Undecided.

Each box in the game 'Monopoly' represents a property, what does each box in this game represents?

Undecided. Basically it will be all the little elements in that system (monetary/RBE)that contribute to the big thing.

Draft for MONETARY SYSTEM (2nd ring)

1) Random CONSUME chances and SAVE chances.
2) Get $30,000 per circle.
3) Players begin with a $600,000 debt with repayment of $18,000 per circle.
4) Money in $10,000, $5,000, $1,000, $500
5) Collect Water Management System, Renewable Energy System, Hydroponic System, or $400,000 to exit the monetary system.

Draft for RBE (3rd ring)

Undecided.

I've created a Google Group here for the game development (the board game I'm talking about):
groups.google.com/group/rbe-board-game

http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=99999&func=view&catid=238&id=270469&limit=10&limitstart=10#324553

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