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Atlantis 2037 First Thoughts

I'm taking part in a contest called Two Games One Name. The idea is to give two designers one name and a divergent mechanic to work from, then see what they come up with. Josh Roby and I are supposed to each design a game called "Atlantis 2037". Josh will be designing a game that can be played while travelling. I'll be designing a game with fiddly componetry.

At home I have an Anchor Pocket Atlas of World History. Among other things, it contains intriguing infographics of national constitutions, such as the following (click for full size):


I'm fascinated with the idea that the faults and fates of a nation are often tied up in its constitution. This is the starting point for my game. The board will be a diagram of the constitution of Atlantis, an undersea city-state in the year 2037. The players represent factions vying for power. Components will represent things like political influence, important individuals, or crisis situations. Players will be challenged to try and seize control through their pawns, while simultaneously responding to external threats and trying to keep Atlantis from being destroyed in a variety of unpleasant ways.

The hook is that players can modify the constitution and even the rules of the game through political action within the game, making it a sort of a pseudo gnomic.

Some other design goals and possibilities:
  • Ability to win by demolishing the system of checks and balances and becoming emperor of Atlantis

  • Possibility ability to win by garnering victory points and preventing a constitutional breakdown for 100 years

  • A political system that forces players to compromise in order to gain power

  • External crisis that force players to work together to save the city

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I look at the diagram and totally get chills.

yrs--
--Ben

Impressive objective. I imagine it could be quite the fiddly, piece heavy game if you want it to be. Good luck!

Thanks! Ben, I'm glad someone else reacts to it the way I do.

I probably won't use the Weimar Constitution as a model. I don't feel like I understand it well enough. I'll be more likely to use the American constituation as a model, or maybe event he Roman Republic.

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