I am creating "Preppers" the card game! (thoughts)

[PreppersCardGame]

Hey All!
My name is Jordan and I have been creating a Card game based on prepping, below is a brief description, and a link... I hope to get feedback on how to make the game better, and include as many scenarios as possible.

Examples of Cards
Preppers: S.H.T.F.
One of the hardest parts of being a hardcore prepper is getting your friends and family on board. I have designed a card game to help children, spouses, and friends alike learn the importance of preparedness while having a blast!

The premise of the game is: You are building up your supplies in an effort to be the person who could survive the longest when the world ends. Victory points come in the form of "Months of Survival Time" when the game/world ends.

I will be releasing the base game in which you do all of your preparing, and a couple expansions where you then play out one of several end of the world scenarios (i.e.. Economic Collapse, Biological Warfare, Nuclear Fallout)

I would love some feedback from the prepper community on ways to make the game more accurate and more educational!!

Thanks.... and Happy Prepping

 

[Gazrok]

My advice is to look at existing Zombie games and get ideas. There are plenty that have some good, varying game systems in place for resources, etc.

 

[PreppersCardGame]

Thanks!
I really like Zombie style games... But I built this game around the mechanic of gathering preps, in an effort to be able to survive the longest when SHTF...

 

[Gazrok]

So probably based on units?

Units of water
Units of food (maybe even broken down)
Units of ammo

And points:

Defensive points (based on location, population, fortifications, personnel)
Replenishment points (may grant turn-based units of food, water based on controlling a nearby water source or garden, etc.)
Medical points (for supplies and personnel)
Trade points (skilled trade such as carpenter, plumber, mechanic, etc.)

Maybe some kind of track as the game approaches a SHTF event (and could have different event cards, whether secret or not), so folks scored at end of game based on their prep points.

(I have played a LOT of very geeky and complex board games)....

 

[jontte]

my most complex board game must be monopoly,still love it

 

[Gazrok]

One of the most complex ones we play is called Runebound.
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21523/runebound-second-edition

Just look at the components: (and this doesn't even consider any of the near 30 expansions for it!)
(and we have most of the expansions) It retails for around $100 (no expansions)

Components:

• 12 Hero Cards and 12 Plastic Heroes
  • Battlemage Jaes
  • Bogran the Shadow
  • Mad Carthos
  • Mordrog
  • One Fist
  • Red Scorpion
  • Ronan of the Wild
  • Runewitch Astarra
  • Silhouette
  • Sir Valadir
  • Spiritspeaker Mok
  • Varikas the Dead
• 84 Adventure Cards
• 84 Market Cards
• 50 Gold Counters
• 8 Doom Counters
• 60 Wound Counters
• 54 Exhaustion Counters
• 58 Adventure Counters
• 60 Experience Counters
• 6 Undefeated Challenge Counters
• 5 Movement Dice
• 2 Ten-Sided Dice
• 1 Game Board
• 1 Rulebook (that is nearly 30 pages long)
  
  
  
  

 

[PreppersCardGame]

It's great to meet a fellow Tabletop Game Geek!
So the basic mechanics are a little more simple than what you mentioned... It is important that the game be quick and easy to learn so that children and friends are not intimidated by it.

Victory Condition:
The person who accrues the most months of survival time at the end of the game wins.

Points:
Months of survival time are gained by purchasing cards from the central game board. There are 4 main classes of cards that you can buy from the middle.
-Food (in 3 sizes/costs)
-Precious Metals (silver/gold/platinum)
-Preps (items that allow you to do more things in the game. i.e.. Optics let you see more cards)
-Fortifications (barricades, bunkers, and fortresses can be added to your homestead)

Turn:
Your turn consists of 5 parts:
-Store (store any food or ammo from your hand in an empty building on your homestead)
-Action (play 1 action card from your current hand)
-Buy (buy 1 card from the central game board)
-Clean Up (move all cards in your hand or recently played into your discard pile)
-Draw (draw a new hand of 5 cards)

Game End:
There are several ways for the game to end, and when it does, the player with the most months of survival time (measured in months) is the winner.

Variations:
There are several event cards that come out at various points in the game. These affect the way the game is played and gives some strategies an advantage. (examples: "run on the bank", "looting", "food shortage", "gas shortage".. etc.)
Depending on what scenario you are playing out (i.e. EMP, Peak Oil, Financial Collapse) then you mix in the appropriate event cards

 

[Silent Bob]

It's great to meet a fellow Tabletop Game Geek!
So the basic mechanics are a little more simple than what you mentioned... It is important that the game be quick and easy to learn so that children and friends are not intimidated by it.

Victory Condition:
The person who accrues the most months of survival time at the end of the game wins.

Points:
Months of survival time are gained by purchasing cards from the central game board. There are 4 main classes of cards that you can buy from the middle.
-Food (in 3 sizes/costs)
-Precious Metals (silver/gold/platinum)
-Preps (items that allow you to do more things in the game. i.e.. Optics let you see more cards)
-Fortifications (barricades, bunkers, and fortresses can be added to your homestead)

Turn:
Your turn consists of 5 parts:
-Store (store any food or ammo from your hand in an empty building on your homestead)
-Action (play 1 action card from your current hand)
-Buy (buy 1 card from the central game board)
-Clean Up (move all cards in your hand or recently played into your discard pile)
-Draw (draw a new hand of 5 cards)

Game End:
There are several ways for the game to end, and when it does, the player with the most months of survival time (measured in months) is the winner.

Variations:
There are several event cards that come out at various points in the game. These affect the way the game is played and gives some strategies an advantage. (examples: "run on the bank", "looting", "food shortage", "gas shortage".. etc.)
Depending on what scenario you are playing out (i.e. EMP, Peak Oil, Financial Collapse) then you mix in the appropriate event cards

If you ever make a computer version, I am sure my son would volunteer to beta test it for you. He has beta tested some great online games...is a plank owner to the popular Minecraft and has done work as a teenager for some Japanese software firms with me interpreting for him. Also has helped test some other popular turn-based strategy computer games. Not bad for a 16 year old computer geek.

 

[PreppersCardGame]

WOW!! That is impressive!
I'll tell you what, if he is willing to do a youtube video review of the game that I can post on our Kickstarter page, I will send him one of the first copies. Seems like a fair trade, plus I would love to have a review from someone of his age, who comes from a prepping family...

Think he would be interested?

 

[Gazrok]

Should ask the ad men's if u can link 5 your Kickstarter page.

 

[PreppersCardGame]

Good thoughts! How would that work?
Would I not be able to link to a kickstarter if I didn't ask?

 

[PreppersCardGame]

Here is an album of some more of the cards... If you have ideas I would love to hear them!
http://imgur.com/a/uB9ZY#12

 

[newbieprep]

LOVE geek board games! Maybe additional cards for people you recruit such as medic, gardener, herbalist, blacksmith, etc. Without knowing the full game this is a little tough. If the idea is to last the longest, then perhaps there could be mini event cards that a person plays against the other players that having these recruits could help protect against. For instance one player can give the other players an illness that reduces your points unless you have an herbalist in your hand that protects you. I am thinking a little along the lines of Dominion.

 

[PreppersCardGame]

Great to meet a fellow board gamer and prepper...
Those are some great ideas!!!
I will play around with them, and I will keep you in the loop when the game launches on kickstarter

 

[newbieprep]

That would be great!

 

[Gazrok]

I like the look and feel of the cards. Nice job.