The game in Card form, and concept art!

I've sat down and generated a board variant of the game that centers on issues of communication and understanding that arise when two different cultures collide. Two teams are involved (to represent the two cultures) and the main goal is to somehow warn and help the other team deal with some particular prophecy.

The pacing will be faster than in the digital multiplayer variant I want to eventually build, so the degree of loyalty and investment in one's own culture and its rituals is an aspect that will not be present in as nuanced or deep a fashion as I'd like. Suspicion and biases are also an element that will not be as present, since players will know from the get go that communication with the other team is the primary goal. Nevertheless the board game will shed some light on the challenges that two cultures ultimately face when they interact with one another.


Prophecy Cards

One particular feature I'll be borrowing from a junior version of board game Clue I used to play are colored filters that reveal words in an otherwise mottled card:

The cards were mottled with the same color as the filter. When the filter was held against the card they would be able to read the name of the true suspect of the current mystery. I thought that I could mottle the Prophecy card with both blue and red. One team would see through the blue lens, and the other team the red lens. Ironically when the blue lens is held against the card, the team cannot read their own prophecy, because only the red ink is visible with the blue lens. They are instead able to read the prophecy of the red team and then utilize their resources to warn the red team of their impending fate, while hoping the red team will be able to impart information on how to avoid their own undesirable fate. (The crude sketch below should give an idea of what I mean.)

Prophecies consist not only of the name of the event (such as famine, disease, a natural disaster, apocalypse). They consist of three symptoms, an exasperator (a move type that worsens the affliction or makes it approach faster), and a solution. The numbers of the cards that make up the prophesied event will be listed below the event's name.

By drawing the cards listed from the appropriate deck, both teams can then fill out their prophecy boards. As a side note, there are 2 sets per deck, to make sure both teams can fill out their boards appropriately.

Language Cards

In addition to the prophecy boards are language boards. The boards consist of a section to construct the team's 'language' and another duplicate section to figure out the other team's language over the course of the game. For their own language section of the board they draw a starting hand of 7 language cards and 7 gesture cards. They would then pair the two hands together on the board. On the blank right side of the board they would keep track of what they believe the elements of the other team's language consists of.

the Game

Winning Condition:
Once the two boards are set up, teams then proceed to play through as long as it takes for both teams to survive and solve their prophecies. Should both teams solve their prophecies both teams win. If one team loses all its members the game is over.


Turns
Each 'day' consists of each team running through the symptom cards followed by five free turns that alternate between the two teams.

Symptoms
A team must first run through the instructions on the symptom cards. If a symptom card lists an impending doom, they must keep track of the number of days falling away. If a symptom card deems that on the roll of an even number a member of the team must die, then a team member must play dead.

Free Play
During the five free turns members may either choose to attempt to communicate with the other team, perform an action that may hopefully solve the prophecy, attempt to draw a new language/gesture pair to grow their language or draw a ritual card.

Communication
When communicating with the other team, members are not allowed to use words. They may either attempt to utilize what they believe consist of the other team's gestures, or attempt to communicate using their own team's language gestures. They are free to utilize universal gestures such as pointing at things or shaking their head, but must be aware that those very gestures may be mapped to some other meaning on the other team's language board. Communications are timed with an hourglass. Members are also free to stage 'conversations' in their own language; this may help the other team decipher the current team's language more clearly. Using a turn to draw a language/gesture pair can help expand one's repertoire of available gestures which may aid in communication events.

Rituals
Ritual cards hold actions that may either fulfill parts of the conditions for the solution or for the exasperator card of the prophecy. If all the conditions for the solution card are fulfilled, the other team may then provide the solution and exasperator card to the current team and that team is considered saved. If conditions for the exasperator are fulfilled instead, then the other team signals its fulfillment and the current team must then play through a symptom card again.


There are a lot of decks involved in the game, but since the cards for the prophesy board are pretty much fixed I don't think it will be too confusing. The main decks used in the game are the ritual, language and gesture cards, and since most of the game will revolve around attempts at communication, cards should not factor too heavily in the game. In the end I am hoping the game will come across as a more structured and collaborative form of charades with a bit of a goofy streak. I dunno, I guess I would call the board variant Prophesy! or something.


Also, here is nice, colored concept art of plant and animal inhabitants for the digital version. I am a bit sad that there isn't really a way for me to incorporate little animal and produce people, but the potential goofy hi-jinks that a very charades-esque game provides is amusing enough to make up for that disappointment.