Skip to Main Content

Board game: Growing Resilience

Date started: 
15 December 2010
Last updated: Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Related initiatives: 
Amherst
Related Transition Stage: 
Connecting

Images

Gameboard for the board game "Growing Resilient/Growing Resilience"
An example of a "Challenge card" in the game
Baseline Scenario chart
Contact Project
Javascript is required to view this map.

Project Aim

To build and publish a board game, that is fun to play, creates a feeling of community by connecting players in a non-competitive fashion, and helps them prepare emotionally and mentally for living in a fast-changing society.

Further details

This project aims to create and publish a board game, that will

* Familiarize players with each other and each others' practical skills

* Facilitate inner transition by helping players to imagine life in a collapsing society, and teaching them to be aware of community resources

*  Introduce players to the different possible stages of a collapsing society, and to skills they can use to mitigate the negative effects of it.

Inspiration

I wasn't familiar with what can happen when the unspoken old rules of a society break down because of economic collapse, inadequate energy availability, or environmental changes.

Outcomes so far

Created a home-made prototype of the game. Got together with friends with similar interest, and staged test-games at about ten different occasions. Changed and further developed the design of the game several times according to the feedback I received from the test games. I connected with people who were willing to help this process, and sometimes even had a lot of experience publishing board games.

Unexpected outcomes

I learned quite a bit about board games while researching what the structure of this game could be. I was surprised, how open and willing people were to imagine scary situations. And even more surprised by how playing the game never failed to ignite rich and lively conversations about all things preparation and community. I was able to help out a housemate who had difficulty paying the rent, by trading work (he is a graphic designer) for rent (he lives in my house). Learning how when some avenues don't work, there is a possibility for another one, occasionally even better - but it takes determination and resoluteness to continue, because in the moment it just looks like a big fat dead end sometimes. I found an on-line print-on-demand service that specializes in board games. I have known about printing a book like this and used that service, but haven't heard about one specifically for board games.

Obstacles, and how we overcame them

 I didn't know anything about board games, and even less about how to go about designing and publishing them. I used my different networks of people (men in the ManKind Project, that I belong to, people I live together with, people in the transition movement) and my (as well as their) experience with the Internet to create the connections I needed. 

Lessons Learned

I expected that others would take this project as seriously as I did. This made me lazier, and urged me to rely on them, and ultimately it made me disappointed a few times, and slowed down the project. However currently I am happy where the project is now, and I am not sure if a faster space could have gotten it to as good a point as it is.

Contacts

Primary point of contact: 
Gaborzol
Themes: 
Arts & Crafts
Themes: 
Education
Themes: 
Inner Transition

Comments

Susan Norris's picture

Board game

21 February 2012 - 9:14pm — Susan Norris

This looks very interesting! We (Occupy Harrisburg PA) have just started thinking about creating an Occupy board game! I am very interested in how your board game comes together. It seems this would be a wonderful teaching tool for those who are just learning about sustainability issues. (I am also one of the founding members of Transition Harrisburg).

Have you considered using Kickstarter to fund this project?

Here's to creating a better society,
Susan

 

andrew watkins's picture

Past Gaming Experience

14 May 2012 - 3:24pm — andrew watkins

Excellent Idea to create games for transition education.  I've developed gaming prototypes for two games relating to energy and would be happy to share my experiences (and the games) with the Transition Community.

 

Add comment

Login or register to post comments