In the first module of the second year, we developed the concept for the cooperative board game «SWARM.» Its foundation was the internet universe «Samosbor.»
This long-read explores the research underpinning the project and provides a concise overview of the concept.
«ROY» — a cooperative board game in the style of Sovietpunk. The action takes place in Gighrushcha — an endless Khrushchev-era apartment block.
The Caravan of Wanderers must reach the science block, where the weapon against SELF-ASSEMBLY—a regular, deadly catastrophe—is stored. On the way, players unlock residential cells and battle Gigagrub entities…
Target Audience
«I love post-Soviet culture or the SAMOSBOR universe and want to immerse myself in it.»Ages 16–80, 50% male, 50% female.
«I want to play a game where I can help my teammates.»Ages 16 to 30; 40% male, 60% female.
«I want to play a game where I can experience a cataclysm and cope with it.»Ages 16–50, 60% men, 40% women.
«We can only go out together.»
The game focus is entirely based on the setting:
→ The game board is shaped like a Khrushchyovka apartment building.
The corridor and apartment block maps are based on the Gigakhrushcha floors.
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→ Self-Assemble — an Event of Incidents.
Changes the field state and player conditions
(cannot remain outside the residential complex at the end of a turn).
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→ Liquidators and mutants as neutral units.
Uncontrolled neutral entities and a threat to the system.
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Gameplay References
(Game references will be large images)
Forbidden Desert→ area of closed tiles (maps),
activated upon movement→ exploration of a fog-of-war field
Jackal→ Fog of War→ Fully Autonomous and Neutral Characters→ Off-map Movement
Cerberus→ Cards that offer a choice
between two actions
(for oneself or for another)→ An autonomous threat
that moves across the field (Cerberus)
Colt Express→ Firing Mechanism→ Mechanic Dependence on Proximity to Others→ Neutral Entity
What did you generally abandon?
Competitive genre
→ The competitive genre in RoE = human narrative dissonance.
Player Revival
→ Achieving asymmetry, like the zombie in the house, would be extremely difficult to balance within a single semester.
Content Foundation
→ The foundation in action cards and content, like in Magic: The Gathering, was unsuitable for the module’s pipeline and goals.
Many Decks and Deck Building
