Help for my Civ-styled game at my school

[Caesar of Bread]

Please help me to create a civ-styled game at my school. (Most kids that are playing have the historical knowledge of a 6-8th grader)

 

[DeckerdJames]

is it a computer game?

 

[Caesar of Bread]

In-person, not computer

 

[DeckerdJames]

Maybe the tiles can be a little more complicated, but a city chooses fewer of them. Perhaps the city can only expand to claim the inner ring. They can yield only 1 of a yield type but can have different combinations. So you might get food, production, and culture on one, but production and science on another.

I think it has to be greatly simplified.

edit: Maybe the borders expand when the city grows so you don't have to worry about assigning citizens or what tiles are worked.
If it is a board game, it would be nice if the game didn't depend on cumulative yield earning to unlock things. It is kind of burdensome to have to make notes. Maybe you can produce a builder and then move it to a tile to improve it. When you improve it, the city grows and claims that tile.

When you claim a tile that has a science or culture on it, treat them like a currency. You get a science or culture card or chip. If it is chips you can spend them. If it is a card then you can RNG something.

Instead of production as chips or currency, you can build one thing per turn, but what you can build in a city is determined by how many production it has. If it has 1, it can build a combat unit or a builder. If it has 2 it can make a settler, if it has 3 it can make a wonder, etc. Something like that?

Maybe you don't even need food yields since producing builders is how you grow the city.

Maybe it would be simpler if you just had one yield per tile. Hammer, coin, beaker, or culture symbol. Then maybe you get two rings to grow to. One or two.

So, claiming a coin gets you a chip. Claiming a beaker or culture gets you a science or culture card.

Maybe you start the game with a set number of builders, settlers, and warriors. If any unit is captured it is returned to your pool and you have to produce it again. You only get 3 or 4 settlers and when they are used, they are out of the game. When a builder claims a tile, it goes back to your pool for future use. Maybe you only get 2 builders and 5 warriors. Everything moves 1 tile at a time.

Make the base board out of velcro. Land tiles are individual velcro tiles that you can rearrange. Everything else is also velcro and they can stack. So a city goes on top of the land tile. Maybe units stand up tall and the bottom sticks to the velcro but it needs to be weaker on the units than it is on the tile pieces so the units move easy.

Or make it all magnetic.

Come up with three units for rock, paper, scissors action.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Maybe the tiles can be a little more complicated, but a city chooses fewer of them. Perhaps the city can only expand to claim the inner ring. They can yield only 1 of a yield type but can have different combinations. So you might get food, production, and culture on one, but production and science on another.

I think it has to be greatly simplified.

edit: Maybe the borders expand when the city grows so you don't have to worry about assigning citizens or what tiles are worked.
If it is a board game, it would be nice if the game didn't depend on cumulative yield earning to unlock things. It is kind of burdensome to have to make notes. Maybe you can produce a builder and then move it to a tile to improve it. When you improve it, the city grows and claims that tile.

When you claim a tile that has a science or culture on it, treat them like a currency. You get a science or culture card or chip. If it is chips you can spend them. If it is a card then you can RNG something.

Instead of production as chips or currency, you can build one thing per turn, but what you can build in a city is determined by how many production it has. If it has 1, it can build a combat unit or a builder. If it has 2 it can make a settler, if it has 3 it can make a wonder, etc. Something like that?

Maybe you don't even need food yields since producing builders is how you grow the city.

Maybe it would be simpler if you just had one yield per tile. Hammer, coin, beaker, or culture symbol. Then maybe you get two rings to grow to. One or two.

So, claiming a coin gets you a chip. Claiming a beaker or culture gets you a science or culture card.

Maybe you start the game with a set number of builders, settlers, and warriors. If any unit is captured it is returned to your pool and you have to produce it again. You only get 3 or 4 settlers and when they are used, they are out of the game. When a builder claims a tile, it goes back to your pool for future use. Maybe you only get 2 builders and 5 warriors. Everything moves 1 tile at a time.

Make the base board out of velcro. Land tiles are individual velcro tiles that you can rearrange. Everything else is also velcro and they can stack. So a city goes on top of the land tile. Maybe units stand up tall and the bottom sticks to the velcro but it needs to be weaker on the units than it is on the tile pieces so the units move easy.

Or make it all magnetic.

Come up with three units for rock, paper, scissors action.

Several things of what you said is similar to the 2010 Civilization board game, which I own and what got me into the Civilization franchise. Honestly if you want to find and buy that it's a good way to start, unless you just want to make your own. Make sure it's the second edition that has Empress Wu instead of Mao for China.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Several things of what you said is similar to the 2010 Civilization board game, which I own and what got me into the Civilization franchise. Honestly if you want to find and buy that it's a good way to start, unless you just want to make your own. Make sure it's the second edition that has Empress Wu instead of Mao for China.

You just reminded me of this quote:
"But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow"

 

[Caesar of Bread]

I guess I could make it into a board game! If I start massively selling it, how will I make sure not to get sued by Sid Meyer

 

[Naokaukodem]

I guess I could make it into a board game! If I start massively selling it, how will I make sure not to get sued by Sid Meyer

Just buy the Civilization board game then.

What do you mean by in-person ? Like a role playing game ? If so, I don't think there exists any role playing games (where you just have a record cart of your character and dices) implying incarnating a civ leader, so maybe you should try to do it. But where to begin ?

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Just buy the Civilization board game then.

What do you mean by in-person ? Like a role playing game ? If so, I don't think there exists any role playing games (where you just have a record cart of your character and dices) implying incarnating a civ leader, so maybe you should try to do it. But where to begin ?

Yes, like an RPG

 

[Zaarin]

If so, I don't think there exists any role playing games (where you just have a record cart of your character and dices) implying incarnating a civ leader, so maybe you should try to do it. But where to begin ?

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins is something like that, but post-apocalyptic. There's a fantasy Slavic expansion whose name I forget that gets even closer. However, the idea of both is that you're playing subfactions within a society, not independent nations. Still, might be hackable if you know what you're doing.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

How about this:

We have a point-based system (like the character stats for D&D, a game that I play with some of my friends) -
All starting stats add up to 25, and they go up per turn
Military
Science
Religion
Culture
Diplomacy
Economy


Then, choose your nation and leader. They will give you a bonus to your stats (like how Civ has their leader/nation bonuses)

Leveling up is gaining new technologies. Every few levels you go up an era.

Each turn you have 1 diplomatic move, all your units can move, and one move that involves your territory (whether it be city building or a new law)

 

[Caesar of Bread]

So, for levels:
1-5 will be Ancient Era
6-12 will be Classical Era
13-18 will be Medieval Era
19-24 will be Renaissance/Early Modern Era
25-32 will be Industrial Era
33-37 will be Modern Era
38-40 will be Atomic Era
41-43 will be Information Era
"Final Level" will be Science Victory.



District placement was one of my least favorite parts of Civilization VI, so goodbye! I still have to tie them in somehow. No to the juggling of governors, though.

Happiness will be on a meter chart - 10 being the happiest and -10 being complete hatred/chaos. Revolutions occur after you reach -5 on the happiness scale.


Diplomacy will have a new reworking. Everyone (still around) must join your alliance to win.
- An idea I had to help diplomacy is royal marriages. Practically, this helps both sides, and gives these two nations either a mutual peace or an alliance (maybe a union).
You produce a unit in every city (along with something to help your cities). There will be a rock-paper-scissors mechanism somehow.


Finally, civs. What to do with them?

 

[TyrannusRex]

So, for levels:
1-5 will be Ancient Era
6-12 will be Classical Era
13-18 will be Medieval Era
19-24 will be Renaissance/Early Modern Era
25-32 will be Industrial Era
33-37 will be Atomic Era
38-40 will be Information Era
"Final Level" will be Science Victory.



District placement was one of my least favorite parts of Civilization VI, so goodbye! I still have to tie them in somehow. No to the juggling of governors, though.

Happiness will be on a meter chart - 10 being the happiest and -10 being complete hatred/chaos. Revolutions occur after you reach -5 on the happiness scale.


Diplomacy will have a new reworking. Everyone (still around) must join your alliance to win.
- An idea I had to help diplomacy is royal marriages. Practically, this helps both sides, and gives these two nations either a mutual peace or an alliance (maybe a union).
You produce a unit in every city (along with something to help your cities). There will be a rock-paper-scissors mechanism somehow.


Finally, civs. What to do with them?

Let the kids make their own!

 

[Caesar of Bread]

Let the kids make their own!

how will they know a historical bonus, UU, UI/UW (unique wonder)?

 

[TyrannusRex]

how will they know a historical bonus, UU, UI/UW (unique wonder)?

I think that's probably a little complex for a middle-school level board game, unless they've actually played Civ. I would go for something generic like Civ I did, with all the Civs basically being identical (which, at that point, you might as well let each kid come up with their own.) Billyopolis vs. Chadistan, etc.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

I think that's probably a little complex for a middle-school level board game, unless they've actually played Civ. I would go for something generic like Civ I did, with all the Civs basically being identical (which, at that point, you might as well let each kid come up with their own.) Billyopolis vs. Chadistan, etc.

Nice. I've seen the Union of Soviet Astleyan Republics (Rick Astley-led Soviet Union), the Frying Pan Empire (an empire that took off in China), and the Gorgulonian Cult of Malpractice (a child-sacrificing cult in Romania and Moldova) before.

 

[Henri Christophe]

When transfr this game to a boarder game I think it lost too much.
There is a board game called War (I guess it is Risk is some countries) who better emulate a civilization kind of game.
But just emulate the war in this board game. If you want to emulate science and culture you should to be creativ.

 

[Caesar of Bread]

When transfr this game to a boarder game I think it lost too much.
There is a board game called War (I guess it is Risk is some countries) who better emulate a civilization kind of game.
But just emulate the war in this board game. If you want to emulate science and culture you should to be creativ.

I love Risk! It's one of my favorite games! (Seriously, they call it war? Oh. Well, America always seems to have different words for everything).
I was thinking either a board game style or using a D&D style gameplay (Dungeons and Dragons)

 

[TyrannusRex]

I love Risk! It's one of my favorite games! (Seriously, they call it war? Oh. Well, America always seems to have different words for everything).
I was thinking either a board game style or using a D&D style gameplay (Dungeons and Dragons)

In fairness, I think Risk was originally called War (or something similar) in its home country of France.

 

[9gkj548hkm20vk79dj689bnj4]

I never played it, but isn't "[Settlers of] Catan" something similar?