Resilience Card Game
During the winter of 2021, Houston (and a lot of Texas) was hit with a pretty severe winter storm that ended up knocking the power out for hundreds of thousands of people, myself included.
Over the course of roughly a week without power, I came up with the idea for a card game that played off the idea of preparing for and working through weather situations like that.
Originally starting as a bit of a joke to keep my mind busy during that time and the time shortly after, the idea spiraled to where it is now - ready for test prints and play testing.
Rules and Gameplay
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There are two ways to play the game; every person for themselves, or as a team against the weather. The two methods require different strategies, but the overall goal is the same - dont run out of health.
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Each player starts the game with up to 5 hearts on the table. For more challenging games, start with fewer.
Place the remaining hearts to the side, you wont need these for the rest of the game
Each player also starts with $10.
2x $0.50
2x $1.00
1x $2.00
1x $5.00
Shuffle the remaining money into the [draw] pile
The bodega starts with 2x the number players in items available (up to 8 items)
Place these items face up in the bodega section
Place the remaining item cards to the side - you will be using these cards to restock the store later
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To start, players will have the opportunity to purchase supplies at the bodega in preparation for the incoming weather. There will be 1 round of purchasing and prepping before the first weather card is drawn.
Players may opt to go first, otherwise it is the decision of the group to decide how to determine first to play.
The player who goes first gets no financial bonus
The player going second gets +$1 to start the game
Third gets $2, fourth $3, and so on.
The person who decides to go first will be able to purchase as many items as they can from the bodega; when they have purchased all they want, restock the bodega minus 1 from the starting value
The next player then gets to stock up, once again restock the bodega at the end of their turn, but with 1 less item than there was at the start of their turn.
Once all players have had a chance to purchase from the bodega, shuffle money spent back into the draw pile, then draw the first weather card.
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Initiate weather by separating the 5 base weather cards from the rest of the weather cards. Shuffle and draw one of those 5. Place it face up in the center of the table. The weather selected will determine how much energy players are allotted per turn, how much health the player need to burn per turn, and any effects on their items or abilities.
Once a base weather card has been selected, shuffle the remaining base cards back into the weather deck, place next to the base card selected.
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Players will have the option to use up to X energy per turn based on the weather allowance. Players have the option of…
Purchasing from the bodega (1 energy used per purchase) - there is no change given
Food purchases are immediately placed in your pantry, clothing and housing items can be placed on the table or kept in your hand.
Drawing from the draw pile (1 energy per draw)
Playing an action card (X energy based on the card played)
Trade/Barter with another player (a successful transaction will cost 1 energy)
To finish your turn, you must have burned at least the required number of health - you can do this by discarding health cards or trading food items for health based on the card value
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When a player is forced to use all of their heart cards, they have succumbed to the weather and have lost.
The last player to still have hearts remaining is the winner
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General Cards
Hearts - divided up at the beginning of the game. Determine how much life a player has left
Weather Cards
Base Weather - 5 different types of base weather ranging from Extreme Cold to Extreme Heat. Set the base for how much energy a player has per turn and how much health they need to use
Weather Modifiers - Additional weather cards that are stacked on top of the base weather settings. Max of two in play at a time - if a third is drawn, replace the oldest one of the two on the table
Bodega Items
Food - can be bought from bodega, bought/traded from another player, or stolen. Can be used in place of hearts during turns to achieve proper # of health used. Some food requires electricity or fire to cook. Some foods are more effective in certain weather. Used food goes in the Bodega discard pile
Clothing - in normal game modes, players can only have 1 clothing item in play at a time. Placing a new clothing item down moves the old clothing item to bodega discard. Purchased clothing does not have to be placed on the table immediately, players can keep it in their hands until ready to equip. Can only be equipped during your turn.
In greedy mode users can stack clothing items
Home Improvements - Items like generators, fireplaces, solar panels. These have similar attributes to clothing in where you can only have one at a time unless playing in greedy mode.
Draw cards - drawing an action card costs 1 energy. Players can draw as many as they want.
Actions - can be played at any time during your turn (with the exception of “stop the steal” cards which can be used whenever a player tries to steal from you). Energy required to play is shown on the card
Immediates - must be played as soon as they are drawn.
In E4TS (Everyone for Themselves) mode, immediates only affect the player that drew the card unless otherwise stated
In AAtW (All Against the Weather) mode, immediates affect all players unless otherwise stated.
Immediates do not cost energy when they are placed
Money - can be used to purchase items at the bodega or for bartering with others. Players may choose to give change when bartering, but there is no change given at the bodega
Bodega Items
Bodega Items are available to purchase during a players turn. Bodega items consist of…
Food and Drink Cards that are used during a players turn to either avoid needing to use health or gain additional energy.
Clothing Cards that can be worn to avoid the impacts of weather, though some may be counterintuitive to some weather conditions.
Home Improvement Cards that can be used to counteract impact of weather and/or to cook raw foods in the event of power outages.
Medicine Cards that players can use to quickly get over any illnesses.
Empty Shelf Cards that take the place of any of the above cards while in the Bodega, reducing the number of available items to purchase at any given time.
Weather Cards
Weather Cards determine the environment players will be operating in. There are a couple different types of weather cards…
Base Cards determine the overall weather type - from Extreme Cold to Extreme Heat
Weather Modifiers that add extra complexity to the weather environment; such as rain, wind, or blackouts.
Draw Cards
Draw Cards are held within a players hand and can be played at any time during their turn (or if applicable during another player’s turn). Some draw cards are to be played immediately, while others can be held on to until best used. There are 4 different draw cards…
Cash Card are used to purchase items from the bodega or from others in acts of bartering.
Action Cards can be played against other players or to alter the conditions of that player’s current round.
Immediate Play cards are needed to be played immediately upon drawing and usually negatively impact a player’s turn.
Bonus Cards allow players to have extra energy or health for a turn, giving them a of a break during their turn
