A (mostly) cooperative game where powerful world leaders (save one saboteur) work together to avert global chaos.
GLOBAL CRISIS blends cooperative game play (Hanabi, Pandemic, 5-Minute Dungeon etc) with elements of hidden role games (Coup, Resistance, Werewolf etc). Players who love either category will find GLOBAL CRISIS a blast to play.
Global Crisis... Earth 2265
The world is on the edge of total annihilation. Natural, social, political, military, and corporate forces have pushed humanity to the brink. The words of a Persian mystic and prisoner who foresaw the future 400 years prior stands truer than ever before...
"O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof... Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians..."
-Bahá'u'lláh (Lifelong prisoner of the Ottoman Empire for His visions of unity and peace)
In fits and starts the process of creating global stability has been emerging for eons. Now the world faces it's most dire hour. The super-science of catastrophic weaponry, imbalanced and exploited globalization, and the unlocked potentials of Mother Nature's wrath have all given rise to myriad horrific problems which require a host of powerful solutions.
Forces of light and dark battle openly in public discourse, secretly behind the closed doors of the powerful elite, and deep within the minds and hearts of all people. Despite those who cling to a world long gone, a consensus has formed among the world's peoples and great leaders: a new world must be made. Led by the charge of reason and fueled by a desperate hope, a rallying cry for peace is heard:
"The Great Peace towards which people of goodwill throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations."
-From "The Promise of World Peace" by The Universal House of Justice
Is it too late to counteract eons of destruction? Can humanity set aside their petty squabbles, age old hatreds, and demagogue-stoked fears in order to bring about what is only dreamed of? And what of suspicions? Is everyone a trusted ally or do some lurk in shadow, attempting to plunge the world into a dark age of fallout and waste?
You are the rulers and leaders who will settle the fate of the world, for better or worse!
Your leadership represents a major world superpower and a collective of nations. Can you overcome ancient challenges and bring about world peace? Global Crisis is a collaborative game (with a twist) where everyone is working to stabilize global chaos. The twist is that one player might be an agent of chaos. Yes, might. This potential saboteur raises suspicion and increases the challenge. Trust will have to be earned, hopefully before it is too late!
Game Play
Goal: If players collectively score enough points, they win. Players score by passing as many global policies as possible (before time runs out) to address the five overarching sets of Global Challenges. If a player is the "Agent of Chaos," that player can only win if the group scores in the lowest bracket possible—thus causing all other players to collectively lose.
Overview: This game can be played with 2 to 5 players. All players begin with five cards. In the initial rounds, players gather as much information as they can about the cards in the hands of other players. Next, they will aid each other to remove challenge cards from their hands, organize them by sets (color), and finally try to score on each set. There are five sets of challenges that can score. Scoring is based on how many cards within a set the group can collect and whether the group can form a unique policy on each set—all before time runs out. Time expires when the players have formed a policy for all five sets of challenges, or when a player attempts to draw a card from the deck, but the deck has run out.
Turns of Play: The game is played over a series of turns. Each player takes a turn by selecting and playing out one action from five possibilities, and/or by playing a Special Asset Card as an action. The five possible actions include;
* Host a Conference: gain information from another player about their hand
* Request a Summit: you share information about your hand
* Diplomacy: select a two players to exchange a card of their choice from their own hand
* Foreign Aid: allow any other player to remove Challenge Cards from their own hand
* Global Policy: score a set of Challenge Cards in play
At the end of each turn, all players draw or discard back to five cards.
The Catch: A few rules make the game extra exciting and challenging:
* Global Crisis: If a player ever holds five Challenge Cards at the start of their turn, their country declares a global crisis, and the players to their left and right must immediately discard from their own hand an Asset Card of their choice. This could lead to a chain reaction of global crisis!
* Unique Action: Players aren't allowed to take an action which the previous player just used. So, no two actions can be played back to back.
* Information: Players can't reveal information about their hand or another player's hand, unless it is required by the action taken on a player's turn.
* Global Policy: Global policies can only be created once per Challenge Card set. Forming a policy requires one Material Asset Card and one Abstract Asset Card. This combination of cards cannot be used in any other policy. So, no two policies will be the same. Therefore, managing your Assets Cards will be important.
* Agent of Chaos: In a three, four, or five player game, players have the option to include the "Agent of Chaos" (see below).
Global Challenges: There are five overarching sets of Global Challenges—each a different color. The five sets are: Social Issues, War, Materialism, Disaster and Inequality. Within each set, there are 11 specific kinds of Global Challenge Cards. For example; Global Challenge Cards within the Disaster (blue) set include: Tsunami, Volcano, Earthquake, and Flood. Also, each set contains one Extreme Challenge Card which is worth extra points when it is included in a scored set.
Optional Challenge Level: Agent of Chaos
Using the Agent: For those eager to take on an added level of challenge in a 3, 4, or 5-player game, there is a set of rules for the Agent of Chaos. Using the 8 World Leader cards, shuffle in the Agent Card. Deal one card to each player. Keep these cards hidden from other players. If someone is dealt the Agent of Chaos, they must attempt to win the game by causing the group to score 20 or fewer points while not being caught. Using sabotage and subterfuge, the agent's goal is to plunge the world into total chaos and destruction. However, as an added action in this version, any suspicious (or malicious) player can discard an Asset Card to attempt a coup. After debate, players vote, and if the majority selects one player, that player reveals their Leader Card. If it is a World Leader Card, that player immediately has a global crisis, discards their Leader Card, and then draws another (possibly creating an Agent of Chaos). If the Agent Card is discovered, that player exposes all the cards in their hand, discards the Agent Card, and draws a World Leader card—with the collective win condition restored. Failing a majority vote simply causes play to continue—but perhaps with new suspicions and grudges. This version of play is highly challenging even if the agent is not in play since players may be eager to "throw stones" in the court of public opinion. That distrust can unravel a cooperative team.
Contains:
* 55 Global Challenge Cards (11 in each set: War, Materialism, Inequality, Disaster, and Social Issues)
* 34 Asset Cards (16 Material Assets & 18 Abstract Assets)
* 9 World Leader Cards (8 Major World Leaders & 1 Agent of Chaos)
* 1 Score Card + 5 Player Aid Cards (front and back)
* Score card, and 5 (front and back) Player Aid Cards for quick reference of key rules
* 5 Action Cards or Tokens
2 to 5 players
ages 13 and up
playable within 60 minutes
