Four different futures. Four meaningful ways to play.
Games reflect how people live. These concepts make the imagined society essential to the rules: connect a Moon base, oversee automated decisions, communicate without smartphones and plan a 140-year life.
MOONBOUND 2056
Build. Survive. Connect.
A settlement is only as resilient as its weakest connection. Lunar life turns oxygen, energy and habitat links into meaningful collective choices.
01 / The future's demand
Keep a lunar settlement alive with limited resources, environmental hazards and no easy rescue.
02 / What makes it innovative
Players physically build a living network with string; every connection changes the game state.
Connect Habitat, Oxygen and Energy to Base before time runs out, with resources remaining.
03 / Game architecture
04 / Build the prototype
Players: 2–4 cooperative
Materials: Large card, string, six tokens, die, index cards, markers, tape
Set-up: Draw Base, Habitat, Oxygen, Energy, Ice Mine and Solar Farm. Mark available routes. Place six resource tokens in a shared pool.
Team roles
- Commander: coordinates
- Engineer: builds
- Resource officer: counts tokens
- Safety officer: resolves hazards
05 / How to play
- 1Draw one mission card.
- 2Choose a connection and pay one token.
- 3Roll the die: 1 = oxygen leak; 2 = solar storm; 3–6 = safe. A hazard costs one token unless the team previously paid one token for a one-use shield.
- 4Lay string to show the completed connection; repeat.
Win condition
All three essential stations are connected and at least one resource remains.
Risk & meaningful choice
Build a one-use shield now or preserve a token for a vital route.
Reward & progression
Optional Ice Mine connection earns a bonus achievement if the main mission is complete.
06 / Why it matters
“Only two tokens remain. Do you build the last essential connection or protect against a possible storm?”
Accessibility and inclusion
Raised string routes, numbered stations and spoken card descriptions.
One essential playtest
Can a new player identify all three essential stations and finish a round in 150 seconds?
HUMAN.exe 2056
Technology gives options. Humans give meaning.
When routine work is automated, the human contribution shifts towards oversight, judgement, care and accountability.
01 / The future's demand
Complete essential work quickly without sacrificing fairness, safety or public trust.
02 / What makes it innovative
A no-tech AI simulator: recommendation cards create realistic automation decisions without pretending that live AI is operating.
Complete three missions and finish with at least three trust tokens.
03 / Game architecture
04 / Build the prototype
Players: 3–5 cooperative
Materials: Index cards, five trust tokens, two override tokens, die, paper trust track
Set-up: Place trust at five and give the team two override tokens. Prepare three mission cards with AI recommendations and outcome cards.
Team roles
- Operator: reads AI output
- Decision maker: leads choice
- Ethics reviewer: challenges impact
- Engineer: resolves failures
- Community voice: explains consequences
05 / How to play
- 1Reveal a mission and its AI recommendation.
- 2Choose ACCEPT or OVERRIDE; an override spends one token.
- 3Reveal the prepared outcome card; use the die only if the card specifies a random fault.
- 4Adjust trust according to the card and proceed.
Win condition
Three missions completed with trust of three or more.
Risk & meaningful choice
Accept saves scarce intervention tokens but may lose trust; override protects people but cannot be used indefinitely.
Reward & progression
Earn a mission token for each completion; unlock the complex final mission.
06 / Why it matters
“A hospital scheduler prioritises efficiency but misses an urgent patient. Trust the system or intervene?”
Accessibility and inclusion
Read all cards aloud, use tactile tokens and offer clear role descriptions.
One essential playtest
Do outcome cards define trust changes unambiguously for both decisions?
SIGNAL ZERO 2056
Less screen. More connection.
Communication continues without handheld phones, but shared protocols, reliability and inclusion become essential.
01 / The future's demand
Send critical messages despite interference, limited symbols and no spoken transmission.
02 / What makes it innovative
A tangible communication protocol: teams invent a shared code and discover how information is distorted through relays.
Transmit and reconstruct three messages accurately.
03 / Game architecture
04 / Build the prototype
Players: 4–6 in two teams
Materials: Index cards, symbol cards, tokens, cups, string, markers
Set-up: Prepare three secret message cards, six shared symbols and a written or tactile code key. Arrange sender, relay and receiver stations.
Team roles
- Sender: encodes
- Relay: transfers
- Receiver: decodes
- Inspector: checks
- Others: rotate roles
05 / How to play
- 1Sender reads the secret message.
- 2Encode using approved symbols, gestures or taps without speaking.
- 3Relay transmits the code to the receiver.
- 4Receiver states or writes the message; compare with original.
Win condition
Three correctly reconstructed messages within the round.
Risk & meaningful choice
Interference card removes a symbol or limits transmission time; decide between fast shorthand and precise coding.
Reward & progression
One point for each accurate message; later messages add complexity.
06 / Why it matters
“An evacuation message must cross two relays, but interference removes a symbol from your code.”
Accessibility and inclusion
Offer tactile tokens and tap patterns as equivalent alternatives; never rely only on sight, colour or gesture.
One essential playtest
Can players transmit using the tactile option without a visual cue?
LIFE 140
A longer life. A greater impact.
A much longer life changes the shape of learning, careers, relationships, retirement and responsibility to future generations.
01 / The future's demand
Make choices that remain sustainable across a 140-year lifespan rather than optimising only for the present.
02 / What makes it innovative
A seven-stage life journey where choices create trade-offs between health, wealth and legacy.
Reach age 140 with at least one health, wealth and legacy token.
03 / Game architecture
04 / Build the prototype
Players: 2–5 individual strategy
Materials: Circular card board, event cards, die, three textured token types, markers
Set-up: Draw ages 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 140. Each player begins with three tokens in each of the three categories.
Team roles
- Each player: life strategist
- Rotating reader: announces events
05 / How to play
- 1Advance 20 years and reveal an event.
- 2Choose one of two life options.
- 3Adjust health, wealth and legacy using printed card effects.
- 4Repeat through the seven life transitions.
Win condition
Reach 140 with at least one of each token; among successful players, highest combined total wins.
Risk & meaningful choice
Trade short-term gains for long-term security; an event die can change circumstances.
Reward & progression
Unlock new education, career and community choices at later ages.
06 / Why it matters
“At 100, retire comfortably or invest in a new career and community contribution?”
Accessibility and inclusion
Raised age markers, textured resource categories and spoken event descriptions.
One essential playtest
Are all seven transitions achievable within the time limit?
Compare the four designs at a glance
| Design | Moonbound | HUMAN.exe | Signal Zero | Life 140 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core action | Build a network | Accept or override AI | Encode and decode | Choose life paths |
| What makes it futuristic? | Scarce lunar life support | Human oversight of automation | Communication beyond phones | Longer working and living lives |
| Win | Connect three stations | Three missions, trust ≥ 3 | Three correct messages | Reach 140 with balanced resources |
| Game type | Cooperative strategy | Ethical decision game | Communication puzzle | Individual strategy |
| Key physical element | String network | Decision cards and trust track | Symbol/tactile cards | Circular life board |
Build it with people, not just technology
Use the official design cycle: define the problem → identify constraints → brainstorm alternatives → select a concept → prototype → test → iterate → communicate. Let each teammate contribute ideas before committing to a design.
Presentation plan from the brief
Allow approximately five minutes to explain rules, five minutes for playing and five minutes for judging and feedback. Individual rounds must still remain under three minutes.
Accessibility: Explain all visual content aloud; provide tactile alternatives and never rely on colour alone. The source specifically identifies a visually impaired participant.
Event clarification: The final slide mentions races and measuring tape, whereas the brief explicitly permits cards, boards, puzzles and role-play. Ask facilitators whether racing is actually required. The lunch/end-time notes also conflict; confirm the final schedule.
Prototype readiness checklist
Tick these as a team. Completion is a planning aid, not an official score.
0 of 12 preparation checks completed.
Official judging
Fun: 10 points, judged by the playing team. Future integration: 10 points, judged by facilitators. Groupwork: 10 points, judged by facilitators. Total: 30 points.