Innovation (card game)
"Innovation" graphical design by Cara Judd
|
|
| Designer(s) | Carl Chudyk |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Asmadi Games |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Genre(s) | Card Game |
| Language(s) | English |
| Players | 2-4 |
| Playing time | 30-75 minutes |
| Random chance | High |
| Website | http://www.asmadigames.com |
Innovation is a card game published by Asmadi Games, and was developed by Carl Chudyk. The game takes place through ten historical eras, each marked by several innovations. Each player builds a civilization by combining these innovations to amass Achievements and win the game.
The game may be purchased and the complete rules found online at Asmadi Games. [1][2]
Contents
Cards
The deck contains 105 cards, each belonging to an age labeled 1 (Prehistory) through 10 (Technology). Each card represents one advancement, or Innovation, throughout history. Each card contains these elements -
- Title - the innovation represented on the card, such as "Mathematics" or "Computers."
- Age - the era in which the innovation first appeared.
- Icons - these power Dogma effects.
- Dogmas- the text on the card, which specifies an effect that occurs. Cards may contain up to three dogmas.
- Card Image - the black and white image on the card in one of the Icon spaces, symbolic of the innovation. These have no effect.
Cards are separated into supply piles corresponding to the Age labeled on them. all cards labeled with a "1" are placed into the 1 supply pile, cards labeled with a "2" are placed into the 2 supply pile, and so on.
Before beginning play, one card is taken from each supply pile and placed face down separate from the rest of the game, These cards become Achievements. There are also five Special Achievement cards.
At game start, each player is dealt two cards. Each player chooses one card and places it face down on their board. All players turn over their cards simultaneously, and whoever has the Title alphabetically closest to the letter 'A' goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
Board
When a card is placed face up in front of a player, it becomes part of that player's board. Cards are stacked on top of each other according to color (red on top of red, purple on top of purple). There can be up to five stacks, or piles, in front of a player. Players may add as many cards to the pile as they wish. The uppermost card on each pile is the top card (if there is only one card in a pile, it is the top card by default, as well as the bottom card).
Actions
The first player takes one action. Beginning with the second turn, all players are permitted two Actions per turn. There are four possible Actions -
- Draw
Draw a card from a supply into your hand. A player draws from the supply pile corresponding to the highest value top card on that player's board. A player with a highest top card of 4 would draw from the 4 supply pile. If a supply pile is empty, draw from the next highest supply pile.
- Meld
Place a card face up on their board.
- Achieve
A player may claim an Achievement if two requirements are satisfied. The player must have points equal or higher than five times the number of the achievement (Achievement 1 requires 5 points, Achievement 5 requires 25 points), and the player must have at least one top card equal or greater than the age of the achievement - a player whose highest top card is a 4 can acquire Achievements 1 through 4 but no higher until a higher top card is placed on the board).
- Dogma
Every dogma effect has an icon next to it, which is the "featured icon" for that effect. The player adds up the number of icons on their board matching the effect's featured icon. If an opposing player has an equal or greater number of the same icon, that player is immune to the effect (if it is an "I Demand" dogma) or may participate in the effect. If a dogma is preceded by "You may," an opposing player with a matching number of icons may choose to share in participating or decline to share in the effect.
Any time another player participates in executing the current player's dogma (voluntarily or not), the current player draws a card from the proper supply pile as a sharing bonus.
There are three types of Dogmas -
- Demand - if the text is preceded by "I Demand," a player demands that other players take a specified action, such as transferring cards, transferring points, or returning cards. If an opposing player has an equal or greater number of feature icons, that player is not required to accede to the demand.
- Optional - if the text is preceded by "You may," a player may choose to execute that effect or not. If no other opposing player chooses to participate in the dogma, the player who executed the dogma does not receive a sharing bonus.
- Mandatory - if the text is not preceded by either of the above, it is mandatory and cannot be declined. Any opposing player who has an equal or greater number of feature icons must also participate in the dogma when it is executed.
Tucking & Splaying cards
- Tuck
Instead of stacking cards on top of each other by melding them, certain dogmas allow tucking a card by placing it underneath the pile.
- Splay
A pile may be spread out, revealing more icons. Piles may be splayed left, right, or up. Splaying left reveals one icon for every card below the top card. (although this may be replaced by the black and white card image). Splaying right reveals two icons per card. Splaying up reveals three icons per card.
Once cards are splayed, tucked cards continue to follow the direction of the splay, adding more icons.
Special Achievements
There are five Special Achievement cards. These are claimed immediately whenever the conditions specified on the Special Achievement card are met. They can also be claimed through certain dogmas. Each Special Achievement card lists the related dogma that can be used.
If two or more players simultaneously become eligible to claim a Special Achievement, the one closest to the current player clockwise claims it.
Winning
A player wins by being the first to claim the required number of Achievements, which varies by the number of players. Certain cards have Win effects written into their dogmas. If no player meets the conditions of the win effect, play continues as normal.
If a player attempts to draw a card above 10, the game immediately ends and the player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the player with the most Achievements wins. If no player has more Achievements, victory is shared.
Expansions
Innovation currently has two expansions -
- Echoes of the Past
- Figures In The Sand
A third expansion, No Place Like Home is in test phase online [3].
