Message:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/63888/innovation
A civilization game in a small deck of cards. It haunts me ... but ... when I watched the videos, it eluded me. Meld a what? Splay a who? Can you use Dogma as a verb?
The game is separated into 10 decks representing different ages. The objective is to "score" I believe 4 Achievements. (Depending on the number of players.)
I had carried my copy across the metaphorical globe to Kilimanjaro and the Marianas trench but when I would pull it out, the reaction was the same. You have the game, but .... who knows the rules? Ever we were vexed. Brave men (and women) were timid of the small deck.
So, I placed the sword .... uh game ... into the hands of the French man of great prowess. Read these and arrive upon the morn to test your skill. And, so we did.
The game was out when I arrived and being sorted. Fair it looked and close to my memory. But, who goes first? Attend the rules.
The first game was bollux as we were so off. But Shute came by and feared the game. He too had sought to know it ... but ... the beast could not be known. Hamish, a gamer of great renown shielded his eyes. It is unattainable.
Brandon, the Jedi Master, had played in his youth but the knowledge was faded. But, he offered to the learning Jedi, you have F'ed that rule. And, so we had.
We tried again.
Second attempt .... whoops ... without malice or knowledge, someone had cheated. It was probably okay but we should reset. And, so we did.
The third pass was glorious. The Wheel game and she was magnificent. Then, Agriculture. Mysticism. Wow, you suck. Writing, and then Monotheism. Damn ... how do you fight that? Gun Powder you say? Why yes. But, then comes the industrial revolution.
I cannot lie. From a simple farmer with some success, I was a broken empire. Focused on "points", and not growth, I had scored first, but was being ground into the dust of history. It would not be my day.
But, the owner of Dyno mite and others wore on each other as well. Man is treachery. Man is poetry. Man is vermin and perfume in tandem. Death, grace, and ambition. He is mess and vile and I watched it unfold like a crumbling work of perfection. Shield your eyes if you are soft. It is a stew of wicked delight. Wicked and potent. Smile as all is undone.
We melded (played a card), splayed (unstacked cards), scored points, achieved Achievements, and let the tangle of history unfold.
And, we discovered something new. The last few rounds of the game have certain cards that look okay ... but ... expose the hubris of man. The game is decided by almost arbitrary chicanery.
And, so it was. Queen Ivy, a fearsome foe, played Bio-Engineering. And the Dogma (special power) was great. So, she demanded we bend. And, so we did.
But, the Dogma (special power) had a second phase that she had not read in her haste to crush her foes. If the plants in the world were less than 2 (and they were), the game is decided as civilization collapses from over engineering and the game is won by the simple millet farmer toiling on the muddy river of modern humanity .... me. (Who knew). Crushed under the boot of metal, stone, and the machines, I clung to my wooden poles and farms.
In the last Ages, the game can go wonky as man attempts to tame the untamable. Normally, we would have just said ... whoops ... read closer and backed up but the hour has late and it made a great tale.
The world had returned to the cradle. The King of men were the primitive farmers. Is that such a bad ending. (Hey, a win is a win .... amirite?)
It is an odd game. Now that I know the enigma, I shall spread the word.
(This was the 4th edition ... I've heard bad things about the Ultimate. My guess is you would prefer Ultimate if you started there.)
Yours,
IronConrad
14-Aug-2025