
A dark-humor board game without turn order
Version 0.52
- For two to nine players ages 13+
- Play time is about 30 minutes, longer if all players are new, and longer if playing the Loyalty option.
- For more of a strategy game, play with 2-4 players, where players compete yet should work together for a team win.
- For more of a party game, play with over 4 players and especially with the Loyalty option where players are secretly split into two teams: the loyal pegasi vs the mind-controlled minions of Discord.
The pegasi are tasked with weather control to ensure that enough food gets harvested for all of the pony races of Equestria. They use Rainbow Color (a kind of energy) to control and stabilize the weather, but their task has become difficult due to relentless harsh weather caused by Discord, a powerful and dangerous dragon-like magician. In desperation the pegasi secretly reactivated the Pegasus Device, an unethical method of processing the blood of sacrificed ponies into Rainbow Color. If the harvest fails, many ponies will starve, and their metaphorical blood will be on your hooves for not extracting enough real blood from unfortunate ponies. You and your pegasi colleagues at the secretive Rainbow Factory are determined (or not) to help fulfill the pegasi duty of weather control to withstand the wrath of Discord.
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How it works:
- Each round, a pony is up for sacrifice.
- All players reveal their vie (bid) simultaneously on how unethical they are willing to be to kill the pony. Your vie accumulates throughout the game and counts against you in the end.
- If the total vie from all players is high enough, the pony is killed and its Rainbow Color is used to fend off extreme weather attacks from Discord, and the highest bidder receives a Duty token that improves their score.
- If the total vie from all players is not high enough, the pony is not sacrificed, and the lowest bidder receives a Slack token that worsens their score.
- Insufficient Rainbow Color will cause the harvest to decline. The further it declines, the more starvation across the land and the more points against all players in the end. If the harvest declines to zero, all players lose...
- BUT if the Loyalty option is played, the team that wanted the harvest to fail wins!
Hi, although my game is still in beta testing, it's playable and fun (most casual gamers like it yet it gets mixed reviews from strategy gamers). You can print the board and cards from the Google Docs below, and you will need to provide your own tokens (see the Components doc below for suggestions). There is no artwork yet. If you would like to have your art on cards in exchange for your contact info on the cards too, let me know, thanks.
Torsten Pihl
(aka ThorGoLucky)
1Standard 63mm X 88mm card size for 66mm X 91mm sleeves. Do not "fit to page" when printing.
2Standard 41mm X 63mm card size for 45mm X 67mm sleeves. Do not "fit to page" when printing.
FAQ:
Q: Why would you make such an abominable game?
A: I was inspired by the Rainbow Factory music by WoodenToaster/Glaze on the Brony Music Radio podcast, my enjoyment of board gaming, and advocacy of critical thinking to put players into a fanciful ethical dilemma and perhaps spur conversation. Or maybe it just seemed like a good idea at the time.
Q: Why do you hate ponies?
A: I love ponies. They're a bit gamey but delicious. Really, I adore MLP:FiM and I'm a proud brony.
Q: Why is this board game not consistent with the original Rainbow Factory fanfic by Aurora Dawn (Brent Lyons)?
A: The fanfic went on a creative direction from the music by WoodenToaster/Glaze, and I'm going on a creative direction from the music too. And there are other variations including the Rainbow Factory PMV music video by BronyDanceParty, Rainbow Factory SFM music video by SRicK, Pegasus Device song by SlyphStorm, and the hilarious Rainbow Dash Presents: Captain Hook the Biker Gorilla (secretly it's Rainbow Factory) by Ryan Petrie, FiMFlamFilosophy and Greg Hoffman.
Q: How does Rainbow Color help with weather control?
A: An ancient pegasi secret.
Q: When an Awoken Worker escapes and tattles to Princess Celestia, why does she put a stop to the sacrifices for desperately-needed Rainbow Color?
A: Politics, and she is overly confident that the Mane Six will quickly defeat Discord.
Q: Why don't the pegasi prevent weather catastrophies during Winter?
A: Perhaps it's a grand conspiracy.
Q: Why don't the pegasi organize a blood drive?
A: Rainbow Color can only be processed from very fresh pony blood.
Q: Why do the ponies need to be killed? Can't they just give a little blood at a time?
A: Oh, now you tell me.
Q: Why don't you just kill all the ponies you might need early on?
A: ...
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