Immunity

SpecialSnowflakeStudios
JesusOlivares
AndrewVarchol
RussellHolmberg
RodrigoAndino
DavidRosen

Description

Immunityisagamebasedonthehumanbodysimmunesystemandisananalog
adaptationofthevideogameofthesamename.Thegameisanasymmetricalanalogboard
gamethatpitsateamoffourplayersagainstoneplayerwithmoreresources.Thefourplayers
makeupthewhitebloodcellteamwhoeachcontrolawhitebloodcellpieceatthestart.The
oneplayeristhebacteriaplayerwhocontrolsmultiplegermpieces.
Thegamesimulatestheeventsthattranspireinthehumanimmunesystemwhenan
infectionoccurs.Justlikeinthehumanbodysimmunesystem,theobjectiveofthewhiteblood
cellplayersistoconsumeanddestroyallofthegermpiecesontheboard.However,theymust
alsoprotectthevulnerableredbloodcellsscatteredacrossthegameboardfrombeing
consumedbythegerms.Thewhitebloodcellsmusttrytooutpacethegermsbycreatingmore
whitebloodcellsasreinforcementstocontroltheadvanceofthemultiplyinggerms.Thegame
endswhenthewhitebloodcellssuccessfullydestroyallofthegermsontheboardorwhenthe
germsconsumealloftheredbloodcellsontheboard.

DesignersIntent

Toreplicatetheeventsthatoccurinthehumanbodywhenbacteriainvadesapersons
immunesystem.
Toteachyoungerchildrenmoreaboutthehumanbodyandhowthecellscombatgerms
anddiseases,whilealsogettingtheminterestedinscience.
Ourtargetdemographicisyoungchildrenfromtheagesof6through13duetoourintent
togetchildrenmoreinterestedinscienceandthisagerangemarkstheinfluential
momentsinapersonslife.

MaterialsList

1gamemat(printableversionbelow)
12whitebeadstorepresentthewhitebloodcells

12redbeadstorepresenttheredbloodcells

15greenbeadstorepresentthegerms

1sixsideddice

GameMap

Rules

Setup

Step1:Allplayerswilldrawstraws.Theplayerwiththeshorteststrawisthebacteria
player.Theotherfourplayersarethewhitebloodcellplayers.
Step2:Playernumbersaredeterminedbythelengthofthestrawwiththelongeststraw
beingplayerone,totheshortestbeingplayerfive.
Step3:Thewhitebloodcellplayerseachplaceonegamepiecerepresentingtheirwhite
bloodcellonthespacesmarkedbyanumber.(Player1startsatspace1andsoon)
Step4:Thebacteriaplayerplacessixgermpiecesinthecenterofthemat.Eachoneis
placedononeofthebrownspaces.
Step5:Player1setstheredbloodcellpiecesanywhereonthegameboard.Note:red
bloodcellsmustbeplacedATLEAST3spacesapart.Also,eachspacecannotcontain
morethanoneredbloodcellandcannotbeplacedintheplayerstartingspacesorthe
germstartingspaces.
Step6:Startgame.

WhiteBloodCellPlayers

ThewhitebloodcellplayerstaketurnsafteroneanotherwithPlayer1goingfirst,Player
2second,Player3third,andPlayer4fourth.Onceallfourwhitebloodcellplayershave
hadtheirturn,itwillbePlayer5sturn,thebacteriaplayer.
Eachplayercanmovetheirwhitebloodcellpiecesupto3spacesperturn.Onlyone
whitebloodcellisallowedperspaceandasinglespacecannotholdmorethanone
whitebloodcell.Whitebloodcellscanonlymoveinthedirectionthatthespacetells
them.Ifthepiecelandsonaspacethatpointsattwodirections,aforkintheroad,the
playercanchoosewhichpathtotake.
Playerscanconsumegermsbymovingonthesamespaceasagerm.Thatgermisthen
removedfromtheboard.Eachplayercannotconsumemorethanonegermperturn.
Eachtimeaplayerconsumesagerm,theplayerrollsasixsideddice.Dependingonthe
numberrolled,theplayergainsImmunoPoints(example:rollingafiveearnstheplayer5
ImmunoPoints).
Whenaplayerearns15ImmunoPoints,theplayerspawnsawhitebloodcellbyplacing
awhitebloodcellpieceadjacenttoanyoneoftheplayersexistingwhitebloodcells.
Eachplayercanonlyhaveupto3whitebloodcells.Eachwhitebloodcellcannotbe
furtherthan3spacesawayfromtheplayersoriginalwhitebloodcell.
Atanytime,awhitebloodcellplayercanrequesthelpfromanotherplayer.Iftheother
playeraccepts,theotherplayerwillremoveoneofhis/herwhitebloodcellpiecesfrom
theboardandtherequestingplayerwillspawnawhitebloodcellinanadjacentspaceto
oneoftheirexistingwhitebloodcells.Theotherplayermusthaveatleast2whiteblood
cellsinordertoaccepttherequestingplayersrequest.Thiscanonlybedoneonceper
gameforeachplayer.

BacteriaPlayer

Thebacteriaplayercanmoveeachandallofhis/hergermpiecesupto2spacesper
turn.Asinglespacecannothavemorethanonegerm.Notallofthegermpieceshaveto
bemoved,soiftheplayerchooses,he/shecanleavesomegermsonthesamespace
withoutmovingthem.Germscanonlymoveinthedirectionthatthespacetellsthem.If
thepiecelandsonaspacethatpointsattwodirections,aforkintheroad,theplayer
canchoosewhichpathtotake.
Every3turns,theplayercanspawnagerminaspaceadjacenttooneoftheirexisting
germs.
Theplayerconsumesredbloodcellsbymovingagermovertheredbloodcell.Thered
bloodcellisthenremovedfromtheboard.
Oncethebacteriaplayersturnhasended,thewhitebloodcellplayerswillbenextto
taketheirturn.

WinConditions

Thewhitebloodcellplayerswinwhenallofthebacteriaplayersgermpieceshavebeen
eatenandremovedfromtheboard.
Thebacteriaplayerwinswhenallredbloodcellshavebeenconsumedandremoved
fromtheboard.

EdgeCases

Iftherearefewerthan5players,say4,thenoneplayerwillcontroltwowhitebloodcell
startingpieces.Theyaretreatedastwoindividualplayers.Ifthereare3players,then
twoplayerswillcontroltwowhitebloodcellstartingpieceseach.Eacharetreatedastwo
separateplayers.Ifthereareonly2players,thenthewhitebloodcellplayerwillcontrol
allfourwhitebloodcellstartingpiecesandtreatedasfourseparateplayers.
Iftheplayerschoose,itispossibletoleaveoutsomewhitebloodcellpiecessothat
eachwhitebloodcellplayeronlycontrolsonepieceatthestart.However,doingso
wouldunbalancethegameinthebacteriaplayersfavor.
Eachwhitebloodcellplayercanonlyhaveupto3whitebloodcellpieceseach.Ifa
playersImmunoMeterreaches15buthe/shealreadyhas3whitebloodcells,theplayer
willnotbeallowedtospawnawhitebloodcell.Also,ifaplayeralreadyhas3white
bloodcellpieces,he/shecannotusetherequestfunctionatall.

Mechanics

Consume
Thewhitebloodcellplayersconsumegermsbymovingoverthesamespaceasagerm.
ThisisdonetofilluptheirImmunoMeterforspawningmorewhitebloodcells.
Germscanconsumeredbloodcellsbymovingoverthesamespaceasaredbloodcell.

Destroy
Whenagamepieceisconsumed,itisdestroyed.Destroyedpiecesareremovedfrom
theboardandarenolongerineffect.

Create
ConsuminggermsfillsupthewhitebloodcellplayersImmunoMeter.Onceitisfilledup,
thecellcreatesanewwhitebloodcell,representedbytheplayerspawningawhite
bloodcellonaspaceadjacenttooneoftheirexistingwhitebloodcellpieces.
Everythreeturns,thebacteriaplayercancreateandspawnanewgermtoaddtotheir
arsenal.

Request
Atanytimeduringtheplayersturn,awhitebloodcellplayercanrequesthelpfrom
anotherwhitebloodcellplayer.Iftheotherplayeraccepts,thatplayergivesthe
requestingplayeroneoftheirwhitebloodcellpiecesandcontrolofthatpieceisgivento
therequestingplayer.Thisactioncanonlybedoneoncepergameforeachplayer.

Communication
Tostrategize,thewhitebloodcellplayersareallowedtodiscussplansandtacticswith
oneanotherthroughdirectcommunication.

Resources

Martes.BLOODCIRCULATION.Digitalimage.SCIENCE.Imacon,30Apr.2013.Web.17Dec.
2015.