Costikyan's free dot-bomb game

By at 8:00 am Monday, May 12

Master games-designed Greg Costikyan has released his unsold dot-com-bust-themed card game online, gratis, rather than wait for a publisher with the confidence to release a game about dotcoms.
Dot Boom is a satirical card game of the Dot Com era. Each of up to five players takes the role of a major venture capital firm (like Eine Kleine Perkins or noidealab!), investing in dubious companies like iPotemkinVillage and Thiefster, and trying to take them public. The game is over when the "dotCrash" card comes up, at which time the player with the most money wins.

You'll need to download the rules and the card document. Print out the cards and cut them apart; I usually print them out onto un-diecut label stock, cut them apart, peel off the backing, and stick them onto index cards. But in a pinch, you can just print on paper--not too sturdy, but good enough. You'll also need Monopoly money, and some "stock counters"--I generally just scrounge pieces from another game--as well as a six-sided die and an opaque cup (like a coffee mug).

Link Discuss (via Robot Wisdom)

Cory Doctorow

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