The only boardgame where you’re allowed to cut the board into pieces, especially when you are losing.
Unstable Universe
What’s the idea?
When Do I Win?
Be the first to fulfill your personal mission and reach the center!
What can I do?
Start at the edge. Take the same action each turn: move to a new node.
- Some nodes have special actions, such as teleportation.
- Most nodes trigger a cutting action!
Cutting the board?
Yes, you must cut into the game board following certain rules! If a piece comes loose, it drifts away and is out of the game, including all people on it.
What do I need?
Three steps:
- Generate a random board below and print it.
- Read the rules (one page).
- Grab some pens, scissors and friends.
Concerned about ink? Only page 1, 3 and 4 of the rulebook are relevant for the base game. You can also generate “ink friendly” boards.
Tip for Teaching? Explain the first page, immediately start playing! Simply place the node list on the table, so players can look up what something does whilst playing.
Tip for Cleanup? When done, you should have a bunch of puzzle pieces ( = all pieces of paper you cut off). Here’s the challenge: try to fit them back together to recreate the original paper! Sounds easier than it is :)
Background
I wrote two detailed articles about the development of this game:
- (Devlog) Unstable Universe => about the general process, problems, decision making, why I did what I did
- (Technical Devlog) Unstable Universe => about the algorithms and (programming) techniques used for creating this website that generates random game boards
The screenshots contain two pictures of the game “in action”. Some people in my play groups insist on using these way too complex icons, like a sheep or stick figure—I recommend just using simple shapes in your games. The bottom board is from an older version of the game, but the sunlight in the picture was really nice, so I decided to keep it on this page.
Credits
The font is SciFly by Tomi Haaparanta. Everything else is mine.
Support
You can hire me! Maybe you need a special board game or video game for a birthday or educational purpose? I'm also open to inquiries about physically publishing my games. I am a registered freelance artist from the Netherlands and you can contact me professionally through my portfolio.
If unsure, visit my Online Store. It contains everything I ever made. Though it focuses on playful education and activities for children/family, first and foremost.
Another great way to support me is to simply let me know what you think! Mail me at harmonize@pandaqi.com with any feedback.
Alternatives would be to buy my paid work (a win-win situation!) or to donate through the most popular channels (see buttons below).
