House of Leaves: A Board Game

HOUSE OF LEAVES A BOARD GAME

BY

MARIE LAZAR ITGM 705

Objectives create a game that: - effectively captures the spirit of the novel House of Leaves in its mechanics and aesthetics.

- recreates the visual aesthetic of the book in boardgame form.

- uses both offensive and defensive strategy.

- encourages spatial thinking.

- can be played in 20 to 30 minutes.

- meets the golden role of game design: “easy to learn; hard to master.�

- can be used as a promotional tool for the book.

Style Guide House of Leaves is set in conventional black and white, but the word “house� always appears in blue and text related to the Minotaur is red.

Dozens of typefaces are used, but the predominant ones are Times New Roman and Courier New. Layouts range from rigidly confined to a grid to disorderly and chaotic, depending on the pace of the narrative.

Typefaces

Times New Roman Courier New

#ED1C24 #21409A

#FFDC11

#FFFFFF

#000000

Logo

Prototype materials: 18 cards 4 pawns (coins in this photo) 1 11�x11� gridded board 1 six-sided die cubes: 3 one-unit cubes 3 two-unit cubes 3 four-unit cubes 3 five-unit cubes 1 six-unit cube

Rule set 1.0 Players: 3 or 4

Objective: To be the first to get to the center of the sixth floor (the space with a star marked on it.)

Setup: The long 6-block is set up in the center of the board, with the star space facing up wards. The player pawns are set on the corners of the board. The house blocks are set aside.

Playing the game: Players roll the die; highest roll goes first. They take turns rotating clockwise. Each turn, the player has two actions. He rolls the die to determine the number of spaces he can move on the board, and he draws a card to determine which house pieces he can move. These actions can be taken in either order, but must be completed in full before moving on. The player must move his pawn as soon as he rolls the die, and vice-versa he must move house pieces immediately after drawing a card.

Movement: Players can move horizontally or vertically across the board.

The player must move the exact number of spaces on the die, but may retrace his steps or shuffle between two spaces. The only exception is if he is blocked in all directions by walls, ledges, or other players. In that case, he stays where he is.

Players can only move up and down steps one at a time.

Multiple players cannot occupy the same space at the same time, nor can players “jump” over one another.

Shifting the house: Every card has either one number, two numbers, or the word “house”. Players must move house blocks equal to the numbers on the card. For example, if a player draws a 2/5 card, he must move a five-unit piece and a two-unit piece. Blocks off the board can be moved as well as blocks already in play, but once a block is on the board it cannot be taken off again. A block cannot be moved if a) a player is standing on it, or b) moving the block would make the game structurally unstable (for example, if another block is on top of it.)

If no blocks are movable, nothing happens. Blocks can be rotated and placed any way the player wants, so long as c) The block stays aligned with the grid (no diagonals!) d) The structure is stable enough that it will not fall over, even if pawns and other pieces are stacked on top of it.

If a “house” card is drawn, that player must teleport to any upwards-facing space with the word “house” on it. If no such space exists on the board, nothing happens.

What counts as “structurally stable” is somewhat subjective, but intuition and a delicate hand are your best guide. Players should discuss amongst themselves what is allowable or not.

Revisions - Players who draw house cards are able to move any player to a house space.

- The finish space was lowered from six floors high to five.

- Only a very strict policy about not having “hanging” blocks would prevent the structure from collapse.

- Blocks were shaded grayscale in relation to their size, so they could be more easily identified once they were in formation.

- Pictures of houses were used instead of the word “house”, which was difficult to discern on grayscale backgrounds.

- More blocks were added to combat the lack of movable blocks in the late game.

Rule set 2.0 HOUSE OF LEAVES

the unoffical board game1 Rules

steps one at a time. Multiple players cannot occupy the same space at the same time, nor can players “jump” over one another.

Shifting the house: Every card has one number, two numbers, or the word “house” on it. Players may move house blocks equal to the numbers Objective: contents: 1 box, 1 game board, 6 on the card. For example, if a To be the first to get to pawns (1 ruler pawn, 1 “3” pawn, player draws a 2/5 card, he the center of the fifth 1 key pawn, 1 “G” pawn, 1 may move a five-unit block floor (the space with a “ufficier” pawn, 1 compass and a two-unit block. Blocks compass marked on it.) pawn) 44 cards, 1 six-sided die, 1 off the board can be moved as mesh pawn pouch, 1 set of well as blocks already in play, Setup: The long 5-unit block is instructions, 17 house blocks (4 but once a block is on the one-unit blocks, 4 two unit board it cannot be taken off set up in the center of blocks, 4 three-unit blocks, 4 again. The central five-block the board, with the four-unit blocks, 5 five-unit can never be moved, and compass space facing blocks.) other blocks cannot be moved upwards. The player if : pawns are set on the corners of the board. The house blocks a) a player is standing on it, or are set aside. b) moving the block would make the game structurally unstable (for example, if another Playing the game: block is resting on top of it.)

Players roll the die; highest roll goes first. They take turns, rotating If no blocks are movable, nothing happens. clockwise.

Blocks can be rotated and placed any way the player wants, so long as On the player’s turn, he has two actions.

He rolls the die to determine the number of spaces he can move on the board, and c) The block stays aligned with the grid (no diagonals!) he draws a card to determine which d) The structure is stable enough that it will not house blocks he can move. These fall over, even if pawns and other pieces are actions can be taken in either order, but stacked on top of it. must be completed in full before moving on. The player must move his If a “house” card is drawn, that player must pawn as soon as he rolls the die, and teleport himself or another player to an vice-versa he must move house blocks upwards-facing space with a picture of a house immediately after drawing a card. on it. If no such space exists on the board, nothing happens.

Movement: Players can move up to and including Note: What counts as “structurally stable” is the value on the die. They can move somewhat subjective, but intuition and common horizontally or vertically across the sense are your best guide. Players should discuss board, and they can move up and down amongst themselves what is allowable or not.

Players: 3 or 4

1

game by Marie Lazar. Made for ITGM 705 Interactive Design and Media Application. Instructor is David E. Meyers. House of Leaves is the property of Mark Z. Danielewski and Pantheon Books. Used without permission (please don’t sue me).

Final Version