TEN THOUSAND THINGS // synopsis for Fastaval (DK) board game competition

TEN THOUSAND THINGS * sandbox card-driven and story-telling game of cosmological world-creation |§1| The Great Tide ebbed through the Cosmos and washed all Things away. As a one of Three Sovereigns, surviving demigods of ancient China, players need to follow the Way of Things to repopulate Mankind and redesign the Earth once again. |§2| They do this by constructing Images and uttering Names of great power, thus, channelling their abstract substance to new material forms.

However, as wind blows and thunder rolls and mountains turn to lakes, a seed of Life awaits in the Earth soil to awake – and change Things once and for all.

|§3| Why is there something instead of nothing?

Where do we come from? What is our purpose? Does god exist? |§4| To answer these questions, TEN THOUSAND THINGS breaks down two distinct cosmological models from science and philosophy and rebuilds them into a single tabletop game format. Here, teachings of Taoism and the practice of I Ching, a divination tool of great wisdom and antiquity, blend together with now widely accepted theory of Big Bang (and just a sprinkle of Silmarillion!) to create robust, organic and authentic game system, an interactive allegory of the creation of the universe.

WORLD OF TEN THOUSAND THINGS |§5| TTT is sandbox deck-building game with emphasis on exploration and story-telling for at least one player. TTT is designed to allow quick one-off sessions or continuous campaign spanning hundreds of in-game years with players reincarnating from character to character and slowly shaping the world around them. |§6| The look of the game honours eastern traditions of simplicity and harmony with nature.

Image #1 [earlier prototype] Set-up for three player game. /// The Bowl —sum of all the Potentiality in the Cosmos, a symbol of Infinity— stores all components before and between games of TTT. Components stored inside the Bowl are non-active (potential); components played outside the Bowl become active (manifested). Everything starts in the Bowl. Players can regulate the length of a game by adjusting the initial amount of components poured into the Bowl. /// Six Spaces around the Bowl act as a player board. They are made up of ordinary Stones (and dried flowers as decoration) collected by players before the game as part of TTT tradition. |§7| Here, shape, colour and material of each and every game component have been carefully considered to complement the theme and enhance

TEN THOUSAND THINGS || 2-4 players + 1 GM (optional) || 90-120 minutes || Design by Filip KEVELY || fastaval@pankevely.com || +44 744 6069 515

the experience. New playing pieces enter the game gradually as the world transforms from a swirling mass of energy into a lush landscape.

out of which everything comes from and to which all returns.

CHARACTERS OF TEN THOUSAND THINGS |§10| A game of TTT starts with one player taking on the role of ancient Chinese demigod (known as Sovereign) trying to repopulate the Mankind and reshape the Earth after the Great Tide. A role of Sovereign is, in essence, a non-playing one: she feeds the game with cards depicting various things (Images) and concepts (Names) but has no direct control over the game. Think of a ‘dungeon master’ with a twist.

Image #2 [earlier prototype] Aspects. /// In my right hand: A mountain (one red), a forest (one green) and a big lake (two blue). All in balance (one black to one white). |§8| Under certain conditions and during certain Seasons (see: LAWS OF TEN THOUSAND THINGS), Aspects will leave the potentiality of the Bowl and get washed up on the Stones of the World, that is, on one of the areas on the game ‘board’. Through the power of the colour alone –enhanced by vivid examples featured in TTT rulebook– heaps of marbles become forests, mountains, rivers and lakes. More Aspects of the same colour mean bigger, taller, deeper natural biomes with more dominant effect on the game world. |§9| Black and white marbles stand for Dark and Light Principles, Yin and Yang, female and male, electron and proton, a symbol of Primordial Duality

|§11| Later on, as the game world develops and Life emerges amidst marbles and cards, other players might claim any valid ‘life tokens’ and join the game as Emperors of that particular species. This represents a completely new player role —different from that of the Sovereign— with a different set of rules and actual game goals to fulfil and score points for.

Image #3 [earlier prototype] The time has come for gods to walk the Earth again – and protect their Heavenly realm. |§12| Naturally, this creates conflict. Emperors wage wars and create alliances to secure precious resources for their kind. Most ambitious and powerful of them can even attempt to dethrone Sovereign herself – and become new ‘dungeon masters’ for the game!

LAWS OF TEN THOUSAND THINGS |§13| It is only in accord with the theme and its Taoist roots that the world of TTT does not need players to grow and flourish. In fact, any player interaction only throws its natural harmony off balance. The real challenge for players is not to send the Earth to ruins by depleting its resources (Aspects) and destroying its very core (Stones) in their strife for power and glory. |§14| Here, a sequence of eight Seasons (game turns) makes up for one cosmic year (game round).

Each Season is connected to single natural phenomena and regulates the coming and going of game components and their distribution around the board. |§15| In Young Spring, 震 Zhèn, everything moves: Stones and Aspects (marbles) and Images & Names (cards) move from Space to Space based on the push and pull of Dark and Light Principles (ratio of black to white marbles). In Old Spring, 巽 Xùn, elements

progress: Stones turn to Dark and Light Principles (black and white marbles), Dark and Light Principles turn to Dark and Light Aspects (cyan-yellow-magenta and red-blue-green marbles, respectively), Aspects turn to Images & Names. In Young Autumn, 兌 Duì, Life is born and nurtured: in Space with enough Stones and Aspects, ‘life tokens’ enter the game board. In Old Winter, 艮 Gèn, everything comes to completion: clean-up phase and scoring for the round if applicable, etc. |§16| Hence, the world of TTT unfolds in its own terms.

red (2R) and one yellow (1Y) Aspect (big mountain and dessert) and the “Ordinary Sword” (1R) card. |§20| Cards entering the game board from the Deck of Heaven split into several Decks of Earth, smaller decks of cards connected to particular Spaces around the Bowl. Emperors can travel to those areas and draw cards from them. They cannot draw cards directly from the Deck of Heaven! |§21| Cards already in possession by Emperors form Decks of Men, each one owned and customised by that particular player to suit his player style.

|§17| Then there are cards. They represent things (Images) and concepts (Names) not of natural origin, therefore, not able to be expressed by basic game components: anything from magical items, spells and abilities to architecture, lands and natural phenomena. |§18| All TTT cards have their origin in the Deck of Heaven, a custom deck of cards build before the game by Sovereign herself and updated occasionally to introduce new elements into the narrative. They are highly sought by all Emperors who can utilise their power to further their goals. |§19| Imagine: a Space w/ three red (3R) and one yellow (1Y) Aspect (huge mountain and a dessert). In Old Summer, 坤 Kūn, a top card of Deck of Heaven gets revealed: “Haunted Forest” (1R-1G-2M). Nothing happens. One more: “Ordinary Sword” (1R). Card gets activated. Thus, we end up with a Space w/ two

powerful opponent. Still, unless one card’s number and suit trumps the other’s (which it does not in this example), it is up to Sovereign to determine the outcome of the conflict. |§22| Here, rule-oriented world of board games meets somehow random and loose role-playing scene to create an experience of its own.

TEN THOUSAND THINGS & FASTAVAL |§23| TEN THOUSAND THINGS is a work of passion and contemplation about the world around us. I hope it will be enjoyed by wide variety of players —from board gaming and role-playing scene alike— and bring not only joy but some of the wisdom of the ancients into their lives. |§24| Previous London play-tests were usually followed by I Ching divinations mixed with further discussion about Taoism and its teaching. I am prepared to offer the same as part of my Fastaval entry.

Image #4 [earlier prototype] At this point, cards are used just to back the shared narrative created

by Sovereigns and Emperors. They do not have any game abilities per se – just numbers (0-3) and suits ((R)ed, (B) lue, (G)reen, (C)yan, (Y)ellow, (M)agenta). Like other game components, they work mostly on symbolic level: “Ordinary Sword” (1R) card acquired by Emperor can be used to attack “Evil Zen Monk” (3R-3M) card and it is up to the player to describe how he would overcome his