Version 0.3 - 10.12.14

Background

It is the day after tomorrow and you disparate nations are humanity's last hope. Resting on an artificial Island to escape a flooded Earth, you build humanity's only hope of salvation: the Space Ladder.

Objective

The Space Ladder will be completed at the end of the 12th turn. Make sure that the Space Ladder is unflooded for that duration. The player with the most meeple alive at the end wins, ties are permitted.

Materials

A 10x10 square grid map to serve as the island. If it’s larger, draw water surrounding it on all sides.

20 cubes each in 4 different colors to serve as levees

32 meeple to represent population centers

50 blue counters to represent the water

One 10-sided die

One 4-sided die

Setup

Randomly assign each of the 4 players a color combination

Draw four 4x4 territories in each of the corners.

Each player then places 8 meeple within their territory in any configuration they like as long as there aren’t more than 2 on one tile. Choose wisely as they can’t be moved again.

Additionally, the players start with levees (1 cube) on the edges of the 8 tiles that border the water.

Finally, the space ladder is placed on the 4 center squares of the island.

Player Turn

Players take their turns simultaneously.

At the start of each turn, all players gain cubes equal to half the number of meeple they still have alive (rounded down).

These cubes can be placed along the edges anywhere on the map.

1 cube on the edge of an unflooded tile constitutes a levee in that direction.

2 cubes on the edge of an unflooded tile as a reinforced levee in that direction.

3 cubes on the edge of an unflooded tile constitutes a dyke in that direction.

Additionally, 2 cubes can be placed on a flooded tile to pump out the water from that tile.

The Flood

After dams are built, the flood comes in.

First, check if there are any flooded tiles that aren’t surrounded by levees. If there are any, the water will go 1 tile each in any and all directions that have no levees or dykes.

Next, roll the d4. The water will flood in from the direction that it indicates (1 is left side and 4 is bottom).

Then, roll the d10. This indicates the tile the flood is coming from (the count goes top to bottom or left to right based on the side). Check the destruction section for effects.

You do this twice for rounds 1-4, thrice for 5 - 8, and four times for 9 - 12.

Destruction

If the tile indicated by the dice has a levee facing the water, that levee is destroyed and that tile becomes flooded. Indicate this by putting a blue water counter on that tile. Any other levees on that tile remain intact.

If the tile has a reinforced levee facing the water, the levee is destroyed but the tile remains unflooded

If the tile instead has a dyke facing the water, nothing happens.

If the tile instead has no levee or dyke, the flood rushes in and that tile becomes flooded. In addition, all 3 tiles sharing an edge with it may also become flooded if they have no levees or dykes along those edges. (If they do have a levee or dyke, nothing happens in that direction).

If ever both tiles on either side of a levee or dyke become flooded, that structure is destroyed and the cubes are removed.

Game End

If any of the tiles consisting of the Space Ladder get flooded, all players immediately lose the game.

Otherwise, at the end of 12 turns the players with the most meeple alive win.