Corvus has opened up the round table this month for another entry and I think I have a good one. At the end of my last one I mentioned that there must be a good game somewhere in the story of Frankenstein; after writing that it came to me. This past week I was struck by inspiration (or a lightning bolt) and an idea popped into my head, so I now give you:
Frankenstein the board game:
For this game, it will be 2 players only and I can imagine this working best on the computer using multiplayer. The game will be split between two rounds, one player will control Victor, the other will play as the monster. The game begins with the player controlling Victor; they will build the monster using cards that represent various parts. The player will roll a die from 1 to 6 for each of the following groups: Arms, Legs, Head, Torso, Heart and Brain to determine how many of each type they have to pick from. Each type of part has various stats based on it which determine how easy or hard the player controlling the monster will have it. Besides stats each card has points associated with it, the better the part the more points it’s worth. These points make up a pool of the maximum amount of points the player who is Victor can earn for the round. The better a creature they make, the more points they can earn but this means making it easier for the second player.
The monster’s main goal is to perform a variety of tasks against Victor to make his life hell, with each task worth a certain number of points. Completing a task will take those points from Victor’s pool. Tasks will be randomized at the start to keep both players guessing. During the monster’s turn he will be able to move around the world map country by country depending on the movement rating on his legs. Each country has a security rating which is how active the police are looking for suspicious people, when the monster enters a country he must roll a die to beat the security number. The number will also be modified depending on a “recognition” stat that is based on the sum total from every physical part of the monster. The more disturb he looks the greater the penalty. If the monster rolls less then the security rating then Victor will know which countries he has been sighted in during his turn. If the monster rolls a very low number he may be attacked by police officers causing damage to his health. Each task is based on a stat such as intelligence, strength, etc. The higher the stat the more die the monster can roll to attempt the task. Meaning that depending on the stats, some tasks may be unavailable to the monster.
While the monster is doing his thing, Victor has goals of his own to complete. Victor’s movement rating each turn is determined by how much money he is willing to spend, with money coming in a fix amount each turn. In each country he can also shop for weapons or equipment that could aid him in his quest. If Victor enters a country that has the monster and finds him, he can attack him and use a dice roll to determine how much damage (if any) he can do. Besides killing the monster he could also try to appease it, some countries may have parts he could use to build a female creature that if he does it will end the game. However depending on the quality of the parts, the player will suffer a % of the score pool lost. Victor has other ways of using his money; he can place a bounty on the monster for the next round. Depending on how much money is spent, the monster could take more damage for failing a security roll, or even jailed in the country for X amount of turns. The downside is that each country will need to be bribed and the bonus only lasts a few turns, spending all your money early will leave you stuck until the cash rolls in.
Each player has different methods of ending the round. The monster can be killed which will give Victor a 500 point bonus to his pool, or the monster can flee away from civilization and away from Victor forever. When the monster escapes the game will end and Victor will get how many points are left in his pool, but no bonus for killing him. This can be attempted at any time but it is better for the monster to complete some tasks first. Note the game will not end if the monster reduces the pool down to zero, as Victor can still earn the point bonus for killing the creature.
Victor has two ways of ending the round, either by killing the monster or by appeasing him with a wife. As mentioned there is a chance that a country Victor is in will have a suitable part to use for a lot of money. Each part will have a negative percent rating which the sum total will determine how many points Victor will lose when he finishes the creature. This can be a way to end the game before the monster completes a high valued task and at least walk away with some points. Once one of the end situations has happened round two will start with the player’s roles switched, whoever has the most points at the end of the 2nd round will win the game.
I think this idea could work and follows the theme of the story. Victor is obsessed with creating the perfect creature which will turn against him. The player must choose between getting a chance at more points vs. having an easier game. As the monster, you must choose between living in peace (aka living) or seeking revenge and putting your life at risk. It also goes with the motif that the biggest danger is man as the player is the one who built the creature and gave it all of its advantages and now man is the one trying to kill his creation.
Josh
