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a new theme with a resource depletion mechanic

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Anonymous

The basic outline as it leapt from my normally infertile mind :idea:

Garbage disposal: (working title: GIGO) each player controls a metropolitan Sanitation Department with garbage to get rid of and a budget with which to do it. The player with the least in the municipal landfill wins. There are several types of waste produced, and as each city grows during the course of the game, more is produced. The player must balance the changing costs of disposal of the garbage with the space in the municipal landfill and ever changing federal regulations as to what can be done with the refuse. Improvements can be made to the city which changes the dynamics of the refuse production, giving the player more options with which to work. Recyclable garbage can return money to your Sanitation budget, depending on the capacity of your recycling system. A certain portion of your general waste can also be sold to power production facilities to burn for electricity.

(The resource that gets depleted is your very sparse landfill area, where you may dispose of refuse for free. As I thought further about it, this may even be renewable with an adequate expenditure form your budget. Comments please)

All comments will be respected, even if outright disregarded :wink:

Hamumu
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Joined: 12/31/1969
a new theme with a resource depletion mechanic

I don't have much to say overall, but one thing stands out as amusing to me: the idea of constantly changing federal regulations. I like the idea of that as a deck of cards, and maybe every turn, or every so often, you draw a new card. At all times there are 3 regulations face-up on the table, and when you draw a new one, the oldest one is discarded. It's a great rendition of the byzantine insanity of bureacracy - for no apparent reason, suddenly food trash is no longer allowed in landfills. And best of all, half the time two of the regulations will directly conflict, leaving the players completely at a loss. Very accurate (as I sit here looking at my sales tax return for the year).

That'd be a nice element that would constantly change the playing field. You'd have to keep the regulations somewhat minor to avoid making the game pure luck,

Anonymous
a new theme with a resource depletion mechanic

This was exactly along my line of thinking. Cards which read like (i.e.) "The Federal Government has passed a new set of regulations prohibiting the recycling of items not specifically made for recycling, therefore bearing the official recyclable emblem soon to be approved by the Office of Emblem Design and Affixation. No recycling may take place while this card is in play."
No serious, game throwing effects.

I am working out a initial draft of the rules, and have otssed together a game set with some of my bits laying about. Once they are ready I will post them here.

disclamer
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Interestingly enough,

I was thinking of a waste disposal game a couple weekends ago, though I hadn't gone into as much detail as you have. It came up because I was discussing landfills with some friends, and the fact that many cities pay big money to haul their trash long distances to landfills in out-of-the-way areas. (they live near a landfill in Michigan that accepts waste from Canada!) We joked that somebody must be getting Stinking Rich and several of us said, "that would make an interesting game."

DSfan
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Joined: 12/31/1969
a new theme with a resource depletion mechanic

Ya, most landfills in Michigan accept Canada's waste. Which could make an interesting idea.

It could be set Michigan, and one of the cards or something, would say "Canada Is dumping there trash, in Michigan, and they picked your landfill" and at the bottom would be how much trash you have to accept from them.

Just a few ideas.

-Justin

Anonymous
a new theme with a resource depletion mechanic

The best part is you can incorporate a sub-mechanic into the whole endeavor detailing the mafia as there is NOTHING more gangster than landfills and garbage removal (think: Sopranos).

Dead bodies and pay-offs ahoy!

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