I thought about creating a card game about death. This would be perfect for my idea to make death less scary.
Idea 01: Bohnanza but with death
Bohnanza game instructions: Each player trades in beans, which they grow on their fields and then sell for as much profit as possible. The more beans of the same type a player has on a field, the higher the profit when that bean crop is sold. But unfortunately, a player is often forced to sell their bean harvest far too early at low prices. And sometimes a harvest brings no profit at all. The goal of the game is to earn the most coins through bean trading. (AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH, 1997)
Death version: Each player explores different cultures and their festive traditions, collecting the objects used in their celebrations. The more matching items a player gathers for a culture’s festival, the more points they can earn when the set is completed. But some items are needed in many traditions, making them harder to trade for, while others may be less useful and difficult to pass on. The goal of the game is to score the most points by discovering and trading objects from festivals around the world.
Example: Every player gets a card that shows all the combinations (like in Catan). In Dia de los Muertos it could be a sugar skull, candles, marigolds, Papel Picado, crucifix. The candles and the crucifix are used for multiple cultures, so it might be hard to trade them because others can get easy points for them, so you have to make the trade more interesting for person B. While other cards may not be interesting at all to Person B and they need to get rid of them.
Idea 02: Game of Death
In place of “The Game of Life” we play “Game of Death”. This is harder for me personally because I haven’t played the game yet, it might just be fun solely for the name.
The Game of Life Instructions: Hit the road for a roller-coaster life of adventure, family, unexpected surprises, and pets! Want to take the family path, start a career, or venture down a risky road? In this game, players can make their own exciting choices as they move through the twists and turns of life. Move the car token around the gameboard from Start to Retirement, and experience unexpected surprises related to family, career, and other milestones of life. Players can adopt pets in this version of The Game of Life game. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins! (Hasbro, 2017)
Death version: Each player begins as Clotho spins a thread of fate. Lachesis measures its length, setting the strength of the journey ahead. Players race through destiny, but random events and choices shorten or strengthen that thread. When Atropos cuts a player’s thread, they are out. The last player whose thread remains uncut, or the one with the highest fate score when all threads are measured, wins.
Idea 03: Risk but with death
Risk game instruction: Who will conquer the world? When 2–5 players aged 10 and up engage in a strategic battle on the game board, it’s time for RISK. In Risk, players place their armies tactically on the board to occupy territories strategically. But while they try to conquer more land, their opponents’ armies are already in position. With infantry, cavalry, and artillery, they march in and attack. A risky battle begins, and because fights are decided with dice, no one knows what unpredictable events will occur or who will ultimately lead their army to victory. (Hasbro, 2015)
Death version: Players lead doomed factions across a fractured map, fighting for control of cursed territories, lost cities, and fading borders. Every battle is decided by dice, and every roll could mean triumph, collapse, or total extinction. As alliances break and armies fall, only one power will remain standing when the world finally goes silent.
Source
AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH. (1997). Bohnanza: „Ich glaub’ es hackt!“ (3rd ed.). AMIGO Spiel + Freizeit GmbH. https://www.ggnf.de/spielanleitungen/bohnanza/bohnanza.pdf
Hasbro (2017). Das Spiel des Lebens: Spielanleitung. Hasbro https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_de-de_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
Hasbro (2015). Risiko: Regelbuch. Hasbro https://gzhls.at/blob/ldb/c/8/d/1/581db99c85c8ea1b9954633303aab0b50eaa.pdf
