The Buddhist Wheel of Life and Death... board game?

[Gamer Printshop]

So I had the most interesting visit to my graphics shop last Friday morning. A regional Buddhist bishop (?) is one of several Buddhist priest/adherents that attend an annual meeting of monks at a local pavillion center - they showed up last year for the first annual meeting and needed to make some copies of a report they were sharing with attendees. Back when they first came here, I showed off my Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG), as well as the many maps I design and print that are scattered across my shop. So they are familiar with what I do and my involvement in the game industry. This bishop (I don't know her real title) approached me about helping her developing a board game/card game that teaches adherents the process and concepts of the Buddhist Wheel of Life and Death.

A few early ideas:

• A game with both competitive and cooperative aspects among players.
• Inclusion of karma, the realms of the Wheel, use of positive and negative aspects. Where you are at is more important than what is in your hand.
• Begin the game with a handful of cards, when forced to deal with worldly issues, more cards are drawn, with the winning goal of ending with an empty hand.
• Different locations on the Wheel of Life and Death alter what players can do in game.

At this time, I have no idea what the cards represent or how they are depicted, but would involve acquiring/spending karma, drawing/discarding cards, movement on the wheel as different options.

This is very early in development, and I am waiting for the bishop to send me detailed text explanation to all places on the wheel and how they relate to each other. Once I have a firmer grasp with how the Wheel actually works, I can get more ideas on what kind of game mechanics is needed to best drive the game. Once all development is complete, the bishop and I will probably run a Kickstarter to fund the project.

Buddhist adherents are the primary targetted market for this game product, though it could also be used as a theraputic tool to help people cope with real life problems. I could also see non-Buddhists using the game as an introduction to Buddhist concepts as well as being an interesting possible family game.

Thoughts?

[Steerpike]

This sounds fascinating.

I can only imagine that rebirth/reincarnation would have to play a significant role.

I can imagine a lot of possible mechanics.  Like getting trapped in the Desire Realm and having your Karma deplete... or getting reborn as a Hungry Ghost and using your powers to mess with the other players unless they give you sacrifices.

One thing that occurs to me - I'm not up on my Buddhism, but the end goal is basically Nirvana, right?  You sublime into this state of desire-less, suffering-free egolessness.  But in playing a boardgame, aren't you almost by definition trapped in the very states of being that Buddhism wants you to reject?  Competitiveness, avarice, jealousy, a desire to win, to beat your fellow players - these are common in most boardgames.  It seems to me a Buddhist boardgame would have to be careful not to feed into those kinds of desires...

[Gamer Printshop]

While there most likely will only be a single winner. I've been thinking about some winning restrictions, like when your hand becomes empty, no player can have more than 4 cards in their hand. There might be varying ranks of winning with the least number of held cards for all players. The perfect game being all players end with no cards in their hand. Perhaps what any player can do improves with fewer cards in all players hands. Just wild ideas, but looking to see what avenues I could go to make things more cooperative.

[SA]

The perfect game being all players end with no cards in their hand

There should be a cooperative 'post-game' wherein players without cards assist those still locked in Samsara. Once you're no longer trapped in your own cycle of suffering, you're officially on everybody's team.

[HippopotamusDundee]

A friend of mine actually wrote a game based on a loosely similar premise, about a group of Bodhisattvas offering guidance and wisdom to the string of random pilgrims who come by the mountaintop where they live. I can provide a link (it's free) if you think it might be a useful thing to look into?

[Gamer Printshop]

Its very early in development. Any help is help. :)

[SA]

A friend of mine actually wrote a game based on a loosely similar premise

The Bodhisattva's Smile, I'm guessing. I stumbled upon that little gem a few months ago, and loved it. Very thought provoking!

Gamer Printshop, if this game reaches Kicksarter, I'll back the Naraka out of it.

[HippopotamusDundee]

A friend of mine actually wrote a game based on a loosely similar premise

The Bodhisattva's Smile, I'm guessing. I stumbled upon that little gem a few months ago, and loved it. Very thought provoking!

That's the one!