New Rule

Introduction: Find out just how “humane” your fellow humans really are. When disaster strikes and the situation forces the toughest ethical decisions, who will you cast overboard to save the group? Be warned, though: this game rewards the self-sacrificing as well as the covetous. Based on the treatise Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor by political philosopher Garret Hardin, this game will test your ruthlessness and drive to survive against your ethical principles and moral fiber.

Players: 3-5

Materials:

• Regular-sized bags of identically-shaped, multicolored candies (such as M&Ms or Skittles), at least two bags per player.
• Two bowls to hold the candies.

Setting Up: Ensure that the candies come in enough colors to provide one unique color to each player. Place all candies into one bowl and set it to the side — this is the ship. Set the other, empty bowl into the center of the table — this is the lifeboat. Designate a first player; play proceeds to the left and turns are led in rotation: the position of first player rotates one seat to the left at the start of each round.

How to Play: Before play begins, the first player draws one candy of each color from the ship bowl and distributes one to each player, including themselves. If any are leftover, remove all candies of this color from the ship and set them aside out from play. This should be done secretly so that no player knows any other player’s color. Next, each player draws twenty candies at random from the ship and places them in the center of the table — into the open water. Finally, each player chooses five candies from those in open water and places them into the lifeboat bowl. These are the initial survivors, and those who must work to keep the lifeboat afloat.

Working the Lifeboat: Each turn, the “people” in the lifeboat have to work to keep it afloat — bailing water, stopping leaks, paddling, and so on. Beginning with the first player, each player draws one candy from the lifeboat and holds it in their hand. Drawing continues until each player holds three candies. Those remaining in the lifeboat are the loafers — unable or unwilling to assist the group, they cannot be allowed to remain. Before the round can proceed, each player must choose one of these to cast overboard, effected by eating the candy. Players may discuss and debate as much as they wish at this point about which should be eaten, but ultimately each player must eat one of the candies in the lifeboat. Once this is accomplished, players replace the candies in their hand into the lifeboat and the round continues to survivors.

Survivors: Each round, those in the lifeboat rescue a small number of survivors in open water and a small number are claimed by the sea and drown. The players collectively choose two candies per player to add to the lifeboat and one candy per player to be claimed by the sea and destroyed. Again, the players may debate and discuss as much as they choose, but ultimately some must go into the bowl and some must be eaten. If fewer than three candies per player remain in open water, ensure that two per player are saved before any are eaten. Once this is accomplished, the round concludes with fortune and misfortune.

Fortune and Misfortune: At the end of each round, all players close their eyes and draw one candy at random from the lifeboat to eat. This represents loss due to exposure, disease, injury, or ill luck. Once accomplished, the round is over and a new round begins with the next player in sequence as first player.

Winning the Game: Play continues until a round ends with no candies remaining in open water. At this event, each player eats one more candy of their choice from the lifeboat to represent further loss to misfortune. Finally, the players reveal their color and all candies in the lifeboat are removed and tallied. The player with the second-highest number of candies of their color on the table is the winner!

Tags: Game Design //