Ideas for digital Meme that Changed the World____________________________________
• 4-7 players (playtest to see if more possible/fun)
SET-UP
• PLAYER: Pick / Declare Meme’s Alignment (idea - picking 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice … so
computer can insure minimum redundancy among players)
o Sexy (Pleasure Seeking & all for show) vs Modest (Who you are and how you act that
matters, not what you look like)
o Anarchistic (freedom & everyone for themselves) vs Ordered (sacrificing civil liberties
for common good)
o Violent (Might is right and only the strong should rule) vs Peace (Why can’t we all be
friends. Regards power as a responsibility to be used wisely, and to help those less
fortunate)
• PLAYER:Name meme and write brief synopsis of the world state they are working towards
o Winner’s text will be used at game end to describe the meme that changed the world
• PLAYER: Pick set of 3 subgoals to constitute meme’s implied agenda (defining win condition).
Subgoal sets presented as a list based upon those available to one’s alignment.
o Sets need to constitute a balance of easy and hard goals (so players likely to succeed in a
motivating progression of success.
o Subgoals should be desired world states, that once achieved must be maintained…but can
also be lost due to betrayals or shifts in world dynamics.
• PLAYER: Cycle through Citizens Compatible with Meme (based on alignment) – Select 3 as Devouts
o Reasons to pick a devout unaffiliated with a group
 can investigate citizens and groups more easily with less chance of being detected
 can later join a group more easily than a previously affiliated one
 less conspicuous overall, especially when spying or spreading the word of their
meme
 Influence over free radicals?
o Reasons to pick devout affiliated with a group
 enjoy influence over group, and resources or other groups controlled
o Should players be forced to start with unaffiliated memes, or maybe allowed only one in
a starting group?
o (idea) Should players begin already controlling a “home” group, led by a favored
Devout?
 if so Cycle through Groups Compatible with Meme – Select 1 for Favored Devout
• COMPUTER: World Laid Out, People Dots Positioned, Groups formed
o World populated with dots of citizens. Expecting a population that is small enough to
support about 2 groups / alignment with about 3-10 starting members each, without
having so many people as to make the it impossible to eventually track down the some of
the devouts of other memes. Groups formed by computer, insuring that at least 2 groups
exist predisposed towards each of the six alignments.
 Estimate starting world population of 150, 12 groups of different sizes & range of
alignments, with about 70 people in groups and 80 not in groups.
o Each Player sees own devouts specially marked.
o Mainstream Alignment starts as neutral – so representation of mainstream shown as gray
o (idea)Favored Devout positioned in selected Group, all others located outside groups
o (idea) Should players see all people and all groups, but only see alignment colored for
people their devouts are near or those they have spied on?
PLAY BEGINS
• Each Player Schedules their Devout’s Actions from list provided (list being defined by that which is
available to devout given their affiliation with groups and their alignment). Actions include:
o Seeking membership in group
o Sharing their beliefs ( shifting alignment of citizens around them, but also making it
easier for other players to detect them if their memes are nearby)
 successfully spreading meme when a member of group could potentially shift
groups alignment, and thus make it easier to be nominated group leader in the
future!
o Spy on citizen ( detecting what actions they’ve done, what alignment – if not obvious,
and essentially if they are a devout of another player)
 (idea) Players should be able to uniquely identify people (by being able to see
their name when they click on them). That way they can check up on people over
time, watching how they join or leave groups, or spy on them time and again and
build up black mail dirt, etc…
 Slightly risky, can be found out and identified
o Spy on a group (detecting general alignments and leadership structure of another group,
and detecting what actions groups responsible for, but without giving away which
individuals ultimately responsible)
 Slightly risky, can be found out and identified
o Defend against a spy. This may be described by the game or even functionally vary as
follows:
 Losing a tail
 Turning the tide, and identifying tail
 Planting false evidence to lead the tail to another or giving them erroneous
information
 Neutralizing a spy (arrest, physical attack, blackmail, framing them for
something)
o Confront a citizen – How exactly this is described could be determined based on
alignment, nonetheless the functionality can be the same…
 attempting to neutralize a citizen by blackmailing them, arresting them,
intimidating/killing them.
 Risky action, can back-fire
 attempting to control an individual, as through persuasion, trickery, or coercion
 Risky action, can back-fire
 Allows devout to command target to perform tasks
 attempting to convert a new devoute already of proper alignment
 Slighty risky action
o Control a group’s action (when leader)
o Publicly push for group’s action (when a member, but not leader) – Public
 Leaves vulnerable to spying
o Underhandedly push for group’s action
 Risky action – but if successful spying will not determine that devout responsible
 Could jeopardize affiliation/popularity in group
o Send secret message to another player
MECHANICS
Implied Agendas of Memes ( combining from following examples of subgoals):
Swaying mainstream (or X number of deviants?) to your alignment
Controlling a group of X alignment with at least Y members
Controlling Resource X
Preventing opposing alignment from doing one of above
Groups
attempt to merge groups
attempt to gain control or a favor from another group
attempt to faction/split group
attempt to control resource
activate/use a controlled resource to do X (based on resource ability)
Issue order to a controlled group
Recruit members
Oppose action of another group
People’s Characteristics
Alignment
Money
Occupation
Connections
Persuasiveness
Seductiveness
Know-How
Resistance (to persuasion)
Resistance (to intimidation)
Thing’s People can do (and typically have done to them):
Assasinate
Arrest
Protest
Slander
Demoralize
Intimidate
Imitate (Impersonate)
Persuade
Seduce
Drug
Fight / Attack
Cause Unrest
Raise Money
Boost Moral
Suggest
Preach
Gossip
Relocate
Follow/Tail/Stalk
Work
Groups
Abilities
Influence/Relations with other groups
Puppet Master, Supporter, Ally, Trade, Antagonistic
Membership Requirements
Organization ( Cellular, Unified, Affiliated, Communal, Hierarchical)
Rule (Majority, Leader, Committee, Self-Sustaining, Anarchistic)
Alignments
Actions Groups Can Take
Prosecute
Market
Harass
Riot
Rebel
Protect
Uncover
Make Laws
Rally
Strike
Broadcast
Fund Raise
Support Group
Nominate Leaders
Idolize
Celebrate
Protect
Regulate
World Resources
Groups compete for control of world resources
News Media (Favors Mid-Sized Sexy Groups)
Internet (Favors Many Small Anarchistic Groups)
Fashion / Consumer Goods (Favors Mid-Sized Sexy Groups)
Law / Courts (Favors Large Ordered or Peaceful Groups)
Law Enforcement (Favors Small Ordered Groups)
Black Market (Favors Mid-Sized Anarchistic or Violent Group)
Fame / Infamy (Favors Individuals of All Alignments)
Military (Favors Large Violent or Modest Groups)
Religion (Favors Large Modest Groups)
The Arts (Favors Small Sexy or Peaceful)
Universities (Favors midsized Peaceful groups)
Group size influences ability to control resources
Devouts
Player Choices for Devouts Outside Group
Find Group (by alignment)
Join Group
Investigate Group
Spread Meme
Start Rumor
Falsify Information
Relocate
Make Public Statement (if connected)
Work
Socialize / Make Friends
Follow / Investigate Individual
Harass Individual
Alignments
Sexy (Visionary)
Modest (Practical)
Popular Appeal, Bad with Money, Persuasive,
Control Media, Visible
Wealthy, Resists Regulation, Resistant to
Persuasion
Ordered (Collectivistic)
Anarchistic (Individualistic)
Regulate, Enforce, Untrusted
Concealment, Investigate, Unpredictable
Violent (Action Oriented)
Vulnerable to Regulation & Enforcement,
Assassinate, Intimidate
Avoid Investigation, Resist Enforcement, Inert
Peaceful (Idealistic)
World States by Alignment
Monarchy / Dictator (Sexy/based on leader)
Democracy (Anarchistic/Modest)
Republic (Modest/neutral)
Free Trade Market (Anarchistic)
Militant (Violent/Ordered)
Feudal (Violent/Anarchistic)
Moral (Modest)
Pleasure Seeking (Sexy/Anarchistic)
Occupation Centered (Ordered/Modest)
Socialist (Peaceful/Ordered)
Communal (Peaceful/Anarchistic)
Anarchy (Violent/Anarchistic)
Agricultural (Modest/Peaceful)
Industrial (Violent/Modest)
Technological (Sexy/Anarchistic)