Rephrase on the new board game question?

Question

hey guys...i think there were misinterpretations on my question...but here it is 'm trying to design my own board game with the main focus on trains...im planning to have 4 players with 1 as a terrorist 1 as an officer and 2 as civillians....they will be playing on a board with train stations and move around the board...and the aims is to catch the terrorist b4 he bombs a station.....so u guys got any ideas on how to carry this out??? for example rules.... any ideas appreciated..'

What i mean is anyone have any ideas on the roles of the respective players?? Thx lots

Answer 1

This sounds like an interesting, yet difficult game concept as you've drawn it out-- especially since there really doesn't seem to be a distinct goal for the two civilians.  Also, it seems like either the terrorist wins, or everyone else does-- so either the identities of the players are hidden, or you've got a 3-against-1 situation, meaning the terrorist should have some definite advantages.

I would suggest keeping the roles secret-- which means you've got to establish goals that the terrorist will attempt that will (if he's lucky) keep his identity hidden, or (if he's unlucky) reveal his identity and force him into something drastic.

The identities of the other civilians might also be a bit more devious, such as rival terrorist groups trying to steal this terrorist's bomb, or a mafia agent trying to kill the police officer as vengance. Essentially, add a little intregue so that the players each have distinct goals as they move around.  And, nobody wants to directly reveal their identity for fear of reprisal from somebody else.

Tasks might include hiding or removing weapons or bomb elements in various spots around the train, searching those spots, or any number of other things.  And tasks might have different difficulties, too.  You might need to wait until a lucky die roll or something to access the bathroom without drawing attention to yourself, or take some chances by roughing up the other passengers (which is easier to do, but more likely to result in being caught).

For the sake of "being caught", you could be caught by NPC's who are other train workers.  They might confiscate any weapons you're carrying if they catch you doing something naughty, or make you lose a turn or two by debriefing you.  Or even give you "warnings" which, if not heeded, result in being easier to catch later, or even being tossed from the train.

Obviously the policeman would have a bonus in that department, but for all intents and purposes, you could either argue that he doesn't have a badge, or simply isn't capable of anything too conspicuous.

Well, hopefully that will give you some ideas to play with.

DaveE