HomeSearch
JudgesReadersPrizes
Winners & Finalists
20151617182019
Downloads & Prints

The New Gods of Babel • 2018 rpg finalist

Brian Molina • www.bardsandnobles.com

You are newborn gods, shaping the physical world in your image. Existence is without until you breathe life into it. The complete Jenga Tower before the players represents this unshaped world, and what remains at the end of the game is the world you and the other gods have built together.

On your turn, you can...
    ...pull and place a block to add a new detail to the world
    ...pull and place two blocks to change a detail that another god has added
    ...remove and keep any block from the game to undo a detail added by another god
    ...remove yourself from the game, content with your place and power as a lesser god

The game ends when...
    ...all remaining players agree to stop adding details, content with the Utopia they have created
    ...the tower falls, as reality snaps from the constant bending and reforming from so many different wills, and all gods are erased from existence

Whoever pulled the last block from a standing tower is crowned King and Ruler Cosmic Above All Others
Whoever pulled the last block before the tower fell is named Eternal Shame Of The Horizon
Whoever possesses the most blocks goes first next game

Author Comments

This has been influenced by a number of eastern religions, and hopes to explore some concepts of contentedness, hubris, pride, cooperation, and humility, not just through the theme of the game, but through the mechanics as well. In addition, I’ve always loved the idea of rpg’s that are functional and can be used for other rpg’s. The shared worldbuilding in The New Gods of Babel makes for a great jumping off point for a campaign in your favorite rpg, or as a new setting for your worldbuilding pleasure.

Judge Comments

The game that for me was the most cohesive regarding theme and mechanics is The New Gods of Babel for sure. A brilliant parallel between the hubris of the gods using a Jenga tower as a metaphor of Babel. Brilliant. - Rugerfred

New Gods of Babel deserves a shoutout. It had something, it made us think. - Maxwell


Discuss this Entry