User Guide

Introduction

The Game of Humanity traces the path of Mankind from the Beginning of Time to Here Now — and beyond! Players travel this path leading tribes of Peeps, gaining and losing tribe members along the twists and turns of human history in cooperation and competition with other tribes.

The object of the game is to be here now with as diverse and large a tribe of Peeps as you can, thus doing your part to ensure Humanity’s continued march through Time.

The game is for one to four Homo sapiens (or teams thereof) ages 13 to 13.7 billion.

Ways To Play

There are three ways to play:

On Your Own

If you’re solo, you’ll play against one to three AI opponents of varying temperaments.

With Others, in the Same Room

If you’re with others, you can display the game board on a shared screen — a TV, monitor, or projector — as your LiveBoard. Each of you then joins the game from your own device, which becomes a private controller for your Tribe as it moves around on the LiveBoard.

With Others, in Different Places

If you’re playing with friends who are elsewhere, each of you joins and views the game remotely, and you control your Tribe from your own device.

When playing with multiple humans, the player who creates a new game becomes the “host” and shares a join link with other players. The host can also resume an unfinished game.

The Game Board

In the Beginning...

Like the path through human history, the game starts at the Beginning of Time — either a moment before the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago, or just before God created the heavens and the earth according to the Book of Genesis.

It continues through the emergence of Homo sapiens several hundred thousand years ago to 30 years beyond the present day, when humans rule the Earth — for better or worse.

The Path

Most of the steps along the path mark significant developments in human history in the areas of science, industry, culture, exploration, transportation, communication — and violence.

Other spaces (those with brighter colors) represent eras, ages, revolutions, and other major phases in human history. Landing on these spaces triggers “Human Nature Challenges” between players as described later in this Guide.

Playing the Game

First Turn

Starting at the Beginning of Time, players choose a story of how the Universe was created by predicting the number they will spin on their first turn.

Those who predict their first spin correctly take the shorter path of the Biblical creation story, while those who predict incorrectly take the much longer path of the Scientific creation story.

Pre-Human History

Of course, there were no humans at the Beginning of Time, so each player begins the game as simply an inchoate idea of what it will be like eventually to represent a human.

Players take on a solid form when they reach the point along the path where Homo sapiens emerged several hundred thousand years ago.

Human Nature Challenges

A player landing on a colored space faces a Human Nature Challenge, usually involving a possible exchange of Peeps with one or more other Tribes.

Each such challenge draws on players’ notions of generosity, selfishness, gratitude, guile, etc. — any of which may change as the game progresses and as experiences with other Tribes accrue.

Aid or Raid

If a Tribe lands on a space occupied by another Tribe, each of them must decide whether to “aid” or “raid” the other.

• If both aid, they receive 10 Peeps each.
• If both raid, they lose 2 Peeps each.
• If one aids and one raids, the raider takes 5 Peeps from the aider.

Dark and Evil Modes

One or more players will inevitably trigger a switch to Dark Mode or Evil Mode at various points in the game.

Dark Mode represents collective suffering; all players forfeit gains, and the historical content turns negative for a few turns. Evil Mode is a choice one player makes to exploit the blight of Dark Mode and profit at the expense of others.

If you’re in Dark or Evil Mode when it’s your turn, all players join you in that mode and suffer accordingly.

Last Turn

When players reach the STOP sign near the end of the path, they predict the number they’ll spin on their last turn.

Those who predict correctly are swept up in The Rapture, where winning is irrelevant — even relevance is irrelevant. Those who predict incorrectly remain Here Now and collect a modest pension until all players are done.

Aside from that pension, the only reason to rush to the end of the path is to get a parking space before the lot fills up.

Features

Karma Cards

If you have a Get Out of Hell Free card, you’ll see a waving-hand icon in the bottom of the frame when it’s your turn. Use it to release all Tribes from Dark or Evil Mode.

Seeker Mode

If your Tribe travels past an event you’re curious to know more about, you can double-click the space to view the content.

Scoreboard

Click any Tribe icon on the frame to view a complete Peepulation scorecard.

Quizzes

Awaiting you in retirement at the end of the game are optional “lifelong learning” quizzes about human history. There are hundreds of questions served up (randomly) 10 at a time. Take as many quizzes as you want.

Strategy

The object of the game is to accrue a large and diverse Tribe of Peeps for the betterment of our species. To that end:

• Biologists warn that groups of humans with more than 150 members are unstable. This applies to Tribes of Peeps, too.
• Diversity is reflected by the colors of a Tribe’s Peeps. A Tribe with, say, 10 Peeps of all six colors is considered more diverse than one with 15 Peeps of only four colors.
• A mix of competition and cooperation was important to our species’ success, and it’s important for a Tribe’s success, too.