Description

Description of the game. Totality is a unique board game that combines the features of a card game with the mechanisms of a board game; it plays in the current era and simulates the total range of the human condition. The heart of the game is the deck of 64 unique and intriguing cards. There are 4 suits of 16 cards. These suits represent the 4 planes of existence - physical, biological, cognitive, and social. Each plane (suit) has 4 unique elements and a color. Each card in the suit is composed of a combination of those four elements. Cards have a number of elements from zero to four. The mix of elements is shown on each card. Each card has a game action line. The game area (world) consists of a 4X4 array of cards laid face up and a space in front of each player to keep sets and action cards. Players move through the world to gather cards. Each player is represented by a marker or token.

Object of the game: to build the character with the most experience by gathering sets of cards while moving around the board (world).

Setup. 1) Shuffle the deck; 2) Deal one card to each player. The player with the highest card number goes first. Players keep this card as part of their hand; 3) Then deal the 4X4 world face down. Before play begins, each player, starting with the first, places his token in the world on a different location. After the tokens are played, the location cards are turned face up; 4) Deal 2 more cards to each player for a total of 3. The rest of the deck is placed face down as the draw deck (DD); place it so that the longer side of the cards is next to the world; 5) A discard (recycle) heap (DH) will be created during play; place it so that the shorter side of the cards is next to the world. Cards are discarded face down.

Play. Each turn consists of just one of the following actions unless there are effects in play that allow more: 1) Activate or remove a special effect. The game line of most cards can create effects that change the play. 2) Move. Movement is in a vertical or horizontal direction only (like a rook in chess). At the beginning of the game, players can move one location per turn. 3) Gather a card from the world. Players may gather the card under their token. 4) Build or dismantle a set. This is the heart of the game. A player grows by playing sets in his character area. Sets consist of one or more cards that satisfy specific criteria from set theory. 5. Combat. Combat may occur when a player (attacker) tries to move to or through a site occupied by other players (defenders), or attacks players at his current location. Combat involves betting; outcomes are governed by a simple table. 6) Open a trading session. Any player may open a trading session his turn. Anything may be traded: token locations, sets, cards, seats, drinks. There are two ways to end the game. A player may end the game when he has sets with all 16 elements of the deck present. Otherwise, the game ends instantly when the draw deck is depleted for the first time.