Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game
Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Set Up
Shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player face down. Place the remaining cards face down within reach of the rest of the players.
The player who most recently play tested a game is the "publisher" in the first round. The rest of the players are the "designers" for this round.
Game Play
The publisher selects a card from their hand and chooses one of the three elements on that card, either: Theme, Mechanic, or Component.
The publisher then tells the designers at the table that they want a game with that element in it, then sets that card off to the side.
The designers have a few moments to prepare their Pitch. A Pitch might include the following:
- Cards from their hands to fill in the remaining elements: For example, if the publisher played the Theme of "kung fu", designers would then have to fill in a mechanic and a component using the cards in their hands. (Designers may use two elements from the same card. For example, in the kung fu-themed game, the designer might Pitch a game using "deduction" as a Mechanic and "score tracker" as a Component, as these are on the same card.)
- Title of the game: What will you call it? Something clever? Something obvious?
- A 15 to 30 second "elevator pitch" about the game: Give a very quick overview of how to play the game. Who will like it? What's the story behind the game? Why is it the best fit for the element the publisher requested?
After all designers have Pitched their games, the publisher chooses the game their company will publish.
The publisher's decision is final, though players may plead their case. However, the publisher may end the appeal whenever they want and declare the round over.
All designers discard the cards used in Pitches and draw to replace them, and the publisher discards the card they played this round. The winning designer should place a card from their winning Pitch (contract side up) in front of them to indicate this victory point.
The winning designer in that round becomes the publisher for the next round.
End of Game
When a designer has four design contracts, they are the winner. Stop playing and go make a game!
Note from the Designers
In true Unpub fashion, we encourage you to include your own cards in the game. If you think something sounds awesome, it probably is!