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Dominika Rudnicka

Thematic tabletop board game

Game Plot

The gameplay depicts the beginning of the decline of the Slavic era. The plot consists of a combination of historical elements and those drawn from mythology. Referring to the beginnings of Christianity in Polish lands, it presents the stage of the destruction of pagan worship sites. A common practice aimed at displacing the old faith in favor of the new was to build new churches at the sites of old rituals. For the Slavs, sacred places were elements of nature connected with the gods. These included groves on hills. Festivals and rituals were held there. The game is meant to depict an example of a sacred forest of coniferous trees. It is the “temple” of Veles, which justifies the use of coniferous trees. They are symbols of this god as the patron of wealth and fertility, which was associated with Christmas trees bearing cones. However, Veles is also the ruler of the land of the dead, Nawi. According to Slavic belief, a soul that lived unworthily is not allowed into the afterlife and returns to its body as a demon. These beings attack anyone who stands in their way, inhabiting the forests. It is precisely into Slavic demons that players on one side of the barricade are to embody, acting as a sort of army of Veles guarding his territory. On the other side, we have representatives of the new world who want to build a temple in our forest, using trees as building material.

General construction

The board consists of an outer part (cylindrical structure on three legs with a cover) and an inner part (rotating system). The game takes place on a perforated cover filled with hexagonal fields featuring trees. The rotating system includes a frame with spans and a mechanism for rotating the tower and spans. The board has been designed for production using the plastic injection method (high initial costs), with the possibility of adaptation for cheaper thermoforming at the expense of details. The prototype also includes wood-derived elements (cover, veneer), which increase costs but enhance the medieval atmosphere of the game. The solutions used, although more expensive, raise the value of the gameplay.

Individual elements

The tower consists of three segments that can be stacked on top of each other. Each segment has a lip at the base that locks onto the lower edge of the one below when lifted. The division into parts allows the tower to be stored between the lid and the internal system.

The rotation of the system during gameplay causes the screw to extend upwards, which raises the first segment of the tower and pulls up the others.

The lid contains thirty-six hexagonal holes and additional cutouts along the edges, allowing it to be securely seated on the body. By lifting the lid, it is possible to quickly set the trees to the starting position ("resetting" the game).

The transparent hexagons in the lid contain holes for the trees. When a tree is inserted, half of its trunk springs and tightens in the hole, while the teeth prevent it from being pushed out.

The spans, mounted between the crossbars of the frame, pass through the rotation axis via holes in the rings. The outer axes have wheels that roll along the lower edge of the body, while the inner ones have gears mounted on two discs.

The frame is located inside the body, with its upper ring situated between the lid and the shield. The crossbars divide the frame and create through holes for the spans' axes.

The body is shaped like an open cylinder with a lip at the base, stabilizing the moving elements during rotation.

The gears are arranged on two levels, allowing the spans to rotate 180° when the frame is turned 60°. Due to the diameter of the wheels, they had to be arranged alternately on the two discs, with eight wheels on each.

Game rules