Serious Mischief is a collaboration between Avery Barrett and Carter Lavin which explores the overlaps between board games, narrative, and social change.

Our current project is a game in which players are activists, attempting to out-organize their opponents to win over the Decision-maker in a political conflict. The game (working title) Influence: Work the System takes players right into the thick of the community organizing experience. With just 6 News Cycles until the Decision Date, players race to build political power. They’ll assemble a hand of Tactics cards, claim limited Supporters, and grow their base of Volunteers to gain Influence.

Game basics:

  • 2-4 Players
  • 45 minutes- 1.5 hours
  • Complexity: Medium Light
  • Mechanics: hand-building, resource management, take-that
  • Ages 13+

Components:

  • 108 cards
  • 1 Decision-maker Bag
  • 200 wooden player cubes (four colors)
  • 1 News Cycle tracker cube
  • 1 Public Eye token
  • 50 Money chits
  • 50 Volunteer meeples
  • 16 inch x 16 inch board

Influence: Work the System’s unique set-up allows players to pick the issue they want to fight about and the tone of their game. Want Universal Basic Ice Cream for your city? To ban cars in your country? To finally reunite the Dakotas? You can make it happen!

The game combines engine-building inspired by Terraforming Mars with hand management inspired by Century: Spice Road to bring to life the dynamism of community organizing.

Influence: Work the System set up for the first round of play.

With over 70 unique Tactics cards (like Organize Rally, pictured), and 22 Supporters, in each game players will unlock creative combinations to create their own personal path to power. The fast-paced escalation of the political engine players build imitates the frenetic real world of campaigning. Just like in real-life campaigning, every game is different, inviting players back to explore new strategies and tell new stories.

To get in touch, please reach out to avery@seriousmischief.net.

Carter Lavin’s forthcoming book, If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy can be found at Island Press. More information about his political activism training can be found at carterlavin.com.