Gùgōng: The Forbidden City Deluxe Kickstarter Pledge. Includes Gùgōng core game and tons of of amazing Kickstarter-exclusive upgrades. This pledge includes (everything listed below is a Kickstarter-exclusive):
- Gùgōng core game
- Box with gold foil printing and printed inner cover
- 3mm cardboard board
- 3mm cardboard player boards
- 300gsm extra solid black core linen finish gift cards
- Special custom plastic insert with removeable trays
- 50 card sleeves
- 20 custom glass jade pieces
- Decrees and travel custom wooden tokens with heat transfer print
- 15 double-layered 3mm cardboard ships
- 5 custom shaped wooden foremen
- 60 custom shaped wooden servants
- Custom metal day marker
- Engraved metal coin first player token
- Engraved metal coin first player medal
Please note: this is a pre-order. Gùgōngis expected to be delivered in October 2018.
Description: China, 1570. China is under the reign of the Longqing Emperor, of the Ming Dynasty. He inherited a country in disarray after years of mismanagement and corruption. He resided in the Forbidden city, which was the seat of many emperors under the Ming Dynasty. Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 ha (over 180 acres). It is also under the Ming Dynasty that the Great Wall of China was rebuilt, fortified and expanded. Around this period, China was under heavy attack from the Mongols, so maintaining the Great Wall was essential. Most of what we now have left of the Great Wall, we owe it to the Ming dynasty.
The country was already famous for its very intricate bureaucracy, but this also led to a lot of corruption. Even though the penalties for corruption were very high, the highest Officials of the Forbidden City would pretend to uphold the ban on corruption, by accepting gifts of petitioners, and returning one of seemingly lower value.
Gùgōng uses this extraordinary custom as its basis. Players take on the role of powerful Chinese families trying to gain influence and power by exchanging gifts with Officials. The gift cards you offer as a player has to be of a higher value than the one you receive, forcing you to make strategic choices regarding which actions you want to take each turn. You will travel around China, sail down the Grand Canal, purchase precious jade, help construct the Great Wall, secure advantages through decrees, influence the game through intrigue, and ultimately, receive an audience with the emperor. If only 1 player succeeds in doing so, he wins. If several players succeed, the player with the most VPs among those players wins the game.
