Overview
"War of bacteria" is an educational card based on a popular Chinese game "War Of Three Kingdoms". It is designed with a background in synthetic biology, with bacteria as characters, and with genetic and protein functions designed as character skills. It builds a tabletop game world that combines elements of biology, art, and gameplay, with strong competitiveness and entertainment.
Based on the actual background of biology, we created Character cards for chassis bacteria and the bacteria involved in the project. At the same time, we designed Equipment cards based on the actual functions of different genes. And we design the expression products of genes as Basic cards and Functional cards, and combine their actual functions to design the role of cards.
In this card game, cards are divided into Basic cards, Functional cards, Genetic Element cards, and Character cards.
Basic cards
Proteases:
· Proteases can hydrolyze proteins.
(Proteases can offset the effects caused by all enzyme cards including Nuclease and Proteases)
Culture medium:
· Culture medium can provide nutrients for bacteria and promote their reproduction.
(After using this card,the CFU +1).
T7RNAP:
· The constitutive expression of T7 promoter which is a strong promoter with other elements. It can enhance their effectiveness.
(Use this card with other Basic cards, the original effect +1)
Functional cards
Genetic Element cards
The design inspiration of Element cards mainly comes from some gene elements that can be artificially regulated and powerful metabolites, cell structures.
Toxin:
· Some bacterias can release toxins when they attack others.
(This card can change harm into toxins, harm +1)
Antitoxin:
· Antitoxin can neutralize toxins and protects cells from toxins.
(This card can offset the damage caused by Toxin cards)
Flagella:
· Flagella can help bacterias move.
(After using this card,the distance from other players +1)
Strength promoter:
· Strong promoters can enhance expression levels and enhance expression effects.
(After using this card,distance from other players -1)
Antibody genes:
· Bacteria may carry related antibodies.
(Judgment required. If the antibody is present,the damage will be offset.But if the antibody is not present, it is ineffective)
Strength RBS:
· Strength RBS can enhance expression of gene.
(After using this card,you can use nuclease card for attacks unrestrictedly)
Positive feedback regulatory factors:
· Positive feedback loop can enhance the expression effect.
(Players' nuclease that equipped this card need two proteases to offset the effect)
Character cards
Cocci-Salivary Streptococcus:
· It can produce bacteriocins to inhibit the growth of nearby bacteria.
(Before the start of the turn, players within your attack range need to display a card from the top of the deck. If it is a Basic card, it cannot cause damage to you)
Cocci-Streptococcus mutans:
· It can cause dental caries and has a strong risk of harm.
(Damage caused by cards functional cards +1)
This is the bacillus camp.
Game Process
Get ready, please form a circle
Identity Extraction and Selecting Generals. In the Three Kingdoms Kill game, the first step is to draw identity cards and select the identity you want to play. Different bacterial characters have different positions and skills.
Each player randomly selects a character card and places it in front of themselves. After all players have made their choices, they are revealed simultaneously, and blood card (the CFU) with the same energy value shown on the character card is configured.
The winning condition of the game is to survive until the end of the game and try to kill the opposing bacterial faction.
1.Distribute Starting Hand Cards: Shuffle the game cards and deal four to each player as their starting hand, with the remaining game cards placed in the center.
2.Determine the Starting Point of the Game: Randomly select a player as the starting point of the game and start the game clockwise from that player.
Proceed with the game
In the game, each turn of a general consists of six phases: Preparation Phase, Judgement Phase, Drawing Phase, Playing Phase, Discarding Phase, and End Phase. Each turn, you can draw two cards from the deck, and at the end of the turn, your hand size should match your current health. Players can use strategy cards, basic cards, and general skills to damage the enemy bacteria. In the end, our faction wins when all the bacteria from the opposing faction are killed.
Game Turn Introduction: Each player has their own game turn, starting with the starting player and proceeding clockwise. Each turn is divided into the following six phases in order:
(1) Preparation Phase: Some character skills can take effect at this time (not developed yet).
(2) Judgement Phase: Determine the effects of some functional cards and character skills (not developed yet).
(3) Drawing Phase: Draw two cards from the top of the deck.
(4) Playing Phase: In this phase, players can play cards freely, but please follow the rules:
a. You can only use one 'DNA Enzyme/RNA Enzyme" per playing phase.
b. Using functional cards that specify targets cannot exceed your attack range (1 for adjacent players, 2 for players with one intervening player, and so on, taking the minimum value of left and right calculations).
(5) Discard Phase: If you cannot play any cards or do not wish to play any cards in the playing phase, you enter the discard phase. In this phase, you must discard your hand cards until their number matches your current health.
(6) End Phase: Some skills can be activated in this phase (not developed).
Player Elimination
When a player's energy value drops to 0, he/she will enter the dying state. Unless they or someone else uses "Culture Medium", the player survives and recovers one health point; Otherwise, the character is eliminated and all cards in the discard area are removed.
Rewards and punishments are given after a character is eliminated (not developed yet).
Game End
The game ends when there is only one player or one group of players still alive. The remaining survivor(s) win the game, and the eliminated players are ranked according to the order of elimination.
Afterword
Inspiration and Design Intention
This card design is partially inspired by the popular Chinese card game “Three Kingdoms Kill”. In this game, we design the card rules based on basic biological knowledge, genetic functions, and strain characteristics. Our aim is to use the game to help more people understand the functions of various genes, genetic elements, and the characteristics of common chassis bacteria, probiotics, and pathogenic bacteria in experimental life.
Future Outlook
This card game has great development potential in terms of playability. In this version, due to factors such as card volume and game complexity, some game mechanics have not been included in the cards of this version and are marked as “not developed” in the rules.
We hope to further enrich the game in the following directions:
a. Develop more character cards and divide them into different factions based on the morphology or interactions of bacteria, and engage in inter-faction gameplay.
b. While developing character cards, optimize the functionality cards, equipment cards, and character card skills, making the game more reasonable, and adding the three undeveloped phases.