Foreboding Wasteland Nuernberger
Foreboding Wasteland
A “The Delicate Prey” Board Game Adaptation
1. Background
STORY: The Delicate Prey, by Paul Bowles, is a tale of fear, betrayal, and death in the Algerian Desert.
Three Filala merchants, two uncles and their nephew, enter the desert in hopes of reaching the town of Tessalit to sell their leather. However, on the way they come upon a mysterious lone stranger, a Moungari, who shortly thereafter joins their party.
Pretending to be their friend, the Moungari goes out to hunt gazelle for the Filala, but instead betrays and kills off the Filala one by one until he tortures, emasculates, and kills the youngest of the three Filala, the nephew.
Once in Tessalit, the Moungari sells the leather, but is suspected of illicit behavior. Several of the Filala’s friends find the Moungari and at twilight drag him out into the desert. Once there, they dig a well-like pit, throw the Moungari in, and bury him from the head-down with sands and stone, leaving him there to dry out in the African sun.
2. Description
DESCRIPTION: Foreboding Wasteland is a 4 Player + Narrator tabletop game in which four players traverse the desert (2 uncles, 1 nephew, 1 Moungari), one of whom must kill the others.
The goal of the nephew is to reach Tessalit; the goal of the uncles is to get the nephew to Tessalit, or if he dies, avenge him; the goal of the Moungari is to kill the nephew and then escape to Tessalit.
3. Rules
NARRATOR: Narrator acts as game master and enforces all rules.
3.1 BEGINNING
PLAYERS: 1 Narrator; 4 Players.
ROLES: Narrator deals out roles & cards
2 Uncles / /1 Nephew /
1 Moungari /
Players are not allowed to reveal their roles to other players. Their roles must be kept secret.
DEALING: Narrator gives each player 2 food and 2 special cards;
Nephew receives FLUTE (diverts attacks) and TEA (diverts knifing);
Uncles receive MAP (reveals Tessalit) and TEA (diverts knifing);
Moungari receives KNIFE (kills others during nightfall) and SHOOT (handicaps others permanently); both KNIFE & SHOOT are replenished by Narrator after use (after knifing the nephew, Moungari loses his knife permanently).
GOALS: The Nephew’s goal is to reach Tessalit.
The Uncle’s goal is to get the Nephew to Tessalit; if the Nephew dies, the Uncle’s goal is to bury the Moungari.
The Moungari’s goal is to knife the nephew and then escape to Tessalit.
Once any player completes their goal, they are the victor.
3.2 PLAYING
Gameplay is divided between DAY and NIGHT.
3.2.A. DAY
TURN ORDER: On the first round, roll to see who goes first and proceed clockwise;
After the first round, the narrator must choose whoever is the furthest toward the cities to go first; then, proceed clockwise.
MEASUREMENTS: If game bits are less than or equal to 1 INCH on the edges of the bit, then the bits are in range of each other for HUNTING or TRADING.
Each turn, players may do one of two things (in addition to TRADING): MOVE or HUNT
MOVING: To MOVE, you must play a Gazelle Meat card;
After playing Gazelle Meat, roll 1 die; move the number of inches or less that you rolled.
Players may move using multiple rulers (players can move in a jagged line).
OBSTACLES: Players cannot move through mountains, trees, and rocks.
HANDICAP: If a player has been shot, they can only move up to a MAXIMUM of 3 spaces (anything over is capped at 3).
ZONES: If player is leaving a Gazelle or Campsite zone, they may do so from any border of the zone.
HUNTING: Players may HUNT instead of moving for their turn; to hunt, declare your hunt and then roll 1 DIE;
An ODD roll is a successful hunt; an even roll is a misfire;
Players take the number of Gazelle Meat cards based on the number of players within their hunting circle (1 INCH radius); e.g. players who successfully hunt alone only get 1 Gazelle Meat; players who are with 1 other player get 2 Gazelle Meat cards, etc. Only the hunter receives Gazelle Meat cards after hunting.
NEPHEW: The Nephew cannot hunt by himself except with gazelles (he can only overcome his fear of the unknown with another player)
GAZELLES: If a player hunts within 1 INCH of a Gazelle, the player does not roll but instantly receives TWO food cards; the Nephew may hunt Gazelles on his own.
CAMPSITES: If a player comes within 1 INCH of a campsite, they receive 1 TEA card;
A visited campsite must be marked by a campfire; after visiting, no more tea may be gathered from it by any players;
VISITED: If the NEPHEW visits an unvisited campsite, then that campsite also act as a respawn checkpoint for the Uncles.
When the Uncles respawn, they may do so at any visited campsite by the nephew (being the last known location of the Nephew).
CARDS: ITEM
Gazelle Meat:/ Allows players to move during their turn.
Tea:
/ May be played before nightfall by playing it on another player within 1 INCH of giver on game board; if the receiver is the Moungari, then he cannot KNIFE the giver that round; Tea is discarded after use.
Hashish:
/ Can be played on another player within 1 INCH of giver at the beginning of his or her roll; receiver’s direction after he or she rolls is now controlled by person who played the card.
Flute:
/ When played by nephew before nightfall, musically wards off any attack by any player.
Map:
/ Reveals location of Tessalit; cannot be played or discarded.
Knife:
/ Kills other players at a distance of 1 INCH during nightfall.
Shoot:
/ Handicaps other players at a distance of 3 INCHES or less during nightfall; lowers the shot player’s maximum movement distance to 3 INCHES.
Bury:
/ Buries another player within 1 INCH of burier; if the Moungari is buried, Uncles win and the game is over.
Discard all cards after use.
TRADING: Cards may be traded to other players on anyone’s turn during the DAY within 1 INCH of giver on the game board.
3.2.B. NIGHT
NIGHTFALL: At the end of each round (after every player has gone once), the game enters NIGHTFALL, whereupon the Moungari may KNIFE or SHOOT other players (he must choose one);
· Tea may be played before nightfall by playing it to another player within 1 INCH of giver on game board; if the receiver is the Moungari, then he cannot KNIFE the giver that round;
· Flute may be played by Nephew before nightfall; musically wards off any attack by any player.
The Narrator tells all players to close their eyes; the Narrator then tells the Moungari to open his eyes:
SHOOTING: The Moungari may SHOOT one player within 3 INCHES of him on the game board; the Narrator takes the card and places it face down in front of another player;
KNIFING: The Moungari may KNIFE one player within 1 INCH of him on the game board; the Narrator takes the card and places it face down in front of another player;
The Narrator replenishes the played KNIFE (only if the knifed player was an Uncle) or SHOOT card by giving the Moungari another card of each type.
BURYING: If BURY is played by an Uncle, it automatically trumps KNIFE cards;
3.2.C. NEW DAY
SUNRISE: All players open their eyes.
SHOT PLAYERS: Anyone who received a SHOOT card is now handicapped (can move a maximum of 3 INCHES per turn); remove the player from his or her camel and leave the camel where it is.
KNIFED PLAYERS: Anyone who received a KNIFE card is now dead; reveal the killed player’s role;
UNCLE: If he was an Uncle, then he returns to the start and remains dead; any handicaps no longer apply to the dead player.
NEPHEW: If he was a Nephew, then he is dead permanently; the Nephew’s flute card goes to the Moungari;
If any Uncle is dead after the Nephew dies, the Uncle respawns at the last visited campsite by the Nephew, else he respawns at the beginning of the game board;
Any Uncle who dies after the Nephew respawns immediately.
Narrator gives each Uncle a Bury card after the Nephew dies.
3.3 WEEKS
WEEK CYCLE: Every NEW DAY, move the day token one space; after it reaches the end, place it back at the beginning.
RESPAWNING: Every NEW WEEK (Day 1), respawn any dead Uncles at the last visited campsite by the nephew, else at the beginning of the game board.
HASHISH: Once during every week (during NIGHTFALL), the Narrator gives one player a Hashish card.
4. Game Bits
GAME BOARD: 32x18” Game Board
3 city zones; 3 gazelle zones; 6 campsite zones
Weekly chart;
SUN PIECE: 1 (1 Sun, 1 base)
SAND DUNES: 8; varying sizes
DICE: 1
MEASUREMENTS: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; INCH MARKERS
CHARACTERS: 4
CHARACTER BASES: 4
CAMELS: 4
CAMEL BASES: 4
CITIES: 3 (4 walls, 1 base)
GAZELLES: 3; 1 EXTRA
CAMPSITES: 6 (4 pillars, 1 top)
CAMPFIRES: 6 (4 wood pieces, 1 base)
PALM TREES: 4
ROCKS: 5
CARDS: ROLES
2 Uncles
1 Nephew
1 Moungari
ITEMS
6 Maps (3 locations, 2 copies of each map)
2 Knife
2 Shoot
2 Bury
1 Flute
11 Tea
4 Hashish
32 Gazelle Meat
64 TOTAL CARDS
4 x 16 CARD SHEETS
5. Game Photos