The Quiet Year⁚ A Map Game of Post-Apocalyptic Community Building
The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a community living after the collapse of civilization and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every decision and every action is set against a backdrop of dwindling time and rising concern. The Quiet Year requires 2-4 players and 3-4 hours. In addition, it requires⁚ A blank piece of paper to draw the map, a few pencils or pens, a couple index cards, six small dice, 20 Contempt Tokens, a deck of The Quiet Year cards, and the Turn Summary card (located at the end of this document). Buy a rules pdf, stick it on your smartphone and you can play it anywhere. Alternatively, there’s a properly produced version with text on the cards and spiky contempt tokens in a little bag. The designer takes seriously the idea that his games should bring people together⁚ if you want to buy The Quiet Year, or another one of his …
Introduction
The Quiet Year is a map game that invites you to step into the shoes of a community striving to rebuild after the collapse of civilization. It’s a game about resilience, hope, and the power of collective action in the face of uncertainty. In this game, you don’t just roll dice and move figures across a board; you actively shape the world around you through the art of cartography. As players, you’ll work together to create a map representing your community’s territory, its resources, and its challenges. Each week of the quiet year is represented by a card drawn from a deck, introducing events, encounters, and opportunities that shape your community’s story. The Quiet Year is not a game about winning or losing; it’s about crafting a shared narrative of survival and rebuilding, a testament to the human spirit’s ability to persevere even in the face of immense hardship.
Gameplay Mechanics
The Quiet Year unfolds through a series of weekly turns, each represented by a card drawn from the deck. These cards introduce events, challenges, and opportunities that shape the community’s journey. The game revolves around managing resources, responding to events, and making decisions that impact the community’s growth and well-being. Players must carefully consider their actions, as each choice carries consequences. For example, welcoming a stranger might bring valuable resources but also introduce the risk of disease. Choosing to focus on a specific project might bring progress but also delay other essential tasks. The game’s mechanics are designed to foster collaboration and encourage players to think strategically about the long-term implications of their actions. Players can draw upon their collective knowledge and creativity to overcome challenges and build a thriving community.
Map Creation
The heart of The Quiet Year lies in the collaborative creation of a map. This map serves as a visual representation of the community’s world, reflecting its growth, challenges, and triumphs. Players work together to draw the landscape, marking locations of resources, settlements, and points of interest. As the game progresses, the map evolves, becoming a tangible record of the community’s journey. Each decision made, each event encountered, leaves its mark on the map, shaping the community’s story. The map serves as a shared canvas for the players, allowing them to visualize their collective narrative. It also fosters a sense of ownership and investment in the community’s fate, as the players witness their actions directly reflected in the evolving landscape.
The Quiet Year Cards
The Quiet Year cards are the driving force behind the game’s narrative. Each of the 52 cards represents a week in the quiet year, and each card presents a unique event or challenge for the community to face. These events range from positive occurrences like discovering new resources or encountering friendly outsiders to negative ones like outbreaks of disease, attacks from hostile forces, or the arrival of the Frost Shepherds. The cards introduce a constant element of uncertainty and surprise, keeping the players engaged and on their toes. They also serve as a catalyst for collaborative storytelling, prompting players to think creatively about how to respond to the challenges presented. The card deck ensures that each playthrough of The Quiet Year is unique and unpredictable, adding replayability and fostering a sense of emergent narrative.
Scarcities and Contempt
Scarcities represent the inherent limitations and challenges faced by the community in The Quiet Year. They symbolize the lack of essential resources, such as food, water, medicine, or tools, that are crucial for survival and rebuilding. These scarcities are represented on the map by symbols, serving as a constant reminder of the community’s vulnerability. Contempt tokens, on the other hand, represent the growing tension and mistrust within the community. As the quiet year progresses, decisions made by the players can lead to increased contempt, reflecting the community’s struggle to maintain cohesion and unity in the face of adversity. The presence of contempt tokens adds a layer of complexity to the game, forcing players to carefully consider the long-term consequences of their actions and prioritize the well-being of the community as a whole.
Community Building
The Quiet Year is a game about rebuilding a community after a devastating event. The players are tasked with creating a functioning society, overcoming challenges, and forging a path toward a hopeful future. The game encourages players to think critically about the needs of their community, prioritizing essential resources, fostering cooperation, and navigating complex social dynamics. Players must decide how to allocate resources, manage conflicts, and address the anxieties and fears that arise within the community. The act of community building in The Quiet Year is not merely about constructing physical structures or establishing rules; it is about fostering trust, empathy, and a shared sense of purpose among the members. Through collaborative storytelling and strategic decisions, players weave a narrative of resilience, hope, and the enduring power of human connection in the face of adversity.
Challenges and Events
The Quiet Year is a game where challenges and events are not simply obstacles to overcome, but opportunities for storytelling and reflection. Each week, players draw a card that presents a new situation, demanding their attention and resourcefulness. These challenges can be anything from a sudden influx of refugees seeking shelter to the discovery of a forgotten technology that could either help or hinder the community’s progress. The game’s emphasis on collaborative storytelling allows players to flesh out the details of these events, adding depth and nuance to their impact on the community. From unexpected encounters with survivors to the threat of natural disasters, the cards create a dynamic and unpredictable narrative, forcing players to adapt, strategize, and make difficult choices that shape the community’s destiny.
The Frost Shepherds
The Frost Shepherds are a mysterious and ominous force that looms over the community in The Quiet Year. They represent the unknown and the potential for disruption, reminding players that the peace and stability they’ve built are fragile and temporary. Their arrival marks the end of the quiet year, forcing the community to confront the consequences of their choices. While the exact nature of the Frost Shepherds is left undefined, they are often portrayed as harbingers of change, their presence heralding a new chapter in the community’s story. Their arrival prompts players to reflect on their successes and failures, the progress they’ve made, and the challenges they’ve faced. The Frost Shepherds serve as a powerful reminder that the struggle for survival is ongoing, and that the community’s journey is far from over.
The Quiet Year⁚ A Collaborative Narrative
The Quiet Year is more than just a game; it’s a shared storytelling experience. Players work together to shape the narrative of their community, weaving a tapestry of decisions, events, and consequences. The game encourages players to collaborate, negotiate, and compromise, as they collectively navigate the challenges of rebuilding in a post-apocalyptic world. Each decision, from choosing a project to welcoming a stranger, influences the community’s trajectory. The shared narrative unfolds organically, driven by the players’ choices and the unpredictable nature of the Quiet Year cards. This collaborative storytelling fosters a sense of ownership and investment in the community’s fate, making the game’s conclusion all the more impactful. The Quiet Year encourages players to embrace the ambiguity and uncertainty inherent in post-apocalyptic narratives, creating a story that is both unique and deeply engaging.
The Quiet Year in Different Settings
The Quiet Year’s adaptable nature allows it to transcend its post-apocalyptic setting. While the game’s core mechanics remain consistent, its themes of community, resilience, and rebuilding can be applied to various contexts. Imagine a community struggling to survive in a post-colonial world, facing the challenges of decolonization and cultural recovery. The Quiet Year can be reimagined to explore this setting, incorporating elements of fantastical creatures and monstrous encounters, as seen in “The Deep Forest,” a reimagining of the game by Mark Diaz Truman and Avery Alder. The game can also be used to explore the complexities of rebuilding a community after a natural disaster, societal upheaval, or even a fictional apocalypse. This flexibility allows players to tailor the game to their interests and create narratives that resonate with their own experiences and perspectives.
The Quiet Year⁚ A Resource for Storytelling
Beyond its gameplay, The Quiet Year serves as a powerful resource for storytelling. Its framework, built upon community building and the challenges of rebuilding after a societal collapse, provides a rich tapestry for crafting compelling narratives. The game’s focus on collaborative storytelling encourages players to work together to shape the world and the community’s journey. The Quiet Year cards, with their diverse events and challenges, act as prompts for creative exploration, encouraging players to imagine possibilities and develop intricate storylines. Whether used as a standalone game or as a springboard for other creative endeavors, The Quiet Year offers a unique and engaging platform for crafting narratives that explore themes of resilience, hope, and the enduring power of community in the face of adversity.
The Quiet Year⁚ A Game for Everyone
The Quiet Year is a game that transcends age, experience, and background. Its simple mechanics and engaging narrative make it accessible to players of all skill levels. Whether you’re a seasoned roleplaying veteran or a newcomer to tabletop games, The Quiet Year offers a welcoming experience. Its focus on collaborative storytelling fosters a sense of shared ownership and encourages players to contribute their ideas and perspectives. The game’s open-ended nature allows players to create their own unique stories and explore diverse themes, making it a platform for creativity and imagination. The Quiet Year’s themes of community building and resilience resonate with players of all ages, providing a space for reflection and discussion about the importance of human connection and the power of hope in the face of hardship.