Astonishing! A game of Steampunk contraptions, designed by Storium's Will Hindmarch
Some prefer to invent astonishing Steampunk contraptions, usually laboring by candlelight in the dim, dusty recesses of their cluttered workshops.
Others prefer to play Astonishing!, a game of Steampunk contraptions, where the possibilities are endless... and a card table will suffice in lieu of a mad scientist's lair.
We present to you Astonishing!, a freely downloadable game created by noted game designer Will Hindmarch as an exclusive add-on to The Steampunk User's Manual.
A game of steampunk contraptions designed and exhibited, for 2 – 4 players.
Version 1.9.12 — 2014 by Will Hindmarch
The year is 1899. The World’s Design & Invention Fair draws near. Across the globe, inventors and artists lead design houses in the crafting of new technologies to exhibit at the fair. Soon, you shall debut your contraption, hoping it operates correctly on the fair’s dais, and see which invention elicits the most marvelous reception from peers and public alike. A grant from Queen Victoria and the adoration of the audience await the invention deemed most astonishing!
Each player controls one of four inventors in charge of a fabrication workshop somewhere on the Earth at the end of the nineteenth century. By drawing, trading, and playing numbered cards, each player shall construct a prototype steampunk contraption for exhibition at the World’s Design & Invention Fair in London.
This is a cutthroat affair. The different workshops squabble and scheme in pursuit of the final prize: a commission from Queen Victoria to produce a final, fully functional version of the winning prototype.
Depending on the contraption’s quality of construction — and a bit of luck — the device may have a good showing at the fair … or it may malfunction on stage. It may earn acclaim … or it may fail spark the audience’s imagination.
The more the audience marvels — and the more people that are astonished! — the more Acclaim players earn. The inventor with the most Acclaim wins.
Read the instructions and download all player materials here.