- New alliances
-To build better, cheaper and faster!
In 1955 such words started a revolution in architecture and changed Eastern Europe for years to come. It marked the beginning of socialist mass housing programme. Fast forward 65 years and most of the people in the former socialist block are still living with this legacy unable to grasp or cope with such an old burden. The "MICRORAYON" urban design table game tries to approach this problematic topic from a playful angle and educate through interaction.
By getting into the shoes of soviet era planners, the players should learn and consider the difficult two-sided conditions of the time. They have to create the ultimate micro-district with simple building blocks, while navigating between the ever-changing orders of the party and the rigid housing needs of the regular people. Rich historical setting and focus on urban design makes this game a unique hands-on city builder experience with a learning twist.
The game is in a prototype state.
Building orders of the party change all the time, while the needs of the people stay rigid. It's up to the players to navigate between the two.
Each player ends up with a very different layout of the district, which silently reflects various orders of the party, present at play.
Plans are used like real blueprints with dedicated spaces for signature, date and the name of your micro-district. These plans should be copy-printed for play and gifted to the players to serve as a reminder.
Two types of abstract building blocks were selected to symbolise the main typologies of micro-districts: always horizontal long block and both horizontal and vertical short block.
Various attributes of the historical period are present in the game to provide the taste of the problematic era and spice up the game.
