How to get happy in Trondheim

Creating a board game: Happiness formula.

I spent most of the month May creating a new board game. It is about life in the city, engaging in activities and finding fulfillment. Players move around on the map of Trondheim (I might make a back side for Strasbourg one day :) ), scouting the city center for opportunities, taking study books from the university or dropping by the mall or the gym. They may have inspiring encounters on the way, start relationships, visit a concert at dokkhuset or pick up ideas at the cathedral, the festning or the Sverresborg museum. Players have limited actions each turn which they distribute between the activities they join, work, friends, family and unpredicted things happening. Investing actions in projects, activities and people is rewarded with warmth counters and happiness counters. Players need to keep an eye on their health, stress level and reactions to chance cards, to avoid catching a curse card (like: addiction or depression) which will limit their actions and is hard to get rid of.

The game is not about competing and surpassing the others. It is about balancing your actions, finding a formula which works for you - and getting happy together. It may be an an artist, nerd (and queer) answer to games like Monopoly and Game of Life. How could life look like if it does not need to center around competing - and accumulating money?

In a time where I was supposed to do other things (as usually), I stayed up late in the quiet of the night, printed templates, made cards and drew a map. Approaching summer solstice, sun merely drops below the horizon here in Trondheim, setting the few hours of night in dawn-ish blue light - then rising up again, casting a red glow through the apartment at 4 am. I now have a first version (first revision of first version) which is playable.

Looking for job opportunities today? That's the blue cards on the central square.

Take a book from the library? Lower right, green cards.

Clouds with 3 dots are ideas (that's hobby and art projects).

Mall cards: Top right, yellow. In case you have some hard-earned money to spend.

Lower left, violet: That's a sports group. For staying in good health.

I put 2 of my 3 actions (blue counters) on my work this turn. What to do with the third one? Go to my theater group? Or start to write my song...?

The pyramid dice count my involvement in my activities.

Inspiring people in the park. If you like them, make sure that you meet their wants and put warmth counters on them (red). They surely can earn you some happiness counters (the spiral symbol) :]

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