Labarnas

The final struggle of the Hittite Empire

A narrative board game designed and developed in one weekend during the Ludum Dare 49 game jam. It's my first board game design, feedback is very welcome.

Overview

Download the latest version, print it and start playing!

Gameplay

You have to guide your people through a series of 30 random events. At the start of the game, you will influence the likelihood of certain events in the Feast for the gods. But your main task through the game will be the distribution of your population between food production and border defence.

Labarnas is a narrative game. Strategy is involved, but if the gods are not in your favour, there won't be a happy end. So lean back and let the story unfold.

Example game situation on the map

Requirements

If you want to jump straight ahead, start in section 3 of the rules and immediately start playing while reading along!

Setting

The year is about 1200 B.C. You are Šuppiluliuma II., the last Labarna (i.e. king) of the Hittite Empire. The glorious days of your ancestors are past. The extraordinary victory against the Egyptians at Kadesh has deteriorated to being merely a story. Your realm is crumbling.

Nature itself conspires against you. The climate worsened, and your people struggle with droughts and dire straits. They demand better living conditions and must be kept at bay. All the while, the vexatious Assyrians long for the southern territories. Additionally, a new foe, the mysterious Sea People, are raiding your western territories. And if those do not deal the mortal blow, there is always the looming thread of a disastrous catastrophe from the smoking mountain.

But do not despair. Your people are strong and have shaped the region for the better part of a millennium. With a wise leader like you, destiny can be altered.

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