Crow Jam is our monthly game jam podcast, which you can listen to here. Below is an overview of Chaos Castle, our Floor-bottom Raucous Party Game (FBRPG).
THE ELEVATOR PITCH
Chaos Castle is a hands-on, silly party game for 4+ players aged 10 and up. Using large foam building blocks, players build a central structure together, confined by a series of whimsical and constantly changing rules.
Important elements:
- The game is large-scale, colourful and hands-on, encouraging interaction and activity
- Rules constantly change according to the “floor rule”
- Players work together to make something unique and fun-looking
THE LOOK
Chaos Castle is a ‘giant-size’ activity game in the vein of Twister or giant Jenga. The game lives in a large canvas zip-up bag, which is full of variously coloured and shaped foam blocks. Each block has a rule printed on one face. Examples of rules are given further below.
The aesthetic for the game is attractive nostalgia: blocks with lots of appealing variety, in vibrant but complimentary colours, similar to games such as “The Climbers” and “Junk Art”. The game is intended to evoke the fun of creative construction, alongside the chaos of soft play and classic kids’ gameshows.
The game also contains a half-dozen large printed cards with examples of structures, e.g. bridge/arch, spire (pointed tower), or mushroom. The shapes of these structures are shown as abstract outlines, with a stylised human figure shown alongside for scale. For example, the “bridge” card might show the outline of a rough bridge shape (two supporting pillars and a crosspiece) which is roughly waist height.
THE AIM
Taking it in turns, players will be placing blocks onto a central structure. At the beginning of the game, players are aiming to collectively complete a structure which matches the shape shown on their chosen card. If the players manage to complete an appropriate structure, they win as a team. During the game, however, rules can change so that players enter into competition with each other or are encouraged to hinder one another.
For the duration of the game, all players are subject to the “floor rule”: any pieces which touch the floor and which have a rule on their upwards-facing side bring that rule into effect. When a rule is broken, the player who broke it skips a turn.
TURNS
On their turn, a player takes a block from the bag without looking and places it on the shared structure. Any pieces which fall and touch the floor must be left where they fell. If a piece is caught before touching the floor, it can be replaced on the structure or returned to the bag.
Players may choose to deliberately place blocks on the floor with their rule upward in order to add new rules to the game. They may not choose to deliberately remove rule blocks from the floor.
Rules printed on blocks will be simple and easily understood, but they may affect any element of the game. Some examples of possible rules might be:
- When you place a block, you must stand on one leg.
- When you place a block, choose a partner – you must both place the block together.
- When you place a block, you must only use your non-dominant hand.
- All players must use silly voices or unfamiliar accents.
- Red blocks are now lava. If you touch a red block you must immediately let go of it.
- Remove all grey blocks from the structure. You can no longer win if the structure contains any grey blocks.
- Choose a new structure card. It replaces the current goal card. Then, replace this block in the bag.
- Choose a new structure card. Split all players into two teams. One tries to complete the original goal card, the other tries to complete the new card.
- Reset all rules: remove all blocks from the floor and replace them in the bag.
SUMMARY
Players continue taking turns for as long as they’re having fun! The game is won when a structure is completed, but play doesn’t have to stop there.
WHAT’S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS GAME?
Chaos Castle takes classic building games to a grand scale, and brings in the unpredictability of classic party games, from family card games like Fluxx to drinking games like Ring of Fire.
- Easy to play, no setup required
- Attractive and fun for both kids & adults
- Rules change throughout the game, keeping play fresh
Big Crow Games 