HUMANITY: The Final Balance

A war and bluffing board game created by one person, supported by friends, and waiting for a community.

HUMANITY: THE FINAL BALANCE is a strategy, war and bluffing game with secret teams. Humans against Robots, a world map, 16 States... and nobody knows who the others are really fighting for.

Print & Play edition, plus digital versions for Windows PC, Linux and Android. English and Italian.

Hi, I'm Carmelo Vadalà, although online I'm better known as TheMelooh.

I'm not a professional game designer. I have no experience in the board game industry, no big company behind me and no professional team.

I'm just someone who has always had ideas in his head and loves creating things.

A long time ago, I had an idea for a board game. I kept thinking about it, imagining how it could work and what kind of experience it could offer.

Then one day, a friend of mine, who loves a famous military strategy board game, asked me if we could play something different.

That was the moment I decided to bring my idea to life.

I created HUMANITY: THE FINAL BALANCE, first as a board game and then as a digital game for Windows, Linux and Android.

My friends were there along the way. They played it with me, shared their opinions and supported me throughout the journey. Today we are running proper playtests together, and the game keeps improving with every session. They are not professionals in this industry either, but they gave me something very important: their time, their friendship and their belief in what I was doing.

I took responsibility for the entire project, from the original idea to the rules, the board game and the digital versions. I did all of this with the knowledge and skills I have. I have no professional qualifications in programming or game development, and I know there are things I cannot do on my own. Where I needed help, I used modern tools, including AI (I explain exactly how in the "Use of AI" section below).

But I never stopped trying.

I'm not asking you to support a perfect game. I'm asking you to give a real project, created with passion, the chance to grow.

I want to be completely honest about why I'm here.

I'm not trying to raise thousands and thousands of euros. I'm not trying to build a big company or make a fortune from this game.

I want something much more meaningful: to find people who discover HUMANITY, play it, enjoy it and become part of its journey. People who share their opinions, suggest improvements and help this game grow.

I want to build a community with a voice strong enough to reach board game publishers. Imagine being able to tell a publisher:

"Look at this game. We played it. We like it. We want to see it published. Help improve it, because we really want to play it!"

We don't just want to sell a game and disappear. We want to hear what you enjoy, what could be better, and involve you in the future of the project. Your feedback matters. Your ideas matter.

We don't just want backers.

WE WANT PLAYERS.

How to stay in touch:

• 📺 YouTube — TheMelooh-Games: subscribe for updates, gameplay videos and news → https://www.youtube.com/@TheMelooh-Games
• 💬 Kickstarter comments and updates: ask anything, we read everything.
• ✉️ Feedback by email: themeloohgames@gmail.com

One game. Many players. One shared dream.

In the near future, AI-driven robots have seized power over half the planet. The humans want to defeat them. The robots want to wipe them out.

Everyone can see who rules each State on the map. But nobody knows who they are really fighting for. A player who controls human States may secretly be working for the robots, and vice versa.

Military strength matters, but it isn't everything. You have to watch the other players, read their choices, think ahead and decide who you can trust.

The team of the faction that conquers the whole planet wins. Among the winners, the best player becomes the Victory Commander.

The heart of the game

• A secret envelope. At the start, each player draws a faction card (Humans or Robots), looks at it and seals it in an envelope. It stays closed until the very end.
• States are dealt at random. You may control States of both colours. Who owns what is public; who you play for is not.
• You can switch sides... at a price. Win battles, repel attacks and complete Objectives to earn coins. Spend them to secretly switch faction. Everyone sees that you switched. Nobody knows from what to what.
• The Shadow. With an odd number of players, one player has no faction at all. They are forced to join whichever colour starts losing badly, keeping every game open until the end.
• The Master. One person runs the war and secretly plays for a faction too. Before every battle they choose which type of card dominates. Every choice helps someone... and reveals something about them.
• Nobody is eliminated. Lose your last State and you become a rebel: sabotage, spy, spread rumours and attempt one Uprising to get back in the game.
• The war has a clock. The End of the War track makes surrender easier round after round. Every game ends with a winner, never in an endless stalemate.

How a battle works

Attacker and defender each add up:

State Defence + Support from neighbouring States + one War card + one die

Both players choose their War card face down and reveal it at the same time: Military beats Diplomacy, Diplomacy beats Intelligence, Intelligence beats Military. The type the Master chooses as dominant for that battle beats the other two. A beaten card is worth 0.

Simple to learn, but every battle is a small duel of bluffs, with the whole table watching.

Three ways to play

1. With the Master (3–7 players plus the Master): the classic game.
2. Rotating Master (3–7 people): every round a different player becomes the Master, while still playing for their own faction.
3. No Master (3–7 people): the dominant type is voted by the table before every attack, and the Master's cards are auctioned with coins at the start of each round.

14 Characters with special powers (General, Admiral, Shadow Agent, AI Scientist, Dissident AI and more) and 14 secret Objectives make every game different.

Game information

• People at the table: 3 to 8. The base game is 3–7 players plus the Master; the two variants without a permanent Master work with 3–7 people.
• Playing time: about 70 minutes (our estimate; it depends on the group).
• Age: 14+.
• Genre: strategy, war, bluffing, hidden teams.
• Board game edition: Print & Play (PDF files).
• Digital editions: Windows PC, Linux and Android.
• Languages: English and Italian (both the printable files and the digital game).
• Delivery: digital download.
• Rules version: 1.3, balanced with 5,000 computer-simulated games and now in proper playtesting with real groups of players.

I don't want you to support something without knowing exactly what it is. That's why you'll find here two real, unedited gameplay videos, a free playable demo, a trailer and a complete tutorial.

1. Real gameplay on PC: one take, no cuts

A single, unedited screen recording of about 21 minutes, with my webcam and microphone: I play a complete game against the CPU on the Linux version, from setup to the end of the war. At the end (from 19:10) I start the Windows version (shown here running on Linux through PortProton), create a local Wi-Fi game and an Android phone joins as a player.

2. Real gameplay on Android: one take, no cuts

Filmed with a second smartphone, in one take: the Android app on a phone joins the Wi-Fi game hosted by the PC and plays with its private hand of cards.

3. Try it yourself: free playable demo

Download the free demo for Windows, Linux and Android: https://themelooh.itch.io/humanity-the-final-balance

The demo lets you play complete games against the CPU, with the 10-lesson tutorial and the full rules. The full digital game (in the €20 reward) adds local Wi-Fi multiplayer between PCs and phones.

4. The trailer

A short introduction to HUMANITY: THE FINAL BALANCE: the world, the secret envelopes, the battles and the betrayals.

5. The complete "How to play" tutorial

About 12 minutes that explain the whole game: setup, turns, battles, coins and switching faction, the Master, the Shadow, the rebel, the End of the War and both variants.

Please watch the tutorial before choosing your reward. We want you to know exactly what you are supporting.

📺 Want to follow the project? Subscribe to our YouTube channel TheMelooh-Games: that's where we will post updates, new videos, gameplay and news about HUMANITY. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@TheMelooh-Games

The board game is the heart of HUMANITY. These are the real files you will print.

The complete game board

A real world map divided into 16 States, with 10 sea routes, the End of the War track and a summary of the battle rules, so you always have them in front of you. Print it on one A3 sheet or on two A4 sheets.

The map and its States

The colour and Defence of every State change in every game: no real nation is "human" or "robotic" by nature. Two States are neighbours if they share a border or are linked by a sea route.

Game components

• 1 board (A3, or 2 × A4)
• 107 cards: 16 States, 40 War cards (with the Joker), 14 Master cards, 14 Objectives, 14 Characters, 9 Factions
• 14 Character standees (optional)
• 16 double-sided Colour discs, 80 Defence tokens, 120 coins, Master tokens
• Player aids, game log, printable envelopes, optional box cover
• 14-page rulebook and 10-page Card Guide

A turn in the game

Print & Play preview

What you need to print and play:

• A printer (A4 or US Letter; A3 for the board in one piece, or use the 2 × A4 version)
• Card stock (250–300 g/m²) for the board, cards and tokens; plain paper for the rules
• Scissors or a paper cutter, and glue for the standees if you want them
• 8 envelopes: printable envelope templates are included in the files (or use any 8 opaque envelopes)
• A six-sided die: one is enough. No die at home? Any free dice app on your phone works just as well

The first file in the package, 00_README_printing_instructions.pdf, tells you which paper to use, how to print double-sided and how many copies to make. Every card is also included as a separate 300 dpi file, in case you prefer a print shop.

I also created digital versions of HUMANITY for Windows PC, Linux and Android, so you can play even when you cannot set up the printed game. The digital game follows the same rules (version 1.3, variants included) and is fully playable in English and Italian.

1. Play against the computer (CPU)

Play alone against CPU opponents: they can fill any empty seat, the Master included. The game shows what you can do, what you can't and why, so you learn the rules while playing. There is also a separate 10-lesson tutorial.

2. Local multiplayer: play together in the same room

This is something I really wanted to include. Everyone uses their own device, everyone sees the same war, but your cards stay on your phone only.

• Mode A — PC as the table: a Windows or Linux PC (even connected to a TV) shows the shared map; every player and the Master play from their Android phone.
• Mode B — phones only: one phone hosts the game; every phone shows the map and its own private hand.

Multiplayer works over local Wi-Fi only: all players must be in the same room, on the same network. There is no online play. The game is saved after every move, so if someone disconnects, they can rejoin.

Available platforms

• Windows PC
• Linux PC
• Android phones and tablets (installed from the file we send you; it is not on the Google Play Store)

There are no iPhone, iPad or Mac versions.

I wanted to keep things simple: two rewards. Choose the one that suits you best.

REWARD 1 – PRINT & PLAY EDITION — €5

The board game, ready for you to print.

• The complete game board (A3, or 2 × A4)
• All 107 cards, the standees, tokens, coins and colour discs
• Rulebook (14 pages), Card Guide (10 pages), player aids and game log
• Printable envelopes, printing instructions and optional box cover
• Individual 300 dpi card files for print shops
• In English and Italian

Print everything, prepare your game and invite your friends!

REWARD 2 – COMPLETE EDITION — €20

The board game plus the digital versions.

Everything in the Print & Play Edition, plus:

• The Windows PC version
• The Linux version
• The Android version
• Play against the CPU
• Local multiplayer over Wi-Fi (PC as the table, or phones only)

Three ways to enjoy HUMANITY: around a table with the printed game, on your PC (Windows or Linux) or on your Android device.

How will you receive your rewards?

All rewards are digital. After the campaign ends successfully, Kickstarter collects the payments; then you will receive a message on Kickstarter with your download links and simple installation instructions for Windows, Linux and Android.

No physical box or printed materials will be shipped. Shipping is therefore free and available worldwide.

I love physical board games. There is something special about sitting around a table, looking at the board, moving pieces, making decisions and spending time with other people. That's the experience I want HUMANITY to offer.

My biggest dream is to see HUMANITY: THE FINAL BALANCE become a real physical board game, with a beautiful box, published by a professional board game company and played by people around the world.

But I know my limits. I don't have the experience, resources or technical knowledge of an established publisher. And that's okay. A professional publisher could improve the game, refine its components and illustrations, produce a beautiful physical edition and bring it to board game stores.

This campaign cannot guarantee that will happen. But together we can take the first step and show publishers that HUMANITY has a community of people who genuinely want to play it.

This is a small independent project, and I want to keep it that way. Our goal is €500: a realistic amount that reflects what this first step actually needs.

The board game and the digital versions already exist and are playable. This campaign is the moment they are released for the first time: they have never been published or sold anywhere before. The funds will help me:

• Cover Kickstarter and payment processing fees (about 8–10% of the total).
• Prepare, host and deliver the digital rewards to every backer.
• Improve the digital versions with the feedback from the community.
• Improve the presentation and promotional materials.
• Build the HUMANITY community.
• Take the next steps towards presenting the game to professional publishers.

If we go beyond the goal, every extra euro goes into improving the game and its presentation.

I want to be transparent about how this project was made.

Made by me: the idea, the game design, the rules, the balancing, the card texts, the map layout and the overall direction of every part of the project.

Made with the help of AI tools:

• Illustrations: the artwork on the cards, the box cover and the promotional images was generated with AI image tools, under my direction and selection.
• Voices: the narrator voices in the trailer and in the tutorial were generated with free, open-source text-to-speech software (Chatterbox and Kokoro).
• Music: the trailer music "Before the Breach" was generated with Google Gemini. The music and sound effects inside the digital game were composed with code and generated with Soundcraft.
• Programming and documents: I used an AI coding assistant to help me build the digital versions, the printable files and the videos, and to translate the materials into English.
• Balancing: the rules were tested with 5,000 games played by a computer simulation, not by AI "players".

The world map is based on Natural Earth data (public domain). The fonts are Orbitron and Liberation Sans (SIL Open Font License).

If HUMANITY is picked up by a publisher, I would love a physical edition to have artwork made by professional illustrators.

I want to be honest about the challenges.

• The game exists and is playable. The board game and both digital versions are finished and playable today, so the main risk is not "will it ever be made".
• I'm not a professional developer. The digital versions were made with the knowledge and resources available to me. They may not have all the features or polish of a commercial game. That's exactly why I want to build this community: to find what needs improving.
• Local Wi-Fi. On some networks or some Android phones, automatic game discovery may not work. In that case you can join by typing the address shown by the host. If you hit a problem, tell me and I will help you.
• Android installation. The Android version is installed from a file, so your phone will ask you to allow the installation. The instructions will explain how, step by step.
• Artwork. The current illustrations were made with AI tools. A future publisher may decide to replace them.
• The physical board game is a long-term dream, not a reward of this campaign. We cannot guarantee that a publisher will pick up the project or that a physical edition will ever be produced.

I will do my best to deliver every file correctly and on time, and I will keep backers informed about the progress of the project through Kickstarter updates and our YouTube channel.

I don't know how far HUMANITY: THE FINAL BALANCE can go.

Maybe it will find a small group of people who love playing it. Maybe it will reach a publisher. Maybe one day I will see it in a shop, inside a beautiful box, played by people who have never met me.

I don't know.

But I know that I wanted to create this game, and I did everything I could with the knowledge and resources I had. My friends believed in me and supported me along the way. Now I would love to meet people who want to become part of this story.

You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to be a professional gamer. You just have to enjoy playing games with other people.

If you like the idea, support us, try the game and tell us what you think. And if you cannot contribute, sharing this project with someone who might enjoy it, or subscribing to our YouTube channel, would already mean a lot.

Let's show the world that a game created by one person, with the support of friends, can find a community of its own.

Thank you.

– Carmelo Vadalà (TheMelooh)