Wiki Histories

Wiki Histories are two-player snapshots of world history and prehistory. They are pencil-and-paper games. Each has a pair of maps, a simple set of standard rules, some unique rules, and a historical paragraph. Time: 15 minutes. Age: 9+.

The first set of Wiki Histories is completed and will be delivered the day this Kickstarter ends. Kickstarter funds will be used to finish the following two sets by November 2024. Each set will include twelve games. 

I've been playing Wiki Histories with students for over a decade. The big challenge was moving it from an expensive product (see the video below) to one that is cheap to produce and easy to deliver. 

Another challenge was adding secret information. The original games were pure strategy. That's fine for grade 2 math class (see below), but I was looking at this game as a way to teach History, so I needed rules that allowed for more flexibility.

How to Play

Each game has four phases: Setup, Claiming Territories, Attacking, and Scoring. Each phase must be completed before proceeding to the next phase.

Setup

Choose one of the Wiki Histories. Read the unique rules on the two maps out loud. Your opponent then chooses a map and gives you the other.  

 If you feel like it, read the historical vignette. 

Claiming Territories

The play alternates back and forth. You have claimed your first territory with strength 3. Share that information with your opponent. 

Your total strength in this game is 10, and your opponent's is only 8. Your opponent has a unique ability to compensate, but I'll tell you about that later.

Alternate back and forth until all territories have been claimed or until one player runs out of strength. You passed first, so you attack first. 

Attacking

You attack the 2-strength opponent on territory "B."  Your connected strength is 2+3 = 5. That's more than your opponent, so the 2-strength territory is destroyed. 

Both players scribble out the destroyed territory with any color. Alternate attacking back and forth.

Scoring

When both players pass, it is time to score. The player with the most territories wins. In case of a tie, the player who attacked first wins.

Unique Rules & Secret Stuff

The rules above are in every game, but each game adds unique rules that often require you to draw secret things your opponent can't see. You'll learn about these on each map.

Teaching Board Game Design

Many schools in North America teach board game design. Unfortunately, students are rarely given enough constraints, so most game creations are too big and never get played. The solution is to have a template game that allows lots of freedom and creativity within tight constraints. Wiki Histories take 15 minutes to play, which makes them short enough to get played in class. Being pencil and paper games, they are also cheap to make—ideal for the cash-strapped school.

Most importantly, Wiki Histories give students a realistic path to publication. After the first few Wiki History books, new books will be compiled from submitted designs. Students and their work will be celebrated. That will be inspiring for your students!

Teaching History

Playing games is one way to discover history. The simple mechanics of Wiki Histories do not seriously attempt to simulate history... however, the accompanying map and paragraphs highlight little bits of history in a way that sticks.

Wiki Histories can be played with elementary school children aged 9+, but the historical paragraphs are written for adults. 

Getting Feedback

Kickstarter is great to get feedback from people all over the world. I'd like to know which Wiki Histories are your favourites and which ones you'd like me to modify. 

Credits

I want to give special thanks to Eric Solomon, the designer of the 1973 game Aggression. Albert Lamorisse's 1957 game Risk inspired him. I don't particularly like that game, but it is the grandfather of Wiki Histories, and like it or not, Risk is in its DNA! 

Wiki Histories was made possible by many others: the sketch artist Okan Bulbul, the playtester Paul Saxberg, the copyeditor Mark Burstein, the loving partner Sanja, and my daughter Julia for suggesting in 2023 that I stop using expensive, customized poker chips and rework the entire Wiki Histories tome into an inexpensive pencil-and-paper experience with secret information recorded on two maps. 

Although the No AI logo below was accurate until last week, I have used AI to help with the final text editing. I commissioned the No AI logo from graphic artist Camila Macca for my book The Infinite Pickle, and I love the logo so much that I want others to use it more accurately than I am doing here. It's free to use.