Weathering the Storm Through Collaborative Play

"Don't be shellfish, we're all in the same boat!"

Coastal Resilience is a means of ‘bouncing back and building beyond’, but the specifics of how to build a resilient coastal community can be unclear -- and it isn't a problem one person can solve. These communities are faced with coastal storms, marine debris, flooding, or any other possible troubles that could bring disaster to those unprepared. It takes decision makers from all areas of a community who plan to improve, and act to adapt. In the board game, Cards Against Calamity, players take roles of different stakeholders in a community, and then propose and advocate for how to respond to, and prepare for, events that unfold. Should they welcome the hipsters or send ‘em packing? Invest in a new jobs training program? Hold a regatta to attract tourists? Each plan benefits some and demands others sacrifice; can the town come together to ensure they all survive?

Although the game features scenarios representative of a coastal community, the conversations and cooperative negotiation play are familiar to other towns and groups who need to work together with finite resources and disparate goals. 

Cards Against Calamity was funded by NOAA and developed in partnership with the Environmental Law Institute and the Wilson Center's Serious Games Initiative. It is available for purchase through The Game Crafter.