TEXT: Making History is a game 
  about civilisation, hard  
  decisions, and public memory. 
  In this game, players escort a 
  nation through time, from a 
  pre-history settlement to an  
  information nation,  
  creating the society, the  
  history, the technology, the 
  conflicts, and the  
  surrounding world as they go. 
  The game is split into five 
  Eras, which are each defined 
  by the introduction of a  
  revolutionary technology—the 
  Sunlight Era, farming; the 
  Sketch Era, written  
  communication; the Ship Era, 
  ships; the Factory Era,  
  industry; and the Information 
  Era, digital communication—
  each Era bringing with it the 
  new experiences and  
  difficulties that the nation has 
  to face. Ultimately, however, 
  this is a game about history, 
  and how much it affects a  
  society throughout time,  
  despite how fragile and 
  changeable a concept it is.  
  MAKING HISTORY 
  A WORLD-BUILDING GAME BY ROSE DOCHERTY 
  THE BASICS 
  This is a mini-game for any number of 
  players, though keep in mind that it  
  involves a lot of discussion and open 
  creation, so you need a small enough 
  group that agreements can be reached. 
  It can be played in one long session, 
  though splitting it into one session per 
  Era can create a muddle of memory that 
  mimics the fog of history. Each Era 
  should take 45 minutes—1 hour,  
  depending on how readily you agree and 
  how quickly the creative juices flow. 
  Gameplay is simple: each Era has a set 
  of cards. Draw cards and follow the in-
  structions on them until you run out, 
  then move on to the next Era. The cards 
  create details about your civilisation, 
  which you record on the Civilisation 
  Sheet. These details should be reached 
  at through group decision-making; make 
  sure everyone has a chance to speak up. 
  At the end of each Era the group asks 
  themselves a number of questions, then 
  you move on to the next set of cards. 
  Making History can stand alone as a 
  world-building narrative, or it could be 
  used as world creation for another role-
  playing game, or even for general writing 
  projects. It’s a game designed to mimic 
  the unreliability of history, but it’s also a 
  game that stimulates and fosters  
  creativity, and can serve as a guideline 
  for world creation.     
  
  GAMEPLAY 
  THE CIVILISATION 
  The central component of Making History is the creation of a Civilisation. During the 
  game, every action you take will add, edit, or remove a component from the Civilisation 
  Sheet. There are five different components that make up your civilisation; Discoveries, 
  Memories, Economic and Public Conflicts, and Social Groups. 
  Memories: Memories are events of importance in your civilisation that form the history 
  and culture of your society. They can be moments which bring the nation together or 
  which tear them apart, and can be completely accurate or mired by myth and legend. 
  They are flexible, and will change significantly over the Eras. Real world examples could 
  be America’s War of Independence, France’s French Revolution, or New Zealand’s Treaty 
  of Waitangi. 
  Discoveries: Discoveries are creations, inventions, or uncovered mysteries that make 
  up the knowledge and the technology available to your nation. These can be things cre-
  ated by the nation, or things uncovered by trade or exploration. You can pick these 
  from real-world examples, or make something up completely. Don’t be bound by our 
  history and science—go outside the existing world and create something completely 
  new. 
  COMPONENTS 
   
  1-4 players (recommended). 
   
  Civilisation Sheet. 
   
  Pencil and eraser (history is  
  impermanent, so always 
  write in pencil). 
   
  The five Era card decks. 
   
  Optional: a map. Not  
   
  necessary, but can be very 
  helpful in envisioning the 
  world. 
  Conflicts: Conflicts are any events that cause 
  problems within your civilisation. These are 
  split into Public—problems within society, 
  based around the people—and Economic—
  financial problems within the economy—
  Conflicts. Some cards can add conflicts, while 
  others can resolve them. Conflicts give insight 
  into your leadership style, as well as the  
  culture and views of your populace. Examples 
  of public conflicts could be widespread fear or 
  paranoia, or government dissatisfaction, while 
  examples of economic conflicts could be war, 
  tax-dodging, or loss of a trade partner. 
  Social Groups: Social Groups are different pockets of your society with their own aims, 
  cultures, and grievances. They define and make up your civilisation, giving it character 
  and culture. Some cards will add new Social Groups, while others will add details or 
  use existing Groups. Social Groups can be religions, organisations, classes, races,  
  businesses, or any other significant part of society.  
  
  THE ERAS 
  SUNLIGHT ERA 
  You control an agriculture-based settle-
  ment with limited technology and no 
  written history. The settlement is small 
  and community-focused, the  
  problems it faces are based mostly 
  around natural dangers, banditry, and 
  tribes settling in the area, and history is  
  carried through cultural practices and 
  word of mouth. Over the period, it will 
  grow and expand, eventually becoming 
  an early city-state. 
  At the end of the sunlight era: 
   
  The lack of written records makes 
  memory impermanent and difficult 
  for people to trust. Pick two  
  memories and remove them. Pick 
  another memory and change one of 
  the details. 
   
  The growing population obscures 
  individuals and forces people to 
  group together. One of your social 
  groups has disappeared – which 
  one and why? 
   
  Time and advancements of other 
  civilisations has made some of your 
  discoveries obsolete. Pick two  
  discoveries and remove them. Pick 
  another and describe how it has 
  been refined to be more advanced. 
   
  If there are any conflicts left over, 
  these continue into the next Era. 
  One of them has become more  
  significant as time goes on.  
  Describe the impact it’s having and 
  add that detail to the conflict. 
  SKETCH ERA 
  Written communication has been developed 
  and there is now an official record for  
  history. However, the majority of the  
  population is still illiterate and the economy 
  is still agriculture-based. Over the period, 
  societal culture will develop and diversify, 
  and the city-state will expand into a country.  
  At the end of the Sketch Era: 
   
  Written records have obscured earlier 
  memories and limited the amount of 
  people who can add to history. Describe 
  the people who make the archives and 
  add them as a social group. Pick two 
  memories that were not included in 
  written records and remove them.  
   
  Over time, two of your social groups 
  have merged to form one distinct com-
  munity. Remove the separate groups 
  and add the new one, describing how 
  they have changed from the original 
  groups. Another group has been caught 
  up in a long-standing conflict that has 
  ultimately led to its destruction. Remove 
  the social group and any relating mem-
  ories. 
   
  Natural disasters, internal and external 
  conflict, and human error have led to 
  some of your technology being lost. Pick 
  two of your discoveries and remove 
  them, describing how they were lost. 
   
  If you have conflicts left over, they con-
  tinue into the next Era. One of your 
  PUBLIC CONFLICTs is mostly forgotten, 
  but it looms in history forever. Add it as 
  a memory. 
  
  SHIP ERA 
  Your land-based country has expanded 
  far enough to reach the sea. The global 
  expanse has opened up to you, providing 
  new opportunities for trade, acquisition, 
  exploration, or perhaps war. Over the 
  Ship Era, your civilisation will grow into 
  a global power, and the economy will 
  greatly expand, merchants and burghers 
  increasing in importance and power. 
  At the end of the Ship Era: 
   
  The social group that controls the 
  archives decides to edit history. 
  Pick two memories and remove 
  them. Why were these memories  
  repressed? Another one has been 
  changed to support the current 
  leadership. Edit a memory and  
  decide why. 
   
  As communities diversify, parts of 
  them get lost. One of your social 
  groups has changed over the past 
  eras into something completely  
  different. Discuss how it has 
  changed, and edit it under your  
  Social Groups to reflect that.  
  Another social group has simply 
  died out. Pick one and remove it. 
   
  Inefficiency or poor production has 
  led to some discoveries being  
  abandoned. Pick two and remove 
  them, describing why they were left  
  behind. 
   
  If you have conflicts left over, they 
  continue into the next Era. One of 
  the conflicts has been resolved, but 
  at a huge cost. Pick a conflict and 
  remove it, then remove a discovery 
  and a social group and describe 
  how the one destroyed the others.  
  FACTORY ERA 
   This is a period of serious economic  
  advancement, when production is expanded 
  and diversified and the economic base 
  changes from agricultural to industrial.  
  Urban centres become more densely  
  populated and the public sphere has  
  expanded, giving people more ability to  
  comment on the running of the country and 
  more opportunity for civil rights issues to 
  rise. Over the Factory Era, your civilisation 
  will become more urban and more socially 
  aware.  
  At the end of the Factory Era: 
   
  A recent event has had such national 
  importance that earlier memories have 
  been obscured. Pick two earlier  
  memories and remove them. What other 
  memory overtook them and why is it so 
  important? Add this detail to the 
  memory. 
   
  One of your social groups has become 
  ‘integrated’ into society, to the point 
  where it has disappeared entirely.  
  Remove it from your social groups and 
  add it as a memory. 
   
  Moral groups have campaigned against 
  some of your discoveries. Who are they 
  and why do they object to the new  
  technology? Either use a current social 
  group or add a new one. Pick two  
  discoveries and remove them,  
  describing why they were seen as so  
  immoral. 
   
  If you have conflicts left over, they  
  continue into the next era. Some have 
  changed as times change. Pick one and 
  describe how it has become more  
  modern. Others have been ignored and 
  discouraged until the populace  
  eventually forgets about them. Remove 
  a PUBLIC CONFLICT and describe why 
  it was forgotten. 
   
  
  INFORMATION ERA 
  This is a period when communication 
  has significantly advanced, allowing  
  information to be available easily and 
  quickly to a wider audience and on a 
  larger scale than ever before. Huge  
  archives of information can be ac-
  cessed and added to by most of the 
  population. However, the white noise of 
  so much  
  information makes public memory and 
  history harder to verify and identity, 
  and easier for people to manipulate, 
  use, and obscure. Over the Information 
  Era, your leadership style will truly be 
  tested.  
  Information comes at a price, and you 
  must decide for your populace whether 
  or not they’re willing to pay.  
  ENDING THE GAME 
  You have moved your civilisation through 
  five eras, changing it from a tiny illiterate  
  settlement to a sprawling nation with its 
  own complicated culture, history, and 
  patchwork of social groups. Looking back 
  through the Civilisation Sheet, take some 
  time to consider and discuss the following: 
   
  Take a look through the memories that 
  you have left. This is the official history 
  of your nation, forming how your na-
  tion sees itself today. How much of the  
  earlier eras is left? How many of your 
  memories have been left untarnished? 
  Is this an accurate portrayal of your  
  civilisation? 
   
  Your social groups are equally as  
  important in shaping your nation’s  
  culture through the individual cultures  
  of the different people who live there. How many cultures have been preserved? 
  How many have been lost to history? And of those that are still around, how many 
  coexist peacefully, and how many are happy with the civilisation they live in?  
   
  Discoveries, the technology your civilisation produces, determine the kind of  
  economy your civilisation has. According to your discoveries, what kind of  
  technology does your civilization produce? Do you produce a lot of weapons, or are 
  you at the forefront of tech? Has your economy updated with the times?  
   
  The conflicts you have left over will shape the future of your society. Is your  
  civilisation divided by PUBLIC CONFLICT, or drained by ECONOMIC CONFLICT? 
  Is it a society of the brink of collapse, or is it standing strong and united? Do your 
  people love you, or are you heading straight into a revolt?  
   
  Finally, consider your civilisation as a whole. How greatly has it changed or grown 
  over time? How much does it fit what you originally envisioned? If you have a map, 
  look over it and consider the way that the landscape has taken shape, and how 
  much your civilisation has changed the world around it.  
  Where you go from here is up to you. Feel free to use this civilisation as a starting point 
  for further stories or games, or destroy the civilisation and build another one on top of 
  it, using the bare bones of this civilisation as a point of settlement and starting the 
  game over again.    
  
  CIVILISATION SHEET
  MEMORIES: 
  SOCIAL GROUPS: 
  NAME: 
  ERA: 
  
  DISCOVERIES: 
  PUBLIC CONFLICTS: 
  ECONOMIC CONFLICTS: 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Duet/RPGS/Indie & Odd Themes/Game Chef Finalists for 2 players/Game Chef 2016 - Making History/01. Rules.pdf