Package Panic

A large family game about delivering packages, as quickly as possible, to the right places, without colliding with each other or losing them.

Game Information

Number of players: 2–10

Playtime: ±90 minutes

Difficulty: average

Alternative titles: “The BOL.com Game” (Bol.com is the largest Dutch online store), “Post Panic”, and “Package Panic”

What is the idea?

In this game everyone plays a postal company.

Every day loads of envelopes and packages come in, and you must deliver them to the right place on time.

There is a “large board” (with country/countries and cities) with “small boards” around it (the streets and houses of specific cities).

These boards are built from tiles. On these tiles are several dots (according to a grid). Infrastructure must always be placed neatly on the dots (and therefore follow the grid).
On many tiles a number of things are automatically present (a simple road, water, an outdated railway track, etc.) But a lot still has to be built by players themselves.

IDEA: There are different stages in the production process, and different routes and transport methods, causing players to rely heavily on each other.

For example: you can only transport packages once someone else has assembled/delivered them.
For example: if someone can only deliver something in city A, but receives an order from city B, they must call in help from someone else.

IDEA: You must keep and replenish your own “warehouses”/“stocks”. You must be smart about this and estimate where you will need what in the future.

IDEA: The stages a package goes through are as follows:

(Advertising is made/people come to the website/etc.)
Order comes in.
Order is assembled (different parts combined, packaged, etc.)
Order is transported from the place of assembly to the person who ordered it.
Order is delivered.

You have different types of packages of course. You have light and heavy packages. You have small and large packages.

For example: a large package requires two or three blocks (which you must deliver together).
For example: a large package requires two blocks, but these blocks must be stacked on top of each other! (Other placement rules also exist of course)

All transport vehicles have a different maximum capacity and maximum weight.

Capacity: how many blocks fit in this vehicle.
Weight: how heavy the blocks may be (when added together)

All Transport Vehicles

Boat: can carry a lot, but is relatively slow and of course requires a water route.
Train: can carry a lot, is fast, but requires an expensive railway.
Truck: can carry less, but is flexible
Van: can carry even less, but is even more flexible
Bicycle: can only carry normal mail, no packages. Is very flexible and fast, but cannot be used for large distances.

IDEA: The game already starts with a certain (random?) network. But players can also build roads, railways, and rivers/canals themselves! With this one can also block others: if you build a railway line, the other cannot simply cross it. (Then that person must first pay to place a “railway crossing”?)

QUESTION: And airplane then?

All Buildings

Headquarters: everything starts here (your first vehicle, your first warehouse, etc.). A headquarters also gives you extra possibilities at the location where it stands.
Large warehouse: is expensive and takes up a lot of space, but can also store a lot
Small warehouse: cheaper and smaller, but can store fewer goods.
Station: vehicles can load/unload/transfer here
Intermediate station: the same as a station, but smaller and can do slightly less. (It is intended to quickly pass things on to other vehicles, not to really load/unload.)
Factory: the different goods are produced here

More? Nah.

NOTE: The sorting of packages must also be included! (For example: if you deliver something to a warehouse, it takes X hours before it is sorted. Each hour all packages in the warehouse move along a small track??)

How are orders placed?

Each round begins with a few “potential buyers”. These are people who are looking for certain products, and may possibly buy them.

You can influence this. You can make more people interested, you can change the products they want (and how they want them), etc.

Eventually there will be a row of orders.

IDEA: When customers order something, they must of course give their address. They do this with coordinates.

The first coordinates indicate the city. (See the large board.)
The second coordinates indicate the specific house (within that city). (See the small board corresponding to the city.)
Problems? It will often occur that there is nothing at that location. And possibly multiple things can be at one location?
Solutions? Work with numbers. Each city has its own number, and each house its own number. (If a customer asks for a number that does not exist, the closest number that does exist is taken.)

IDEA: Customers have certain preferences that determine where they order something.

The closest provider.
The cheapest (“lowest shipping costs”)
All providers. (Starting with the starting player, everyone may say whether they will fulfill the order. The first who says “yes!” gets the order.)
Etc.

IDEA: Do something with people who come to pick it up themselves? People who return packages? People who are not home? :p

How does the game proceed?

The game proceeds in turns, but continuously. (There are no rounds or anything.)

The game begins at midnight (hour 0) of day 1.

All players, clockwise starting from the starting player, take their turn.

When everyone has gone, the clock advances 1 hour and the same thing happens again.

This continues until the game ends.

When does the game end? I don’t know. Ideas are:

When someone has earned X money.
When someone has received and/or delivered X orders in one day.
When time runs out (after 10 days or something).
If one player owns (or delivers) at least half of all capital/all buildings/all orders. In other words: someone has clearly become the largest.

What does a player do during their turn?

Action: a player always performs one action during their turn. This may be done at any moment during their turn. The possible actions are:

Build building
Build infrastructure
Buy vehicle

Let factories work: the player lets all their factories work for one hour.

Move vehicles: then the player may move all their vehicles. (This is the distance traveled in this hour of the day. Some vehicles will be able to go farther than others.)

CONCEPT: It is easy to arrange that a vehicle may take multiple steps in one hour.
It is difficult to arrange if some vehicles need more hours for one step. So I must try to avoid that!

If a vehicle arrives at a place where it may (or must) perform an action, it happens immediately.

For example: a van that stops in front of a house that ordered something immediately delivers the requested package.
For example: a truck that stops at a warehouse immediately places all its goods into that warehouse.

IDEA: You may also choose to NOT let vehicles or factories work. Because it costs money/maintenance/gasoline/something if you use them?

IDEA: Each route may only have one vehicle? So once a route is occupied, and controlled by another player, no one else can use that specific route.

This simplifies the game and forces players to cooperate. (Player A is the only one who can bring a package to a house, but only receives that package if player B brings it along the correct route. If that takes too long, player A can almost always pick up the package via a detour.)

You of course have exceptions, such as a four-lane highway or something :p

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Does this not become too large and complex? Can I keep it simpler and more abstract? (Better yet: can I make two variants, where one is simpler and the other more complex?)

The simpler variant I would do without vehicles, with less (or no) infrastructure, and fewer buildings.

I would make it more like a kind of Ticket to Ride, but with packages, cooperation, and a modular board.

A large family game about delivering packages, as quickly as possible, to the right places, without colliding with each other or losing them. ## Game Information **Number of players:** 2–10 **Playtime:** ±90 minutes **Difficulty:** average _Alternative titles: "The BOL.com Game" (Bol.com is the largest Dutch online store), "Post Panic", and "Package Panic"_ ## What is the idea? In this game everyone plays a postal company. Every day loads of envelopes and packages come in, and you must deliver them to the right place on time. There is a **"large board"** (with country/countries and cities) with **"small boards"** around it (the streets and houses of specific cities). > These boards are built from tiles. On these tiles are several dots (according to a grid). Infrastructure must always be placed neatly on the dots (and therefore follow the grid). > > On many tiles a number of things are automatically present (a simple road, water, an outdated railway track, etc.) But a lot still has to be built by players themselves. IDEA: There are different stages in the production process, and different routes and transport methods, causing players to rely heavily on each other. > For example: you can only transport packages once someone else has assembled/delivered them. > > For example: if someone can only deliver something in city A, but receives an order from city B, they must call in help from someone else. IDEA: You must keep and replenish your own "warehouses"/"stocks". You must be smart about this and estimate where you will need what in the future. IDEA: The stages a package goes through are as follows: 1. (Advertising is made/people come to the website/etc.) 2. Order comes in. 3. Order is assembled (different parts combined, packaged, etc.) 4. Order is transported from the place of assembly to the person who ordered it. 5. Order is delivered. You have different types of packages of course. You have **light** and **heavy** packages. You have **small** and **large** packages. > For example: a large package requires two or three blocks (which you must deliver together). > > For example: a large package requires two blocks, *but* these blocks must be stacked on top of each other! (Other placement rules also exist of course) All *transport vehicles* have a different maximum *capacity* and maximum *weight*. > Capacity: how many blocks fit in this vehicle. > > Weight: how heavy the blocks may be (when added together) ## All Transport Vehicles - **Boat:** can carry a lot, but is relatively slow and of course requires a water route. - **Train:** can carry a lot, is fast, but requires an expensive railway. - **Truck:** can carry less, but is flexible - **Van:** can carry even less, but is even more flexible - **Bicycle:** can only carry normal mail, no packages. Is very flexible and fast, but cannot be used for large distances. IDEA: The game already starts with a certain (random?) network. But players can also build roads, railways, and rivers/canals themselves! With this one can also block others: if you build a railway line, the other cannot simply cross it. (Then that person must first pay to place a "railway crossing"?) QUESTION: And **airplane** then? ## All Buildings - **Headquarters:** everything starts here (your first vehicle, your first warehouse, etc.). A headquarters also gives you extra possibilities at the location where it stands. - **Large warehouse:** is expensive and takes up a lot of space, but can also store a lot - **Small warehouse:** cheaper and smaller, but can store fewer goods. - **Station:** vehicles can load/unload/transfer here - **Intermediate station:** the same as a station, but smaller and can do slightly less. (It is intended to quickly pass things on to other vehicles, not to really load/unload.) - **Factory:** the different goods are produced here More? Nah. NOTE: The **sorting** of packages must also be included! (For example: if you deliver something to a warehouse, it takes X hours before it is sorted. Each hour all packages in the warehouse move along a small track??) ## How are orders placed? Each round begins with a few "potential buyers". These are people who are looking for certain products, and may possibly buy them. You can influence this. You can make more people interested, you can change the products they want (and how they want them), etc. Eventually there will be a row of orders. **IDEA:** When customers order something, they must of course give their address. They do this with **coordinates**. > The first coordinates indicate the city. (See the large board.) > > The second coordinates indicate the specific house (within that city). (See the small board corresponding to the city.) > > Problems? It will often occur that there is nothing at that location. And possibly multiple things can be at one location? > > Solutions? Work with numbers. Each city has its own number, and each house its own number. (If a customer asks for a number that does not exist, the closest number that *does* exist is taken.) **IDEA:** Customers have certain preferences that determine *where* they order something. - The closest provider. - The cheapest ("lowest shipping costs") - All providers. (Starting with the starting player, everyone may say whether they will fulfill the order. The first who says "yes!" gets the order.) - Etc. **IDEA:** Do something with people who come to pick it up themselves? People who return packages? People who are not home? :p ## How does the game proceed? The game proceeds in turns, but continuously. (There are no rounds or anything.) The game begins at midnight (hour 0) of day 1. All players, clockwise starting from the starting player, take their turn. When everyone has gone, the clock advances 1 hour and the same thing happens again. This continues until the game ends. *When does the game end?* I don’t know. Ideas are: - When someone has earned X money. - When someone has received and/or delivered X orders in one day. - When time runs out (after 10 days or something). - If one player owns (or delivers) at least half of all capital/all buildings/all orders. In other words: someone has clearly become the largest. ## What does a player do during their turn? **Action:** a player always performs one action during their turn. This may be done at any moment during their turn. The possible actions are: - Build building - Build infrastructure - Buy vehicle **Let factories work:** the player lets all their factories work for one hour. **Move vehicles:** then the player may move all their vehicles. (This is the distance traveled in this hour of the day. Some vehicles will be able to go farther than others.) > CONCEPT: It is easy to arrange that a vehicle may take *multiple steps in one hour*. > > It is difficult to arrange if some vehicles *need more hours for one step*. So I must try to avoid that! If a vehicle arrives at a place where it may (or must) perform an action, it happens immediately. > For example: a van that stops in front of a house that ordered something immediately delivers the requested package. > > For example: a truck that stops at a warehouse immediately places all its goods into that warehouse. **IDEA:** You may also choose to **NOT** let vehicles or factories work. Because it costs money/maintenance/gasoline/something if you use them? **IDEA:** Each route may only have one vehicle? So once a route is occupied, and controlled by another player, no one else can use that specific route. This simplifies the game and forces players to cooperate. (Player A is the only one who can bring a package to a house, but only receives that package if player B brings it along the correct route. If that takes too long, player A can almost always pick up the package via a detour.) > You of course have exceptions, such as a four-lane highway or something :p **IMPORTANT QUESTION:** Does this not become too large and complex? Can I keep it simpler and more abstract? (Better yet: can I make two variants, where one is simpler and the other more complex?) The simpler variant I would do without vehicles, with less (or no) infrastructure, and fewer buildings. I would make it more like a kind of _Ticket to Ride_, but with packages, cooperation, and a modular board.