Resilience by Design is a serious game focused on climate change planning, adaptation, mitigation, and resilience. It blends gameplay with learning to build shared understanding while practicing collaboration, communication, and planning under pressure.

The Workshop Structure

1. Pre-game Workshop: Choose hazards, co-create community resilience goals, and establish a shared points target.
2. 1-Hour Play Session: A timed cooperative session simulating one fiscal year.
3. Facilitated Discussion: Review which goals were achieved and what could change.
4. Planning Activity: Work with achieved goals using the Community Resilience Planning Canvas.
5. Debrief: Discuss how to apply lessons learned to real-world contexts.

Game Objective

Work together to reach or exceed the community target (points) within 1 hour. The base target is 56 points. Each hazard selected adds to this target.

Winning & Losing

This is a collaborative game—you win or lose together as a team! If the team total meets or beats the shared target when time expires, the community succeeds. If not, discuss what could be improved and consider the optional 15-minute extension.

Why Reserve Cards?

Reserving a project card is a strategic action with two key benefits:

1. Secure a project for yourself: When you reserve a card (face-up or blind from the deck), it goes to your Reserved Projects area. No other player can complete it—it’s yours alone to finish on a future turn.
2. Gain Wild Aid: Reserving is the only way to gain Wild Aid tokens! Each time you reserve, you take 1 Wild Aid from the bank (if available). Wild Aid can substitute for any resource type when completing projects.

Reserve strategically when you see a valuable project you can’t afford yet, or when you need Wild Aid to complete something else. Remember: most roles can hold up to 3 reserved projects (Local Government and Local Authority can hold 4).

Resource Tokens

Colour-coded tokens representing 6 categories of resources:

Begin with 7 of each standard color and 5 Wild Aid in the resource bank.

Project Cards (130 total)

The game structures projects into three progressing tiers:

• Level 1 — Local Capacity (40 cards): Low-cost, foundational actions like creating volunteer networks or conducting risk assessments. 1–3 resources, 0–1 points, 1 permanent bonus. Emphasis on capacity building.
• Level 2 — Scaling Capacity (30 cards): Medium-cost, coordinated multi-sector initiatives. 3–5 resources, 1–2 points, 1–2 permanent bonuses. Balanced mix.
• Level 3 — Resilient Systems (60 cards, 5 hazard decks): High-cost, high-impact infrastructure and policy frameworks. 8–9 resources across 3 types, 3–4 points, 1 permanent bonus. Hazard-specific decks of 12 cards each: Extreme Heat & Heat Waves, Wildfire & Smoke, Riverine & Urban Flooding, Coastal Flooding & Storm Surge, and Multi-Hazard & Cascading Events. During setup, pick 2 decks matching the hazards chosen in the pre-game workshop for a total of 24 cards in play.

Understanding Project Cards

Each project card has three key elements:

• End Game Points (top left): Points you earn when the game ends. Add all points from completed projects to your score.
• Permanent Bonuses (right side): Resource icons you can use to complete goals or other projects. These bonuses stay active once the project is completed.
• Cost (bottom): Resources needed to complete the project. Pay these tokens to the bank when completing the project.

Other Components

• Community Resilience Goal Cards: 6 goal types (A–F). Each worth 6 points.
• Hazard Cards: 12 total. Six hazards, each with Minor and Major versions.
• Player Mats: 7 total, one for each station/role.
• Community Resilience Goals Worksheet (Hazard Mat): A two-sided printed reference sheet used during the pre-game workshop. Side 1 guides hazard selection, impact identification, and goal creation. Side 2 displays the six goal scoring areas (A–F) used throughout the session.
• Round Update Cards: 12 facilitation cards stacked in a fixed order (not simply shuffled). At the start of each round, the first player flips the top card and reads it aloud. Each card contains a discussion prompt (ASK), a game effect (TAKE ACTION), and a duration.

Table Setup

Place the round update cards next to the first player. Nominate a first player. Use a pen to track completed goals on the Hazard Mat.

Assign Roles: Choose 4 of the 7 available stations/roles.

Prepare Resource Tokens: Take 7 of each standard colour and 5 Wild Aid from the box and stack in resource storage area.

Review Station Rules: Each player reviews their player mat. Start on side one.

Starting Resources: Each player takes the starting tokens listed on their mat from the tokens stacked for the game.

Common Supply: Place remaining tokens in a common area within reach of all players.

Setup Project Cards:

Separate Level 1 and Level 2 project cards by level.

For Level 3: Select the hazard decks matching the hazards chosen during the pre-game workshop. Set the remaining Level 3 decks aside; they will not be used this session. Shuffle the 2 selected hazard decks together to form a single Level 3 deck.

Shuffle each level separately to create three independent decks.

Place each shuffled deck face down in its designated area.

From each face-down deck, draw 4 cards and place them face up in a row to form 3 rows of 4 cards.

Layout: Top row = Level 3, Middle row = Level 2, Bottom row = Level 1.

Resource Storage

Project Cards

Start a 1-hour timer. Play proceeds clockwise.

The first player flips the top Round Update Card and reads it aloud. Every round, the first player flips a new card and reads it aloud.

On Your Turn (in order):

Note: Player mats have two sides. Start on Side 1 and flip to Side 2 when the Round Update Cards prompt you to.

1. Perform exactly one main action: Take Resources, or Complete a Project.
2. Optional: Claim at most one goal using permanent bonuses only.
3. End of Turn: Check token limit (max 10), refill project slots (4 for each of Level 1, 2, and 3), next player’s turn in clockwise order.

Side 2 Additional Actions

1. Optional: Use your station’s once-per-turn special power.
2. Optional: Make one trade offer using your station’s trade power (consent required).
3. New main action: Reserve a Project (see Main Actions below).

On your turn, choose exactly one of these main actions:

Main Action 1: Take Resources

• Take 3 different tokens from the supply.
• Province role may take 4 different tokens instead of 3.

Main Action 2: Complete a Project

• Pay the cost listed on the project using tokens and/or permanent bonuses.
• Wild Aid tokens can substitute for any resource type.
• Place the completed card face-up in the matching “Completed Projects” area on your mat.
• Gain the project’s printed points.

Main Action 3: Reserve a Project (Side 2 only)

Reserving is the only way to get Wild Aid tokens.

Gain 1 Wild Aid token (if available in the supply).

Take 1 face-up project from any level OR draw 1 blind from any deck.

Place it in your “Reserved Projects” area on your player mat.

Reserve limits: Standard = 3 cards; Local Government / Local Authority = 4 cards.

Card Replenishment

After completing or reserving a project from the face-up display, immediately replace it by drawing one card from the same level’s face-down deck. Face-down decks remain hidden at all times and are never reshuffled.

Choose 4 of 7 available stations to sit at the table. Each station has unique abilities. One or more people may share a station and act as a team.

Understanding Your Player Mat

Each player mat has several important sections:

The 7 Player Roles

Starting Resources: 1 Materials, 1 Volunteers

• May reserve up to 4 projects (instead of 3)
• When you complete a Materials project: gain +1 Volunteers token
• Once per turn: convert 1 Materials → 1 Volunteers
• Wild Aid cap: 2

Trade Power – Contract Services: Offer 1 Materials to another player. If accepted, receive 1 Volunteers.

Starting Resources: 1 Materials, 1 Volunteers

• May reserve up to 4 projects (instead of 3)
• When you complete a Materials project: gain +1 Volunteers token
• Once per turn: convert 1 Materials → 1 Volunteers
• Wild Aid cap: 2

Trade Power: Offer 1 Materials to another player. If accepted, receive 1 Volunteers.

Starting Resources: 2 Funding

• Pay 1 fewer Funding on all Level 2 and Level 3 projects
• When you complete a Funding project: draw 1 random token (d6 rule)
• Once per turn: pay 1 Funding to draw 1 random token (d6 rule)
• Wild Aid cap: 1

Trade Power: Offer 2 Funding to a player. If accepted, draw 1 random token using the d6 dice and rules (see the bottom of the page: “Random Token Rule”).

Starting Resources: 1 Materials, 1 Funding

• Pay 1 fewer Materials on Level 2 and Level 3 projects
• When you complete a Materials project: draw 1 random token (d6 rule)
• Wild Aid cap: 1

Trade Power: Offer 1 Materials to a player. If accepted, they return 1 Funding or 1 Knowledge.

Starting Resources: 1 Knowledge

• Once per turn: treat 1 Knowledge as Political Will while paying project cost
• When a project cost includes both Knowledge and Political Will: gain +1 point
• Wild Aid cap: No limit

Trade Power: Give 1 Knowledge to a player. If accepted, they return 1 Political Will or 1 Volunteers.

Starting Resources: 1 Political Will

• When taking resources: may take 4 different tokens instead of 3
• Once per round, Program Transfer: Offer 1 token to a player. If accepted, they must immediately reserve or complete a project.
• Wild Aid cap: 2

Trade Power: Offer 1 Funding to a player. If they use that token to complete a project this turn, take 1 non-Wild token from the supply.

Starting Resources: 1 Volunteers, 1 Knowledge

• Once per turn: treat 1 Volunteers as 1 Materials while paying a cost
• When you complete a Volunteers project: gain 1 Knowledge token (if available)
• Wild Aid cap: 2

Trade Power: Offer 1 Volunteers to a player. If accepted, they return 1 Materials or 1 Funding to resource storage.

How to Achieve Goals

Goals are achieved by completing project cards on your player mat. Here’s how it works:

To achieve a goal: Count the permanent bonuses (resource icons) on your completed project cards. If you have enough of the required types, you may claim that goal on your turn and immediately add 6 points to your score.

The 6 Goal Types

Once per turn, the active player may make one trade offer using their station’s Trade Power

Consent is required – the receiving player may decline with no penalty

Trades move tokens only (not project cards or goals)

Respect any Wild Aid caps

No chain trades in the same turn

Round Update Cards are a deck of 12 facilitation cards that introduce real-world pressures, reflective pauses, and gameplay effects into the session. One card is flipped at the start of each round. The deck is not simply shuffled: it is stacked in a deliberate order to ensure Card 6 arrives at the structural midpoint and Card 12 anchors the end of the session.

Card Structure

Each Round Update Card has three elements:

• ASK: A discussion prompt read aloud to the table. Players briefly discuss before continuing play.
• TAKE ACTION: A game effect that applies to all players. Some cards have no action (“None”), while others impose constraints or create opportunities.
• DURATION: “Immediate” (resolved once), “This Round” (effect expires at end of the current round), “Permanent” (applies for the rest of the game), or “Rest of Game” (continues through any extension period).

The 12 Round Update Cards

#	Title	ASK	TAKE ACTION	Duration
1	Name the Aim	In one sentence, what climate resilience goal or Level 3 project is this table trying to advance?	None	Immediate
2	Define the Context	Name 1 to 2 hazards you are planning for and one shared vulnerability across them.	None	Immediate
3	Pick the First Move	Name one Level 1 or Level 2 Project you expect will help you reach that goal.	None	Immediate
4	Mutual Support	What kind of support is easiest to share early?	Each player may give 1 Token of their choice to the player on their left. This is a gift, not a trade. Optional.	Immediate
5	Coordination Check	What do you need from the table to make that intention realistic?	In clockwise order, each player states one intention for the next round: complete a Level 1 Project, complete a Level 2 Project, or set up for Level 3.	Immediate
6	Start of Second Half of Fiscal Year	Read your special abilities aloud to the table.	Flip all player mats to Side 2. Reveal special abilities. Add Wild Aid Tokens to the supply. RESERVE A PROJECT and trade offers are now available.	Permanent
7	Snap Election	What changes when priorities reset quickly?	When you TAKE RESOURCES (main action) this round, you may not take any Funding Tokens. If the Province seat is in play, it may not use its ability to take 4 different Tokens this round.	This round
8	Approval Gate	What real approval or governance step does this represent?	The first time each player completes a Project this round, that completion costs plus 1 Political Will Token. If unable, discard 1 non-Wild Token instead.	This round
9	Procurement Delay	Where do procurement timelines disrupt implementation in your setting?	When you RESERVE A PROJECT (main action) this round, do not gain a Wild Aid Token from reserving.	This round
10	Staff Shortage	What work continues and what work stops when capacity is thin?	The first time you TAKE RESOURCES (main action) this round, take 1 fewer Token than normal (minimum 1).	This round
11	Trust and Misinformation	Who owns trusted communication and what is the failure mode?	As a table, choose one: A) Each player discards 1 Knowledge Token to the supply. B) Trade offers are suspended this round.	This round
12	Extension Granted	What would you change if you had more time?	Continue play for the agreed extension period using all current rules and constraints.	Rest of game

Stacking the Deck

The deck is not fully shuffled. It is assembled in a fixed order before play begins:

1. Place Card 12 (Extension Granted) face down. This is the bottom of the deck. Do not shuffle it.
2. Shuffle Cards 7 to 11 and place them face down on top of Card 12.
3. Place Card 6 (Start of Second Half of Fiscal Year) face down on top of Cards 7 to 11. Do not shuffle Card 6.
4. Shuffle Cards 1 to 5 and place them face down on top of Card 6.

Final deck order from top to bottom: Cards 1–5 (shuffled) / Card 6 (fixed) / Cards 7–11 (shuffled) / Card 12 (fixed).

During Play

• Place the stacked deck face down next to the first player before the game begins.
• At the start of each round, the first player flips the top card and reads the ASK aloud. Allow a brief discussion (30–60 seconds) before applying the TAKE ACTION effect.
• “This Round” effects expire at the end of the current round of turns.
• When Card 6 is flipped, all players immediately flip their player mats to Side 2 before taking their turns. This is a permanent change.
• Card 12 is only reached if the group opts for an extension. If no extension is taken, it remains unflipped.

When the Timer Expires

The game ends when the 1-hour timer expires. This represents the end of the fiscal year.

Calculate Final Score

1. Total all project points from completed projects (all players)
2. Add points for all achieved community resilience goals
3. Compare total to your target score

Win or Lose

• Meet or exceed target: The community wins together! 🎉
• Below target: The community loses together, but gains valuable insights.

Optional 15-Minute Extension

After scoring and a short discussion, the group may decide to add 15 more minutes of play. Continue from where you left off, then rescore and discuss what changed.

Some abilities let you draw a random token. Roll a 6-sided die:

Die Roll	Token
1	Volunteers
2	Knowledge
3	Funding
4	Materials
5	Political Will
6	Volunteers