To Lay a Foundation: A Roleplay of Public Service

Game is coming out January 20, 2025!

It is no secret that the people who keep our governments and related organizations running are being attacked in politics and social media as pencil pushers that get in the way, a conspiratorial Deep State, or cultural indoctrinators. The most recent piece of media that views civil servants in an optimistic light I can think of is Park and Rec that ended exactly 10 years ago.

This is where To Lay A Foundation was born.

In this game, you will be taking the role of one or more Policy Actors. Some may be partisan politicians acting directly on the laws of the land or stand outside of government and advise or advocate on issues.  

However, the vast majority are civil servants, staffers, and contractors. The people that are on the pointy end of policy development, implementation, and government customer service.

No matter your origins, leanings, or objectives, one thing is clear. You need to work with others to thrive and get things done. 

What does play look like?

This will be the first in a series of games tailored to handle the kinds of social situations and project-based solutions familiar to those involved in large organizations like  governments. Since social action is the focus, the rules can be used in any modern or historical setting or even fantastical ones like high fantasy or sci-fi.

The core of the game is built around exploring who the characters are as people and how their unique experiences help them create solutions for problems. As a result, characters are built on a system that uses their past experiences, roles, and identities. This gives the players more freedom when creating their characters and to give their characters bonuses or penalties in certain situations.

Other aspects of the system encourage cooperation by managing resources and covering for others weaknesses. These are to simulate the team effort and networking that is required for governments to work, as well as the burnout, budgets, time constraints that all pubic officials face in their jobs.

To play To Lay a Foundation, you will also need the following resources:

• At least eight 6-sided dice
• At least one Policy Actor (character) sheet per player.
• A pool of tokens used to track Effort. 
• While playable for one person, we encourage play with at least two players when possible. Good government, after all,  is built on teamwork.