The New Science

About this board game

The New Science is a board game for 2–5 players, with a play time of about 90 minutes, set during the 17th-century Scientific Revolution in Europe.

Each player controls one of the era’s great scientists and must use limited time and energy to advance their work. Make discoveries, test hypotheses, publish papers, and correspond with other famous scientists as you build your scientific reputation.

Progress follows historical technology trees across five key sciences of the age:

• Astronomy
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Biology
• Chemistry

Your laboratory can grow as you hire assistants, while networking with other people can provide further help with your progress. Every choice must be weighed against the limits of your available time and energy as you pursue new ideas and scientific achievements.

The New Science captures a period of experimentation, correspondence, publication, and expanding knowledge. Players compete to accumulate the most prestige through their scientific accomplishments.

At the end of the contest, the scientist with the greatest prestige is appointed the first President of the Royal Society. With its focus on historical scientific development and interconnected research paths, the game presents the Scientific Revolution through discoveries, hypotheses, laboratories, and networks of influential people.