Mad Science Foundation

About this board game

Mad Science Foundation is a competitive drafting game for 2–4 players, with games taking about 45 minutes. Players take on the roles of mad scientists seeking resources, crafting strange inventions, and pursuing infamy through elaborate schemes.

Each round, one player controls the Crooked Director. That player separates the available commodities into piles, deciding how valuable each combination might be. The other players then choose a pile in turn, while the Director’s controller selects last. Reading your rivals is crucial: deny them the resources they need, or leave them with two equally unpleasant choices.

The foundation provides four vital building blocks of mad science:

• Lasers
• Dark Matter
• Cryptomium
• Sharks

Use drafted resources to craft wacky inventions and dispatch minions to support your plans. New inventions may combine into an engine of cards that can eventually fuel itself, creating the possibility of perpetual motion. Alternatively, you can stockpile valuable resources for later exploitation.

Cooperation is hardly the priority at the Mad Science Foundation. Directors may be bribed, resources reallocated, spies dispatched, and inventions sabotaged, while ominous buttons promise catastrophic results. Every player also has a secret side objective, adding another layer of uncertainty as you try to determine what your competitors are really pursuing.

With its shifting piles, hidden motives, resource management, and outrageous scientific ambitions, Mad Science Foundation turns every draft into a contest of judgment and misdirection. Pursue megalomania, seek personal glory, and hope your plans do not tear apart the fabric of space-time.