CO2: The Boardgame

I don’t have many boardgames that have sat on the shelf for a few years, so it was time to finally sit down and learn CO2, a game by Vital Lacerda. After all, how many good meaty games are there with a chemical formula for a name? The game isn’t about chemistry per se, but it is about climate change, fossil fuels, rising CO2 levels, and alternative energy sources.

The game supports 2-5 players, and there is a solo variation (that I haven’t tried). So far I’ve only tried it with 2 and 4 players and it seems to scale well. Each player leads a multinational energy company that is “responding to government requests for new, green power plants” (according to the game rules introduction). There is a cooperative aspect to the game, in the sense that if the CO2 level rises past 500 ppm, everybody loses. If global catastrophe isn’t triggered however, then players gain victory points through various mechanisms. Building green power plants, being a leader in scientific knowledge in alternative energies, making money (yes, that is part of the game), and satisfying corporate goals and U.N. goals – all these contribute to one’s score. The winner, as in most games, has the highest score.

The board is visually pleasing. (Excuse my poor photography; my hands shake.) Especially when a game is in full swing. The six continents and their power plants are just within the outer circle. There is a mix of fossil fuel plants that contribute to increasing CO2 levels and green power plants built by the players. Construction of a power plant takes place in three stages. First a project is proposed, then infrastructure for the project is installed, and finally the plant is constructed. Any company can propose, install or construct – but ownership doesn’t take place until the construction. The center of the board shows the Carbon Emissions Permit (CEP) market, and just surrounding it are summits that scientists can attend and also markers that indicate the types of alternative fuels each continent will accept.

In the picture above you can see that Asia is full of fossil fuel plants (two oil and one gas). The black marker below indicates that CO2 is currently at 430 ppm. There is one proposed project for forestation (the most expensive of five alternative technologies). Towards the left of Asia is Oceania. It has one recycling (the least expensive) power plant built alongside fossil fuel producers. The blue player owns the power plant and also has a scientist research biomass in a proposed project. One needs to have enough scientific knowledge before construction of a power plant can take place, and one also needs money and technology to build the plants. Proposing projects provides resources in the form of grants. Installing projects costs a CEP but then provides some benefits. The way CEPs move throughout the game is one of the most interesting aspects of the game. I did not grasp it when I first read the rules and it takes actually playing the game to see how it works.

Above is North America with a number of alternative power plants: biomass, cold fusion and solar owned by three different players. The orange player with the highest level plant also “controls” the region and therefore can use its CEPs. Each player starts the game with five single-use lobby cards, which they can use to reduce costs or provide resources. Each player also has a specific company goal that could award additional victory points at the end of the game if the goals are achieved. These cards form the only hidden information in the game. Below you can see where scientific progress for each player in each alternative energy is tracked. Being ahead scientifically provides income, victory points, and other benefits. It’s cool to have a game where scientists doing more research, working on projects, and attending scientific conferences or summits is an important part of the game.

CO2 takes about 2 hours to play once everyone knows the rules, and assuming the game doesn’t end prematurely through global catastrophe. (It’s not that difficult to prevent global catastrophe as long as there is some cooperation among the players.) The first game is a bit of a learning curve as some of the rules seem counter-intuitive although I can attest that they work quite well, now that I have several games under my belt. While the opening moves might feel a little scripted because you don’t have many options in the beginning, the game opens up quite a bit and allows for a range of strategies. Also there are several variables in the setup of each game, which keeps thing both interesting and different. I’m looking forward to more games of CO2. The game mechanics mesh well with the theme, and I recommend it to folks who like meaty games and think scientists and alternative green energies are cool!