I’ve been in the startup / venture capital world for 20+ years. It surprised me that, so far as I can tell, there aren’t any RPGs about being a startup founder. So… I decided to take a crack at it.
I’m happy to announce the Alpha 2 version of Forge The Future
In Forge The Future you play entrepreneurs in a desperate race to fulfill your world-changing vision before running out of time.
Founders start with an idea, some money in the bank, their personal skills, and some connections. That’s it. No product, no customers, no evidence the idea is viable.
Founders commit their limited resources in a series of Sprints to gain enough credibility to attract a round of investment before they run out of Runway (a measure of their financial and spiritual reserves). That round hopefully buys them enough time to advance their idea and attract yet more funding. Every time they raise money they give up more Equity (and control), a resource they can never regain. They repeat this cycle until failing or reaching their Exit.
Touchstones: The Social Network, Shark Tank, Halt and Catch Fire, Silicon Valley.
Feedback on the rules (1 sheet for players, 1 sheet for GMs) is greatly welcomed. Scheduling playtests now. Give me a shout if this sounds like your idea of fun :).