Overview

Battlefield is a custom strategy board game I designed in the summer of 2024, blending elements of the classic games Catan and Risk. The game centers on territory control, resource management, construction, troop deployment, and player-versus-player combat, requiring players to balance strategic expansion with careful resource use. As the game progresses, players compete to control key regions of the board, build structures, and deploy troops to gain advantages over their opponents while accumulating victory points.

To support gameplay, players track resources and victory points using the “Resource Radio,” a custom handheld device I designed in SolidWorks and 3D printed. The Radio houses a two-digit mechanical counter designed by 3D Printy on Printables, which I integrated into a custom enclosure and knob mechanism. Players adjust the counter using a side-mounted knob that increments or decrements the display, providing tactile feedback with each step for quick and reliable counting during gameplay. The device was designed to be intuitive and satisfying to use, allowing players to track game progress without interrupting the flow of play.

The Rules

• A player wins by earning 15 victory points, which are accumulated by controlling X number of cities at the end of that player’s turn.

• Players accumulate gold each turn by occupying green spaces.

• Players accumulate metal and gas each turn by owning and building factories and refineries.

• Gold and metal are used to purchase more troops.

• Gas is used to move troops around the map.

• When opposing troops encounter each other, they battle by rolling dice. Different troop types roll different dice to represent their power level (e.g., Infantry rolls a 6-sided die, Tanks roll a 20-sided die). The highest roll wins and the losing troop is destroyed.

• Players can purchase Special Forces units such as Navy SEALs or nukes, which provide powerful strategic advantages.

Troops and Buildings

• Infantry - Cheap and efficient, but less powerful.

• Tank - Expensive and bad for the environment, but a formidable foe.

• Anti-Air Tank - Protect from those pesky jets.

• Fighter Jet - Expensive but powerful, striking deep in enemy territory.

• Battleship - Capture oil rigs and bombard coastal territories and other ships.

• Aircraft Carrier - Increase your jets efficiency by brining them closer to the target

• Army Base - House unlimited troops and build on the frontlines for quick deployments.

• Airfield - Store more jets and land to reload.

• Refinery - Produce gas for troop movements

• Factory - Produce metal for purchasing troops and buildings.