Mythical board game

If I were to create a “Mythbusters Board Game” (and nobody in their right mind would ever do this!), how would it work? Help me create the game that really should not be created and remember-“Do not do this at home!” :grin:

Someone already made one, in 2010. The description of it on BoardGameGeek indicates that it blends answering trivia questions about the show, with a dexterity test (trying to accurately use a toy catapult to launch a toy “Buster”). It wasn’t well-reviewed; it has a 4.9 (out of 10) rating.

So, however you decide to do it, it sounds like “don’t do it that way.” :smiley:

Do better! We can do it!

Maybe something (I don’t know exactly what mechanic(s) to use) where a particular myth is presented, and then each player competes to assemble a device or test to prove or disprove the myth. Maybe there would be cards for various devices and items used on the show (Buster, C4 explosive, etc.), and players would draw a starting hand, and then bid or swap cards from a deck to attempt to build a test.

I’m not sure how it would be scored; maybe there would need to be a randomization element to it, too.

I’m thinking something like Balderdash, where you have real myths and fake ones, and you have to bluff opponents on which are which?

<Slight hijack . . . >

You’re not the boss of me!!

Tripler
I would totally MythBust at home, if I had the acreage.

But you’re what they call a professional.

Mythbusters: practical/technical, spectacular, messy, somewhat dangerous.
Boardgames: generally not these things.

If you want to capture the spirit of Mythbusters, so that people get a real sense that they are themselves busting myths just like on TV then you are going to have to find a way to incorporate some of the much-loved qualities of the show into the games.

For this you will need: a list of myths that are susceptible to kitchen/garage/backyard experimentation; some amount of suitable kit to come in the box; a list of common household objects that might be pressed into service; a robust disclaimer.

@kenobi_65 is right, you want to get people testing a myth.

A group of players is given a myth and some hints towards what an experimental test would involve.
By solving some some sort of challenge they can earn a) more hints and/or b) parts to build necessary machinery.
At any point they can conduct their experiment, with points awarded somehow for style, awesomeness, speed, distance, diameter of fireball etc.
Ultimate test is whether they get the right answer.

If the legal team are going to be a wet blanket about eyes going missing, property damage etc. then you could do it as a token/deck building game where you have to assemble component pieces cards and put them in teh right sequence to demosntrate how you would test the myth, with trade offs between building the best machine and being first to complete but if it’s got Mythbusters on the box people are going to want to feel they’re actually doing something awesome, not just describing it.

It might work better to team up with Meccano/Lego/Hot Wheels and just give out instructions for things you can build at home?

Game Preparation

  1. Assemble Board
  2. Place Myth Cards in appropriate place marked on the board.
  3. Learn to weld
  4. Learn advanced robotics

Do a MytyBusters-thened version of Monopoly.

The properties are sets where you film episodes and the houses and hotels are props for testing myths.

As you move around the board, you have to pay money out of your filming budget for episodes. (Each player is a producer for the show.) Your houses and hotels are lost at certain points as they are blown up as the result of testing one myth after another, depending on what cards you draw.

  1. A lb. of C-4?

Depends on who you ask.

Tripler
"As Og as my witness, I thought the viking helmet was satisfactory headwear, your Honor. . . "

That’s a good idea. I can see that working as a concept for a game, even if it’s not as exciting as blowing stuff up in a San Francisco gun range.