Hardware Hustle

Hardware Hustle is a tabletop, roll-and-write resource management game about running an indie electronics business.

Buy, make, sell, and research your way to profit without burning out!

For one or more players. Ages 10+. ~20min to play.

Development notes

Open beta testing: Format, mechanics, and features are set; copy and design can change.

• Long ago, I drafted pixel art for a video game of the same name and concept. This paper version is like what I had in mind but boiled down to the bare math.
  
• In the tradeoff between complexity and accessibility, this game errs towards the latter. I want it to be fast and easy to play solo. There were lots of "It would be cool if" type features that were abandoned.
• Part/Widget names are ~temporary and their icons are stock.
• An “electronic dice” soldering kit would would make a great companion. I've done some breadboard research and it's very doable and fun.

To play

Assembly instructions

Download the latest PDFs from https://oskitone.github.io/hardware_hustle/

You'll need a basic black-and-white printer, paper trimmer/scissors, and a modicum of patience.

• Game sheets
  • Print on letter paper (8.5"x11") in portrait mode without margins, at 100% scale, and single-sided
  • Trim individual game sheets to 8.5"x5.5"
  • For a nice finish, bind a stack of them to cardboard backing with bookbinding glue
• Rules
  • Print portrait mode without margins, at 100% scale, and double-sided (flip on long edge)
  • Cut horizontally to 8.5"x5.5"
  • Fold and staple into a 4.25"x5.5" zine booklet; see corner numbers for page order

Designs are optimized for a very specific aesthetic, which I understand can be annoying for print-and-play. Trust that it's intentional and part of the experience.

(The "Zine" PDF is an experimental combo of rules + game sheets. "Ledger" is similar but on giant paper, cut and folded as a mini-zine.)

Playtesting feedback

Constructive feedback is welcome. Play (at least!) one entire game, then tell me what you think: https://forms.gle/SubELmMXAjzLFNcR7

Changelog

• prototype_draft_9cc636f_240228
  • Fix formattting, style, and typo nits
  • Add QR code to repo and feedback form
• prototype_draft_5f092de_240203
  • Smaller, "zine" style rulebook
  • Roll table is now at the end of the rules instead of a separate print
  • Research attempts use remaining opportunity
  • Even more tie resolution
  • Style nits
  • Appendix
• prototype_draft_00d1aae_240124
  • Shared opportunity rolls
  • Continue reading for ~confusing research
  • Roll-and-write is every phase
  • Misc formatting/readability nits
• prototype_draft_dcb37bc_240104
  • init

Source code

Believe it or not, this game is a Next.js website optimized for print.

To run:

npm i
npm run dev

Then open http://localhost:3000 in Chrome. (Note that, despite kind of working, it's not designed to be played on a screen and will have display oddities in non-Chrome browsers.)

If you're on a Mac me on my laptop, to make PDFs:

node make_pdfs.js

Playtester thanks

Leia M, Paul S, Kris K, Kirk P, Erica S, Donald, Fred, Garrick, Jason D; you?

License

Tentatively CC BY-SA 4.0 but TBD

Draft icons are BoxIcons (CC 4.0) and Ionicons (MIT)