Game info:

Innovation is the history of Civilization, from prehistory to the present day, in a 45-minute card game. As you advance through the decks of cards, from Prehistory to the Information Age, your abilities become more and more powerful. But each ability requires one of the six technologies, and if your opponent is as powerful as you in the relevant technology, they will share the ability when you use it. Abilities let you increase your score, which lets you gain achievements. Gain six achievements or have the high score when the present day is reached, and you win. Should you progress towards the modern age, strengthen your technologies, or just try to score rapidly, and gain six achievements before the superior abilities of your opponent destroy your score! Any of these strategies can succeed with the right cards, but you will need to figure out how to make the right strategic plan for your current situation and be flexible as circumstances change.

Player Count and Edition:

All games will be 2-player. Please bring a copy of your game if you have one!

The 4th edition of Innovation has recently been released. In the Swiss rounds, we will use 3rd and 4th edition copies of the game as available, pairing people with games with people without. If players cannot agree on edition and 3rd edition is available, that will be the default (bringing a copy of the game will make it more likely you can play your preferred edition).

In the elimination rounds, 3rd edition will be the default. If both players agree, the 4th edition may be used. We will survey players and consider changing the default edition in future years.

Expansions will not be used.

If an 11 is drawn, the winner is

1. Highest score
2. If score is tied, most achievements
3. If achievements are tied, the player who would have drawn the 11

Tournament Format:

The tournament will consist of four rounds of continuous Swiss pairings followed by Single Elimination rounds. Anyone with at least three wins in the Swiss rounds will be eligible for advancement to Single Elimination. Byes will be given as needed in Single Elimination by randomly selecting players with the best records from the Swiss rounds.

During the Swiss rounds, players will be paired based on their records in rounds lasting no more than 60 minutes. Players are free to leave or join the tournament between rounds, understanding that any missed rounds will count as a loss and that later rounds will progress continuously (may not start precisely at the scheduled time).

Innovation should be able to be played within 60 minutes, but some games can run long. To keep the tournament moving, any games lasting longer than 60 minutes will be at risk of GM adjudication. This is never a satisfying outcome in Innovation and may amount to a die roll, so we encourage players to keep their games moving.

3rd and 4th place in the tournament will be determined by the eventual placement of their Semifinal opponent unless both players agree to play a consolation match. 5th and 6th place will go to the people defeated by the eventual finalists in the Quarterfinal.

Links: